8-18X telephoto lens on an iPhone SE.

If you haven’t done so already, read this article first: Don’t get ripped off! Part Seven. Comparison Test One: Telephoto Phone Lens vs DLSR and Zoom Lens. It will explain the background and methodology behind this comparison test.

I purchased the 8-18X telephoto lens to check it out. Like the lens in Part One, it is another Chinese lens for smart phones. The ads for this lens say this lens is amazingly sharp and it is being sold for $59.99. That is an outrageous price of course. I found one on Amazon for less than $12. I knew when I bought it that it would not be worth $12. Other online reviews for this lens point out how bad it is but I wanted to see for myself.

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This stunning photo of the Horsehead Nebula in Orion was captured with a Canon 7D II. Copyright © Roger N. Clark. Click for a larger version.

I found two interesting articles extolling the virtues of the Canon 7D Mark II (7D2) for astrophotography and wildlife.

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iPhone photography has become a huge thing. According to Flickr, their millions of users take more pictures with an iPhone (47%) than any other camera. A lot of iPhone photographers are looking for add on lenses for their phone, and that may include you. So which lenses are the best?

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The ads for these smart phone telephoto lenses keep popping up on Facebook and elsewhere online. How much do they really cost and why do the prices vary so much?

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12X telephoto camera phone lens vs DSLR and zoom lens. Click for a larger version.

I see the ads for smart phone lenses on Facebook almost every day. You click on the link and you read an article that says their telephoto smart phone lens has “been tested, and found to equal or exceed the photos produced by such top makers as Zeiss, Leica, Nikon, Canon and Sony.” It is all utter nonsense of course, meant to fool clueless people into spending $56 or more on a poor quality lens that they could buy for as little as $4.00. So I decided to buy one of these lenses on the cheap and do my own comparison test.

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The short answer? Yes, it sucks.

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The ads show up on FaceBook all the time. They talk about wonderful lenses that will turn your smart phone into a camera that is better than a DSLR costing thousands of dollars. They brag about German engineering, a NASA optical formula, or the testing that proves their lenses are better than expensive lenses from Nikon, Zeiss, Leica, or Canon. The names of the companies change on a regular basis, but the scam is the same. Sad to say, a lot of people actually fall for this nonsense.

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Wholesale Chinese camera phone lenses from GlobalSources.com.

How do $2 – $3 Chinese camera phone lenses get sold as marvels of German engineering for $50 or more?  It is all very simple.

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This compilation of news reports captures the essence of that morning better than almost any other video on YouTube.

Photo by James Nachtwey for TIME magazine.

I will never forget staring at the screen. I was stunned. It was just a few moments after I got the phone call to turn on the TV. Then the second plane hit.

On this date, sixteen years ago, we experienced a great national tragedy in the United States. Not only in the lives that were lost in the terrorist attacks, the families torn asunder, and the emergency responders who suffered and continue to suffer terrible health problems as a result of working at the scene – but also in the way we view ourselves and our world. Over the last 12 months since 9/11/2016, 33 more first responders died of health issues related to 9/11.

In remembrance of that day, and to honor the lives that were lost, I am posting some tributes.

Sunspots at the end of the solar eclipse. Click for a larger version.

One of the treats of the Great American Eclipse was the abundance of sunspots. They slowly disappeared as the moon moved in front of the sun, and reappeared as the moon continued on its journey.

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Solar flares on the sun’s western and southwestern limb. Click for a larger version.

It was my goal to capture the sun’s corona during totality of the solar eclipse, but I was not expecting solar flares. That was a happy accident because there just happened to be giant solar eruptions on the sun’s western limb during the eclipse. Continue reading →

The Sun’s Corona during a total eclipse. The star Regulus is to the left. Click for a larger version.

Totality of an eclipse is an extraordinary and never to be forgotten experience. It is one of nature’s grandest spectacles. The eclipse glasses come off and people are rapt in wonder. Where I was, everyone and everything went silent. When totality ended as the sun emerged a cheer went up and there was spontaneous applause. It is no small wonder people get eclipse fever and are already planning for the next eclipse in 2024.

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In this photo taken just a few minutes before totality you can see a sunspot between the edge of the sun and the approaching edge of the moon. This is one of my favorite pre-totality images.

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Timed sequence, the Great American Eclipse, August 21, 2017. Click the image for a larger version.

This image tracks the progress of the sun across the sky as it is progressively covered and uncovered by the moon. Here’s how this image was created.

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Solar flares at the beginning of totality. Click for a larger version.

The Great American Eclipse will cross the United States August 21, 2017. This is the best total solar eclipse in the U.S. in 38 years. This series of articles is your guide to the best information about the eclipse.

Originally posted June 26, 2017. Updated periodically and re-posted July 25 and August 20. Most recent update: September 5, 2017. There are now 42 articles in this series. The most important articles are indicated below.

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If you want to do time lapse photography of the eclipse with a stationary lens, you need to know the changing elevation of the sun and how far it will travel across the sky. And then you need to know which lens will have a wide enough and high enough angle of view to take it all in.

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If you are changing eclipse locations at the last minute (or just getting started) and looking for cities along the totality path, here is a fast way to find them and check out eclipse details.

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Most landscape and nature photographers shoot early and late in the day, and move around a lot, so shooting the eclipse will be a new and different thing. Here are some basic things you should do to protect yourself and your camera. Plus I have an important reminder for your car. Continue reading →

It is looking iffy in the hinterland right now, but don’t give up all hope just yet. The Washington Post says their overall forecast confidence is “medium” two days ahead of the big event. The confidence level will go up as we get closer to the eclipse. They are posting a new prediction every day. If you have a flexible schedule you can still change your eclipse travel plans to head to a less cloudy place. That is my plan. This will be my last update of the Washington Post eclipse forecast.

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You can do HDR (high dynamic range) photography during the totality phase of the eclipse and combine the images later using software like Photoshop or Photomatix.

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The August 21 forecast for four prime eclipse cities as of 2 pm August 16, 2017.

If you have the flexibility to travel to any of several prime eclipse locations it is getting harder and harder to keep track of the eclipse weather and make a final location decision. The forecast is changing daily for several locations. My process for making a final location decision might be helpful to you as you make your final eclipse plans.

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