Advice on Possible Damage Shooting Sunrise/Sunset with Live View?

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da5id

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#119480 2-Jun-2013 23:16

Hi, I have been googling this subject for a while tonight and getting a lot of conflicting information...

Is it OK to photograph the sunrise or sunset with a DSLR in Live View without damaging the sensor?
Obviously, to look through the lens normally is dangerous as it could damage your eye.

And some people say that if you use Live View that because the mirror is up and the sensor is exposed for a longer time that there is a chance of damaging the sensor.

I think the Canon manual even says something about not pointing the camera at the sun in Live View.

Does anyone have any experience or opinions on this?
Obviously I don't want to damage my camera, but I'm thinking it might be nice to try and take some sunrise or sunset shots with the sun coming through trees with lens flare etc...
I took a pic of the sunrise the other day using Live View, and the Camera still seems to be fine, as far as I can tell.

timmmay

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#829926 3-Jun-2013 08:41

I hear this rumor occasionally, but I've never heard of anyone actually doing it. Imagine shooting video for an hour on a hot day in full sun, which it is rated for, that will put a lot more light/heat onto the sensor. Maybe if you took photos of the sun in the middle of the day for an hour you might have a problem, but at sunset there's not that much heat in it.

Why do you need to shoot live view?

da5id

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#829989 3-Jun-2013 12:13

Ahh well, on most of the forums I read, it said it was not a good idea to shoot the sun with your eye to the viewfinder because of possible eye damage; kind of like looking at the sun through binoculars or other lenses.
So therefore, live view was good because you're looking at an LCD screen and not the actual Sun.

The trouble with that though, is that it exposes the sensor to the Sun the whole time in Live View, and not just the split second the shutter is fired and the mirror moves out of the way.

timmmay

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#830036 3-Jun-2013 14:13

For the 10 seconds it takes to frame the shot I doubt it would affect the sensor at all. Even minutes I doubt there'd be a problem. You mentioned your manual, what does it say? Manuals are a far more reliable source of information than internet rumors :)

da5id

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#830088 3-Jun-2013 16:38

It says, "During Live View shooting, do not point the lens toward the sun. The Sun's heat can damage the camera's internal components".

Having said that, on the 1100D there is a specific mode for shooting sunset pictures. Given that earlier in the book they say not to look through the lens when pointed at the Sun, they can only mean to use Live View mode when shooting a sunset.

So, it's kind of contradictory.

timmmay

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#830122 3-Jun-2013 17:19

Personally I don't really worry about what I do with my cameras. If they break, they break, I'll buy a new one. But to me a camera's a tool, not a toy.

I'd probably be a little wary, don't use live view for too long, but I doubt if 10-20 seconds is going to hurt it - remember though I have no specific knowledge in this area.

testha

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#830721 4-Jun-2013 21:23

No need to worry. All new mirror less cameras always shoot in live view and people are taking beautiful sunset pictures. You shouldnt expose your sensor directly without a lens, but there are also other reasons not to do it.

The sensor can overheat, but only if you keep it on for a longer time in live view mode. It only happened to me once and that was in Asia with 33 degrees and shooting a lot (not the sun). Switching of the cam and let the sensor cool down will help.

timmmay

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#830786 5-Jun-2013 07:22

A lens focuses more light on the sensor, not less.

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Jaxson

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#830797 5-Jun-2013 08:21

Typically that means don't go out on a sunny day at mid day and zoom in on the sun and take a long exposure photo. As Timmmay has said, if you're talking a sunset, where it's a wide shot encompassing a lot of nice looking sky etc, then you should be right.

Fred99

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#831753 6-Jun-2013 17:48

I'd be a bit careful with LV (or using a non-dslr) when shooting the sun directly.
There is an IR filter on the stack, and UV should be quite out of focus, but the RGBG and microlens arrays are possibly a bit susceptible to damage. That said, I haven't seen it happen.
This is one good way to accidentally kill a sensor:
http://petapixel.com/2010/07/28/what-laser-light-can-do-to-your-precious-dslr-sensor/