Solar Photography

probably too late to order from amazon, but you can get sheets of the filter media. I would think it would be worth seeing if your camera store has filters for sale. failing that, I would check with a welding supply place to see if they have sheets of it. worst case would be taping a pair of the cardboard glasses over the lens.

according to google filters for photographing the sun are out there for any mount.

There are a few good articles on the web...
www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/solar_photography.html

I am having a read "through many sites"

1} Use of tripod is universally agreed, use of remote shutter also agreed, if you have one.

2} Bigger is Better... I have a Cosina 400 mm lens here on my desk and it would be considered "small" by eclipse "Enthusiasts".

3} Use what you got, if you dont have the bigger equipment, you have to be heavily wadded up to go the full Monty, so think carefully about new equipment and how often will you use it... is it worth the expense?.

4} Solar filter is a MUST. I have already a clip-on holder to fit HUGE plastic square filters to most of my lenses that go from light to heavy polarised and solar proof...
You MUST use them, even through the lens unprotected viewfinders are capable of causing lasting optical damage if you dont have the right filer. Even a quick peek to align things up...
Go to the camera shop and ask for a solar filter, they will immediately ask "What for" and guide you to the best one for what you are doing?.. if they dont, find a better assistant?.

5} Speed is key. If you have manual ISO speed settings in your camera, use the fastest you can, although most DSLR will manage to protect its own sensor these days fro over-exposure, repeated shots of the same subject can "burn" a ghost image on your sensor if the filter is wrong?..

6} They say dont go full auto, use as much manual as you can, pre-set the focus, ISO, Aperture, as much as you are comfortable with, and then...

7} Let the shot come to you. Do not "chase" the image, do some simple Moon shots the night before the night before etc, to practise using your equipment, especially a tripod and extreme focal length, and the settings you may want to use, and if the moon is visible on the day before, again with the practise shots, that start using the filter to get the best full sun image you can on the day before, review your results, plan what works best for you.
If you have not got a remote sutter, you can get them for as little as about $20 in USA money from what I can find dependant on the camera you use, and they are worth the expenditure, less camera shake, even if you think you have a gentle finger on tha tripod, at extreme focal length, you may get a small wobble.
Practise...
In that, you know what you want to get, pre-plan your image, use the viewfinder to get everything in range before it happens on the day, then just sit back and press the button at every stage you want a photograph, and enjoy the results.

8} location location location. Get out of the city, less airborne fumes, less smog.
But keep protected.
Any winds may shake that tripod... a walled garden is good.
Make it a firm base... you may think your wooden patio is good, trust me, it aint, and any shake through the tripod feet will be transmitted to the lense.
You have "IS"?.. Image stabilisation?.. well good for you, but plan to turn it off.
IS Works by using less of the sensor to collect the image, but has the rest of the "Frame" around that image collected "On standby", to use when the lens shakes, so effectively, you have up to 10% of your sensor unemployed.
You get a better picture if you have no shake and use all of the sensor... so turn it off, turn off auto focus, turn off as much automated as you can, and shoot stable.
Auto Focus also shakes the image if your doing burst mode and it decides to change focus.

If you have SLR ability to "lock" the mirror when you have lined up the shot, use it.

What else can I suggest...

If you are in the North West, the ISS will pass the disk of the sun around 2pm, or so I am assured, see if you can catch that in shot as well?..

9} If you have it, use it.
Many telescopes and Camera's have the ability to join in matrimony.... if you can, why not?.
Again with the filer.... make sure your telescope has that important solar filter in place.
But the "T" piece or adapter for camera to telescope, if you can get one, get one, and have a practise around that, will the telescope tripod hold your camera or do you need separate supports?.

You can just hold your camera up to the eyepiece... useful for small phone camera's, but, you get what you pay for, it will be an image, but dont expect awards?.

10] Adapter Rings. I can extend my Cosina 400 to 500+plus if I use an adapter ring...
However, I loose a lot of function, its no longer Auto-Focus if I am using it, and sometimes the TTL sensors dont work correctly.
[TTL Through The Lens, things like focus dots that align up when the subject they are in is in focus, light measurement, auto sensing of aperture etc?.. ] I have about 10 autofocus "dots" in my viewfinder I can choose from when going manual.

But was I using atuo-anything anyway?.

Adapter rings are a hell of a lot less expensive than the equivalent lens... its just getting them.

My camera is a Nikon D60. Yeah, it's old, but it's a good camera, even if it's not got all the modern bells and whistles and high resolution. I have UV filters on all my lenses. I also have A CPL and a neutral density filters as well. I also have hood for it and remote shutter release.. And of course have a tripod. Can I make it work with that setup?

Yes it will work, on its highest ISO setting, but, check by photographing directly at the sun first as to how well it will work on direct sun, if you start getting sun flare in the photo, you will need, as suggested, the solar filter, dependant on what type of shot you are after.

Camera run by USB connection...
"I dont trust that"
For a start, the drivers "Supplied" with the camera are so old you have a also got on the disk supplied a complete diagnostic too for the Arc.
Getting the latest ones?.

Getting them "In English"?.

Getting them "To work", especially with Windows 2000,ME,XP,Vista[spitspit]7,8,8-1,10, ?
Getting them to work without "lag", and then getting them to work at the exact moment you want without that [duck]ing Adobe deciding "Now is a good time to do an update on shockwave flash"....

Even if you camera allows an remote shutter action by USB, it wont allow you to use the viewfinder tools such as focus aperture burst bracket and other high end stuff unless it is the very latest models designed to work that way, I know, I tried, its enthusiasts version of "I should have taken up painting barns as a hobby" time, and very much like taking a Lamborghini to drive a nail in with.

Heck if you all have it and it works for you, good luck, but I found I was spending more time diagnosing why the camera "Didnt fire this time" than I did taking shots.
One of them was my CF card overheating...
Phwatt now?..
Yeah, the USB lead supplied was so short the camera needed to be right close to the computer, and therefore, the heat exchange output [Fan] on the computer was wafting warm air right at the camera.

One USB extension later and a reposition...
"WHAT NOW? !!! "
And my Camera was refusing to play because it believed there was too much light.

However...
Getting the screen to ape the shot I just took and using that instead of squinting at the rear view screen on the camera body?.
Priceless.

But.

Be warned.

If you ever do that whilst trying to take a group shot and expect the group of people to stay in place instead of all running to crowd around the screen to see how the last shot worked?.
Good luck with that....
And Ladies, you knows you is the worst for that dont you?.

.... "You didnt get my smile just right"...
Well Excuse ME!... you were sat there with a face like a badly stacked bag of rusty spanners all the way through because you didnt get to be in the centre of the shot and we told you to take that daft hat off because it was getting in the way, who's birthday was it anyway, yours or your Grandchild?.. didint Mum and Dad have the right to stand right behind the Kid?..
The hat was the size of a sodding comedy oversize sombrero, why the hell you bought it anyway I dunno, because you spent the whole of the day in the hair salon, and again this was the KIDS birthday event and passing out with first class honours from University, so its HIS day, not Yours, so dont come crying to me that they all went away to do more interesting things and had less and less interest in getting your own version of "The perfect shot"....
The trials and condemnations of being an amateur photog .

And just to make it doubly clear, thats the type of face you have in a frame above the fireplace to scare the kids away from the fire...

And in the case of the kid, yes, I can, and will, crop "That" photograph for you, so its just head and shoulders of you, Mum and Dad, and make a better pic without Grandma scowling in the left hand corner.