Thousand Oaks Optical BP-1212 - Silver-Black Polymer Solar Filter Film Sheet (12" x 12") - 1 ea

Works amazingly even though expensive I could see the sun which is great.

It is much darker and shows less clear details than the Baader Astrosolar film. In general, I would say outright avoid it for apertures under 4". For larger telescopes if you don't try to zoom on details (e.g. viewing the full disk), it will look crisp and some people actually like the orange color of the sun (because we commonly associate the sun with the color of the sunset) - when, in fact, the sun is white (the Baader filter is accurate in that respect). However, high power views even in large telescopes won't show the same detail as the similarly priced Baader Astrosolar film and photography in particular suffers considerably. Sunspots are much less well defined, you can't really see granulation etc. Also you can't use some interesting blue/green filters (like the Continuum) that can better show some features, as the Thousand Oaks filter blocks most of the blue/green light. I did see some improvement in photography when using a CLS filter with it, so do try that if you have one.I am attaching one image to show the comparison of color & brightness (note ISO and exposure) between this filter and the Baader film. I am attaching an additional one through a 2x barlow and a CLS filter that is a stack of a few hundred frames of a Canon 550D video crop mode movie to show the difference in detail of the Thousand Oaks and the Baader after full processing and sharpening (and both color adjusted to a pleasant yellow). All images were taken with a Skywatcher Evostar 80ED Pro.PS. You might notice that one side is more shiny. Most people have that side facing the sun to reflect more heat, but there are no actual instructions about it from the manufacturer so don't worry if you installed it the other way, it seems to function the same both ways.

Expensive at £27, the Baader film is cheaper and shows more detail. It does show the Sun as a orange yellow image however and many people seem to prefer this. If you're serious about studying the Sun though, go for the Baader: true it's a white light image but if you're using a digital capture you can always Photoshop some colour into it.

O.K. but not as good as Baader white light filters - sunspots nowhere near as clear - and I'm shocked this company feels it is acceptable to dispatch this product without a single word of advice on how to use it or with any safety warnings whatsoever - nothing but the sheet of film arrived in the package. This isn't good enough.

One sheet, provided enough coverage for a pair of binoculars, a telephoto lens and two hand held visors. Bring on the eclipse

Perfect for my home made solar filter. Great results.