| Author | Thread |
|
|
01/23/2005 02:40:20 PM · #1 |
| Anybody have any suggestions for shooting star trails? ISO, aperture? |
|
|
|
01/23/2005 02:45:57 PM · #2 |
low ISO (100), looong exposure. Adjust aperture as needed, but somewhere around the "sweet spot" of your lens would probably be best. You'll also need a release cable.
The problem with these shots is that a lot of noise gets introduced into the image, regardless of ISO. To get reasonable trails, you need a good long exposure. Of course, it also depends on your focal length. The longer the focal length, the longer the apparent length of the star trails will be and the shorter the exposure time. I think I did a 10 minute exposure with a 50mm and the lines were not very long at all.
Play around with it a bit. It's digital, right? :) |
|
|
|
01/23/2005 02:46:51 PM · #3 |
1DMk II, or layering many exposures.
Noise is the killer... |
|
|
|
01/23/2005 02:52:03 PM · #4 |
I've done a bunch using a thirty minute exposure (max on the D70), f/2.8. turned out okay, but as mentioned lots of noise.
fun to do. make sure you bring something to do while waiting; I brought my iPod and listened to tunes. |
|
|
|
01/23/2005 03:11:12 PM · #5 |
| thanks for the tips...I was going out tonight (nice and clear) but with a near full moon, I don't think the conditions are right. I'll wait a couple of weeks. |
|
|
|
01/23/2005 03:30:52 PM · #6 |
| As others have said the proper way of doing this with a digital camera is to stack the images. You might be interested in picking up Image Stacker. The same thing can be done in PS but Image Stacker is a neat little package. |
|
|
|
01/23/2005 03:55:11 PM · #7 |
I did a bit of research on star trails a while back, found this page,here which has good descriptions and example photos.
Apparently camera power usage gets used exponentially holding the shutter open and the CMOS sensor receiving for so long,(this is why bulb exposure images are also very noisy) so a EOS 300d may only get one 1.5hrs exposure on a battery, which is a bit of pain in backside if you want to take more than a couple of photos in an evening!
The other point of interest was to avoid any cloud which might be reflecting ambient light, If you have a clear sky, there should be no chance of overexposure as the stars are merely pin pricks of light.
Check out that webpage, is fascinating.
Simon |
|
|
|
07/07/2006 01:46:46 AM · #8 |
hey there,
im planning to try some star trails with an Eos 300 (film) that i just bought. obviously being film i cant experiment as much as if it were digital, but does anybody have any tips? as far as aperture, iso and shutter times (i'll be using bulb mode but need an average time period, say 30 mins etc.) are concerned? i'll be using my Eos 300 and a Canon 28-80mm lens (use it on auto-focus?), i have a tripod and am planning to get the canon wired remote to make things a little easier.
many thanks people :)
(the film slr was purchased 2nd hand as an introduction to SLR's, i have a digital but the max shutter time on my fuji is 15 seconds) |
|
|
|
07/07/2006 02:18:42 AM · #9 |
With film, you'll be better off than with digital, no sensor noise ;).
edit: However, do some reading about reciprocity failure, its something to be aware of with film
Make sure there is no moon in your shot. You can check online tables for when the moon-rise/set will be. 30 minutes will give you nice trails. Set at lens's optimum aperature, and MF at infinity. You want a clear night, or at the very least be far outside a city so the clouds don't reflect the street light.
Pointing your camera at the north star is quite spectacular, as everything else rotates around the north star.
A little trick is bring along a piece of black paper. If a plane would happen to fly through your FOV, simply hold the black paper over the lens while the plane is passing through, and then take it off again after its gone.
Message edited by author 2006-07-07 06:35:01. |
|
|
|
07/07/2006 04:39:18 AM · #10 |
I suggest you PM kirbic... he does a lot of astrophotography and will give you solid advice, as he always seems to do with everything else. :)
|
|
|
|
07/07/2006 04:49:41 AM · #11 |
| Ya, Kirbic is the man, or Stangeghost is an expert on this as well. Taking multiple shorter shots and stacking is very easy with the Imagestacker as mentioned. Also, I've learned the hard way with this, don't use the long exposure noise reduction in the camera. It will take just as long for the camera to process the image as the amount of time you leave your shutter open so if you stack multiple shots the trails turn out looking perforated. |
|
|
|
07/07/2006 05:20:39 AM · #12 |
Film is just much much better than digital with star trails. I recommend Kodachrome 64 over Velvia since Velvia will turn the sky greenish . If you can find out of date Kodachrome 64 it is the best. The sky will be a brilliant deep blue instead of a washed out bluish black. For years I would artificially age it by leaving on top of my stereo for weeks (about 90 degrees). Exposures can vary greatly, but for a moonless clear sky start with f5.6 @ 2 1/2 hours with the focal length between 28-35mm (with 35mm film).
example of velvia going green...
Message edited by author 2006-07-07 09:21:03. |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 04/09/2025 11:17:10 AM EDT.
