PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG
WANT TO CAPTURE THE STARS?
for a beginner's first professional print of the night sky.
What you will need-
f1.2- f1.8 lens
DSLR, full frame, or Mirrorless Camera
Full Frame sensor (recommended)
Star Tracker
Tripod
Tripod Mount
Timer
Specs/settings to look for-
- Keep an ISO of 100 - 800
- Set an aperture of F1.8 or lower
- Shoot in a RAW format
- Choose a normal/vivid picture profile
- Set your exposure to 5-10 minutes (varies a lot)
- Find your focus manually
- Shoot in a 3x2 format
- Put in Manuel Mode
Light is quite absent when it comes to shooting in the dead of night.
To counter this issue we want to capture as much ambient light that the sky provides. To do so we must find a forecast of none to few clouds. The other thing to look for when taking night shots is the presence of the moon. Firstly, The clouds interfere with capturing the stars and the moon is an added illumination to the night sky. (both, affect the contrast and vividness of the stars) Another caveat to look for is the location to which you are shooting. Later in my photography career, I had learned about light pollution. At first, I had thought this was NOT true, however, the artificial light from cities, street lights, etc. very much affects the details of the stars. Before you think of taking photos at night find a location with no light pollution, no moon, and no clouds! those are three things to be aware of.
Now Let's Get Into the Setup
The tripod is obviously used for holding the camera in place, but what is a star tracker? What's the purpose of such? This piece of machinery, when used correctly, will track the stars to maintain sharpness in a photo during long exposures. A star tracker is not the most feasible thing to use, but when used correctly... Will create astonishing images! We will go more in-depth with star trackers later on. Moving further into the setup, a tripod mount is what attaches the camera body to the tripod or star tracker. The camera body should be a full frame sensor, but nothing smaller than a APC-S sensor size. Next, a timer would be handy for those super-long exposures. (Your phone could be your timer). Lastly, the proper lens is quite imparative, therefore, a separate section will be dedicated to that.
DSLR vs. Mirrorless
There is one key difference to know between a DSLR and a mirrorless camera when talking about night photography. The main goal is to capture as much light as possible right? Well, when referring to a DSLR, the light passes through a mirror. The mirror minutely requires more light to pass through when compared to a camera with no mirror. In simpler wording, A DSLR camera is slightly worse in low-light situations. Another difference between the two is the sharpness of the image. A mirrorless camera has no mirror, therefore, what the camera captures is directly through the sensor, while a DSLR reflects from the mirror before reaching the sensor. Because of this, a slight loss of sharpness in the image occurs with DSLR's. A question to ask yourself is... Do I want to spend the extra $1,000 - $2,500 for a slightly sharper and better low-light mirrorless camera? Do your own research as to what kind of camera body woould suit you best.
Mirroless pros (for astrophotography)
- Slightly sharper image
- Better in low-light conditions
Mirrorless con's
- Quite expensive
DSLR pros
- less cost effective
DSLR cons
- Has less quality overall
- usually smaller sensor
So how do we take the photo?
Super Fast Lenses and wide focal length
The lower the f-stop # the more light is captured in a shorter amount of time. Why do we want a lens that captures light quickly? Well... the earth rotates and long exposure shots need a steady subject to capture. We counter this issue by using a star tracker, a fast lens, and a wide focal length.
Compatible Star Tracker
Remember how we had briefly mentioned star trackers? Here are three things to consider when renting or purchasing a star tracker: Make sure the tracker supports the weight of your camera and lens, do research on the brand and model., Lastly, the portability and weight of the product. There are other warnings to look after for much advanced deep sky astrophotography, but those three things are all you need to consider before buying.
Once you have found the right lens, the best star stracker, a sturdy tripod, and pretty decent camera body.. you are ready to prepare for the shot! Assuming that you have found a location of good astro shooting, the settings for your camera are the most important thing to have right! Earlier in the blog I have gave bullet points as to what settings would work accordingaly. Simply follow what was mentioned above. The main piece of the set to worry about is the star tracker and knowing how to use it. There should be a peep hole on the tracker for finding polaris! What is polaris? Well it is the North star and the way to find it along with the billions of other stars out there is too first find the Little Dipper and the Bigger Dipper. Look for the end stars of the two dippers and this should lead your eyes to Polaris. If you are located below the equator will not see polaris, but the farther North you are the more likely you are to spot the star. With this said, do I still need a wide angle lens and low aperture even if I have a tracker that compensates for the rotation of the earth? The answer is yes and no! This is for the person behind the lens to tweak the setting of which they are shooting. DO NOT completely rely on the star tracker. Find what works best when it comes to your settings, time of exposure, anf the rest of your setup.
