K-5 For Astrophotography

Jim Radcliffe · 10-19-2013, 10:38 AM

I like this shot... I had too much cloud cover in my area to see this. Thanks for sharing it.

Sage97 · 10-20-2013, 01:07 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Jim Radcliffe

Here's a couple I took this weekend in west Texas near Caprock Canyon. These were all taken with the Pentax K5 IIs and the DA* 16-50

And just for fun I tried a bit of night sky combined with painting with light.

I spent almost 5 hours here last night. The full moon was too bright and my skills were so painfully lacking that the only thing that kept the trip from being a complete waste of time was the quiet reflection the place invoked.

This may not be as bad as I think but I had such high expectations so I am a little embarrassed that this was the best I could do.

I also tried to do star trails but I am not getting any good results with Starstax lately. I am 100% sure it is user error.

Jim Radcliffe · 10-20-2013, 02:14 PM

Originally posted by Sage97

I spent almost 5 hours here last night. The full moon was too bright and my skills were so painfully lacking that the only thing that kept the trip from being a complete waste of time was the quiet reflection the place invoked.

I am a little embarrassed to say that this was the best that I could do.

You're not alone.. a really bright moon can really ruin a night shot.. long exposures look like daylight shots. I was out last night as well and it was not a good time.. the moon was just too bright. I wondered what Caprock Canyon looked like under that full moon.

I would love to "play" with the shot you posted above.. with your permission, of course. Would you be willing to provide me an out of camera JPG or RAW file to tinker with?.. I'll send the results to you via email. If not, I understand.

Sage97 · 10-20-2013, 02:44 PM

Originally posted by Jim Radcliffe

You're not alone.. a really bright moon can really ruin a night shot.. long exposures look like daylight shots. I was out last night as well and it was not a good time.. the moon was just too bright. I wondered what Caprock Canyon looked like under that full moon.

I would love to "play" with the shot you posted above.. with your permission, of course. Would you be willing to provide me an out of camera JPG or RAW file to tinker with?.. I'll send the results to you via email. If not, I understand.

I'd gladly email you couple shots. Wait a couple minutes.

**mattb123** · 10-20-2013, 04:30 PM

That's not a bad shot at all.
The key to dealing with a really bright moon IMO is to just treat it like the sun. Just rising or just setting and/or in eclipse is my favorite time to photograph the moon it's self. Once it's higher it becomes my night sun.

Also I've been using ImageStacker for trails lately and it's super easy. It will take tif files too but they have to be 8 bit.

**Jacquot** · 10-20-2013, 04:39 PM

Originally posted by Sage97

I spent almost 5 hours here last night. The full moon was too bright and my skills were so painfully lacking that the only thing that kept the trip from being a complete waste of time was the quiet reflection the place invoked.

This may not be as bad as I think but I had such high expectations so I am a little embarrassed that this was the best I could do.

I also tried to do star trails but I am not getting any good results with Starstax lately. I am 100% sure it is user error.

I like it. It might not be what you were imagining, but it is a good photograph.

Jim Radcliffe · 10-20-2013, 06:00 PM

Originally posted by mattb123

That's not a bad shot at all.
The key to dealing with a really bright moon IMO is to just treat it like the sun. Just rising or just setting and/or in eclipse is my favorite time to photograph the moon it's self. Once it's higher it becomes my night sun.

Also I've been using ImageStacker for trails lately and it's super easy. It will take tif files too but they have to be 8 bit.

There's a bit more to it than that... you have to consider the stars.. one of the points of doing night work, for me. So treating the moon like the sun does not work for me, which is why I prefer to shoot when there is a New Moon or just a small sliver of a moon which does not overpower the stars.

Sage97 · 10-20-2013, 07:48 PM

Originally posted by mattb123

That's not a bad shot at all.
The key to dealing with a really bright moon IMO is to just treat it like the sun. Just rising or just setting and/or in eclipse is my favorite time to photograph the moon it's self. Once it's higher it becomes my night sun.

Also I've been using ImageStacker for trails lately and it's super easy. It will take tif files too but they have to be 8 bit.

Originally posted by Jacquot

I like it. It might not be what you were imagining, but it is a good photograph.

Thanks guys.

Matt, I'm going to try ImageStacker here in a few minutes and see what I can come up with.

A couple more.

Sage97 · 10-20-2013, 07:58 PM

Originally posted by Jim Radcliffe

Y
I would love to "play" with the shot you posted above.. with your permission, of course. Would you be willing to provide me an out of camera JPG or RAW file to tinker with?.. I'll send the results to you via email. If not, I understand.

The files aren't going via email. Too big. Not really sure how to send files this big.

**mattb123** · 10-20-2013, 08:40 PM

Originally posted by Sage97

The files aren't going via email. Too big. Not really sure how to send files this big.

Dropbox, PM me your email and if I send you an invite and you sign up (free) I get some extra space.

But really even if I don't refer you this is how to move those big files.
Super handy service.

Sage97 · 10-20-2013, 08:54 PM

Originally posted by mattb123

Dropbox, PM me your email and if I send you an invite and you sign up (free) I get some extra space.

But really even if I don't refer you this is how to move those big files.
Super handy service.

PM sent Matt. Thanks in advance.

Also, do I need to convert all my dng files to tif for image stacker? I seem to having difficulties.

**mattb123** · 10-20-2013, 09:20 PM

Either tif or jpeg. And the tif needs to be an 8 bit tif. You may want to try with jpeg first, it will be quicker. It will take a dark frame if you have one too.

Sage97 · 10-20-2013, 09:50 PM

Originally posted by mattb123

Either tif or jpeg. And the tif needs to be an 8 bit tif. You may want to try with jpeg first, it will be quicker. It will take a dark frame if you have one too.

Tried and tried with jpegs but won't work. Problem is the error message comes and disappears in less than a second so I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I give up for now.

EarlVonTapia · 10-21-2013, 01:10 AM

All brilliant shots! Especially yours, Jim Radcliffe.

This thread is such an inspiration.

Jim Radcliffe · 10-21-2013, 06:19 AM

Originally posted by EarlVonTapia

All brilliant shots! Especially yours, Jim Radcliffe.

This thread is such an inspiration.

Thanks, I've only been doing this for the last couple of months. I've only had about four or five outings during that time.. learn something from every one of them.

The best thing is that I no longer worry about losing the light during the day... I just switch my focus to finding interesting night opportunities. Never really considered it in the past but have found I really enjoy it.

10-20-2013, 01:07 PM - 1 Like	#512
Sage97 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 3,238	Originally posted by Jim Radcliffe Here's a couple I took this weekend in west Texas near Caprock Canyon. These were all taken with the Pentax K5 IIs and the DA* 16-50 And just for fun I tried a bit of night sky combined with painting with light. I spent almost 5 hours here last night. The full moon was too bright and my skills were so painfully lacking that the only thing that kept the trip from being a complete waste of time was the quiet reflection the place invoked. This may not be as bad as I think but I had such high expectations so I am a little embarrassed that this was the best I could do. I also tried to do star trails but I am not getting any good results with Starstax lately. I am 100% sure it is user error. Last edited by Sage97; 10-20-2013 at 02:46 PM.

10-20-2013, 02:14 PM	#513
Jim Radcliffe Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Dallas, Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 171	May I ask.. Originally posted by Sage97 I spent almost 5 hours here last night. The full moon was too bright and my skills were so painfully lacking that the only thing that kept the trip from being a complete waste of time was the quiet reflection the place invoked. I am a little embarrassed to say that this was the best that I could do. You're not alone.. a really bright moon can really ruin a night shot.. long exposures look like daylight shots. I was out last night as well and it was not a good time.. the moon was just too bright. I wondered what Caprock Canyon looked like under that full moon. I would love to "play" with the shot you posted above.. with your permission, of course. Would you be willing to provide me an out of camera JPG or RAW file to tinker with?.. I'll send the results to you via email. If not, I understand.

10-20-2013, 04:30 PM	#515
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,872	That's not a bad shot at all. The key to dealing with a really bright moon IMO is to just treat it like the sun. Just rising or just setting and/or in eclipse is my favorite time to photograph the moon it's self. Once it's higher it becomes my night sun. Also I've been using ImageStacker for trails lately and it's super easy. It will take tif files too but they have to be 8 bit. Last edited by mattb123; 10-20-2013 at 04:37 PM.

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10-19-2013, 10:38 AM	#511
Jim Radcliffe Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Dallas, Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 171	I like this shot... I had too much cloud cover in my area to see this. Thanks for sharing it.

10-20-2013, 02:44 PM	#514
Sage97 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 3,238	Originally posted by Jim Radcliffe You're not alone.. a really bright moon can really ruin a night shot.. long exposures look like daylight shots. I was out last night as well and it was not a good time.. the moon was just too bright. I wondered what Caprock Canyon looked like under that full moon. I would love to "play" with the shot you posted above.. with your permission, of course. Would you be willing to provide me an out of camera JPG or RAW file to tinker with?.. I'll send the results to you via email. If not, I understand. I'd gladly email you couple shots. Wait a couple minutes.

10-20-2013, 04:39 PM	#516
Jacquot Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sun City Center, FL Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,544	Originally posted by Sage97 I spent almost 5 hours here last night. The full moon was too bright and my skills were so painfully lacking that the only thing that kept the trip from being a complete waste of time was the quiet reflection the place invoked. This may not be as bad as I think but I had such high expectations so I am a little embarrassed that this was the best I could do. I also tried to do star trails but I am not getting any good results with Starstax lately. I am 100% sure it is user error. I like it. It might not be what you were imagining, but it is a good photograph.

10-20-2013, 06:00 PM	#517
Jim Radcliffe Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Dallas, Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 171	Originally posted by mattb123 That's not a bad shot at all. The key to dealing with a really bright moon IMO is to just treat it like the sun. Just rising or just setting and/or in eclipse is my favorite time to photograph the moon it's self. Once it's higher it becomes my night sun. Also I've been using ImageStacker for trails lately and it's super easy. It will take tif files too but they have to be 8 bit. There's a bit more to it than that... you have to consider the stars.. one of the points of doing night work, for me. So treating the moon like the sun does not work for me, which is why I prefer to shoot when there is a New Moon or just a small sliver of a moon which does not overpower the stars.

10-20-2013, 07:48 PM	#518
Sage97 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 3,238	Originally posted by mattb123 That's not a bad shot at all. The key to dealing with a really bright moon IMO is to just treat it like the sun. Just rising or just setting and/or in eclipse is my favorite time to photograph the moon it's self. Once it's higher it becomes my night sun. Also I've been using ImageStacker for trails lately and it's super easy. It will take tif files too but they have to be 8 bit. Originally posted by Jacquot I like it. It might not be what you were imagining, but it is a good photograph. Thanks guys. Matt, I'm going to try ImageStacker here in a few minutes and see what I can come up with. A couple more.

10-20-2013, 07:58 PM	#519
Sage97 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 3,238	Originally posted by Jim Radcliffe Y I would love to "play" with the shot you posted above.. with your permission, of course. Would you be willing to provide me an out of camera JPG or RAW file to tinker with?.. I'll send the results to you via email. If not, I understand. The files aren't going via email. Too big. Not really sure how to send files this big.

10-20-2013, 08:40 PM	#520
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,872	Originally posted by Sage97 The files aren't going via email. Too big. Not really sure how to send files this big. Dropbox, PM me your email and if I send you an invite and you sign up (free) I get some extra space. But really even if I don't refer you this is how to move those big files. Super handy service.

10-20-2013, 08:54 PM	#521
Sage97 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 3,238	Originally posted by mattb123 Dropbox, PM me your email and if I send you an invite and you sign up (free) I get some extra space. But really even if I don't refer you this is how to move those big files. Super handy service. PM sent Matt. Thanks in advance. Also, do I need to convert all my dng files to tif for image stacker? I seem to having difficulties.

10-20-2013, 09:20 PM	#522
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,872	Either tif or jpeg. And the tif needs to be an 8 bit tif. You may want to try with jpeg first, it will be quicker. It will take a dark frame if you have one too.

10-20-2013, 09:50 PM	#523
Sage97 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 3,238	Originally posted by mattb123 Either tif or jpeg. And the tif needs to be an 8 bit tif. You may want to try with jpeg first, it will be quicker. It will take a dark frame if you have one too. Tried and tried with jpegs but won't work. Problem is the error message comes and disappears in less than a second so I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I give up for now.

10-21-2013, 01:10 AM	#524
EarlVonTapia Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,207	All brilliant shots! Especially yours, Jim Radcliffe. This thread is such an inspiration.

10-21-2013, 06:19 AM	#525
Jim Radcliffe Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Dallas, Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 171	Originally posted by EarlVonTapia All brilliant shots! Especially yours, Jim Radcliffe. This thread is such an inspiration. Thanks, I've only been doing this for the last couple of months. I've only had about four or five outings during that time.. learn something from every one of them. The best thing is that I no longer worry about losing the light during the day... I just switch my focus to finding interesting night opportunities. Never really considered it in the past but have found I really enjoy it.