Beginner Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights

Hughsie

Hughsie

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Im heading out to Iceland in February and going on a Northern Lights Tour....and there is a chance we will get to see them! :D

So to capture the amazing sights I was wondering if anyone had any tips or tricks they could share with me. I'll be using my Nikon D3000 so setting advice would be superb.

I want to have a little practice before I go out so any ideas on how I can try settings before I go? Maybe stars at nights???

Thanks for the help!

Cheers Hughsie
 
Why would he need a F1.2 or F1.8 lens?
 
Hmmmm.

I don`t do landscape stuff, so please bear with me.

At 1.8 then you would have very little dof, not ideal for landscape stuff I wouldn`t have thought.Surely F8 would be better?

Also, if the camera is tripod mounted and you are using a shutter release, then a reasonable shutter speed of say 1/10 of a second would suffice?

So, unless i`m badly mistaken, which could well be the case, I really cannot see why a 1.8 lens shot wide open would help anything.............:shrug:
 
Interesting read, thanks for the link.
 
I didn't use a fast lens when I went there i only had an 18~70 f3.5 -f5.6 at the time. In Iceland that time of year the sky is very dark away from large cities and towns.

A tripod is an absolute must. I shot between 20 and 40 seconds. I used 640 ISO at f4 and got some very good results. Though only thing is it's quite unpredicatable.

One thing I would say is try to enjoy the experience of seeing them just as much as actually taking pictures. Take some fingerless gloves and a snood /scarf as it gets very cold!

If you also get the chance go to Blue Lagoon and Gulfoss Falls that time of year is epic
 
Yeah when we arrive we are off to the Blue Lagoon and then have 4 days of touring various landmarks around Iceland. Cant wait!

Im kinda thinking its a bad idea to try and capture the Northern Lights in picture form :(

May just go and enjoy them!

Cheers for the advice everyone, please keep it coming :)

Hughsie
 
I think f/1.2 is way overkill, anything below f/4 (f/2.8 or below would be ideal) is fine. What is more important is having a wide lens, you're probably going to want at least 18mm on a crop sensor, something more like 10-15mm would be better.

Fracster, DoF isn't too important as almost everything will be at infinity when shooting. OP I would suggest the Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 if you can afford it, it would be perfect for your camera. Use it wide open and have fun.
 
Landscape is something I know little about, so any knowledge is good for me to get a better grasp of it.

Learnt something more from this thread, so thanks for that.
 
Yep you need to let as much light in over as short a period as possible as long exposures will blur the streaks/swirls of the aurora.
So shoot wide open on infinity (check this for your lens as infinity setting isnt always accurate). Highest iso you can get away with for your camera without too much noise.
Tripod, cable release, bulb mode. With a really fast lens you can get away with Av mode.
Ideally have some interesting foreground e.g a building or mountain and make sure its in focus.
Above all, enjoy the show when it happens.
 
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We saw the lights on three consecutive February nights on a cruise up the Norwegian coast a few years ago. I found I needed a sturdy tripod, my zoom at its widest angle, aperture wide open, ISO at 1600 and an exposure of anywhere between 20 and 40 seconds.

Be prepared to play around with those settings and be prepared to see something very special!
 
I was in Iceland 3 weeks ago. I managed to capture the northern lights with a canon 10-22 3.5 lens but the results were quite blurred, bulb mode for about 35 seconds I think. so a faster lens would be better. The moon was about 40% visible which lit the sky to some extent. I also found that the location of the lights moved about in the sky so I needed to move the camera and refocus, the guides say that you should arrive in daylight and focus but I would recommend having something to focus on in dark like a lit building.

Bare in mind it will be cold in mid winter too so plenty of clothing. If you are staying in Reykjavik I can recommend Pingvellir as a location.
 
Hughsie, I am off to Iceland in Feb too (2013) guessing that is when you go? also looking for tips and advice and which of my lens to take.
 
I cant emphasise enough the need for a fast lens.
F2.8 at least, F1.4 if possible.
Hire one if you have to, you wont regret it ;)

I just bought a new samyang 14mm F2.8 and thankfully it is a good copy (had a not so good one before).
At £260 its a steal.
 
Thank you Marie, going to hunt some down and compare buying and rental costs :)
 
Just read your advice Marie and after reading lots about the lights you have now convinced me to hire an EF 24mm f/1.4 for my holiday in late September.
This trip is getting more expensive by the day.:bonk:
 
canon_togger said:
I cant emphasise enough the need for a fast lens.
F2.8 at least, F1.4 if possible.
Hire one if you have to, you wont regret it ;)

I just bought a new samyang 14mm F2.8 and thankfully it is a good copy (had a not so good one before).
At £260 its a steal.
Click to expand...

Can i ask where you bought it at such a good price??
 
canon_togger said:
I cant emphasise enough the need for a fast lens.
F2.8 at least, F1.4 if possible.
Hire one if you have to, you wont regret it ;)

I just bought a new samyang 14mm F2.8 and thankfully it is a good copy (had a not so good one before).
At £260 its a steal.
Click to expand...

This thread demonstrates the value of research. Imagine going to the trouble and expense of a trip to Iceland only to discover that the most suitable lens you had was going to force you into exposures too long to get a good image.
I never knew of the need for a very wide aperture.
 
I am really glad people contribute to these threads with advice. I am looking to hire this lens for the week I am out there. Got nice light tripod for birthday last week and now practicing with camera :)
 
Hoping to get up to Iceland in the next year or 2.

Can anyone advise as to which tour company gives best VFM and can arrange visits to the best sites/sights and where those might be? Not too bothered about the soopah-doopah off road experiences (but would be interested in seeing some of the vehicles) but would be interested in their extreme off road trials.

I think I've got pretty much what will be needed as far as kit goes but will probably hire an extra fast UWA prime to supplement my slower 12-24 zoom (or hire a Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8).
 
I shall peruse that site with much interest, thanks for the link Wendy. Just need to research flights/packages from relatively local airports!

Look forward to hearing reports and seeing photos.
 
arclight said:
This thread demonstrates the value of research. Imagine going to the trouble and expense of a trip to Iceland only to discover that the most suitable lens you had was going to force you into exposures too long to get a good image.
I never knew of the need for a very wide aperture.
Click to expand...

On my first trip to Iceland I was surprised to discover that you need wide open, fast lens and high iso. It goes against everything I normally do as a landscape photographer. Most of us only had 17-40 and 24-105 lens with F4. Furthermore, when you set those on the infinity mark they aren't always properly focused.
So it was a big learning curve. As there was a full moon we got away with shortening the exposures a bit.
(I should also mention that a wired cable shutter release can freeze up in extreme cold and stop working, so take a wireless remote shutter release if possible).

To be fair that first trip wasn't meant to be for aurora, it was for Iceland daytime landscape, waterfalls etc. But we were blessed with the most amazing displays of northern lights and became hooked. Seeing them should be on everyone's bucket list :)
 
I have a wireless remote shutter. Just been bought a nice lightweight carbon fibre tripod to to help with luggage. Cannot believe we only get 20kg. I am booking a lens to hire at the end of this week, not sure my skills are good enough to catch the lights if they appear but I will have a good go :)

Looking forwards to the landscapes as well. 21 days and counting.

You're welcome Nod, I found their prices really good in comparison to other sites.
 
Sorry for any slight hijack but the question is relevant!

Which tour companies are people using to get there and arrange hotels? I know some people do the separates thing (as we do for Crete) but I'm sure that for many, we'll be going as a one off (or at least the first time) and having the basics arranged for us is worth the extra cost!

For future possible repeat visits, does anyone have any recommendations as to car hire companies?
 
I went via Thomas Cook, there Cresta breaks section. we have 5 nights Tuesday 19th to Sunday, got 5th night free. Although we loose the Tuesday due to a 9pm flight and the Sunday return is an 8am flight back. We are stayning in the Centrum, and eating out and about so we get more of the Iceland experiance. I am very lucky as this was a gift for me :)
 
Samphire said:
I have a wireless remote shutter. Just been bought a nice lightweight carbon fibre tripod to to help with luggage. Cannot believe we only get 20kg. I am booking a lens to hire at the end of this week, not sure my skills are good enough to catch the lights if they appear but I will have a good go :)

Looking forwards to the landscapes as well. 21 days and counting.

You're welcome Nod, I found their prices really good in comparison to other sites.
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Remember to switch to manual focus to prevent the lens from 'hunting' in the dark for a focus point.
Also, try not to underexpose. Check your histogram and make sure its not too far to the left. Shoot in raw with auto white balance.

And I hope you have thermal underwear AND lined trousers. It can be uncomfortably cold there :eek:
 
richardhurst said:
You really need a lens aperture of around f1.2 to f1.8. you can always hire one from lensesforhire or lenspimp. You need to have your ISO between 800 and 3200. You'll need a tripod and a shutter release cable as well as these are going to be longish exposures and you will not get sharp images handheld.
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I would stop down and go for a longer exposure time, even at high ISO using an aperture that wide is going to produce some rather uninteresting photos, if you gobfor a longer exposure not only will you capture the movement of the lights, you will also allow for correct exposure of the foreground, I can't see the need of taking a photo of the lights with a non existent foreground
 
Thedodo said:
I would stop down and go for a longer exposure time, even at high ISO using an aperture that wide is going to produce some rather uninteresting photos, if you gobfor a longer exposure not only will you capture the movement of the lights, you will also allow for correct exposure of the foreground, I can't see the need of taking a photo of the lights with a non existent foreground
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Sorry but this isn't the case at all.
Wide aperture and high iso lets in enough light to expose the foreground correctly at shorter exposures.
If the exposure is too long you won't capture the definition of the aurora streaks as they will become blurry, and also the stars wont be pin sharp.
I'm speaking from experience.
 
Point taken, I was coming from the fact that 95% of what I shoot at night involves long exposures, from star trails to light painting, I was presuming this would use a similar technique.
I haven't had the good fortune to get to see them myself so I was taking a shot in the dark with my advise, I didn't realise they would be as bright as you are saying they are
 
I have booked myself a self drive holiday with Nordic visitor
http://iceland.nordicvisitor.com/travel-deals/self-drive-tours/iceland-full-circle/176/ and added 2 extra days to my package.
I just gave them a rough idea of where I wanted to go and my preferred overnight stops and they came back with a rough itinerary and the accommodation they recommend so I could check it out.

I know it’s a bit more expensive having everything organised for you but it saves so much hassle, also like the fact that they are based in Reykjavik.
 
Thanks Marie, all your tips are being put into my little book that I carry with me :)
 
Samphire said:
Thanks Marie, all your tips are being put into my little book that I carry with me :)
Click to expand...

When do you go Wendy?
Aurora activity is a bit quiet at the moment and the weather has been a challenge (according to folks just back).
Hopefully it will all improve soon. I'm off to lofoten islands feb/march.
 
Go on 19th Feb, got my thermals sorted - very fetching they are too lol. If the Aurora is quiet I hope to get some really nice landscapes :) getting a tad excited now.
 
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