PSA: Those $50 solar filters on Amazon are a total scam

I bought one of those cheap solar filters off Amazon for $50 to photograph the partial eclipse last October. First time I put it on my telescope, the image was blurry and I could see tiny pinpricks of light around the edge. Took it off and checked it with a flashlight and there were actual pinholes in the film. Could have cooked my camera sensor or worse, my eyes if I'd used it for viewing. Threw it straight in the trash and ordered a proper glass filter from Thousand Oaks for $120. Did anyone else get burned by these cheap Amazon filters?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugo_nelson22h ago

Yeah same thing happened to me with a $45 "Solar View" brand filter I grabbed off Amazon last year. I put it on my Nikon and took maybe three shots before I noticed this weird hotspot in the frame. Looked closer and there was a tiny crescent shaped tear right in the center of the film, probably from being folded in the shipping envelope. I was so mad I actually tested it by holding it up to a bright ceiling light and saw like six or seven little pinpricks of light coming through. Honestly I think these sellers just buy bulk mylar sheets meant for like emergency blankets and cut them up. I ended up shelling out for a Baader film filter from a real astronomy shop and it was night and day difference.

jamiekim21h ago

Whoa, they're really just cutting up emergency blanket material and selling it as solar filters?