Eclipse can fry camera sensors without proper safety precautions

As mid-Missouri gets closer to the solar eclipse, many people will want to capture the moment on camera. But doing so can be dangerous for equipment without the proper safety precautions.

For smartphones, it’s not clear how the sun will affect the camera but experts recommend using an extra set of of eclipse glasses over the camera lens.

If the smart phone lens doesn’t get damaged from the sun’s rays, there is still the chance the phone can overheat. Pointing the phone at the sun for short periods of time throughout the eclipse should be OK, according to camera experts, but prolonged exposure does run the risk of damaging the camera.

For more high-tech cameras with telephoto lenses, a filter is highly recommended. The filter will protect the camera sensors inside while allowing to capture the eclipse shadows and movement.

“If you don’t have the lens filter on there, the light is too bright and it will fry your sensor,” Nick Monaghan with Creve Coeur Cameras said.

Pointing a telephoto lens at the sun works much in the same way as a magnifying glass.

“You’re magnifying light into one point, taking all of that energy and concentrating it into one spot on the sensor, and you will ruin your camera,” University of Missouri photography professor Brian Kratzer said. “When you have a long telephoto lens you’re refracting that light down into one specific point and that one specific point is where that sensor is going to get basically cooked.”

During totality, it is OK to take the filter off to capture the shadow of the moon in front of the sun.

It’s also recommended to always wear your protective eclipse glasses while photographing the eclipse, even if your camera has a filter on it.

“I always tell people don’t look through your viewfinder, use the digital screen while photographic the eclipse,” Monaghan said.