What Settings?

[AndyG123]

Hi Guys....

Warning a mega newbie question is on the way!...

What settings do you personally prefer using for astrophotography?
I am aware of the rule of 500 in regards to shutter speed and i am also aware of the effects of ISO on the image you get... my camera doesn't handle high ISO very well at all.... The main question I have is about aperture... Because we are focusing on infinity does the aperture actually make a difference at this distance, other than the light let into the lens. (I understand foreground interest will be affected by the aperture size)

Or is it more beneficial to shoot at 18mm (F3.5 for a slightly darker shot with a wider field of view, or a 35mm at 1.8 for a much tighter shot but with more light)

What is your usual personal preferences?

sorry guys, i've totally posted this in the wrong category, my eyes haven't woke up yet fully!! please move to appropriate section!

 

[jfb]

With low light you are normally trying to get as much light in as possible.

So shutter is dictated by the 500 rule.
ISO is normally limited by the constraints of your body, while I regularly shoot at ISO 6,400 I can shoot at 12k but that tends to be in very dark moonless nights.

Aperture is difficult, you would normally try to shoot wide open to allow the maximum light in. But most lenses tend to be in what is known as the “sweet” spot when stopped down 1 it 2 stops. Stopping down normally helps reduce a lot of aberrations, fringing but it reduces the light.

To get the most out of Astro/low light you need to make good lens choices - it why many of the Samsung lenses are so popular. So you get stellar performance from the 24 f1.4 which is very sharp across the frame.

Unfortunately many of the Canon/Nikon’s are poor in comparison, so the Canon 24 1.4 needs stopping down to remove coma distortions - look at stars at the edge of the frame they go from being round to little space ship shapes



Suggest you have a look through this which may help...
https://www.lonelyspeck.com/lonely-specks-ultimate-list-of-best-astrophotography-lenses/

So to answer your question aperture has significant impact

 

[Jannyfox]

I guess you're refering to wide field shots with a short lens and off a fixed tripod, ie not a driven head or mount? Neither of my old Canons handle high ISO well but 800 is fine. I wouldn't find it acceptable for a 'normal' landscape shot in good light but astro is different. Unless you're trying to include landscape then use the lens wide open. I have one of the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 lenses. I use it for lanscape at f11.............I use it for astro at f2.8. If you're using a decent lens it's not really a problem.