Thanks gents.
The mix-master saga has come to a prolonged conclusion. The modern gizmo now sits on the kitchen counter.
Polarizing filter may have been useful but wasn't along. Another option is a set of neutral density graduated filters that I have set down somewhere around here and can't seem to locate. I couldn't really look at the sun without some filter, so I took an exposure reading just by a quick point at the subject. Had a look at that and then under-exposed by many stops and kept that up until I could see an image and not just a white screen (beauty of digital). Took a series of several and liked this the best. Then I cheated a bit and boosted the saturation of the yellows and reds a bit in photo shop. Still learning. To fully understand that program could take the rest of my life.
Looking at the image makes me imagine Ma Nature pulling the trigger on a celestial Parker. Being down range, it's a good thing her load is photons, not lead.
Cheers,
Jack
underexposure starting to give an image [f4.5 1/5 sec ISO 100] then [f16 1/40 sec ISO 100]and then the actual image [f16 1/125sec ISO 100] prior to playing with photoshop just to give an idea of playing with digital