No taking sun pictures?

[Sassalyn]

Hi guys,
Just want to find out on some info. Read the manual and it said do not take direct sunlight pics as it will damage the viewfinder. Which viewfinder will be damage? and do sunsets and sunrise shots count coz the its like remnants of the sun etc? Anyway I can still take my shots? Help me please....STEVE?

[mdorani]

i think thats bull crap it ruins the viewfinder..

i taken heaps and heaps ofpic of the sun i even have picture of a sunset. still hasnt ruined my Sony DSC-P51 , if ur so woried put a small piece of paper in the viewfinder

[Gary Senkus]

Sassalyn,
Easy to shoot sun up, down. Hear people say its ok to shoot noontime sun, but they never post a picture of it. Maybe ask some that says ok to take one and share it with us. The exciteing ones are early and late. Click link to see a couple.
Gary


http://www.pbase.com/cologs/las_animas_co

[allant]

Agree
Noon sun is harsh & unflattering. Ealry late sunlight gives a softer more colourful photo.
Why shoot into the sun anyway? can't figure out any benefit for doing this!

[steve]

Originally posted by Sassalyn
Hi guys,
Just want to find out on some info. Read the manual and it said do not take direct sunlight pics as it will damage the viewfinder. Which viewfinder will be damage? and do sunsets and sunrise shots count coz the its like remnants of the sun etc? Anyway I can still take my shots? Help me please....STEVE?

This is mostly legaleze in case YOU go blind while doing it. I have shot plenty of pictures with regular viewfinder cameras and those with EVF (electronic viewfinder)
and have gotten the sun in the frame many times - although I wasn't pointing directly at it - and never damaged anything. Most of the EVF displays will streak when there's strong sunlight in the frame but it doesn't affect the picture.

It's just a really good idea to limit the time that you can see the sun in the viewfinder -- you can damage your eyes.

-Steve

[Sassalyn]

Hey guys,
Thanks for your tips. I live in Malaysia and the sun is always out and interesting. With your feedback, I am confidently snapping away at great sunrises and sunsets. Thanks again for your feedback. Will post my photos as soon as I figure how to download them from the camera....*grumble*

[Ben Hoog.]

They are talking about the bright, daylight sun. The reason for this is to help prevent damage to the CCD.

Have you ever taken a magnifying glass and burnt paper, wood, ants etc.. using the sun? The same thing could happen to the CCD if you aren't careful. I know of a couple people who had this happen to them. They left the camera facing up on the picnic table, and voila!

Of course sunrises and sunsets do not have the same characteristics as the sun exhibits during other times of the day. The relationship between angles of incidence and refraction govern this behavior, also known as Snell's Law.

[Edited on 8-15-2002 by Ben Hoog.]