#ASTRO TIMELAPSE TIPS HOW TO#
#ASTRO TIMELAPSE TIPS ISO#

The next thing you will need to do is set your camera to bulb mode and take a test shot with an exposure time around 10 seconds as a starting point. When selecting, this setting will be dependant on the exposure triangle. Your shutter speed is dependant on the location in which you are working in, your aperture and your ISO. Sony A7S: 12800 ISO (Some debate on this for photos – I stay under 6400).

#ASTRO TIMELAPSE TIPS ISO#

Nikon D810: 3200/6400 ISO (Some debate on this – I stay under 3200).

Canon 5D Mark III: 3200/6400 ISO (Some debate on this – I stay under 6400).

Here is a breakdown of common cameras and the max ISO’s I would use. Make sure to do some tests before heading out to shoot to see how far you are able to comfortably push your camera.

Once you have set your aperture you will then want to set your ISO for the shot and this will depend on your camera. I would recommend a lens that is either 2.8 or faster for best results. You will then want to set your lens to it’s widest aperture. You will regret it if you are not so take your time.

Take some sample images and make sure your horizon is tack sharp.

It is a great idea to take a flashlight and / or laser with you to both help compose your image as well as to nail your focus (which in many cases would be infinity). To help with the process, there are a few things you can do. The first thing you will want to do is ensure that Live view is enabled to help frame up your image (unless you have an OLED viewfinder). No matter what camera I use, this has always been a problem. The hardest part of the process is focus. When setting up your camera, there are a few settings you need to consider which are your aperture, ISO, shutter speed, focal point and interval. When shooting at night, adjusting your eyes to your surroundings are key, especially when you want to check on how your camera is doing. When shooting in the dark, you will want to use a red light as it doesn’t affect your eyes ability to adjust to the darkness as bad as the regular light does. When I go out and shoot, I force people that are out shooting with me to use the red light on headlamps. Most headlamps come with a red light option and when buying headlamps, I recommend ensuring they have. With these apps, you are able to see where in your framing that the Milky Way will be positioned. I tend to go out early in the day to plan out the foreground subject matter and plan out my shot. With these apps, you are able to figure out where the Milky Way will rise and plan accordingly. To capture the milky way, there are two apps that help: Please note that if you are going somewhere without cell reception, you will want to to check the app before you go! Throughout the year – it also moves so you will want to take advantage of a few apps to help in the process. Where will the Milky Way rise? The best times to observe the the Milky Way (although visible all year), in any part of the world, tends to be between March through October. When used in conjunction you are able to carefully track the path of the sky as well as how you want to capture the shot.Īs for the moon phase, there are many ways to track this online such as moon connection. My go-to for this is Starwalk in conjunction with Sunseeker. I tend to track the milky way during the day to see where it will fall before I am shooting so I can plan my shoots in advance. You will want to make sure you know where the Milky Way is tracking, the moon phase as well as what subject matter will be in your foreground. Simply pointing to the sky with your camera is not the best strategy. Further to this, you will also need equipment that is capable of capturing the stars, which includes a DSLR with a fast (and preferably wide) lens. The key to successfully shooting the night sky is finding a dark sky, usually 60 to 90 miles from the closest city centre.

#ASTRO TIMELAPSE TIPS HOW TO#

What I want to do with this post is shed some light on how to best capture these images so that when you go out and attempt to shoot the milky way yourself, you won’t be frustrated by your results. Over the past two years, shooting the night sky has been something people have been fascinated with and this can be seen through the influx of videos appearing online.

Astro timelapse tips