Where will you watch the eclipse?

[May Day 10]

I had enough breaks in the clouds, including for the entirety of the corona/full eclipse, where it was super awesome.

 

Watching the faded sub through the clouds was awesome.  Just enough poked through the haze at times.  I hope I didn't do any damage viewing it obscured by a bunch of clouds.  

 

After the total eclipse, it semi- was clear for about 5 minutes and we used the glasses as we could finally see it through those.

 

[WotAGuy]

We were on a lakeshore north of Syracuse.  You could see the shadow (umbra?) approaching from the southwest.  As it passed over, everyone was screaming and cheering. Got to see the ring of fire through the clouds. The sunset over the lake was gorgeous. Then suddenly it was light again. Definitely a lifetime experience. 
 

Also, no discernible change from normal traffic despite all the warnings. 

[WotAGuy]

 

[TBBills Fan]

Did anyone else get their super powers yet?

[Your Brown Eye]

I just benched pressed 300 lbs after the eclipse. Fight me.

[Augie]

For a week or two this time of year, for about an hour…….I feel like I’m staring at an eclipse if I sit in “my spot”.  That time is NOW.  I bet used glasses could be had cheap. 

Just now, Your Brown Eye said:

I just benched pressed 300 lbs after the eclipse. Fight me.

 

It’s the internet, that’s what we are supposed to do, right? 

[billsfanmiamioh]

Short totality here (my house was just barely inside the zone) but it was awesome. Skies were clear so had a great view of it which helped offset the short duration 

[BillsPride12]

I went over to my parents neighborhood in the Wheatfield area of Niagara County to watch it.  It was pretty cool, it was the neighborhood I grew up in and I still know alot of the neighbors that live there and a lot of people were out in their yards and driveways hanging out to see it.  No elaborate neighborhood party or anything but just enough excitement to make it something of an event and it cost me $0.  Drove by Gratwick Park in North Tonawanda earlier and it was jumping with a huge crowd and food trucks, DJ's etc...even saw a little petting Zoo with Horses for the kiddos.  I wasn't that hyped for this thing going into it but I can see why it was such a big deal and I'm glad I at least went somewhere to take it in even if it was very lowkey.  

[PromoTheRobot]

Vermont was cloudless.

[Simon]

I accidently left the visor down in the truck and missed the whole thing. 

[Just Jack]

Went up to Oswego County, had a big black cloud come through right during totality, so didn't see anything.  Except it getting dark.  Got to see it before, and right after.  

4 hours ago, WotAGuy said:

Also, no discernible change from normal traffic despite all the warnings. 

 

We left about noon to go north. Traffic was heavier on 81 heading north than a normal Monday.  Lots of NJ and PA plates.  

[f0neguy]

Perfect conditions up in the Adirondacks today!  Was up on Poke-O-Moonshine in the NE part of the park.  The show was amazing.  Unfortunately the ride home took forever.  What’s usually under two hours took a little over six.  Solid traffic the entire time.  I would bet today set a record for the most people in the park ever.  And they all left at the same time.  Even with the traffic mess it was a great day.

[ExiledInIllinois]

West of Cleveland was cloudless @ times... Then a little later just high wispy cirrus clouds. 

 

I took my glasses off for totality... Then hunting around on camera LCD and could find nothing but black... I forgot to take lens filter off! 4 minutes goes by fast when things are going wrong. I wish I clould have practiced this thing!😕 

 

 

[CowgirlsFan]

I waited too long to get glasses so I watched here in  my house.  It was sureal to see our solar light at the end of the driveway come on at totality. I allowed myself 2 quick looks at totality and went back in the house

[Just Jack]

1 hour ago, f0neguy said:

Perfect conditions up in the Adirondacks today!  Was up on Poke-O-Moonshine in the NE part of the park.  The show was amazing.  Unfortunately the ride home took forever.  What’s usually under two hours took a little over six.  Solid traffic the entire time.  I would bet today set a record for the most people in the park ever.  And they all left at the same time.  Even with the traffic mess it was a great day.

 

How many people were at the summit?  And I've seen pictures of 87 with both lanes bumper to bumper.  Sucks to be stuck in that.  

[QCity]

20 years from now - Glacier National Park. That's your head's up.

[Wacka]

Saw slivers of the sun for a few seconds in Cheektowaga, but secons before totality, the thick clouds moved in. The center of totality was within a half mile of me. Within seconds, it got darker than a moonless night.  Birds start chirping like it was  dusk and roosted. I live near the Buffalo Airport and the planes were held on the ground. One must have been holding on the runway as it took off within 30 seconds of the light coming back.  A gas company truck pulle over across the street to watch the eclipse as he left as soon as it got light  again. It was eerie. By 5 PM, the skies were clear.

Edited April 9 by Wacka

[f0neguy]

Top of Poke-O-Moonshine had maybe 125/150 (guessing)?  When I signed out on the trail register I counted how many had signed in after us and got 82 hikers.  But not everyone registers and there are two trailheads, so I only saw the one book.

[teef]

completely overcast for the entire day until about 5, which is a kicker because it was perfectly sunny on sunday and today!  that being said we still had fun.  I got to share the experience with my kids, and the complete darkness was wild.  the winery across the street from us had an event, and you could hear people going wild.  it went cold and still, and even though we couldn't see the sun, it was still very worth it.   when it was done we continued with drinks and food.  if nothing else it was a reason to party on a monday.

[f0neguy]

And…. We got off Northway exit 14 to drop off a couple at around 11:00 pm. Stopped on the bridge and saw headlights from the north and taillights going towards Albany as far as you could see.

[billsfanmiamioh]

1 hour ago, QCity said:

20 years from now - Glacier National Park. That's your head's up.

We have a place about 30 minutes from West Glacier (Whitefish). If I’m still alive, I’ll be there 😂

[Draconator]

1 hour ago, QCity said:

20 years from now - Glacier National Park. That's your head's up.

Or Spain in 2026. Yes. My wife and I are loosely talking about a trip. 

[RichStadiumGuy]

A real bummer with the heavy cloud cover that's for sure... we didn't get to see any of it at all. My place is Very close to dead center of the path and about the only really cool thing (other than the brief blackout) was seeing the "sunrise" on the western horizon instead of the eastern.

 

I firmly believe that Mother Nature doesn't like people in western NY at all... she even managed to sprinkle on us a little bit just before it got dark.

[Beck Water]

17 hours ago, WotAGuy said:

 

 

Another cool time lapse

 

 

One of the friends we went 'eclipse hunting' with told me not to bother trying to take photos, as people with better cameras would be posting them.

 

 

[Draconator]

 

[Simon]

On 4/7/2024 at 11:36 PM, Beck Water said:

Sedona and kayaking don't go together in my mind.  Is this whitewater?

 

It typically isn't too much,  but the water was really rowdy from all the storms they've had the last couple weeks.

They actually closed off the lower stretch of river I wanted to do and wouldn't let anybody on it because it was so dangerous. And the stretch they did redirect me to they would only let me on if I went with a guide. He even ended up in the water within a mile of us launching.

I may not learn from my own mistakes, but I learned from his real quick. 

[Einstein]

7 hours ago, QCity said:

20 years from now - Glacier National Park. That's your head's up.

That sounds beautiful. 

Cherry springs state park in PA is a fantastic spot for star-gazing. Perhaps the best spot in the United States. And could be a good option for the Eclipse as well. 

Phot of Cherry Springs:

[Simon]

53 minutes ago, Einstein said:

Cherry springs state park in PA is a fantastic spot for star-gazing. Perhaps the best spot in the United States. And could be a good option for the Eclipse as well. 

 

It is definitely one of the better dark sky areas in the East, although it can't hold a candle to the mountain or desert West.

But it might be a tad late to watch the eclipse there...

[zow2]

Since WNY was clouded over, plan a trip to Spain for August 12, 2026.  

 

https://nationaleclipse.com/maps/map_08122026.html

[SDS]

Newport Vermont. Switched from Buffalo, to Burlington Vermont, to Newport Vermont. Here are the pictures from average Joe photography who took pictures next to my car.  You can find him under that name on Instagram.
 

 

[Simon]

56 minutes ago, SDS said:

Newport Vermont. Switched from Buffalo, to Burlington Vermont, to Newport Vermont. Here are the pictures from average Joe photography who took pictures next to my car.  You can find him under that name on Instagram.

 

 

Geebus, did you buy a plane this month?

I tried multiple manual exposures with an Iphone/tripod, but it simply wasn't happening.

Any guesses what kind of camera Joe was using? His diamond ring looks great and picking up the solar prominences is impressive.

[SDS]

9 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

Geebus, did you buy a plane this month?

I tried multiple manual exposures with an Iphone/tripod, but it simply wasn't happening.

Any guesses what kind of camera Joe was using? His diamond ring looks great and picking up the solar prominences is impressive.

this one is better. This was from the guy standing 10 feet behind me during totality. He had a reflective telescope with his camera attached to the back.

 

I don’t know exactly what each person used, but we’re texting back-and-forth and I can certainly ask if you’d like. 

[Simon]

44 minutes ago, SDS said:

I don’t know exactly what each person used, but we’re texting back-and-forth and I can certainly ask if you’d like. 

 

Nah, if he was tied into a scope that's a level of commitment I'll never approach.

I feel like I'm getting better with depth, exposure, composition, color, etc and am ready to invest in an actual dslr or mirrorless camera, so just looking around for input from folks who know their business.

[SDS]

2 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

Nah, if he was tied into a scope that's a level of commitment I'll never approach.

I feel like I'm getting better with depth, exposure, composition, color, etc and am ready to invest in an actual dslr or mirrorless camera, so just looking around for input from folks who know their business.

well, I know my business and I would be happy to discuss camera gear with you.

 

I probably have 5K worth of equipment of my own. Plus there’s those two pesky optics degrees that I have. Lol

[Simon]

11 minutes ago, SDS said:

well, I know my business and I would be happy to discuss camera gear with you.

 

I probably have 5K worth of equipment of my own. Plus there’s those two pesky optics degrees that I have. Lol

 

I take 90% of my pics outdoors in beautiful landscape scenery, typically many miles from roads so I want something light/compact in my pack but w/o sacrificing too much quality (e.g. I carry one of these instead of an actual tripod). I'm leaning toward mirrorless when I pull the trigger as that seems to be the future and I get the sense that you would also get better quality in a smaller package (that is not what she said). However I haven't used an actual SLR in 30yrs and was never that great with it, so I also need something that is virtually beginner level for me to learn on.

Any suggestions?

You have a site online where you upload any of your results? If so, PM me; you don't want any of this rabble amateurishly mocking your work; I can be relied on for professional, elite-level mocking.

[SDS]

24 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

I take 90% of my pics outdoors in beautiful landscape scenery, typically many miles from roads so I want something light/compact in my pack but w/o sacrificing too much quality (e.g. I carry one of these instead of an actual tripod). I'm leaning toward mirrorless when I pull the trigger as that seems to be the future and I get the sense that you would also get better quality in a smaller package (that is not what she said). However I haven't used an actual SLR in 30yrs and was never that great with it, so I also need something that is virtually beginner level for me to learn on.

Any suggestions?

You have a site online where you upload any of your results? If so, PM me; you don't want any of this rabble amateurishly mocking your work; I can be relied on for professional, elite-level mocking.

mirrorless is 100% the future. It’s the lightest, but it is also so expensive now. If you put a premium on weight, then you’re gonna pay for it.

 

On the other hand, you can get great deals on traditional used DSLR cameras as people sell their old gear and replace it with mirrorless. I pretty much buy everything used at one particular website. I will be unloading my old gear soon. I should’ve probably already done it last year.

 

this also really depends on what you mean by taking photographs outside. That could be wide angle landscapes, close-up shots of things 18 inches from you, or zooming in on wildlife far away. Or all three. Each will need different lenses.
 

I bought a canon R10 for my daughter. While not perfect for all occasions, it worked out really nice for her photographing soccer and football - even if it’s not really the best camera body for that application. There was only so much I was willing to spend. Lol

 

For outdoor still life, you can get incredible results with pretty much any camera body through the main manufacturers. Having the right glass is more important than the body. But most important is the skill of the photographer. Give a professional a point and shoot and a beginner a $10,000 rig and I will put my money on the professional every day.
 

1. Photographer

2. Glass

3. Camera body

 

from there, my only personal experience is with Canon. While follow the Nikon lines, I’ve never purchased anything from them. Sony also has some intriguing sensors in their camera bodies.

 

For sports photography, I use a canon 7D mark II with a canon 70–200 F2.8 zoom lens. It works well for me.

[Simon]

Really want to focus on increasing telephotic capability without carrying multiple lenses everywhere, and consider weight and size to be worth a pretty respectable amount of gold.

Large, deep landscapes are my favorite and I also can sneak up on a fair amount of wildlife; but it's wildlife, so you can only close to 50-100' before you spook it. Just tonight I was on a ridgeline 500' above the Allegheny with a unique, just budding tree full of turkey vultures 100+' directly below me with gorgeous evening light and a watery background with great depth. Didn't even bother taking a shot because I can't pull anything in with an Iphone. 🤷‍♂️

 

12 minutes ago, SDS said:

For outdoor still life, you can get incredible results with pretty much any camera body through the main manufacturers. Having the right glass is more important than the body.

 

12 minutes ago, SDS said:

1. Photographer

2. Glass

3. Camera body

 

Can I can get any telephotic capability worth a damn with just a body and a compact lens (or even no additional lens)? Say shooting an elk at 100' or a bird at 30'?

Or am I going to have to nut up and add another 5lbs to my pack?

 

1) That's going to be me, good or bad, so I can't change that variable

2-3) Can I shoot solid landscapes with just a body and then carry only one telephoto lens that snaps on quick?

[SDS]

Watch this video and tell me what you think. This is the kind of lens (either one of the two) I would start with and shoot for six months. I would then evaluate my needs based upon the result. Was it good enough? Did it meet 50% of my needs? 90% of my needs? Do I need another lens or two to supplement this range? Do I need to sell it and take a different approach?

 

 

[SDS]

If I was buying a landscape lens, and I stayed with Canon, my first take would be getting this lens:

 

https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/p/rf14-35mm-f4-l-is-usm?color=Black&type=New#toreviews

[SDS]

Unfortunately, the mirrorless lens lineup has a lot of holes in it. So they are much more expensive, but there are some good options and some average options. I’m not really sure there’s a perfect lineup of lenses to get quite yet.