There will be no eclipse action for residents of the southern hemisphere, but that doesn’t mean we can’t watch someone in the US destroy the sensor of a DSLR using the sun and a Canon 400mm f/2.8 lens, while preparing for the celestial event.
The DLSR in question is a Canon 350D (otherwise known as the Rebel XT). Without the proper filters, it doesn’t take long for the poor camera’s sensor to fry — even a six-second exposure is enough to damage the mirror mechanism… and get things smoking.
The aftermath is nasty. It almost looks like burnt skin.
If you plan on watching the video, at the 1:23-mark, dubstep starts playing, so feel free to turn the sound from that point onwards.