This is a 10-second exposure of the Orion Nebula from my light-polluted back yard. I'm fairly pleased with the results at F/4, though I'm looking forward to my next trek to somewhere with clearer, darker skies.

[SunValley]

Impressive for such a short exposure! It's hard to say on an image this size but focus I think could be improved a tiny bit to get as much details as possible. Keep us posted!

[automorphism]

Looks pretty good. I like it! Your picture has motivated me to try again in my light polluted backyard too!

[csa]

I would be most pleased to get the results you have with this photo! Nice!!

You've inspired me to give it a try when it warms up!

[bobtheicicle]

SunValley, I totally might be able to get a better focus! The A* 300mm is my first manual-focus lens that doesn't have a hard stop at infinity, so I was never perfectly confident of the focus. I was also shooting wide open, and I'd expect some increase in sharpness if I stopped it down to about f/5.6 (though I'd want to get further from the light pollution before I start shooting that way).

csa, if you can tolerate the cold you'll usually get better star results (in my experience). Higher temperatures tend to mean more atmospheric motions at low altitude where the air is densest and most likely to cause optical problems. Of course, cold temperatures aren't too nice to camera batteries or my fingers, so I totally understand waiting for warmer seasons!