Time laps of sunset on pixel 3a

[Master Dorphath]

I am at the beach, and was planning on taking a time laps of the sunset with my pixel 3a. I know that the sun can damage some cameras, but I have gotten mixed answered on different sites. The phone would be sitting on a tripod pointed and focused directly on the sun. Some people say that since the phone is using an wide angle lense and not a telephoto that there is no danger. Others seem to say that because of the way smartphone viewfinders work that the lense is always sensor is always exposed to the sun, and not for just the brief second of the shutter.  Please help!!!

[Dell Dorado]

3 minutes ago, Master Dorphath said:

I am at the beach, and was planning on taking a time laps of the sunset with my pixel 3a. I know that the sun can damage some cameras, but I have gotten mixed answered on different sites. The phone would be sitting on a tripod pointed and focused directly on the sun. Some people say that since the phone is using an wide angle lense and not a telephoto that there is no danger. Others seem to say that because of the way smartphone viewfinders work that the lense is always sensor is always exposed to the sun, and not for just the brief second of the shutter.  Please help!!!

I've done some sunrise and sunset time lapses on the iPhone XS, and it doesn't ruin the camera or the hardware. Go for it.

[wojtepanik]

7 minutes ago, Dell Dorado said:

I've done some sunrise and sunset time lapses on the iPhone XS, and it doesn't ruin the camera or the hardware. Go for it.

my friend wrecked his IP6 with laser light tho

 

[Origami Cactus]

4 minutes ago, wojtepanik said:

my friend wrecked his IP6 with laser light tho

 

That is totally different tho, and lasers are bad for both your eyes and cameras.

[Master Dorphath]

Ok, thanks 

 

[Dell Dorado]

2 hours ago, wojtepanik said:

my friend wrecked his IP6 with laser light tho

 

my sister had an iPhone 6 and she took videos of the sun, yet nothing happened.

[Master Dorphath]

The main reason I was worried was because I had read stories where people's phones got wrecked after filming the eclipse 

[LyondellBasell]

10 minutes ago, Master Dorphath said:

The main reason I was worried was because I had read stories where people's phones got wrecked after filming the eclipse 

It's a justified fear, but when you're filming the sunset, the light rays from the sun are having to travel through the atmosphere at a significantly different angle than they do in middle of the day when the eclipse occurs. This reduces the intensity of the light (which is why it's often so pleasant to shoot at golden hour). You'll be just fine.

[Master Dorphath]

Ok, thanks.