There’s no doubt that people were super excited to catch a glimpse of the first total solar eclipse to hit the United States since 1979. Cities and towns within the path of totality were hit with eclipse fever as tourists poured in for the incredibly rare opportunity. Of course, along with that excitement came people wanting to photograph the event, and like how many ignored the warnings of not wearing the eclipse glasses, many innocent cameras were injured by people not using a solar lens to capture the eclipse.
One camera rental company, LensRentals, posted a blog detailing the different types of the damage to cameras and lenses that were returned after the eclipse. Among these include damaged sensors, melted shutters and damage to the lens iris. Most of the damage happened when cameras were left pointed to the eclipse, using the lens like a magnifying glass and melting some of the inside components. Except this time, instead of burning an ant hill until your parents call a therapist, you end up melting the critically important sensor in a camera that’s worth more than your kidney.
Luckily, LensRentals was prepared to deal with repairs by the forgone instructions and says the damage wasn’t as common as expected. Though the company says that the damage is considered neglect after the numerous warnings, so the added insurance doesn’t cover the damage. They hope this will serve as a warning to anyone wanting to photograph the next eclipse in 2024.
See more pictures of the damage. [ LensRentals ]
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