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wildlifephotog · 11-13-2009, 01:58 PM

If possible. Turn off noise reduction and shoot raw. You'll be shooting bulb, and 5 minute exposures. It takes many to catch one shooting star.

Ratmagiclady · 11-13-2009, 02:23 PM

Originally posted by wildlifephotog

If possible. Turn off noise reduction and shoot raw. You'll be shooting bulb, and 5 minute exposures. It takes many to catch one shooting star.

Should be OK, in terms of turning off NR. Usually do, anyway. (one reason I ask about JPegs is I'm not actually working with RAW yet: my RAW button is set up for RAW+JPEG, and when I hit that button, it's usually 'For later, when I have machine that'll do it right,' )

Meteors aside, actually, I'm wondering if it's feasible to try and get the star colors.

My guess is that I'd have to really boost saturation to make it show up, even if I can get it on the sensor. If you do a really long exposure, would the stars just end up white from 'overexposure?'

wildlifephotog · 11-13-2009, 02:35 PM

I shoot a lot of straight jpeg. Depending on where you are pointed in the sky, colors are possible. It takes about 10-15 seconds to get color on most star shots. Processing can make a big difference.
Actually a long exposure can bring out more. You just have to learn what your camera tolerates as far as long exposure is concerned. Some sensors tend to "bloom " quickly.

Ratmagiclady · 11-13-2009, 02:47 PM

Originally posted by wildlifephotog

I shoot a lot of straight jpeg. Depending on where you are pointed in the sky, colors are possible. It takes about 10-15 seconds to get color on most star shots. Processing can make a big difference.
Actually a long exposure can bring out more. You just have to learn what your camera tolerates as far as long exposure is concerned. Some sensors tend to "bloom " quickly.

Cool. I appreciate your indulging my curiosity. Occasionally I take a whim to try something like this, and have never made much of a study of it. I have a 'sense' about some long black and white film exposures, but some of this (notably, about what these sensors can do, is still sci-fi to me.

Oh, and, considering you do go with Jpeg, what WB do you use? Daylight?

Last edited by Ratmagiclady; 11-13-2009 at 02:57 PM.

wildlifephotog · 11-13-2009, 03:00 PM

AWB because I'm lazy.

Digital sensors will pick up light and color a lot quicker than a similiar ISO film.

OH, and shoot manual. The camera will just get a headache in any other mode.

Alfisti · 11-13-2009, 07:36 PM

Gotta be honest, was expecting images of Leonard Nemoy in the shower.

**LeoTaylor** · 11-14-2009, 08:18 PM

Originally posted by Ratmagiclady

Here's a question in the abstract. What WB would you suggest for Jpegs, ...

I use Auto White Balance for my unmodified cameras for stars. You won't see much color at the wide angles needed for meteors unless you let the stars trail. A few stars and Mars may have some color when they are just a tiny dot. It is at the longer focal lengths I record substantial color in celestial objects.

My filterless K110D requires manual white balance to even approach having white stars.

Sodbuster · 11-15-2009, 09:16 PM

Are there dangers of the sensor overheating and getting damaged? I have heard of such things, but it has been a while. I have a K200d.

I would suggest 45-90 degrees off the radiant. The radiant is only where they all seem to be coming from if you back-track their trails.

So, auto white balance? Manual focusing at infinity?

What about f-stop. All the way down (or is that only with film) or wide open? ISO speed such that the noise won't hide the stars?

General dslr meteor photography tips:
Meteor Photography Tips - Perseid Meteor Showers Astrophotography
Or for opposite views:
Suggestions on shooting the meteor shower - Photo.net Nature Forum

Some useful info on the shower itself, including when and where to look:

The 2009 peak of the Leonid meteor shower | EarthSky

SPACE.com -- Earthgrazers and Fireballs: The Strange Side of the Leonids

Ratmagiclady · 11-15-2009, 10:31 PM

Cool. It doesn't sound like an outstanding opportunity to try setting up a camera, but I'll look up if I'm up in the wee hours if I can make it up. (The view of the sky can get surprisingly clear for a place like this, where I am at certain hours: it's not like the country, but the light pollution is pretty well screened away, and less than you'd probably expect. I don't get to choose the hours, though.

wildlifephotog · 11-16-2009, 07:08 AM

It's not really about staying up late in the east USA. The hours it begins are 4am EST, and 1am PST.
SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

**cdurfor** · 11-16-2009, 09:40 AM

I will look forward to everyone's images tomorrow...

wildlifephotog · 11-16-2009, 10:11 AM

Rain showers and total cloud cover in my area.

Eruditass · 11-16-2009, 10:26 AM

4am east! blah!

Ratmagiclady · 11-17-2009, 11:01 AM

Bleah, Wildlife, weather didn't cooperate? I tried making it till 3:30 or four, but couldn't stay awake. Sometimes I'm up till nearly then, anyway, so it wasn't too much of a stretch, but I was not feeling like moving when I got there. (I don't even know if we had overcast or anything. Didn't fuel up enough, I think. )

Anyone see anything?

niloc22 · 11-17-2009, 11:14 AM

I was up at 5am (4EST) here in Halifax, NS. Put my coat on and went out on the deck, I wasn't too hopeful as light pollution here is pretty bad too.

I looked over the front of the house where the sky was darkest, it was clear so I could see quite a few stars, despite the afforementione light pollution. Looked for about 3-5 mins, without any luck, turned around looked again for a while, counted to 30 and thought "oh well going in the house", opened the door and turned around for one last look and....bingo! There was a shooting star, unfortunately I didn't have a camera set up.

Not quite the 300-500 per hour rate as I'd seen quoted on one of the news sites!

11-15-2009, 09:16 PM	#23
Sodbuster Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: SE Minnesota Photos: Gallery Posts: 109	Leonid photography Are there dangers of the sensor overheating and getting damaged? I have heard of such things, but it has been a while. I have a K200d. I would suggest 45-90 degrees off the radiant. The radiant is only where they all seem to be coming from if you back-track their trails. So, auto white balance? Manual focusing at infinity? What about f-stop. All the way down (or is that only with film) or wide open? ISO speed such that the noise won't hide the stars? General dslr meteor photography tips: Meteor Photography Tips - Perseid Meteor Showers Astrophotography Or for opposite views: Suggestions on shooting the meteor shower - Photo.net Nature Forum Some useful info on the shower itself, including when and where to look: The 2009 peak of the Leonid meteor shower \| EarthSky SPACE.com -- Earthgrazers and Fireballs: The Strange Side of the Leonids

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11-13-2009, 01:58 PM	#16
wildlifephotog Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: USA Posts: 924	If possible. Turn off noise reduction and shoot raw. You'll be shooting bulb, and 5 minute exposures. It takes many to catch one shooting star.

11-13-2009, 02:23 PM	#17
Ratmagiclady Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,563	Originally posted by wildlifephotog If possible. Turn off noise reduction and shoot raw. You'll be shooting bulb, and 5 minute exposures. It takes many to catch one shooting star. Should be OK, in terms of turning off NR. Usually do, anyway. (one reason I ask about JPegs is I'm not actually working with RAW yet: my RAW button is set up for RAW+JPEG, and when I hit that button, it's usually 'For later, when I have machine that'll do it right,' ) Meteors aside, actually, I'm wondering if it's feasible to try and get the star colors. My guess is that I'd have to really boost saturation to make it show up, even if I can get it on the sensor. If you do a really long exposure, would the stars just end up white from 'overexposure?'

11-13-2009, 02:35 PM	#18
wildlifephotog Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: USA Posts: 924	I shoot a lot of straight jpeg. Depending on where you are pointed in the sky, colors are possible. It takes about 10-15 seconds to get color on most star shots. Processing can make a big difference. Actually a long exposure can bring out more. You just have to learn what your camera tolerates as far as long exposure is concerned. Some sensors tend to "bloom " quickly.

11-13-2009, 02:47 PM	#19
Ratmagiclady Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,563	Originally posted by wildlifephotog I shoot a lot of straight jpeg. Depending on where you are pointed in the sky, colors are possible. It takes about 10-15 seconds to get color on most star shots. Processing can make a big difference. Actually a long exposure can bring out more. You just have to learn what your camera tolerates as far as long exposure is concerned. Some sensors tend to "bloom " quickly. Cool. I appreciate your indulging my curiosity. Occasionally I take a whim to try something like this, and have never made much of a study of it. I have a 'sense' about some long black and white film exposures, but some of this (notably, about what these sensors can do, is still sci-fi to me. Oh, and, considering you do go with Jpeg, what WB do you use? Daylight? Last edited by Ratmagiclady; 11-13-2009 at 02:57 PM.

11-13-2009, 03:00 PM	#20
wildlifephotog Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: USA Posts: 924	AWB because I'm lazy. Digital sensors will pick up light and color a lot quicker than a similiar ISO film. OH, and shoot manual. The camera will just get a headache in any other mode.

11-13-2009, 07:36 PM	#21
Alfisti Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toronto (for now) Posts: 1,748	Gotta be honest, was expecting images of Leonard Nemoy in the shower.

11-14-2009, 08:18 PM	#22
LeoTaylor Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Connecticut Photos: Gallery Posts: 679	Originally posted by Ratmagiclady Here's a question in the abstract. What WB would you suggest for Jpegs, ... I use Auto White Balance for my unmodified cameras for stars. You won't see much color at the wide angles needed for meteors unless you let the stars trail. A few stars and Mars may have some color when they are just a tiny dot. It is at the longer focal lengths I record substantial color in celestial objects. My filterless K110D requires manual white balance to even approach having white stars.

11-15-2009, 10:31 PM	#24
Ratmagiclady Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,563	Cool. It doesn't sound like an outstanding opportunity to try setting up a camera, but I'll look up if I'm up in the wee hours if I can make it up. (The view of the sky can get surprisingly clear for a place like this, where I am at certain hours: it's not like the country, but the light pollution is pretty well screened away, and less than you'd probably expect. I don't get to choose the hours, though.

11-16-2009, 07:08 AM	#25
wildlifephotog Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: USA Posts: 924	It's not really about staying up late in the east USA. The hours it begins are 4am EST, and 1am PST. SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

11-16-2009, 09:40 AM	#26
cdurfor Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Washington, DC Photos: Gallery Posts: 581 Original Poster	I will look forward to everyone's images tomorrow...

11-16-2009, 10:11 AM	#27
wildlifephotog Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: USA Posts: 924	Rain showers and total cloud cover in my area.

11-16-2009, 10:26 AM	#28
Eruditass Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,207	4am east! blah!

11-17-2009, 11:01 AM	#29
Ratmagiclady Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,563	Bleah, Wildlife, weather didn't cooperate? I tried making it till 3:30 or four, but couldn't stay awake. Sometimes I'm up till nearly then, anyway, so it wasn't too much of a stretch, but I was not feeling like moving when I got there. (I don't even know if we had overcast or anything. Didn't fuel up enough, I think. ) Anyone see anything?

11-17-2009, 11:14 AM	#30
niloc22 New Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Photos: Albums Posts: 15	I was up at 5am (4EST) here in Halifax, NS. Put my coat on and went out on the deck, I wasn't too hopeful as light pollution here is pretty bad too. I looked over the front of the house where the sky was darkest, it was clear so I could see quite a few stars, despite the afforementione light pollution. Looked for about 3-5 mins, without any luck, turned around looked again for a while, counted to 30 and thought "oh well going in the house", opened the door and turned around for one last look and....bingo! There was a shooting star, unfortunately I didn't have a camera set up. Not quite the 300-500 per hour rate as I'd seen quoted on one of the news sites!

Leonid Meteor Shower 2009

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