[jpzk]

I tried my K5 + 15 mm Ltd last night: total disaster !

Is everyone here using an equatorial mount of some sort to make sure that long exposures taken at night will not produce star trails ??
Dumbish question ...

i.e.: 20 sec exposure time .... I start getting "trails" in as little as 2 seconds !

JP

[v5planet]

I tried my K5 + 15 mm Ltd last night: total disaster !

Is everyone here using an equatorial mount of some sort to make sure that long exposures taken at night will not produce star trails ??
Dumbish question ...

i.e.: 20 sec exposure time .... I start getting "trails" in as little as 2 seconds !

JP

It depends on a lot of factors. In general, the closer you aim towards the celestial pole (the north star), the slower the stars will move. So point north and halfway up the sky for you, and that should reduce the trailing effect. Know though, that you will still get trails, even as wide as 15mm, in just a few seconds. But they will NOT be noticeable at web resolution unless you go for more than a minute. I guarantee you would see trails if you zoomed all the way in on the photo on this page.

[12divizija]

I tried my K5 + 15 mm Ltd last night: total disaster !

Is everyone here using an equatorial mount of some sort to make sure that long exposures taken at night will not produce star trails ??
Dumbish question ...

i.e.: 20 sec exposure time .... I start getting "trails" in as little as 2 seconds !

JP

I have use rule of "600". You can read about it there:
How to Shoot the Night Sky (Introduction to Astrophotography)

[jpzk]

It depends on a lot of factors. In general, the closer you aim towards the celestial pole (the north star), the slower the stars will move. So point north and halfway up the sky for you, and that should reduce the trailing effect. Know though, that you will still get trails, even as wide as 15mm, in just a few seconds. But they will NOT be noticeable at web resolution unless you go for more than a minute. I guarantee you would see trails if you zoomed all the way in on the photo on this page.

Thanks for the reply.

OK, so I will try again, possibly tonight if the sky stays clear.
This 15 mm Ltd is without a doubt one of the greatest lens I've owned and my experience with it has been limited to daylight shots.

I am amazed what can be done with it "in the dark".

JP

[jpzk]

I have use rule of "600". You can read about it there:
How to Shoot the Night Sky (Introduction to Astrophotography)

Presently reading on that.
Thanks.

jp

[vespats]

Click it to see it in large and see what the DA15 can do

[dunerunner]

Few images with K-7 and K-5:
K-5,15min exposure:


K-5, 5 exposure of 20 sec stacked. Iso 1600:


K-5, HDR from 5 exposures:


K-5, HDR from 5 exposures:


K-7:

Very nice set, the stars are great. Some lovely city and landscapes.

[mark lj]

Particularly like the last two 12d.

[vaper]

So when applying the Rule of 600, would you divide 600 by 15 or would you need to adjust for the crop factor, i.e. 600/(15 x 1.52)?

[v5planet]

So when applying the Rule of 600, would you divide 600 by 15 or would you need to adjust for the crop factor, i.e. 600/(15 x 1.52)?

That rule is just a loose guideline. Let me prepare a little example for what you can expect.

[schneider]

The DA15 can be a walk around lens. I could make a little fun story out of a one-stop subway trip with it (well, 6 out of 7 pics are with the 15). Click on the sample pics to go to the rest of the story.

Gate to the underworld (smokers entrance)



Fading figures on their descent to the abyss

[tr0bb]

[stevebrot]

Thanks but these cameras are tougher than you are giving them credit for. I took my K-x on countless bike and ski adventures in all kinds of weather for two years and it's still going strong. I recently got a K-5 just for the extra toughness and don't expect any trouble from it in the elements either!

Mark - great shot!

I agree, though I have bad memories associated with skiing with my film camera back-in-the-day. I had been skiing all day with the camera on its standard neck strap (silly me) with no problem. Towards the end of the day I did a little show-off and took a forward fall. The impact sheared BOTH strap lugs from the body of my two year-old Ricoh Singlex TLS.

That little accident made me a Ricoh believer. The strap lugs were repairable and the shop confirmed that was the ONLY damage done in the fall. The Singlex is a pretty sturdy box and served me well for another decade until I lent it to my brother who ultimately pawned it when his funds were down. I found a replacement Singlex a few years ago and still shoot with it when I want a shot of nostalgia.


Steve

(...makes comments that have nothing to do with the thread...)

[Nuff]

I agree, though I have bad memories associated with skiing with my film camera back-in-the-day. I had been skiing all day with the camera on its standard neck strap (silly me) with no problem. Towards the end of the day I did a little show-off and took a forward fall. The impact sheared BOTH strap lugs from the body of my two year-old Ricoh Singlex TLS.

That little accident made me a Ricoh believer. The strap lugs were repairable and the shop confirmed that was the ONLY damage done in the fall. The Singlex is a pretty sturdy box and served me well for another decade until I lent it to my brother who ultimately pawned it when his funds were down. I found a replacement Singlex a few years ago and still shoot with it when I want a shot of nostalgia.


Steve

(...makes comments that have nothing to do with the thread...)

I take my K5 + 15mm Ltd snowboarding with me. I would never have it on a strap, since there are too many falls involved while riding with my mates. I put it in a backpack with a camelback, the bag has very thick back padding. Fingers crossed I will not injure my back, so far I didn't and I took a number of BIG falls on my back and the camera is fine, including me. I even took a fall from top of Super half pipe, shuttered my wrist and the K5 has survived without any issues. That's around 5-6m (16-19feet in old measurements) fall.

I think I might have posted few of these photos already (I can't remember). The first pic has the backpack.

[Nuff]

tr0bb and 12divizija, amazing light and photos