[jpzk]

Note: I have already posted some questions here: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/115-pentax-k-5/143409-k-5-astrophotograph...ml#post2868662
but got reply yet, so I am X-posting here.

I have read a few threads, including two of the "Articles" relating to night photography but I still have quite a few questions to ask.

To start ....
My gear: Pentax K5 and K7, DA*16-50/2.8, DA 15Ltd, excellent tripod/head, IR remote, 32GB SD card.
No O-GPS.
Post processing software: Photoshop CS5 (with Topaz Denoise 5 plug in if needed).


Settings I am looking for (to start):
- ISO
- better choice between the two lenses ... DA*16-50 or DA15 Ltd ?
- aperture
- shutter time
- mirror up or not
- metering
- NR at slow shutter speeds ON or OFF? re: avoidance of the DFS ?
- focusing: manually to infinity?
- direction to aim at the sky ... I am 200Km East of Québec City, Québec, Canada.
- which method : An Introduction to Star Trail Photography - Introduction - PF Reviews ... Exposure stacking ?
- anything else I am forgetting to ask ... ?

I will be taking a few days off work and will be at the "chalet" with hardly any annoying artificial lights, so I suppose this will help quite a bit at this attempt.

If anyone can join in here and offer a few tips, it would be appreciated.

Thanks !

JP

[mattt]

I Suggest Slow Shutter NR ON - it works great
I use MLU
I dont meter, I chimp.
I manually focus careful of "infinity" in most cases Wide angle shooting will not require you to be at infinity ( hyperfocal scale?)
I use Stellarium to determine time / location of subject matter. Last week the Milky Way was rising in the East at about 10:30 pm... I shot it higher in the sky at approximately 12:30.

Though with no GPS unit you will likely be limiting your exposures to about 30 seconds max for wide angle, and on the tele end, as little as 5 seconds or you'll get tails/trails. Have a look at this website here for no O-GPS shooting. Milky Way Exposure Calculator – Lonely Speck

You missed prime time to shoot this month, which was last week (no moon). Refer to lunar tables to schedule best shooting times ( see here) - The moon will diminish the viability of the milky way.

Here is an image I made using Rokinon 8mm f3.5 and O-GPS.




My friend was shooting his D7100 which has no GPS controlled IBIS to track stars with. Besides the terrible noise he is very verbose and pedantic about process in his description, you might find his settings useful.

[interested_observer]

Well, I am not the expert, but this is what works for me...

• ISO - I would start at ISO 800 and go up. You will probably wind up at either 1600 or 3200. You need the increased sensitivity in order to keep the shutter speed down to around 30 seconds or less. There is the 500 rule - 500/fl of the lens = the maximum in seconds to not have star trails
• better choice between the two lenses ... DA*16-50 or DA15 Ltd ? Either one, but I would start out with the 16-50 only because of the f2.8. Again the lens speed will help keep the shutter speed down, and help with trying to maintain the lowest ISO.
• aperture - wide open - f2.8 is best, but with f4 you can get by.
• shutter time - There is the 500 rule - 500/fl of the lens = the maximum in seconds to not have star trails. Keep it below 30 seconds
• mirror up or not - Yes, mirror up
• metering - it really does not matter - as there will not be enough light to meter. Its through experimentation.
• NR at slow shutter speeds ON or OFF? re: avoidance of the DFS ? I turn NR off to avoid DFS, and use noise reduction in post processing. This saves the battery for more shots.
• focusing: manually to infinity? - this is by experimentation again. Manual focusing if you can during light and put a piece of tape on the lens barrel to keep it from moving. Either that or bring a flashlight to light up something to focus on - a bush or whatever. To frame the shot, run the ISO up to 51200 for something like 5 to 10 seconds, and adjust by chimping.
• direction to aim at the sky ... I am 200Km East of Québec City, Québec, Canada. - The Milky Way, will be moving from east to west, as a band from the north to the south, with the major structure to the south. There is a utility - Stellarium (its free) that will show you where it will be.
• which method : An Introduction to Star Trail Photography - Introduction - PF Reviews ... Exposure stacking ? Exposure stacking will produce star trails - which may be what you are wanting to do. Otherwise, to get pinpoints for stars, you need to capture them all in a single frame.
• anything else I am forgetting to ask ... ? - Yes, you will also want a free download of TPE - The Photographer's Ephemeris. This will give you the times and directions of the sun set and moon set. You will want to shoot when the moon is not in the sky.

Bring a flashlight or two (possibly with a red lens or LED), makes night vision easier. Take some extra batteries. Take a folding chair or camp stool. Also, an external shutter release helps a great deal.

Also, I started a thread on my trials and tribulations of shooting the Milky Way using the O-GPS1 - mainly post processing, however - its more of a journal of taking the images along with post processing. I have quite a bit about things that I have stumbled across in capturing the images. Its something of a wall of words, but you might find something of interest in it. While writing the thread, I came across a number of websites that address shooting the Milky Way (and video tutorials too). These may also help....

• https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/38-photographic-technique/263550-astrotra...out-field.html

[Kendigitize]

I know you said you've read a lot of the threads and articles. Here's another good one, if you havn't seen it yet.

How-To: Picking a Great Lens for Milky Way Photography

[rx7ong]

Heres what i got last week in Tucson Azriona,

lots of city lights in the lower left

k5 with samyang 14mm 2.8

some lightroom editing to add in some colours and bring out the stars more,,

quite noisy photo haha but looks great zoom out

[Kozlok]

Here is an image I made using Rokinon 8mm f3.5 and O-GPS.

No offense to your friend, but I liked your shot much better. I love the fishyness, the color, and yours has much less apparent noise.

[Kendigitize]

Here's my attempt from Palm Springs back in May. K-30, smc 28mm 2.8 lens. My settings were f2.8, 15sec exp, iso800.

---

Last edited by Kendigitize; 08-23-2015 at 04:30 AM.

[jpzk]

Heres what i got last week in Tucson Azriona,

lots of city lights in the lower left

k5 with samyang 14mm 2.8

some lightroom editing to add in some colours and bring out the stars more,,

quite noisy photo haha but looks great zoom out

Nice to have the EXIF data available!
Thanks.

JP

---------- Post added 07-08-14 at 10:44 PM ----------

I know you said you've read a lot of the threads and articles. Here's another good one, if you havn't seen it yet.

How-To: Picking a Great Lens for Milky Way Photography

Quite a read ... thanks for the link.
JP

---------- Post added 07-08-14 at 10:46 PM ----------

Here's my attempt from Palm Springs back in May. K-30, smc 28mm 2.8 lens. My settings were f2.8, 15sec exp, iso800.

I am starting to get this ... well, I shall soon see.
The weather has been quite bad until today: rain and high winds due to the tail end of the hurricane Arthur which brushed our area a bit.
Thanks for sharing.

JP