What the Tech? The solar eclipse and a smartphone camera

The solar eclipse of 2024 will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for millions of people in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. There’s still a bit of time to get ready for the April 8th event and if you’re planning to watch, you’ll be tempted to point your smartphone camera to catch the moment.

The last time a total solar eclipse passed over North America was in 2017. You may remember some incredible photos and videos shared across social media and the internet. Surely you can’t capture images like that now with a smartphone, can you? You might be surprised. Cameras have come a long way in the past 7 years, making it easier to capture stunning images of celestial events like solar eclipses.

However, there are still some things you can do to improve your odds of getting a good shot without damaging your camera. First, put your phone in Airplane mode so a call doesn’t interrupt your shooting.

You’ll also need a solar filter, which you can find on Amazon or Walmart for under $10. I found a filter attached to cardboard that allowed me to hold it against the camera lenses on my smartphone.

These inexpensive filters are convenient if you’re going to be in the path of totality. Hold the filter up to your camera lens, and if you’re in the path of totality, you can remove the filter, but put it back to cover up the lens before the sun peaks back out. But be careful with these.

They can be dropped or pushed out of place, exposing the cameras to the sun’s bright rays. Just like with your eyes, the sun hitting a camera lens can cause permanent damage to the camera’s sensors. You know what happens when you hold a magnifying glass where the sun can shine through it? Next, put your phone on a tripod. If you try zooming in while holding the phone, it’ll be shaky at best, blurry, and shaky at worst.

Some tripods come with a phone holder and a shutter button so you won’t have to bump the camera to record once you have it set. Once you have the sun in the frame, tap the screen to focus as much as you can. During the eclipse, lock the focus and exposure again.

Change settings to shoot the eclipse in RAW format if you have that option. Pro photographer Rick Murray suggests updating your phone the morning of the eclipse. “You want to make sure you’re updated on all the apps and firmware before you go,” he said. “The last thing you want to do is, moments before totality you have something popup that says ‘you must update your app’. And you’ve missed it.”

Another idea is to not shoot the sun at all. Rather, take photos and videos of how things on Earth look. You’ll see interesting shadows. Or, take a video of the people around you. Seven years ago I was at a pool party in the path of totality.

Rather than shooting the sun, I set up a camera to record people and their reactions and then, sped up the footage until the end. Phone cameras are much better than they were 7 years ago, but remember, pro photographers are going to be taking much better photos and videos and they’ll share them with the world. But if you want to capture it for yourself, practice, practice, practice

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