eclipse Filming the Great American Eclipse 2017

[DavePlays]

As someone who is a video enthusiast, when I realized there would be a pretty epic eclipse in the US, I knew I had to record it... somehow.

I heard about the eclipse back in March. At the time, I only had 1 usable camera - my Canon VIXIA HF G20... a consumer camera capable of

recording 1080i60 or 1080p30. Here's a pic of it:

 

Since March, I've been looking to upgrade my camera. And no, not just because of the eclipse. My budget was between $1000 USD and $1300 USD. At that price range, there were only a couple of options that would be actual upgrades from the G20. The VIXIA HF G40, a used XA 10 (which Canon appears to have discontinued), something like Sony's AX100, which isn't a great value. After searching B&H, I found JVC's GY-HM 170 - a 4K pro camera with an XLR top handle... for only $1200!

 

You can watch my unboxing of this camera here.

 

Now that I had a good camera, it was time to figure out how to record this eclipse! If you are in the video industry, you know that solar filters have been sold out for weeks now. I was lucky enough, however, to find some 92mm filters (way too big for this camera) on B&H and promptly ordered them. They arrived today. Even though they were too big, it was nothing that gaff tape couldn't fix.

 

 

 

So that's how I'm gonna do it! Unfortunately, I won't be in the path of totality. I will, however, get 70% coverage, which is pretty awesome for my first eclipse. For the eclipse in 2024, I will be in the path of totality

I plan on livestreaming the eclipse. You can watch it here:

Hope you guys found this interesting! 

[spwath]

Hey. I live in Rochester ny too.

[Vapare]

I live 30 miles south of Saint Joseph, MO. It's going to be a full coverage. Really excited to see the eclipse.

[TheRandomness]

-Thread moved to Photography and Videography.