[penagwin]

I'd argue this is slightly worse because the cameras have higher magnification lenses* vs our naked eye. This might be more akin to looking into a telescope with your eyes.

Edit: To elaborate - Higher magnification lenses (depending on the camera lens used of course)

Edit 1: - /u/corndoge Suggests that people may take this the wrong way. I mean to say in the amount of physical damage it's worse for camera's because of the extra (and typically higher magnification lens). I don't mean that a burnt camera is worse then a burnt eye - I'd rather anybody loose tons of $$$ for a camera then have eye damage.

[duskwuff]

It's not so much about the magnification as it is about the light-gathering surface. The human eye has a relatively small aperture; a professional camera lens has a huge aperture, and it focuses all the light from there onto the camera sensor.

Higher magnification actually makes it slightly safer, because the image of the sun ends up magnified and spread out over a larger part of the sensor. Low magnification means it all goes to one point.

[penagwin]

Could somebody tell me why this comment is being downvoted? I didn't feel like I was being rude (I'm sorry if I was), and I'm pretty sure it's a correct statement.

Our eyes have lenses but as /u/jmiserez said the lenses in the cameras lenses magnify it far more. It'd be like us looking into a telescope looking at the sun (Obviously depends on which camera lens you use).

Edit: I edited the main comment to explain that the difference is that camera's typically have higher magnification lens then our eyes.

[corndoge]

probably because you suggested damage to a camera is worse than damage to a human eye in the first sentence and hn is full of reactionary children

[justicezyx]

I am completely battled as you too...

[4ad]

Focal length has nothing to do with it, in fact, longer focal lengths are generally safer because lenses are slower. Aperture is what matters, lenses gather much more light than our bare eyes.

[rocqua]

Is the issue aperture or aperture over focal length? The actual aperture (squared) determines how much solar energy you are gathering. The aperture over focal length (again squared) determines the energy per surface unit.

I'm not sure which is more damaging here.

[kinkrtyavimoodh]

Our naked eye has a lens too.

[jmiserez]

But it’s not a 600mm tele, so the actual area of burn damage is going to be smaller. You’ll still have a blind spot in the center of your field of view, but not the whole eye. Still, I imagine it’s quite a disability either way.

[theoh]

Info about the different mechanisms of eye damage due to bright light:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3144654/

[njarboe]

This is well written and accessible article. Thanks for the link. One of the best short lay descriptions of light that I have come across: "Light is a form of electromagnetic energy. Electromagnetic radiation has a dual wave-particle nature. When light is absorbed by a photoreceptor, its particle nature is important."