The Camera method for viewing the eclipse...

[MarkJFine]

...is an epic fail. This was during totality, around 14.40. The only way you can tell is the blue crescent from the lens reflection (refraction?) above the solar blur.Why this picture appears sideways... no one knows.

[maratsade]

@MarkJFine

1. Is the eye-looking thing the reflection?

2. That's pretty underwhelming, given it's at totality.  I was watching it live on ABC and some people could see actual black disks with fiery rims. Very cool.

3. Only the Shadow knows. 

[MarkJFine]

dunno. apparently I was only in the 89% zone. thought it would be a lot more.

1. yeah - if it weren't an accident that it's there, you'd never know it was an eclipse.

2. it was. I mean, it got a little darker and wierder (because the sun was no longer a "point" source of light. but that was it for Central Virginia.

[C0RR0SIVE]

I live pretty darned close to the path of totality, it was pretty darned dim at ~97%, dropped about 10F too.  Camera tricks usually only work if they have a UV lense or ability to filter UV out in the software, otherwise it just gets overwhelmed.  Because of the apparent $1 glasses going for $1000 on ebay, I ended up going with the shoebox method....

I bet if you put a piece of thin paper in front of the camera to block the "rays" of light, it would have taken a better picture.

[MarkJFine]

Was using the lens from my Oakleys as a makeshift filter at one point. But it wasn't doing much filtering and the scratches were causing other undesirable artifacts.

[maratsade]

The ghostly image on the picture looks very cool.