Getting ready for the Orionids

Kendigitize · 10-20-2014, 01:44 PM

The Orionids are going to be at maximum activity Tues night/Wed morning so I'm getting my gear set up. I plan on the K-30 with an SMC m-28 2.8 lens. My settings are generally F2.8 or one stop down, 12sec, ISO1000, white balance set to Tungsten. I use the interval setting at about 20sec set for 300 shots, and hope I catch some meteors streaking by. I've used the 18-55 kit lens with great success at 18mm also. While the K-30 is doing it's thing, I set up the Q to see If I can catch startrails or put on a long lens and try for the Orion nebula or other objects.

Good luck and clear skies for anyone else tring to catch some meteors!

Here are the results from my 28mm and K-30 last month while shooting Orion and the surrounding stars:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/millermagic/15320858075/

CarlJF · 10-20-2014, 02:59 PM

Originally posted by Kendigitize

The Orionids are going to be at maximum activity Tues night/Wed morning so I'm getting my gear set up. I plan on the K-30 with an SMC m-28 2.8 lens. My settings are generally F2.8 or one stop down, 12sec, ISO1000, white balance set to Tungsten. I use the interval setting at about 20sec set for 300 shots, and hope I catch some meteors streaking by. I've used the 18-55 kit lens with great success at 18mm also. While the K-30 is doing it's thing, I set up the Q to see If I can catch startrails or put on a long lens and try for the Orion nebula or other objects.

Good luck and clear skies for anyone else tring to catch some meteors!

Here are the results from my 28mm and K-30 last month while shooting Orion and the surrounding stars:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/millermagic/15320858075/

Nice shots! I would like to take a chance with the Orionids but, here, Orion rise up at about midnight and will not be high enough for a picture before 1-2am. It wil be difficult for me having to get up to work!

I hope you will get some nice shots to show us.

**mattb123** · 10-20-2014, 03:26 PM

I'm considering getting up early to see what I can catch. I may see how the cloud cover looks around 4 and go out if it looks clear.
I'm thinking I'd set up the K-5 and K-3 with my Rokinon 8mm, SMC 15mm, and/or DA* 16-15 lenses on interval settings looking at different parts of the sky.
Then I might as well stick around for sunrise and then head in to work. <yawn>

Good luck to you!

gifthorse · 10-20-2014, 07:18 PM - **1 Like**

The weather guessers here predicted (correctly) that tonight and tomorrow night will be lousy weather here so I went out last night.

1 minute exposures (using the OGPS-1) f3.5 iso 800, Pentax A 28mm 2.8 mounted on a Pentax K-r

12 5 minute exposures f4 stacked using Startrails, taken with a Takumar 135 f2.5 on a Pentax K5ii. For some reason the color disappears when I used Startrails to stack the images.

**mattb123** · 10-21-2014, 08:00 AM

It was beautiful out last night. I decided to stay up late instead of getting up early. Got to my location around 11:30-12 and immediate saw some really nice big ones. Then it tapered off. I only had time for a quick look but didn't see any impressive meteors in my shots but I need to give them a closer look tonight.
Here's a shot from my location, playing with my headlamp on this stump.

Kendigitize · 10-21-2014, 09:12 AM

Nice shots everyone. I went out this morning before dawn and set up on the patio just to do some test shots before tonight. I saw lots of meteors, just not in my field of view or when the shutter was open. I really like the results from my 28mm, but I think I need to use the 18-55 kit for a wider field of view. I have the 18-135wr that I'm going to try one last time, but I have never been happy with the results and I end up using the kit lens. Someday I'll get a Rokinonsamyang 14mm 2.8 to solve my problem. I did end up with nice star trails of Orion streaking across the sky, 145 images stacked in Startrails.

Kendigitize · 10-22-2014, 08:20 AM

Here's the one meteor I was able to catch after taking 600+ images, 5 sec apart. There did not seem to be the meteor activity of 10-20 meteors per hour as predicted. I saw about 6 the whole night. Of course the one super bright large meteor that shot across my field of view, did so during the 5 sec interval the shutter was not open. Perhaps tonight it will be more of a show.

gifthorse · 10-22-2014, 10:33 AM

You can console yourself with one nice image. Meteors are often a matter of luck. Many times I've driven 60 miles out into the desert and spent the night freezing and returned with nada to show for it. Try pointing the camera about 30 degrees on either side of the radiant point. The radiant for the Orionids is Orion's club. I do wonder why you are taking 5 seconds between exposures. The longer the shutter is open, the more likely it will be open if a meteor passes through the frame. If you took 600 12 second exposures with 5 seconds between exposures that's nearly three hours of shooting but almost 1/3 of that time was with the shutter closed. Lower the time between exposures to 1 second and your shutter is closed only 5% of the time. If you're using the intervalometer (the best way to shoot meteors) set your interval to just longer than the exposure. With long exposures, the image will be processed well before the buffer fills up. Good luck!

Kendigitize · 10-22-2014, 11:35 AM

Thanks! I used to fish a lot, ages ago in the early morning hours and I find astrophotography very much the same. You wait a long time in the dark for something to "catch".
It takes me a little trial and error to get the interval times just right. It seems in the past, if I have the time too short, I only get about 50 shots, no mater how many I set it for. I did 200 shots with the 18-55 kit lens, so that gave me a great field of view for the entire sky and radiant, but I had to move from that location, and wanted to switch to the SMC m-28mm. With the 28mm I did 400 shots with my composition just off to the side of Orion. He's behind the tree in my photo above (and probably a few meteors). Not the best layout, but it's the view I had from my patio, so I could set the camera up and go back to bed for an hour.

Here was my composition with the 18-55 lens:

And stacked in Startrails:

10-20-2014, 01:44 PM	#1
Kendigitize Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Photos: Gallery Posts: 324	Getting ready for the Orionids The Orionids are going to be at maximum activity Tues night/Wed morning so I'm getting my gear set up. I plan on the K-30 with an SMC m-28 2.8 lens. My settings are generally F2.8 or one stop down, 12sec, ISO1000, white balance set to Tungsten. I use the interval setting at about 20sec set for 300 shots, and hope I catch some meteors streaking by. I've used the 18-55 kit lens with great success at 18mm also. While the K-30 is doing it's thing, I set up the Q to see If I can catch startrails or put on a long lens and try for the Orion nebula or other objects. *Good luck and clear skies for anyone else tring to catch some meteors!* Here are the results from my 28mm and K-30 last month while shooting Orion and the surrounding stars: https://www.flickr.com/photos/millermagic/15320858075/

10-21-2014, 09:12 AM	#6
Kendigitize Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Photos: Gallery Posts: 324 Original Poster	Nice shots everyone. I went out this morning before dawn and set up on the patio just to do some test shots before tonight. I saw lots of meteors, just not in my field of view or when the shutter was open. I really like the results from my 28mm, but I think I need to use the 18-55 kit for a wider field of view. I have the 18-135wr that I'm going to try one last time, but I have never been happy with the results and I end up using the kit lens. Someday I'll get a Rokinonsamyang 14mm 2.8 to solve my problem. I did end up with nice star trails of Orion streaking across the sky, 145 images stacked in Startrails. Last edited by Kendigitize; 10-21-2014 at 03:57 PM.

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10-20-2014, 02:59 PM	#2
CarlJF Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Quebec City Posts: 1,185	Originally posted by Kendigitize The Orionids are going to be at maximum activity Tues night/Wed morning so I'm getting my gear set up. I plan on the K-30 with an SMC m-28 2.8 lens. My settings are generally F2.8 or one stop down, 12sec, ISO1000, white balance set to Tungsten. I use the interval setting at about 20sec set for 300 shots, and hope I catch some meteors streaking by. I've used the 18-55 kit lens with great success at 18mm also. While the K-30 is doing it's thing, I set up the Q to see If I can catch startrails or put on a long lens and try for the Orion nebula or other objects. *Good luck and clear skies for anyone else tring to catch some meteors!* Here are the results from my 28mm and K-30 last month while shooting Orion and the surrounding stars: https://www.flickr.com/photos/millermagic/15320858075/ Nice shots! I would like to take a chance with the Orionids but, here, Orion rise up at about midnight and will not be high enough for a picture before 1-2am. It wil be difficult for me having to get up to work! I hope you will get some nice shots to show us.

10-20-2014, 03:26 PM	#3
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,872	I'm considering getting up early to see what I can catch. I may see how the cloud cover looks around 4 and go out if it looks clear. I'm thinking I'd set up the K-5 and K-3 with my Rokinon 8mm, SMC 15mm, and/or DA* 16-15 lenses on interval settings looking at different parts of the sky. Then I might as well stick around for sunrise and then head in to work. <yawn> Good luck to you!

10-20-2014, 07:18 PM - 1 Like	#4
gifthorse Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Nevada Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,945	The weather guessers here predicted (correctly) that tonight and tomorrow night will be lousy weather here so I went out last night. 1 minute exposures (using the OGPS-1) f3.5 iso 800, Pentax A 28mm 2.8 mounted on a Pentax K-r 12 5 minute exposures f4 stacked using Startrails, taken with a Takumar 135 f2.5 on a Pentax K5ii. For some reason the color disappears when I used Startrails to stack the images.

10-21-2014, 08:00 AM	#5
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,872	It was beautiful out last night. I decided to stay up late instead of getting up early. Got to my location around 11:30-12 and immediate saw some really nice big ones. Then it tapered off. I only had time for a quick look but didn't see any impressive meteors in my shots but I need to give them a closer look tonight. Here's a shot from my location, playing with my headlamp on this stump.

10-22-2014, 08:20 AM	#7
Kendigitize Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Photos: Gallery Posts: 324 Original Poster	Here's the one meteor I was able to catch after taking 600+ images, 5 sec apart. There did not seem to be the meteor activity of 10-20 meteors per hour as predicted. I saw about 6 the whole night. Of course the one super bright large meteor that shot across my field of view, did so during the 5 sec interval the shutter was not open. Perhaps tonight it will be more of a show.

10-22-2014, 10:33 AM	#8
gifthorse Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Nevada Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,945	You can console yourself with one nice image. Meteors are often a matter of luck. Many times I've driven 60 miles out into the desert and spent the night freezing and returned with nada to show for it. Try pointing the camera about 30 degrees on either side of the radiant point. The radiant for the Orionids is Orion's club. I do wonder why you are taking 5 seconds between exposures. The longer the shutter is open, the more likely it will be open if a meteor passes through the frame. If you took 600 12 second exposures with 5 seconds between exposures that's nearly three hours of shooting but almost 1/3 of that time was with the shutter closed. Lower the time between exposures to 1 second and your shutter is closed only 5% of the time. If you're using the intervalometer (the best way to shoot meteors) set your interval to just longer than the exposure. With long exposures, the image will be processed well before the buffer fills up. Good luck!

10-22-2014, 11:35 AM	#9
Kendigitize Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Photos: Gallery Posts: 324 Original Poster	Thanks! I used to fish a lot, ages ago in the early morning hours and I find astrophotography very much the same. You wait a long time in the dark for something to "catch". It takes me a little trial and error to get the interval times just right. It seems in the past, if I have the time too short, I only get about 50 shots, no mater how many I set it for. I did 200 shots with the 18-55 kit lens, so that gave me a great field of view for the entire sky and radiant, but I had to move from that location, and wanted to switch to the SMC m-28mm. With the 28mm I did 400 shots with my composition just off to the side of Orion. He's behind the tree in my photo above (and probably a few meteors). Not the best layout, but it's the view I had from my patio, so I could set the camera up and go back to bed for an hour. Here was my composition with the 18-55 lens: And stacked in Startrails: