Question on warning in manual about sun being in angle of view

[BrianR]

Hello,

This is going to be a completely newbie question. I did a quick search in this forum and didn't find an answer, but I apologize if it has been asked before.

I recently picked up an a7iii to start learning about photography and have some fun. 

On page one of the manual it says:

"When you shoot with backlighting, keep the sun sufficiently far away from the angle of view. Otherwise, the sunlight may enter the focus inside the camera and cause smoke or fire. Even if the sun is slightly away from the angle of view, it may still cause smoke or fire."

Does this mean if the sun is in the shot, it could damage the camera? If so do I just need to ensure I have a filter on whenever shooting in bright sunlight? Any additional info would be helpful as I don't want to damage the equipment as I fumble around trying to learn how to take proper photographs. 

Thank you.

[Pieter]

Yes, shooting directly into the sun, especially with a wide aperture, may cause your sensor to be damaged. Actually, you don't even need to be shooting to damage the sensor. This is one of the reasons that the aperture of the lens closes when you turn off the camera: to protect the sensor from direct sunlight when you forget to put the lens cap on.

Also, if you're reviewing your photos on camera, the aperture will stay open for some 20 seconds before closing down. During this period take care not to point you camera into the sun as it might cause damage without you even being aware that you're exposing your sensor to intense concentrated light.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Pieter

[BrianR]

Hi Pieter,

Thank you for your answer. That is very helpful information.

Does this hold true if you have a ND or CPL filter on it? Or UV? 

Brian

[Pieter]

ND: Depending on the blocking factor of the filter, an ND-filter blocks 50% up to virtually all light. This works similar to closing the aperture when determining the light intensity of the sun projected onto your sensor.

CPL: A polarization filter blocks about 50% of the light from the sun, so your sensor will still be at (a slightly reduced) risk.

UV: No effect: there already is a UV-filter on your sensor. Stacking these hardly affects light intensity on the sensor.

Edited June 23, 2020 by Pieter