Sun always so small - what cameras get realistic shots?

[patent10021]

I love the pics I get on my iPhone. When I go jogging I capture so many amazing sunsets. Gorgeous compositions and lighting. Problem is the sun is always so small on P&S cameras and smartphones. And of course zooming in is definitely out of the question. Looks like crap. I can never get the huge soft sun that I see with my own eyes.

I don't have much experience with a full format or even high-end DSLR for that matter so I was curious to know what cameras some the closest to getting that perspective? What kind of lenses and/or sensors should I be looking for?

Thanks

 

[spacedcadet]

optical illusion

The big sun you see with your eyes is an optical illusion, it's always the same size in the sky whether near the horizon or high at midday.

 

[snberk103]

It's not the camera that makes the sun look bigger or smaller, it's the lense focal length relative to the sensor size. Wide angle lenses make everything look smaller, and telephoto lenses make everything look bigger.

Plus, as spacedcadet points out - what your eye sees and what a camera sees can be very different because the eye sees differently and is connected to the brain that 'interprets' the data. Whereas a camera usually records more than it interprets.

BTW.... stop looking at the sun... you'll be at an increased risk for cataracts and several other problems.

 

[jabbott]

Here is what happens when you use a strong zoom lens pointed at the sun without sufficient filtering:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/News/News-Post.aspx?News=304

 

[snberk103]

Here is what happens when you use a strong zoom lens pointed at the sun without sufficient filtering:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/News/News-Post.aspx?News=304

Yikes! Imagine what that would have done had it been focussed on the sensor instead of off to the side.

 

[equilibrium17]

Ya, in general if you want a "big sun" in a sunrise/sunset photo, you need to have a long focal length, as this will make distant objects (i.e., the sun) appear larger relative to foreground objects.

I'm by no means an expert photographer, but here's link to a photo I've taken recently which has a "big sun" effect. This pic was taken at 225mm on a 1.6x crop sensor camera (Canon T3i/600D). So this is equivalent to 360mm focal length on a full-frame sensor - a pretty "long" shot:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll276/equilibrium17/Africa 2012/_MG_3978.jpg

I forget the exact stats, but the iPhone's focal lens and sensor size is pretty wide-angle -- you can't get "big sun" effects with a focal length like this. Most smartphone camera and low-end point & shoot camera favor the wide end of the focal length spectrum, as this is more useful for taking quick snapshots of subjects relatively close to the camera.

To get the "big sun" effect, you need a fixed-lens camera with a long zoom range, or a telephoto lens mounted on an interchangeable lens camera.