126 replies to this topic

[amdizack]

Really? My Z6 goes to 1/8000 with an electronic shutter. Are you setting the camera to "silent" mode? 

I cannot get mine to do this, regardless of silent mode setting or not. If the shutter is set to mechanical, I can get past 1/2000; however, SEM overrides the mechanical setting forcing the camera to use the electronic shutter and when it tries to execute the first shot in excess of 1/2000, it "locks" all subsequent shutter speeds to whatever was used before the 1/2000 setting (in my case, that's 1/1000).

Imaging Bailey's beads (1/4000) and prominences (1/8000) end up being captured at 1/2000 as does every image after that, regardless of if those shots are set to use a lower shutter speed.

Edited by amdizack, 24 March 2024 - 12:16 PM.

[kdenny2]

I cannot get mine to do this, regardless of silent mode setting or not. If the shutter is set to mechanical, I can get past 1/2000; however, SEM overrides the mechanical setting forcing the camera to use the electronic shutter and when it tries to execute the first shot in excess of 1/2000, it "locks" all subsequent shutter speeds to whatever was used before the 1/2000 setting (in my case, that's 1/1000).

Imaging Bailey's beads (1/4000) and prominences (1/8000) end up being captured at 1/2000 as does every image after that, regardless of if those shots are set to use a lower shutter speed.

I'm confused, because mine absolutely is working in SEM in silent mode, firing 1/8000 through 1/2000, unless my shutter info is lying to me. 

[Goldenberg]

Per page 266 of the Z6 reference manual the fastest shutter speed using the electronic shutter is 1/2000

[bobfugate]

I cannot get mine to do this, regardless of silent mode setting or not. If the shutter is set to mechanical, I can get past 1/2000; however, SEM overrides the mechanical setting forcing the camera to use the electronic shutter and when it tries to execute the first shot in excess of 1/2000, it "locks" all subsequent shutter speeds to whatever was used before the 1/2000 setting (in my case, that's 1/1000).

Imaging Bailey's beads (1/4000) and prominences (1/8000) end up being captured at 1/2000 as does every image after that, regardless of if those shots are set to use a lower shutter speed.

 

I'm confused, because mine absolutely is working in SEM in silent mode, firing 1/8000 through 1/2000, unless my shutter info is lying to me. 

I can confirm my Z6 goes to 1/8000 in silent mode under SEM. I am using the beta version of SEM  1.9.2 (100). Maybe that has something to do with it since I recall Xavier making changes in the beta to specifically address more modern Z cameras. Just a thought. 

[kdenny2]

Per page 266 of the Z6 reference manual the fastest shutter speed using the electronic shutter is 1/2000

 

I just tested it with my script in SEM, it was firing at 1/8000 with the script and when I tested it without when I set the shooting mode to "silent". Overall this mode seems to work far better with the Z6 as I experience a higher frame rate when imaging too.

Edited by kdenny2, 24 March 2024 - 01:07 PM.

[bobfugate]

I should add my camera not under computer control also goes to 1/8000 but only with Silent Photography ON. With Silent Photography OFF, it's fastest shutter is  1/2000. My Firmware version is 3.40 (I'm not changing it this close to eclipse date). I have verified the shutter is actually getting faster at 1/4000 and 1/8000 vs 1/2000 by taking pictures and measuring brightness of the resulting images. My printed User's Manual that came with the Z6 on page 207 under Technical Notes says "Shutter/Speed: 1/8000 - 30 s in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV, bulb, time, X200"

[kdenny2]

An unrelated question -

 

I'm going to be shooting with a telescope with a fixed focal length (f/5.9). I'm telling SEM to use an f/5.6 shutter speed, as I figure a 0.3 difference in f-stop won't impact the exposure too much. Is that valid rationale? or should I be concerned? 

[amdizack]

I can confirm my Z6 goes to 1/8000 in silent mode under SEM. I am using the beta version of SEM  1.9.2 (100). Maybe that has something to do with it since I recall Xavier making changes in the beta to specifically address more modern Z cameras. Just a thought. 

SEM 1.9.0 (public release) will override user settings on the Z6 and force usage of an electronic shutter. This cannot exceed 1/2000. I just received v1.9.2 (beta) from Xavier which solves the issue. I can now image at speeds faster than 1/2000 (and can hear the mechanical being used).

 

So, we were all correct?

 

15 days to go...

Edited by amdizack, 24 March 2024 - 02:16 PM.

[agavephoto]

Anyone have the right incantation to get a 5D2 into live view mode via script? The 5D4 starts up just fine, but I can't get the 5D2 to start live view in a script. Starting live view via direct command within SEM works just fine (command-control-#), though.

[RoosterMo]

Hi, first post on this discussion.
 

Firstly, wow what a great discussion, and I have learned so much so far.
 

I have 2 scripts one I put together using the wizard and have edited, and another I put together from the start, one thing I am missing though is I want every shot to be bracketed +/- .3Eev. Is there a command I can add to the first line to bracket every image from start to finish? Is that a good idea even?
 

Also, I see some other scripts running a D850 which is also what I plan to use with a telephoto lens on an eq mount. Can one copy and test these scripts or even use these scripts as is? Wouldn't the times and  "T-" for each event be different by location? How do I change and find these values if need be if I use to make use of someone else's script?
 

Also, and this might be a very silly question, if I use an EQ mount to track position through the whole script would I set the mount to track the sun or the moon?

 

​Thanks!
R.M.

[whwang]

Also, I see some other scripts running a D850 which is also what I plan to use with a telephoto lens on an eq mount. Can one copy and test these scripts or even use these scripts as is? Wouldn't the times and  "T-" for each event be different by location? How do I change and find these values if need be if I use to make use of someone else's script?

 

The beauty of SEM is that all the times in the script are referenced to the events, like C2, MAX, and C3.  You can get a portable GPS and connect it to SEM (or manually enter the coordinate from your cell phone).  It will then capture the exposures at the right time for your location, regardless who created the script.  

 

The only thing to watch out is that the script can be created by someone who planned to image very close to the center line of the eclipse, where the separation between C2 and C3 is very long.  In such a case, he can fit many exposures between C2 and C3.  If you image at a place that's away from the center line, you will have a shorter time between C2 and C3.  Then there will be time conflict between the exposures.  Some exposures referencing to C2 (going forward) can overlap with exposures referencing to C3 (going backward).  You need to watch this out (or the opposite, too long a gap between exposure sequences going inward from C2 and C3).

[brianfulda]

SEM 1.9.0 (public release) will override user settings on the Z6 and force usage of an electronic shutter. This cannot exceed 1/2000. I just received v1.9.2 (beta) from Xavier which solves the issue. I can now image at speeds faster than 1/2000 (and can hear the mechanical being used).

 

So, we were all correct?

 

15 days to go...

Can you provide a link to this?

[brianfulda]

Anyone out there using Sony cameras? I'm planning on using a Sony a7 III for this.

 

I managed to get Solar Eclipse Maestro installed after factory resetting my 10-year-old Macbook back to OS X Mavericks (what a trip that was) and then slowly updating to OS X Mojave which feels a lot better.

 

I had a lot of trouble getting SEM to recognize the Sony a7 III. I had to connect it via USB Micro cable, disable the "Connect to Smartphone" function, and then under USB settings, set it to "PC Remote." Only then would SEM recognize the Sony a7 III.

 

I'm wondering if anyone has successfully run a script for Sony cameras yet? I intend to try over the next couple of days and will report back, but just wanted to see if anyone had already saved me the hassle

[OtisJackson]

Xavier has warned against trying to use Sony cameras (despite the documentation saying SEM is compatible with A7III etc). Despite this warning I did test SEM with both an A7III and A7rIII. While SEM would recognize both cameras, the response from the camera after receiving commands was seriously and prohibitively delayed. I gave up and bought a heavily used D850 which I’m using for the eclipse. Real bummer as a Sony shooter — yet another downside to the company’s unreasonable lack of access to third party developers. 

Anyone out there using Sony cameras? I'm planning on using a Sony a7 III for this.

 

I managed to get Solar Eclipse Maestro installed after factory resetting my 10-year-old Macbook back to OS X Mavericks (what a trip that was) and then slowly updating to OS X Mojave which feels a lot better.

 

I had a lot of trouble getting SEM to recognize the Sony a7 III. I had to connect it via USB Micro cable, disable the "Connect to Smartphone" function, and then under USB settings, set it to "PC Remote." Only then would SEM recognize the Sony a7 III.

 

I'm wondering if anyone has successfully run a script for Sony cameras yet? I intend to try over the next couple of days and will report back, but just wanted to see if anyone had already saved me the hassle

 

[brianfulda]

Xavier has warned against trying to use Sony cameras (despite the documentation saying SEM is compatible with A7III etc). Despite this warning I did test SEM with both an A7III and A7rIII. While SEM would recognize both cameras, the response from the camera after receiving commands was seriously and prohibitively delayed. I gave up and bought a heavily used D850 which I’m using for the eclipse. Real bummer as a Sony shooter — yet another downside to the company’s unreasonable lack of access to third party developers. 

Super disappointing to hear, but thanks for the advanced warning. I'm not sure why it would even be listed as compatible then if it's clearly not? I'll try it anyway but won't hold any high hopes.

 

Luckily I am borrowing a Canon 6D — my old camera before I sold it for Sony — as a backup from a relative. So I should still be able to image. But yeah, that's a big bummer about Sony.

[Powernerd]

Hi All

 

Thanks for the wonderful script examples.  I do have a question though.  In Xaviers deluxe.txt script he includes the Q factor for brightness of the eclipse.  Is there any reason we need this?  I cant see any notes in SEM as to why I need to have Q in my script.   I will be shooting with a D7200 and a 300mm lens.  

[whwang]

You don't need Q in the script.  This is just one way to tell you which part of the solar feature the exposure setting is aiming at.

[amdizack]

Can you provide a link to this?

Unfortunately, no. But email Xavier! He was incredibly quick to reply with the link.

[brianfulda]

Anyone out there using Sony cameras? I'm planning on using a Sony a7 III for this.

 

I managed to get Solar Eclipse Maestro installed after factory resetting my 10-year-old Macbook back to OS X Mavericks (what a trip that was) and then slowly updating to OS X Mojave which feels a lot better.

 

I had a lot of trouble getting SEM to recognize the Sony a7 III. I had to connect it via USB Micro cable, disable the "Connect to Smartphone" function, and then under USB settings, set it to "PC Remote." Only then would SEM recognize the Sony a7 III.

 

I'm wondering if anyone has successfully run a script for Sony cameras yet? I intend to try over the next couple of days and will report back, but just wanted to see if anyone had already saved me the hassle

 

Xavier has warned against trying to use Sony cameras (despite the documentation saying SEM is compatible with A7III etc). Despite this warning I did test SEM with both an A7III and A7rIII. While SEM would recognize both cameras, the response from the camera after receiving commands was seriously and prohibitively delayed. I gave up and bought a heavily used D850 which I’m using for the eclipse. Real bummer as a Sony shooter — yet another downside to the company’s unreasonable lack of access to third party developers. 

 

Super disappointing to hear, but thanks for the advanced warning. I'm not sure why it would even be listed as compatible then if it's clearly not? I'll try it anyway but won't hold any high hopes.

 

Luckily I am borrowing a Canon 6D — my old camera before I sold it for Sony — as a backup from a relative. So I should still be able to image. But yeah, that's a big bummer about Sony.

 

Well, I tried a test run with the a7 III yesterday and wasn't successful. I downloaded the script on the first page of this thread and just changed the camera name to my camera. Individual exposures worked just fine triggered from SEM, but when it came down to maximum eclipse, the a7 III got stuck on exposures of 1/400 of a second. It seemed like it was in a continuous loop of trying to take an image but failing.

 

I have to wonder if this is because of the very short durations between exposures in the script. Many are under 2 seconds. I noticed that when trying to adjust exposure, the a7 III needs a second or so to actually change the exposure (you can see it changing on the screen).

 

The frequency of exposures during max eclipse is very high, and the actual differences between each exposure is only 1/3 of a stop. That's fine, but feels very unnecessary with today's ISO-invariant cameras — you can easily push or pull exposure in post by 1/3 of a stop. I would rather set these to 2/3 of a stop differences and be able to have less frequent exposures, so I'm going to try and modify the script to do that. Will report back if I have any success. Luckily, I can do this without clear skies because it's cloudy here for the next few days.

[Goldenberg]

I got my script running.  For the Diamond Ring,BB, Prominences and Chromosphere I will use Xavier's exposures.  What I need help with is when to switch exposures between these four events (relative to C2 and again at C3.  I plan to take my filters off at 20 seconds before C2 and start shooting the DR at 18 sec before C2.  When do I have the script switch to BB exposure and what time near C2 do I switch to the Prominences exposure and what time do I switch to the Chromosphere exposure?

[lewiz]

I've been noodling around with SEM for a couple of weeks now, following this thread keenly.  I have to admit that my biggest challenge is having confidence in what to capture when (very similar concern to Goldenberg).

 

Right now I am squarely focused on the ~20s either side of C2/C3 as the other phases seem relatively easier to capture (less happening in a short amount of time).

 

I have two questions I wanted to seek advice from the experts on.

 

First: I can run deluxe.txt (modified to base ISO 64, f/9, removed mirror lock-up, etc.) on my Z8 without dropping frames.  Is this a good balance?  Should I perhaps just stop trying to tweak my C2/C3 captures any further and be happy?

 

Second: Perhaps a more interesting question is how to best take advantage of my fast Z8.  It can shoot 20fps in RAW burst and with a fast card can sustain this for a while before slowing slightly (I haven't yet stress tested this).

 

In my experiments I have found that the only way to truly take advantage of the burst mode is straightforward bursts and bracketed bursts.  As soon as I need to get SOM changing ISO, aperture, shutter, etc. things can start to fall apart.  For example, if I try and alternate between f/16 & f/11 bursts it often drops whole bursts.

 

It occurred to me that Baily's Beads is ~EV18, Diamond Ring ~EV13, Chromosphere ~EV17, Prominences ~EV16.  All of these would "ideally" be bracketed but perhaps I could capture them all in a single camera bracket, for example:

# This works, Z8 could probably keep this up indefinitely with a fast card.
# Baily's Beads EV 18
# Diamond Ring  EV 13
# Chromosphere  EV 17
# Prominences   EV 16
#   1EV bkt:   [12  (13  [14  15  "16"  17  18]  19)  20]
#              9F   7F    5F     base EV     5F  7F    9F
BKTDATA,7,1.0EV,u0o
CHGCSSL,C2,-,00:21.5,Z8, , ,100, , , , ,Set to maximum burst frame rate
SETBKT,C2,-,00:21.0,Z8, , ,1, , , , ,Bracketing on
TAKEBST,C2,-,00:20.0,Z8,1/320,11.0,64,7,RAW,None,Y,Comment
TAKEBST,C2,-,00:19.0,Z8,1/320,11.0,64,7,RAW,None,Y,Comment
TAKEBST,C2,-,00:18.0,Z8,1/320,11.0,64,7,RAW,None,Y,Comment
SETBKT,C2,-,00:15.0,Z8, , ,0, , , , ,Bracketing off

Above I'm bracketing ±3EV from a base EV of 16 with a bracket of 7F.  This neatly covers EVs (with +1EV at the upper end) of the interesting stuff happening around C2/C3.  The downside is that at the EVs I really care about 16, 17, 18 & 13 I'm only really getting 1 exposure/second.

 

Did I get my EVs right?  Is this a good idea?  Is it a bad idea?  Help me please!

[Goldenberg]

Lewiz

 

Thank you for showing me how to bracket with the Z8.  I tried but must have had a scripting error and my camera was very slow.  Thank you for correcting me and now the camera is as fast as was expected.

 

Xavier on his webpage "Shutter Speed Calculator for Solar Eclipses has values within 1 ev of yours.  I think you are fine with your values.  

 

As a camera and memory card stress test I have bracketed from 20 seconds before C2 to 25 sec after C2. The camera did not miss a frame.  So unless I can find out what the timing is to change exposure for the Diamond Ring - Bailey Bead - Chromosphere- Prominences sequence  I will just use the bracketing. A  lot of the under and over exposed photos will be recovered with Photoshop. 

[bobfugate]

I've been noodling around with SEM for a couple of weeks now, following this thread keenly.  I have to admit that my biggest challenge is having confidence in what to capture when (very similar concern to Goldenberg).

 

Right now I am squarely focused on the ~20s either side of C2/C3 as the other phases seem relatively easier to capture (less happening in a short amount of time).

 

I have two questions I wanted to seek advice from the experts on.

 

First: I can run deluxe.txt (modified to base ISO 64, f/9, removed mirror lock-up, etc.) on my Z8 without dropping frames.  Is this a good balance?  Should I perhaps just stop trying to tweak my C2/C3 captures any further and be happy?

 

Second: Perhaps a more interesting question is how to best take advantage of my fast Z8.  It can shoot 20fps in RAW burst and with a fast card can sustain this for a while before slowing slightly (I haven't yet stress tested this).

 

In my experiments I have found that the only way to truly take advantage of the burst mode is straightforward bursts and bracketed bursts.  As soon as I need to get SOM changing ISO, aperture, shutter, etc. things can start to fall apart.  For example, if I try and alternate between f/16 & f/11 bursts it often drops whole bursts.

 

It occurred to me that Baily's Beads is ~EV18, Diamond Ring ~EV13, Chromosphere ~EV17, Prominences ~EV16.  All of these would "ideally" be bracketed but perhaps I could capture them all in a single camera bracket, for example:

# This works, Z8 could probably keep this up indefinitely with a fast card.
# Baily's Beads EV 18
# Diamond Ring  EV 13
# Chromosphere  EV 17
# Prominences   EV 16
#   1EV bkt:   [12  (13  [14  15  "16"  17  18]  19)  20]
#              9F   7F    5F     base EV     5F  7F    9F
BKTDATA,7,1.0EV,u0o
CHGCSSL,C2,-,00:21.5,Z8, , ,100, , , , ,Set to maximum burst frame rate
SETBKT,C2,-,00:21.0,Z8, , ,1, , , , ,Bracketing on
TAKEBST,C2,-,00:20.0,Z8,1/320,11.0,64,7,RAW,None,Y,Comment
TAKEBST,C2,-,00:19.0,Z8,1/320,11.0,64,7,RAW,None,Y,Comment
TAKEBST,C2,-,00:18.0,Z8,1/320,11.0,64,7,RAW,None,Y,Comment
SETBKT,C2,-,00:15.0,Z8, , ,0, , , , ,Bracketing off

Above I'm bracketing ±3EV from a base EV of 16 with a bracket of 7F.  This neatly covers EVs (with +1EV at the upper end) of the interesting stuff happening around C2/C3.  The downside is that at the EVs I really care about 16, 17, 18 & 13 I'm only really getting 1 exposure/second.

 

Did I get my EVs right?  Is this a good idea?  Is it a bad idea?  Help me please!

 

I’m having the same dilemma. I don't know how to answer your questions but I can tell you what I am doing.  I could never get my Z9 to perform as fast under the control of SEM as it does natively. And when shooting burst brackets under SEM you end up with only one shot per second at a given exposure for reliable operation.

 

I also have a D850 so have decided to use it controlled by SEM on my Takahashi FSQ 106 EDX4 to shoot stills and the Z9  on the Nikon Z 180-600 + 1.4XTC to shoot 8K 60 P N-RAW and 4K 120P 30P N-RAW for the C2 and C3 transitions under manual control.

 

I mostly based my D850 script on Wei-Hao's approach discussed earlier in this thread. For the D850 under SEM, I tried brackets at C2 and C3 but finally decided to go with 4 bursts of 5 each for the diamond ring starting at C2-18, and a burst of 20 exposures for Baily’s Beads starting at C2-4.5 seconds. I may change things a bit at C3 since especially at my location the simulation shows different BB structure and timing. Still tuning that.
I’m hoping the dynamic range of the camera will be forgiving enough to get something useful without shooting brackets.

 

I also shoot bursts of 5 shots each right after C2 and before C3 for prominences and chromosphere.

 

For the Z9 my thought is I get 60 8K RAW frames per second with video so if I can get the exposure close, I have a better chance of catching Baily's beads.  I have been rehearsing with a voice memo script recorded on my iPhone. The tricky part is I have to remember to start it at exactly at 2 minutes before C2, which is announced by SEM.

 

I have the shooting banks setup in the Z9 to allow three modes for video - 8K 60P for C2 transition, 8K 30P for totality, and 4K 120P for C3 transition. I switch between modes using a programmed button and the back thumb dial - very quick.

 

I also have stills shooting banks set up so I can start three 9 exposure brackets at the correct starting exposures. I shoot these brackets near maximum totality running the Z9 in CH release mode and execute them by switching from video to stills and using a wireless shutter release so I don’t have to touch the camera. The bracket runs from 1/4000 sec to 4 sec in 1/3 stop steps. The whole process takes about 40 seconds. The rest of the time I am recording 8K 30P video during totality and hopefully enjoying the eclipse. I’m doing this as a backup for the D850 brackets and exposure stacks. My biggest issue with the video is exposure. Currently I am planning to do Manual mode - setting the shutter speed and running at ISO 800 (minimum required for N-RAW video) which if I believe the video gurus is more like ISO 100 for stills. I am able to get very high quality 33 Mpixel stills of the Sun and Moon extracted from the video using Davinci Resolve.

 

Here is my current D850 script. Looking for suggestions and issues and advice on shooting manual vs aperture priority in video on the Z9. 

 

#Action,Date/Ref,Offset sign,Time (offset),Camera,Exposure,Aperture,ISO,MLU,Quality,Size,Incremental,Comment
#f/5 telescope on D850 sun at 68 deg elevation during totality
#exposures based on Xavier's exposure calculator
#R Q Fugate 20240321

PLAY,C2,-,00:10:00.1,10_Minutes.wav, , , , , , , ,'10 minutes' voice prompt
PLAY,C2,-,00:05:00.1,5_Minutes.wav, , , , , , , ,'5 minutes' voice prompt
PLAY,C2,-,00:02:00.1,2_Minutes.wav, , , , , , , ,'2 minutes' voice prompt
PLAY,C2,-,00:01:00.1,60_Seconds.wav, , , , , , , ,'1 minute' voice prompt
PLAY,C2,-,00:00:30.1,30_Seconds.wav, , , , , , , ,'30 seconds' voice prompt
PLAY,C2,-,00:00:20.1,Filters_Off.wav, , , , , , , ,'Filters off' voice prompt
PLAY,C2,-,00:00:10.1,10_Seconds.wav, , , , , , , ,'10 seconds' voice prompt
PLAY,MAX,-,00:00:00.1,Max_Eclipse.wav, , , , , , , ,'Maximum eclipse' voice prompt
PLAY,C3,-,00:00:30.1,30_Seconds.wav, , , , , , , ,'30 seconds' voice prompt
PLAY,C3,-,00:00:10.1,10_Seconds.wav, , , , , , , ,'10 seconds' voice prompt
PLAY,C3,+,00:00:19.9,Filters_On.wav, , , , , , , ,'Filters on' voice prompt

# This script should take 814 exposures

BURSTNB,20
BKTDATA,9,0.3EV,0uo
CHGCSSL,C2,-,00:39.0,D850, , ,100, , , , , Set to max frame rate
EXPMOD,C2,-,00:38.5,D850, , , , , , , ,Set to manual
LVPSTART,C2,-,00:38.0,D850, , , , , , , , start live view
#-------------DIAMOND RING 5 shots at 4 exposures----------------------

TAKEBST,C2,-,00:17.0,D850,1/1000,5,64,5,RAW,None,N,Burst of 5picture
TAKEBST,C2,-,00:14.0,D850,1/500,5,64,5,RAW,None,N,Burst of 5picture
TAKEBST,C2,-,00:11.0,D850,1/200,5,64,5,RAW,None,N,Burst of 5picture
TAKEBST,C2,-,00:08.0,D850,1/125,5,64,5,RAW,None,N,Burst of 5picture

#-------------BAILY'S BEADS 20 shots at 1/8000----------------------

TAKEBST,C2,-,00:04.0,D850,1/8000,5,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Burst of 20picture

 

#-------------CHROMOSPHERE 5 shots at 1/5000, 5 shots at 1/2500------------------------

TAKEBST,C2,+,00:01.0,D850,1/5000,5,64,5,RAW,None,Y,Burst of 5picture
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:03.0,D850,1/2500,5,64,5,RAW,None,Y,Burst of 5picture

#---------------TOTALITY--------------------------
#one complete bracket from 1/4000 to 4 sec in 1/3 stop intervals
SETBKT,C2,+,00:05.5,D850, , ,1, , , , ,Set bracket mode ON

TAKEBST,C2,+,00:06.0,D850,1/1600,5,64,9,RAW,None,Y,bracket of 9 from 1/4000 to 1/640
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:09.3,D850,1/200,5,64,9,RAW,None,Y,bracket of 9 from 1/500 to 1/80
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:12.6,D850,1/25,5,64,9,RAW,None,Y,bracket of 9 from 1/60 to 1/10
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:16.1,D850,1/3,5,64,9,RAW,None,Y,bracket of 9 from 1/10 to 1/1.3
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:22.8,D850,1.6,5,64,9,RAW,None,Y,bracket of 9 from 1/1.6 to 4

SETBKT,C2,+,00:51.0,D850, , ,0, , , , ,Set bracket mode OFF

# This sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:01:16.0,D850,1/500,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:01:11.0,D850,1/500,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:01:06.0,D850,1/500,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:01:01.0,D850,1/500,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona

# This sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:55.0,D850,1/60,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:50.0,D850,1/60,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:45.0,D850,1/60,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:40.0,D850,1/60,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona

# This sequence takes about 7 sec each
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:34.0,D850,1/8,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:27.0,D850,1/8,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:20.0,D850,1/8,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:13.0,D850,1/8,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona

# This sequence takes about 9 sec each
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:05.0,D850,1/1.3,5.0,64,8,RAW,None,Y,Earth Shine

# This sequence takes about 7 sec each
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:06.0,D850,1/8,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:13.0,D850,1/8,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:20.0,D850,1/8,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:27.0,D850,1/8,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona

# This sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:35.0,D850,1/60,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:40.0,D850,1/60,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:45.0,D850,1/60,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:50.0,D850,1/60,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona

# This sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:56.0,D850,1/500,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:01:01.0,D850,1/500,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:01:06.0,D850,1/500,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:01:11.0,D850,1/500,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona

# This sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:50.0,D850,1/60,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:45.0,D850,1/60,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:40.0,D850,1/60,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:35.0,D850,1/60,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona

# This sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:29.0,D850,1/500,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:24.0,D850,1/500,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:19.0,D850,1/500,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:14.0,D850,1/500,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:09.0,D850,1/500,5.0,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona

#-------------CHROMOSPHERE 5 shots at 1/5000, 1/2500------------------------

TAKEBST,C3,-,00:04.0,D850,1/2500,5,64,5,RAW,None,Y,Burst of 5picture
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:02.0,D850,1/5000,5,64,5,RAW,None,Y,Burst of 5picture

#-------------BAILY'S BEADS 20 shots at 1/8000----------------------

TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00.0,D850,1/8000,5,64,20,RAW,None,Y,Burst of 20picture

#-------------DIAMOND RING----------------------

TAKEBST,C3,+,00:05.0,D850,1/200,5,64,5,RAW,None,Y,Burst of 5picture
TAKEBST,C3,+,00:08.0,D850,1/500,5,64,5,RAW,None,Y,Burst of 5picture
TAKEBST,C3,+,00:11.0,D850,1/1000,5,64,5,RAW,None,Y,Burst of 5picture
TAKEBST,C3,+,00:14.0,D850,1/2000,5,64,5,RAW,None,Y,Burst of 5picture
TAKEBST,C3,+,00:17.0,D850,1/8000,5,64,5,RAW,None,Y,Burst of 5picture

LVPSTOP,C3,+,00:25.0,D850, , , , , , , ,Stop photography in Lv

Edited by bobfugate, 28 March 2024 - 07:30 PM.

[Nn1982i]

I can confirm my Z6 goes to 1/8000 in silent mode under SEM. I am using the beta version of SEM  1.9.2 (100). Maybe that has something to do with it since I recall Xavier making changes in the beta to specifically address more modern Z cameras. Just a thought. 

Was able to get it to work with Z6 set to silent shutter. The challenge however is it's hard to know if the camera is indeed taking pictures.

[DAA]

Thanks to lots of help from Wei-Hao Wang and good starting points from Wei-Hao SZigler511, I've completed and tested my script which I'll append below for a Nikon D850.  

 

No bracket-bursts, just bursts of between 4 and 20 frames (the max for D850 = 20).  As many have commented, the times around C2 and C3 are the hardest to cover.  I've made a few observations that might be useful for those using a DSLR (rather than DSLM) in particular, the D850 with a long lens.  Mirror slap does not affect exposures of 1/200s or shorter, even in bursts.  Probably, the shaking takes about 10ms to start moving the lens and is dies out in less than 150ms -- just a guess but based on looking at motion-blurred stars at various exposures.  Therefore, running in non-Live View is fine, even with bursts, as long as exposures stay short.  And that means around C2 and C3 with high Q values, images can be taken quickly since the D850 responds in non-LV with about half the lag time as in LV mode.  For the corona, I'm using Wei-Hao's approach to take repeated 20-frame bursts at 4 exposures, 3 for the corona and one for Earthlight all in LV because the exposures get long and it becomes necessary to avoid mirror vibration.  Stacking these will hopefully produce high S/N images that can then be combined in HDR.

 

 

# 4/8/24 Solar Eclipse Maestro Script
# Action,Reference,OffsetSign,OffsetTime,Camera,Exposure,Aperture,ISO,MLU,Quality,Size,Incremental,Comment
#
########## AUDIO FILES USED IN SCRIPT ##########
#
PLAY,C1,-,10:00.0,10minutes_AB.wav, , , , , , , ,10 minutes to C1
PLAY,C1,-,05:00.0,05minutes_AB.wav, , , , , , , ,5 minutes to C1
PLAY,C2,-,05:00.0,05minutes_AB.wav, , , , , , , ,5 minutes to C2
PLAY,C2,-,00:35.0,Filters Off_AB.wav, , , , , , , ,Reminder to remove filter
PLAY,C2,-,00:30.0,30Seconds_AB.wav, , , , , , , ,about 30 seconds to C2
PLAY,MAX,-,00:00.0,MidTotality_AB.wav, , , , , , , ,Middle of eclipse
PLAY,C3,-,00:03.0,30Seconds_AB.wav, , , , , , , ,30 seconds to C3
PLAY,C3,+,00:24.5,Filters On_AB.wav, , , , , , , ,Reminder to replace filter
PLAY,C4,-,10:15.0,10minutes_AB.wav, , , , , , , ,10 minutes to C4
#
#
########## CAPTURE FULL SUN PRE-C1 ##########
#
# Three bracketed exposures to check focus and exposure
#
EXPMODM,C1,-,10:13.0,D850, , , , , , , ,Set D850 to Manual Mode (M) for the duration
#
TAKEPIC,C1,-,10:10.0,D850,1/400,8,100,1,RAW,None,N,Pre-C1, Q = 8
TAKEPIC,C1,-,10:07.0,D850,1/800,8,100,1,RAW,None,Y,Pre-C1, Q = 9
TAKEPIC,C1,-,10:04.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,1,RAW,None,Y,Pre-C1, Q = 9 with ISO 400
#
#
########## CAPTURE FULL SUN POST-C4 ##########
#
# Three bracketed exposures to finish
#
TAKEPIC,C4,+,02:00.0,D850,1/400,8,100,1,RAW,None,N,Post-C4, Q = 8
TAKEPIC,C4,+,02:03.0,D850,1/800,8,100,1,RAW,None,Y,Post-C4, Q = 9
TAKEPIC,C4,+,02:06.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,1,RAW,None,Y,Post-C4, Q = 9 with ISO 400
#
#
########## CAPTURE PARTIAL PHASES ##########
#
# Two exposures through partial stages every 2% of magnitude before C2 and after C3, spaced about 90s
# for a total of 100 frames between C1 and C2 an another 100 between C3 and C4
#
FOR,(VAR),0,2,99
TAKEPIC,MAGPRE (VAR) ,-,00:01.5,D850,1/800,8,100,1,RAW,None,Y,Partial Pre Q = 9
TAKEPIC,MAGPRE (VAR) ,+,00:01.5,D850,1/400,8,100,1,RAW,None,Y,Partial Pre Q = 8
TAKEPIC,MAGPOST (VAR),-,00:01.5,D850,1/800,8,100,1,RAW,None,Y,Partial Post Q = 9
TAKEPIC,MAGPOST (VAR),+,00:01.5,D850,1/400,8,100,1,RAW,None,Y,Partial Post Q = 8
ENDFOR
#
#
########## C2 SEQUENCE FOR CHROMOSPHERE AND BAILYS BEADS ##########
#
# 100 frames in bursts with higher Q values
#
# LVPSTART,C2,-,00:43.0,D850, , , , , , , ,Start live view, not needed for this sequence
#
CHGCSSL,C2,-,00:39.0,D850, , ,6, , , , ,Continuous shooting 100-frame set at 6 fps
#
TAKEBST,C2,-,00:23.0,D850,1/8000,32,50,20,RAW,None,N,Q = 17.3
TAKEBST,C2,-,00:18.0,D850,1/500,8,100,20,RAW,None,Y,Q = 8.3
TAKEBST,C2,-,00:13.0,D850,1/4000,16,100,20,RAW,None,Y,Q = 13.3
TAKEBST,C2,-,00:08.0,D850,1/2000,8,100,20,RAW,None,Y,Q = 10.3
TAKEBST,C2,-,00:03.0,D850,1/8000,16,50,12,RAW,None,Y,Q = 11.3
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:00.2,D850,1/3200,16,400,4,RAW,None,Y,Q = 11.0
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:01.2,D850,1/1600,16,400,4,RAW,None,Y,Q = 10.0
#
# LVPSTOP,C2,+,00:02.2,D850, , , , , , , ,Stop live view, no need if never started
#
#
########## BURST SEQUENCES THROUGH TOTALITY AT VARIOUS Q-VALUES AT ISO 400 ##########
#
# Corona sequence including Earthlight, 808 exposures total
#
LVPSTART,C2,+,00:03.0,D850, , , , , , , ,Start photography in Lv
#
# Bursts in this sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:00:04.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona, 80 frames at Q = 8
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:00:09.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:00:14.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:00:19.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
#
# Bursts in this sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:00:24.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona, 80 frames at = 5
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:00:29.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:00:34.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:00:39.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
#
# Cut one or both of these 5 sec bursts if totality is shorter than planned <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
TAKEBST,C2,+,00:00:44.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona, 20 frames at Q = 8
# TAKEBST,C2,+,00:00:49.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona, 20 frames at Q = 8
#
# Bursts in this sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:01:00.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona, 60 frames at Q = 8
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:55.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:50.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
#
# Bursts in this sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:45.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona, 80 frames at Q = 5
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:40.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:35.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:30.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
#
# Bursts in this sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:25.0,D850,1/25,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona, 80 frames at Q = 2
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:20.0,D850,1/25,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:15.0,D850,1/25,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:10.0,D850,1/25,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona
#
# This burst sequence takes about 8 sec
TAKEBST,MAX,-,00:00:05.0,D850,1/4,8,400,8,RAW,None,N,Earth Shine, 8 frames at Q = -0.8
#
# Bursts in this sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:05.0,D850,1/25,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona, 80 frames at Q = 2
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:10.0,D850,1/25,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:15.0,D850,1/25,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:20.0,D850,1/25,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Middle Corona
#
# Bursts in this sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:25.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona, 80 frames at Q = 5
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:30.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:35.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:40.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
#
# Bursts in this sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:45.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona, 80 frames at Q = 8
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:50.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:00:55.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,MAX,+,00:01:00.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
#
# Cut one or both of these 5 sec bursts if totality is shorter than planned <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
# TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:49.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona, 20 frames at Q = 8
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:44.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona, 20 frames at Q = 8
#
# Bursts in this sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:39.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona, 80 frames at Q = 5
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:34.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:29.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:24.0,D850,1/200,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Inner Corona
#
# Bursts in this sequence takes about 5 sec each
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:19.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona, 60 frames at Q = 8
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:14.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00:09.0,D850,1/1600,8,400,20,RAW,None,Y,Lower Corona
#
LVPSTOP,C3,-,00:04.0,D850, , , , , , , ,Stop live view
#
########## C3 SEQUENCE FOR CHROMOSPHERE AND BAILYS BEADS ##########
#
# LVPSTART,C3,-,00:03.0,D850, , , , , , , ,Start live view, not needed for this sequence
#
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:02.2,D850,1/1600,16,400,4,RAW,None,Y,Q = 10.0
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:01.2,D850,1/3200,16,400,4,RAW,None,Y,Q = 11.0
TAKEBST,C3,-,00:00.2,D850,1/8000,16,50,12,RAW,None,Y,Q = 11.3
TAKEBST,C3,+,00:03.0,D850,1/2000,8,100,20,RAW,None,Y,Q = 10.3
TAKEBST,C3,+,00:08.0,D850,1/4000,16,100,20,RAW,None,Y,Q = 13.3
TAKEBST,C3,+,00:13.0,D850,1/500,8,100,20,RAW,None,Y,Q = 8.3
TAKEBST,C3,+,00:18.0,D850,1/8000,32,50,20,RAW,None,N,Q = 17.3
#
# LVPSTOP,C3,+,00:23.0,D850, , , , , , , ,Stop live view, no need if never started
#