New Zealand night sky

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Russ
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Wow, Some fantastic shots. What exposures etc for the first three?

160 time 22 seconds..... You were out for a long time.

What stacking programme do you use?

Must be fun living in a lighthouse :):):)
 
Wonderful shots. 1,2,and 4 are stunning. Number 3 is not bad, just not for me
 
What a fantastic set, especially the first two, excellent shots.
 
I like them all, stunning

i want to live in NZ :arghh:
:plus1:
I had the chance in the late seventies, boy if I could turn back time!

Excellent set though (y)
 
Wow, Some fantastic shots. What exposures etc for the first three?

160 time 22 seconds..... You were out for a long time.

What stacking programme do you use?

Must be fun living in a lighthouse :):):)

Hi Mark, the other 3 shots are around 20 seconds at ISO 6400, single shot.

The stacking software is Starstax, which is free to use.

I was actually out for over an hour to get the trails, I only used 160 shots from around 200 as some had to be ditched
 
Lovely pictures. These are inspiring me to get out and take some night shots here in National Park. Can you offer some tips on taking night sky shots? I tried one evening here, but my results weren't great tbh.
 
Lovely pictures. These are inspiring me to get out and take some night shots here in National Park. Can you offer some tips on taking night sky shots? I tried one evening here, but my results weren't great tbh.
WHat kit do you have? for the star trails it's fairly easy, as wide and as fast a lens as you have, ISO 800 f2.8, 20-25 second exposures, you will need a cable release or intravalometer set camera on bulb set exposure time on intravelometer and number of shots and let it do it's thing. You need to manual focus on a bright star using zoomed in live view, or focus on a distant object during the day and then set the lens to manual and don't touch it.

For the milky way single shots at 2.8 and as high an ISO as yo can go, 3200 minimum, 6400 ideal again focus as above
 
WHat kit do you have? for the star trails it's fairly easy, as wide and as fast a lens as you have, ISO 800 f2.8, 20-25 second exposures, you will need a cable release or intravalometer set camera on bulb set exposure time on intravelometer and number of shots and let it do it's thing. You need to manual focus on a bright star using zoomed in live view, or focus on a distant object during the day and then set the lens to manual and don't touch it.

For the milky way single shots at 2.8 and as high an ISO as yo can go, 3200 minimum, 6400 ideal again focus as above

I have a nikon d7000, tripod and a remote but it is a simple remote rather than an intravelometer type and my widest lens is a 35mm f1.8.
 
I have a nikon d7000, tripod and a remote but it is a simple remote rather than an intravelometer type and my widest lens is a 35mm f1.8.
You will still get good results with a 35mm, just might need t stitch a couple of frames together, the 1.8 is a bonus for the milky way. You could always try the other way of doing star trails which is to just put the camera on bulb and lock open the shutter for an hour, but this might produce more noise the remote release i bought is similar to this one, just check they fit your camera, they are also cheaper if you import on on ebay http://www.trademe.co.nz/electronic...ssories/remote-shutters/auction-930222528.htm
 
You will still get good results with a 35mm, just might need t stitch a couple of frames together, the 1.8 is a bonus for the milky way. You could always try the other way of doing star trails which is to just put the camera on bulb and lock open the shutter for an hour, but this might produce more noise the remote release i bought is similar to this one, just check they fit your camera, they are also cheaper if you import on on ebay http://www.trademe.co.nz/electronic...ssories/remote-shutters/auction-930222528.htm

thanks for the advice. I can't buy on trademe as I'm not a NZ resident just here on a sponsored work visa currently, however eBay is an option. Starstax sounds interesting too.
 
Not being a Nikon user, I dont know if this will work, but if the remote has a locking button, you should be able to do startrails without an intervalometer.
Set the camera to continuous shooting, set your exposure to about 20-30 seconds.
Press the button on the remote and lock it on.
It should keep shooting until you release the button, or the battery runs out:)

Worth remembering with startrails to turn off any in camera noise reduction, otherwise you will get gaps in your trails and they will look more like dotted lines once stacked in stacking software.
Hopefully this will work for you.
 
Beautiful images :)
re: the star trails one (number 4), how did you get the "south pole" ending up right on the edge of the picture?
Was it deliberate, or did you crop or get lucky?

I ask because (for me) being sure where the north star appears is generally a matter of approximation and guesswork (and I wouldn't risk putting it that close to the edge ) so I'd be interested to know if there's a method you use.
 
Beautiful images :)
re: the star trails one (number 4), how did you get the "south pole" ending up right on the edge of the picture?
Was it deliberate, or did you crop or get lucky?

I ask because (for me) being sure where the north star appears is generally a matter of approximation and guesswork (and I wouldn't risk putting it that close to the edge ) so I'd be interested to know if there's a method you use.
I use an app on the phone, you hold the phone up to the sky and it maps out the constellations for you, no guess work involved, you just need to choose the right time.
 
Ahh yes, but do you ever manage to see the star in the viewfinder to make sure its included?

For me, I can tell where the north star is, but then when I look in the viewfinder or live view I can't tell if it is actually in shot or not (hence the guesswork :)

It occurs to me that I might try taking a test shot and zooming in at some point to see if that helps?
 
Ahh yes, but do you ever manage to see the star in the viewfinder to make sure its included?

For me, I can tell where the north star is, but then when I look in the viewfinder or live view I can't tell if it is actually in shot or not (hence the guesswork :)

It occurs to me that I might try taking a test shot and zooming in at some point to see if that helps?
Cannot see Jack through the Fuji viewfinder, so yes, tests shots before hand.
 
Great work. The first two are fantastic and add further weight to my thoughts about visiting NZ one day. Third one for me has more impact when rotated through 90º ACW, as if you're stood at the base of the lighthouse looking up. Possibly too much foreground in the fourth, given that up above there's not a complete circle around the pole. Looks an interesting place, though, and nice to see it in colour.
 
Amazing pictures, some of the best Ive seen of there kind, brilliant photography Russ,

Geoff
 
Fabulous set of images....
 
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