Northern Lights photography.

CCD vs Film? Lots of time vs no patience? Alright, this is your place to discuss all the astrophotography what's and what's not. You can discuss about techniques, accessories, cameras, whatever....just make sure you also post some nice photos here too!
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sobrietyanonymous
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 7:42 am

Northern Lights photography.

Post by sobrietyanonymous »

Hi fellas,

I am traveling to Finland and Russia this December and I am hoping to "catch" the Northern Lights.

I already own a Pentax k30 camera, a normal tripod and will be buying a 16-50mm F2.8 lens.

Anyone here with prior Northern Light experiences? Do I need additional equipment? What are the common settings? Focusing is manual at infinity but what about metering? Full manual metering (aka trial and error, right?)

Thanks!!
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Mariner
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Location: Terra Firma

Re: Northern Lights photography.

Post by Mariner »

Max out the ISO. For me personally I maxed out at ISO1600 and I do the following exposures:

10 secs to get a more detailed shot of the aurora
20 secs to get a brighter pic

The downside to longer exposure is that the aurora is dynamic and the longer you expose, the more "jumbled" it becomes.

Do several test shots beforehand to make sure your infinity focus is sharp. Once done, do NOT touch focus anymore as the aurora display may be quite brief.

Get a cable release so you don't have to touch the camera or do delayed exposure.

Lastly, make sure your clothing is warm enough. The Arctic winds are pure evil!
OCULARHOLIC ANONYMOUS!!!
Keep Calm and Carry on Observing.
sobrietyanonymous
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 7:42 am

Re: Northern Lights photography.

Post by sobrietyanonymous »

thank you for your response :) im looking around for a pentax F2.0 wide angle lens
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