K-5 Night/Astro Photography

kyteflyer · 07-29-2011, 10:21 PM

Originally posted by Raybo

I hate you kyteflyer!

You must have one heck of a darksite.........right?

LOL! Not really. I live in the suburbs but not far from some country roads. Its pretty busy out there and the lights from cars get in the way, light pollution +++, this spot is just a layby on a road between the cities of Newcastle and Maitland, NSW, Australia. Its all about the timing, and getting there at a time that the light from those cities is not also in the general direction of what you want to be shooting.

That said... really... its my second time out. I'll be looking for better sites soon, but the further I get from civilisation the more anxious I become. I really need to notify someone where I am going, and for how long. You think about stuff like that when you get to be old like me ~@|@~

kyteflyer · 07-29-2011, 10:22 PM

Originally posted by philby85

Wow !!! They are great shots, well done mate. Might have to have a go myself.

phil

Thanks Philby.. I'm sorry I missed your remark on my first round :-/ I do appreciate it

adr1an · 07-29-2011, 10:25 PM

Originally posted by kyteflyer

You think about stuff like that when you get to be old like me ~@|@~

OT slightly - but if its a genuine concern - consider one of these: http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=101

I used it to give friends/family piece of mind when travelling on my bike through Europe.. but lots of people also use it around the place because as you know Mobile Coverage can get patchy off the beaten track in this country - these things work as long as you can see the sky(well - a satelite - but its pretty comprehensive network). Quite a few of my friends that go riding out in the middle of nowhere around NT and FNQ etc carry them...

They have a "Panic" button and their message centre can communicate with a nominated person on your behalf, and there is a 911 button (I know - wrong number in this country

) that contacts Emerg. Services. Australia. Unit has built in GPS so they can locate you, and they will attempt to contact you directly on your mobile. Plus it fits in a pocket.,

Pretty reasonable given the device that it is ($99 + small annual fee) - and the piece of mind is probably worth it alone. It can 'track' you as well if you want so you can use it to build routes/maps as well (they are secure)

Just a thought...

kyteflyer · 07-29-2011, 10:27 PM

Originally posted by adr1an

OT slightly - but if its a genuine concern - consider one of these: SPOT Personal Tracker

Thank you *very* much. Yes, it is of genuine concern, I am getting on a bit, my health is in decline and I live alone so nobody would notice for a day or 6, so this would be excellent. (and I wonder if there is something like this available for the iphone...)

Thanks again

adr1an · 07-29-2011, 10:35 PM

Originally posted by kyteflyer

Thank you *very* much. Yes, it is of genuine concern, I am getting on a bit, my health is in decline and I live alone so nobody would notice for a day or 6, so this would be excellent. (and I wonder if there is something like this available for the iphone...)

Thanks again

There is a few tracking apps for the iPhone - the problem is - it relies on Mobile Coverage. If you have a whoopsie with no mobile coverage....

The advantage of the SPOT is that it works anywhere - regardless of mobile coverage. Plus it will send out your 'help me' signal for 7 days, and will track you for 14 days.. The Iphone would last.. about half a day transmitting

I put a bit of thought into the subject when considering what I would do lying in a ditch halfway between Nowhere and Timbuktu... Plus, iphones break very easily - this thing very rugged and easy to find in an instant given its bright orange housing

But if you are confident you'll always have reception - than the iphone apps might just do the trick. Search for "GPS Tracking" in the AppStore...

Acheron · 07-30-2011, 12:03 AM

K-5 is very capable camera for astrophotography.
This is my image made from 30 individual frames of 30s exposure at ISO3200. During PP I've substracted dark frames to lower noise. Tracking was achieved with cheap (160$) german equatorial mount. The image was taken with Sigma 10-20 4-5.6 EX lens at 10mm f/8

**jbinpg** · 07-30-2011, 12:44 AM

Impressive shot of the Summer Triangle!

philby85 · 07-30-2011, 01:03 AM

Originally posted by kyteflyer

Thanks Philby.. I'm sorry I missed your remark on my first round :-/ I do appreciate it

No problem mate, glad to hear your having fun, thats what its all about. Hope you post some more soon.

phil

kyteflyer · 07-30-2011, 02:19 AM

Originally posted by Acheron

K-5 is very capable camera for astrophotography.
This is my image made from 30 individual frames of 30s exposure at ISO3200. During PP I've substracted dark frames to lower noise. Tracking was achieved with cheap (160$) german equatorial mount. The image was taken with Sigma 10-20 4-5.6 EX lens at 10mm f/8

Wow... 30 frames??? I guess you would need that mount and tracking system if you are going to do that. Love the super wide, that's magic!

kyteflyer · 07-30-2011, 02:20 AM

Originally posted by philby85

No problem mate, glad to hear your having fun, thats what its all about. Hope you post some more soon.

phil

Back atcha! Out you go, I want to see other people trying this. Its really fascinating me.

Acheron · 07-30-2011, 09:49 AM

Originally posted by kyteflyer

Wow... 30 frames??? I guess you would need that mount and tracking system if you are going to do that. Love the super wide, that's magic!

Thanks! For tracking purposes I've used Skywatcher EQ1 mount. This is mount is capable for carrying loads up to 3-4kg and track Earths' rotation.
Procedure is quite simple since 10mm is very forgiving for tracking errors. Tripod with mount needs to be placed on solid surface and polar axis on mount must be pointed to North Star (Polaris or Alpha Ursa Minoris). After that You need to point your camera in direction you want and activate tracking. For imaging purposes I have used interval shooting options while camera was set to Manual exposure mode. I 've dialed in 30 sec exposure on ISO3200 and activated interval shooting of 30 pics with 40 seconds interval between exposures. After shooting was completed, I took another series of 20 dark frame exposures with same settings.
Stacking was done with DeepSkyStacker, a freeware available on internet (it works best with DNG file format) and after stacking, image was procesed in Photoshop. Whole process of creating image wasn't very time consuming, it took me about 1.5h to complete everything.

Sorry for bad English, I got little rusty with it

kyteflyer · 07-30-2011, 02:37 PM

Originally posted by Acheron

Thanks! For tracking purposes I've used Skywatcher EQ1 mount. This is mount is capable for carrying loads up to 3-4kg and track Earths' rotation.
Procedure is quite simple since 10mm is very forgiving for tracking errors. Tripod with mount needs to be placed on solid surface and polar axis on mount must be pointed to North Star (Polaris or Alpha Ursa Minoris). After that You need to point your camera in direction you want and activate tracking. For imaging purposes I have used interval shooting options while camera was set to Manual exposure mode. I 've dialed in 30 sec exposure on ISO3200 and activated interval shooting of 30 pics with 40 seconds interval between exposures. After shooting was completed, I took another series of 20 dark frame exposures with same settings.
Stacking was done with DeepSkyStacker, a freeware available on internet (it works best with DNG file format) and after stacking, image was procesed in Photoshop. Whole process of creating image wasn't very time consuming, it took me about 1.5h to complete everything.

Sorry for bad English, I got little rusty with it

Your English is just fine!

Stacking is something I just never thought to do... but in order to get the shots exactly, you would *need* the tracker and mount, and thats beyond me, financially, at the moment. However, theres a neat telescope shop in my city, not too far from me, so I rather think I might be seen hanging around there a lot over the next few months

Noted that DeepSkyStacker which I have seen others mention, is only available for Windows... I guess I'll start seeking something for OSX.

magnosantos · 07-30-2011, 03:19 PM

Bulb mode also turns off the shake reduction system,

jamescp · 08-01-2011, 09:11 AM

Hi Everyone.
A couple of questions and comments. First of all, great shots. I tried some star shots last night but my results were poor. I was at f8 / 800 iso for 60 to 90 seconds. I have a couple of theories. A, it just wasn't dark enough about an hour after after sunset or there is just to much light pollution. You can't see all that many stars with the naked eye. Also can anyone tell me if you can make the shutter stay open for an hour or two (for star trails) without manually holding the shutter release. I am going the Desert in Namibia this november and would like to to take some night shots.
Thanks.
James

KansasHorizons.com · 08-01-2011, 11:04 AM

Originally posted by jamescp

Hi Everyone.
A couple of questions and comments. First of all, great shots. I tried some star shots last night but my results were poor. I was at f8 / 800 iso for 60 to 90 seconds. I have a couple of theories. A, it just wasn't dark enough about an hour after after sunset or there is just to much light pollution. You can't see all that many stars with the naked eye. Also can anyone tell me if you can make the shutter stay open for an hour or two (for star trails) without manually holding the shutter release. I am going the Desert in Namibia this november and would like to to take some night shots.
Thanks.
James

F/8 is way too tight. Open that up and head for 1600 or higher for that short of a shot. F/8 was the biggest reason this didn't take...

07-29-2011, 10:25 PM	#18
adr1an Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Canberra Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 739	Originally posted by kyteflyer You think about stuff like that when you get to be old like me ~@\|@~ OT slightly - but if its a genuine concern - consider one of these: http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=101 I used it to give friends/family piece of mind when travelling on my bike through Europe.. but lots of people also use it around the place because as you know Mobile Coverage can get patchy off the beaten track in this country - these things work as long as you can see the sky(well - a satelite - but its pretty comprehensive network). Quite a few of my friends that go riding out in the middle of nowhere around NT and FNQ etc carry them... They have a "Panic" button and their message centre can communicate with a nominated person on your behalf, and there is a 911 button (I know - wrong number in this country ) that contacts Emerg. Services. Australia. Unit has built in GPS so they can locate you, and they will attempt to contact you directly on your mobile. Plus it fits in a pocket., Pretty reasonable given the device that it is ($99 + small annual fee) - and the piece of mind is probably worth it alone. It can 'track' you as well if you want so you can use it to build routes/maps as well (they are secure) Just a thought... Last edited by adr1an; 07-29-2011 at 10:30 PM.

08-01-2011, 09:11 AM	#29
jamescp Inactive Account Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: victoria bc canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 100	Night shots. Hi Everyone. A couple of questions and comments. First of all, great shots. I tried some star shots last night but my results were poor. I was at f8 / 800 iso for 60 to 90 seconds. I have a couple of theories. A, it just wasn't dark enough about an hour after after sunset or there is just to much light pollution. You can't see all that many stars with the naked eye. Also can anyone tell me if you can make the shutter stay open for an hour or two (for star trails) without manually holding the shutter release. I am going the Desert in Namibia this november and would like to to take some night shots. Thanks. James Attached Images

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07-29-2011, 10:21 PM	#16
kyteflyer Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Newcastle, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,444 Original Poster	Originally posted by Raybo I hate you kyteflyer! You must have one heck of a darksite.........right? LOL! Not really. I live in the suburbs but not far from some country roads. Its pretty busy out there and the lights from cars get in the way, light pollution +++, this spot is just a layby on a road between the cities of Newcastle and Maitland, NSW, Australia. Its all about the timing, and getting there at a time that the light from those cities is not also in the general direction of what you want to be shooting. That said... really... its my second time out. I'll be looking for better sites soon, but the further I get from civilisation the more anxious I become. I really need to notify someone where I am going, and for how long. You think about stuff like that when you get to be old like me ~@\|@~

07-29-2011, 10:22 PM	#17
kyteflyer Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Newcastle, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,444 Original Poster	Originally posted by philby85 Wow !!! They are great shots, well done mate. Might have to have a go myself. phil Thanks Philby.. I'm sorry I missed your remark on my first round :-/ I do appreciate it

07-29-2011, 10:27 PM	#19
kyteflyer Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Newcastle, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,444 Original Poster	Originally posted by adr1an OT slightly - but if its a genuine concern - consider one of these: SPOT Personal Tracker Thank you very much. Yes, it is of genuine concern, I am getting on a bit, my health is in decline and I live alone so nobody would notice for a day or 6, so this would be excellent. (and I wonder if there is something like this available for the iphone...) Thanks again

07-29-2011, 10:35 PM	#20
adr1an Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Canberra Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 739	Originally posted by kyteflyer Thank you very much. Yes, it is of genuine concern, I am getting on a bit, my health is in decline and I live alone so nobody would notice for a day or 6, so this would be excellent. (and I wonder if there is something like this available for the iphone...) Thanks again There is a few tracking apps for the iPhone - the problem is - it relies on Mobile Coverage. If you have a whoopsie with no mobile coverage.... The advantage of the SPOT is that it works anywhere - regardless of mobile coverage. Plus it will send out your 'help me' signal for 7 days, and will track you for 14 days.. The Iphone would last.. about half a day transmitting I put a bit of thought into the subject when considering what I would do lying in a ditch halfway between Nowhere and Timbuktu... Plus, iphones break very easily - this thing very rugged and easy to find in an instant given its bright orange housing But if you are confident you'll always have reception - than the iphone apps might just do the trick. Search for "GPS Tracking" in the AppStore...

07-30-2011, 12:03 AM	#21
Acheron Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Croatia Photos: Gallery Posts: 100	K-5 is very capable camera for astrophotography. This is my image made from 30 individual frames of 30s exposure at ISO3200. During PP I've substracted dark frames to lower noise. Tracking was achieved with cheap (160$) german equatorial mount. The image was taken with Sigma 10-20 4-5.6 EX lens at 10mm f/8

07-30-2011, 12:44 AM	#22
jbinpg Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Prince George, BC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,546	Impressive shot of the Summer Triangle!

07-30-2011, 01:03 AM	#23
philby85 Inactive Account Join Date: May 2011 Location: Sunshine Coast Queensland Posts: 31	Originally posted by kyteflyer Thanks Philby.. I'm sorry I missed your remark on my first round :-/ I do appreciate it No problem mate, glad to hear your having fun, thats what its all about. Hope you post some more soon. phil

07-30-2011, 02:19 AM	#24
kyteflyer Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Newcastle, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,444 Original Poster	Originally posted by Acheron K-5 is very capable camera for astrophotography. This is my image made from 30 individual frames of 30s exposure at ISO3200. During PP I've substracted dark frames to lower noise. Tracking was achieved with cheap (160$) german equatorial mount. The image was taken with Sigma 10-20 4-5.6 EX lens at 10mm f/8 Wow... 30 frames??? I guess you would need that mount and tracking system if you are going to do that. Love the super wide, that's magic!

07-30-2011, 02:20 AM	#25
kyteflyer Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Newcastle, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,444 Original Poster	Originally posted by philby85 No problem mate, glad to hear your having fun, thats what its all about. Hope you post some more soon. phil Back atcha! Out you go, I want to see other people trying this. Its really fascinating me.

07-30-2011, 09:49 AM	#26
Acheron Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Croatia Photos: Gallery Posts: 100	Originally posted by kyteflyer Wow... 30 frames??? I guess you would need that mount and tracking system if you are going to do that. Love the super wide, that's magic! Thanks! For tracking purposes I've used Skywatcher EQ1 mount. This is mount is capable for carrying loads up to 3-4kg and track Earths' rotation. Procedure is quite simple since 10mm is very forgiving for tracking errors. Tripod with mount needs to be placed on solid surface and polar axis on mount must be pointed to North Star (Polaris or Alpha Ursa Minoris). After that You need to point your camera in direction you want and activate tracking. For imaging purposes I have used interval shooting options while camera was set to Manual exposure mode. I 've dialed in 30 sec exposure on ISO3200 and activated interval shooting of 30 pics with 40 seconds interval between exposures. After shooting was completed, I took another series of 20 dark frame exposures with same settings. Stacking was done with DeepSkyStacker, a freeware available on internet (it works best with DNG file format) and after stacking, image was procesed in Photoshop. Whole process of creating image wasn't very time consuming, it took me about 1.5h to complete everything. Sorry for bad English, I got little rusty with it

07-30-2011, 02:37 PM	#27
kyteflyer Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Newcastle, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,444 Original Poster	Originally posted by Acheron Thanks! For tracking purposes I've used Skywatcher EQ1 mount. This is mount is capable for carrying loads up to 3-4kg and track Earths' rotation. Procedure is quite simple since 10mm is very forgiving for tracking errors. Tripod with mount needs to be placed on solid surface and polar axis on mount must be pointed to North Star (Polaris or Alpha Ursa Minoris). After that You need to point your camera in direction you want and activate tracking. For imaging purposes I have used interval shooting options while camera was set to Manual exposure mode. I 've dialed in 30 sec exposure on ISO3200 and activated interval shooting of 30 pics with 40 seconds interval between exposures. After shooting was completed, I took another series of 20 dark frame exposures with same settings. Stacking was done with DeepSkyStacker, a freeware available on internet (it works best with DNG file format) and after stacking, image was procesed in Photoshop. Whole process of creating image wasn't very time consuming, it took me about 1.5h to complete everything. Sorry for bad English, I got little rusty with it Your English is just fine! Stacking is something I just never thought to do... but in order to get the shots exactly, you would need the tracker and mount, and thats beyond me, financially, at the moment. However, theres a neat telescope shop in my city, not too far from me, so I rather think I might be seen hanging around there a lot over the next few months Noted that DeepSkyStacker which I have seen others mention, is only available for Windows... I guess I'll start seeking something for OSX.

07-30-2011, 03:19 PM	#28
magnosantos Junior Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Lisboa Photos: Gallery Posts: 46	Bulb mode also turns off the shake reduction system,

08-01-2011, 11:04 AM	#30
KansasHorizons.com Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kansas Photos: Gallery Posts: 183	Originally posted by jamescp Hi Everyone. A couple of questions and comments. First of all, great shots. I tried some star shots last night but my results were poor. I was at f8 / 800 iso for 60 to 90 seconds. I have a couple of theories. A, it just wasn't dark enough about an hour after after sunset or there is just to much light pollution. You can't see all that many stars with the naked eye. Also can anyone tell me if you can make the shutter stay open for an hour or two (for star trails) without manually holding the shutter release. I am going the Desert in Namibia this november and would like to to take some night shots. Thanks. James F/8 is way too tight. Open that up and head for 1600 or higher for that short of a shot. F/8 was the biggest reason this didn't take...