What kit to take to shoot Northern Lights in Lapland

JezSutton

JezSutton

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Week after next I am off to see Santa with the kids and hopefully I shall get time to shoot the northern Lights.. weather permitting..

I shall be well above the Arctic Circle so would love a bit of advice on kit care as it will have to be in my hotel room when not in use and outside could be -30

I'm thinking of taking a Nikon D90, Nikon 18-200 VR and a 24-70 f/2.8.. and a tripod !!

Any thoughts or guidence ?

Jez.
 
JezSutton said:
What kit to take to shoot Northern Lights in Lapland
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Me! :LOL:

I can't say I've shot them myself (which is why you should take me with you) but the tripod a definite and a remote release if you have one so you can use Bulb mode for longer exposures I would have thought :shrug:
 
Yeah, definitely take a remote release. Do you not have a wider lens than that? Wider would be better, but the f2.8 would be good for the aurora. Shoot a minimum of 30 seconds to begin with, and then shorten exposure time if necessary. Take spare batteries, as they don't last long in the frigid air - I found my batteries would only last for about ten shots in Lapland at night. Keep your spare batteries inside your jacket, close to your body's warmth. Watch out for frost forming on your lens or camera - keep it inside a bag or your jacket when walking outside. Wear two pairs of gloves - one thin pair inside a thick, weatherproof pair. The thick pair is essential for Arctic weather (seriously, don't go cheap on these, the last thing you want is frostbite - I recommend North Face or another good quality brand, and mitten-style are better than fingered gloves). The reason for the thin pair inside the thick pair is to protect your hands when you are adjusting your camera, because you can't do that with the thick gloves on. I made the mistake of pulling a bare hand out of my glove the first time I shot the aurora, and I burned my hand on the metal of my tripod, because the metal had gotten so cold. And in addition to the risk of burning like this, you lose sensation in your hands in about 10-20 seconds in the Arctic night time air this time of year.

Where in Lapland are you headed, out of interest? I had a great holiday in Abisko last winter, it's the most beautiful place I've ever been.
 
Thanks for the advice Leigh, I'm not risking taking my 10-24mm or my work camera lol so 18mm f/3.5 or 24mm f/2.8 is going to be as wide as I go.. I have got a nice light plastic tripod on purpose and yes I have 7 batteries ready lol.. I have lots of layers and multi glove sets so no problem there.. I'm a bit worried about going from hotel room to outdoors to hotel room.. is it worth getting a waterproof bag and not unbagging until equipment has climatised ?

I'm going to Saariselka, Finland, so about the same lat as you were.. 2.5Deg inside arctic circle..

Jez
 
We went to Luosto a few years ago - didn't have time for "proper" photography as we were searching for Santa, and by the end of the day we were so tired.

Batteries were fine though - didn't have an issue.

If you do one thing whilst you are out there- it has to be the night skidoo safari.

It was absolutely amazing
 
change the 18-200 (dead slow as far as aurora is concerned!) for Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. Then you are talking serious business. You will be shooting wide open and really wide.

Also take many batteries and keep them warm
 
We moved to Sweden last month and I hope to do this next year! Can I ask where you're going Jez?? The only problem you might encounter is battery drain I gather so take several! Have fun!!
 
daugirdas said:
change the 18-200 (dead slow as far as aurora is concerned!) for Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. Then you are talking serious business. You will be shooting wide open and really wide.
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Good suggestion, along with the battery advice. Try LensesForHire for cost-effective rental.

Aurora move and change much quicker than you think so it's a constant balancing act between letting in enough light (ISO and aperture) and capturing something that resembles what you see (short exposures).

Without knowing all the variables of your trip (incl moon phase and how much snow will be on the ground reflecting ambient light back up) it's tricky to say what settings you might need. I found ISO800 15sec f/2.8 to be a good starting point; a fast lens or a body with excellent high-ISO capability would allow you to shorten the exposure further.

On that basis a remote release won't be that necessary for long exposures but will of course allow you to shoot continuously (to create a timelapse for instance) or to start each shot without touching the camera- possibly quite important, this one, if you're using a lightweight tripod.
 
still a bit concerned about condensation when going from hotel to icy to hotel..
 
Look up the Poland thread, there was a lot of discussion on there recently (can't link, am using my phone sorry) - the main one that stood out was just to make sure you put your camera away when not shooting, in your coat, in your bag, and then condensation shouldn't be too much of an issue

I'm super-jealous, I hope we get to go one day, I'd love to photograph the lights, I hope you have a fantastic trip
 
Going from hot to cold is not a problem. Going from cold to hot is. Put your cold camera in a plastic bag before going inside! The bag will catch the condensation. Better than to catch it with the camera!

Your camera will stand the cold. Camera batteries will not. Keep them i a warm pocket until needed.
 
JezSutton said:
I'm a bit worried about going from hotel room to outdoors to hotel room.. is it worth getting a waterproof bag and not unbagging until equipment has climatised ?
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I read this tip on the web myself before going to the arctic, but I didn't bother doing it, and had no problems as a result. I think it would only really be an issue if you came into an extremely warm environment from the cold, which isn't likely to be the case. It's only British people who overdo indoor heating!

I'm going to Saariselka, Finland, so about the same lat as you were.. 2.5Deg inside arctic circle..
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Looks fabulous, I hope you have a great time!
 
I think 18mm will be wide enough. You can put it on f/3.5 and get a good exposure at 30 seconds.

Don't think the 24-70 will be wide enough, you'll want to get lots more in and end up with no room behind you to back off enough. The f/2.8 won't come in that handy anyway, I'd sacrifice it for the wider option.

Have you got a battery grip? Will help with battery obviously and also a bit more weight to help stabilise seeing as you've got a lightweight triped. You could always hang your bag off it, that's what I do when it gets windy ;)
 
Well I need to ressurect this thread as im off to Lapland at christmas with the kids. I understand there is about 4 hours of daylight and that its going to be pretty cold.

I have a D4 and an Xpro1, I had initially thought I should just take the Xpro setup and make do, i bought a small hotshoe flash for it as both dont come with an on board flash.

I will also be doing the Northern Lights.

Part of me wants to take the fuji and then i can get away with a little tripod and a lot less weight but then I dont want to miss the pictures of a lifetime with my kids and possibly the northern lights if they are out to play :/

ISO shouldnt be an issue on either but responsiveness could be.

Anyone been and how did you all get on??
 
For my money there is nothing wide and fast enough in the fuji lens line up for really good northern lights shots. The 14mm f2.8 would be great if it wasn't for the crop factor and the 10mm zoom is only f4 which is a bit slow!

A samyang 14mm f2.8 on you d4 would be a much better setup for the lights!

Personally I'd take both to give you all the options and just take the appropriate kit depending on what you are doing.
 
If you are going to Saariselka on a package holiday with the kids, they should be supplying you with all the right clothing when you get there. Have a check. They supply boots, socks, gloves, hat and a full winter suit.
The ski-doo northern lights trip is in my opinion a waste of money and a rip off and we didn't see the lights with them (they took us to the middle of a woods and we stayed for 15 minutes). Instead when I got back to the hotel I phoned a taxi who took me up the top of the hill just outside Saariselka. it's where you can toboggan from. Your hotel will know the name of it. When finished I phoned the taxi driver again who came and got me.
I wouldn't bother with a remote. I'd use exposure delay. -30 does strange things to cables. Lens'........ It depends on how big and bright the display is. The 18-200 would give you the best range but the 24-70 is faster. I've used anything from 14mm to 70mm on a full frame shooting the lights. Sometimes you can't see the lights with the naked eye but it doesn't mean they aren't there.
Condensation... Don't worry about it. As long as when you get back to you hotel room you don't remove a lens you'll be fine. Just open your bag up and leave it open. Take your camera out and if needed just give it a wipe with a towel every now and then.
I'm assuming you'll be going to santa's home where there will be dog sledding etc? The dog sledding is fantastic! They let you loose to drive the dogs yourself. Absolutely brilliant. Better than the Ski-doo's.

Have a great time. ~Your kids are going to love it!!! Watch out for the Elves at the airport. :)
 
dannyrich said:
Well I need to ressurect this thread as im off to Lapland at christmas with the kids. I understand there is about 4 hours of daylight and that its going to be pretty cold.

I have a D4 and an Xpro1, I had initially thought I should just take the Xpro setup and make do, i bought a small hotshoe flash for it as both dont come with an on board flash.

I will also be doing the Northern Lights.

Part of me wants to take the fuji and then i can get away with a little tripod and a lot less weight but then I dont want to miss the pictures of a lifetime with my kids and possibly the northern lights if they are out to play :/

ISO shouldnt be an issue on either but responsiveness could be.

Anyone been and how did you all get on??
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The Samyang 12mm f/2 is great for the Fuji!
 
Merc said:
Oh bugger I've just noticed this has been resurrected from 2011 :)
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Doesn't matter! I for one am glad of the advice since we're off with Andy in March.
I'm still not 100% decided which system to take but am erring towards the Fuji X-T1 and X-Pro1 with an assortment of lenses. In fact, the trip is the main reason I've kept the 18mm that came with the X-Pro, just hoping it's wide enough, if not, the 10-24 will be used with a higher ISO, glad I've got the choice!
 
Thanks folks will let you know how i get on :)

Will likely just take a load of gear and not use it but better that way than the other and not taking enough.

Im doing the northern lights adventure and also the dog sledding. Good to know they can just take you up to the top of the hill where you can do some of your own stuff, least that means I can have more than one crack at it.
 
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head torch
tripod
fast wide as possible lens. Wider more important than fast
shutter release
 
Racing in Finnish Lapland in February so happy to have found this thread as will have a few days after the event to play ... I would definitely say a thin liner glove supplemented by a heavier overmitt and sized so the mitt allows good movement of fingers inside is a good idea .. sounds stupid but don't neglect your feet either, heavy socks but again make sure your feet aren't constricted and good insulated insoles (plenty of good insulating gel insoles on the market now).
 
I went to Luosto last month and I had the very basic Canon 100D with standard lens and captured them fairly well. 2.8f is the best but my lens wouldn't manage that! I had not much of a problem to be honest and it was -25 degrees. Battery was fine too
 
A few pairs of high quality gloves you can operate the camera with will be important!
 
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