An FM3a and Astrophotography?

[donaldamacmillan]

<p>Hi folks</p>

<p>I'm hoping for some technique tips and advice. We've been having some lovely (but cold!) clear nights here in the north-east of Scotland and i've been wondering about giving shooting some star trails a try. I have the followinf kit:</p>

<p>FM3a + sturdy tripod<br>

35mm f2.8 AiS<br>

45mm f2.8P AiS<br>

50mm f1.8 AiS<br>

90mm f2.8 Di Macro AF (Tamron)<br>

105mm f2.5 AiS<br>

cable release + various screw-in filters (UV, skylight, polariser etc)</p>

<p>Can i shoot star trails with the above kit? Are any of my lenses particularly suited to doing this? Are any of my lenses not good for star trails? Is there a Nikon lens out there, that i haven't got, that is generally appreciated as being REALLY good for capturing star trails (colour and sharpness strengthes?). <br>

I do live near some moderate, small town light pollution (yellow sodium lamps, i think). Are there any kind of screw-in filters that would work well to minimise/remove any 'contaminating' glare from nearby street-lights? What aperture/s would anybody advise that i set whichever lens to? Which colour/black&white film (availability in the UK?) might be 'best' for capturing the beautiy of star trails above the night-time (coastal) landscape? Is there any point in attempting long exposure photography of the stars with a full moon in the sky? (filter use?) </p>

<p>Please forgive all the numerous questions! I could just, i know, go out on any crisp clear night and shoot off a few exposures and see what happens but i'm anxious about wasting more than half a roll of film and freezing my backside off for next-to-nothing! Even if someone just passes on enough of their experience to get me started, that i would deeply appreciate :-) </p>

<p>I think i set my focus to infinity ..... ;-)) </p>

<p>Kindest regards, as always<br>

Donaldo</p>

 

[donaldamacmillan]

<p>One more question! </p>

<p>If i take a star trail photo that i'm REALLY happy with, and wish to have the image enlarged, how far can a film negative be pushed before the image quality would show clear signs of deteriorating? I expect the slower the film the better the negative would be at producing closer to poster-size hang-off-the-wall prints? </p>

<p>Donald</p>

 

[narayan]

<p>Hi Donald, your equipment is fine for shooting star trails. The biggest challenge will be avoiding the light contamination (which will cause fogging up of the sky) in the long exposures. This could happen for eg. when there is a full moon. Forget about filters. In my experience, good star trails pictures result from a clear dark sky and some sort of light illuminating the foreground. For long trails, you need long shutters, east/west direction, and longer focal lengths. North/south if you like more circles instead of streaks. I would use wide-ish apertures unless I need more depth of field or need to decrease exposure. Yes, focus to infinity or hyperfocal depending on the composition. I have some pics on my portfolio. Experiment and have fun! :)</p>

[donaldamacmillan]

<p>Thank you Narayan<br>

I have just had the pleasure of looking through your portfolio, very beautiful work, thank you. What is your strategy for preventing the moon from fogging an exposure? Do you keep the moon well out of the field of view? How do you illuminate your foreground? (use of flash?) Are there any significant differences in approach to photographing star trails between film and DSLR? I was going to use my FM3a but now that i've seen your portfolio i'm wondering if i should just set up my Canon 40D! <br>

I also REALLY love your infrared photos! How do you image in infrared, if you don't mind passing on your secrets Narayan? Your colours are so vivid and detail so sharp! Really wonderful! <br>

Hope that you can help me with star trails and with my infrared :-)) <br>

Kind regards and deepest respect Narayan,<br>

Donaldo</p>

 

[narayan]

<p>Donald, thanks for your comments on my portfolio. I am glad you liked the pics. Yes, it is better to keep the moon well outside the field of view. I generally choose my aperture such that the foreground is in focus and has some exposure with available light. I have seen some pics where flash is used to "paint-in" the foreground, so yes, that is a possibility if distance permits. The biggest advantage of your FM3A is the fact that you can do extremely long exposures (eg. 6 hrs!) and get nice long star-trails without needing/consuming any battery. Even the best DSLRs today cannot manage more than a couple of hrs (even with battery grip), especially in cold weather. But I suggest you experiment with your 40D first and get a feel for the settings. Make sure you turn on the long-exposure noise reduction.<br>

I am glad you enjoyed the IR pics. I had my older D50 camera modified for IR photography. More info here: www.lifepixel.com ... basically, removed the visible-pass only filter on the sensor and replace it with an IR-pass only.</p>

[mirceaciuca]

<p>Hi</p>

<p>Your set up is very fine. You can use for star trails those films and remove your filters (UV, ND, Skylight, etc):<br>

- lower iso film if you want black and white, asa 50 (better) or 100<br>

- colour film like tungsten iso 64<br>

Here is a nice tutorial:<br>

Part 1: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4ZgiU1JB9w">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4ZgiU1JB9w</a><br>

Part 2: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4ZgiU1JB9w">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4ZgiU1JB9w</a><br>

..and for digital here is another tutorial.<br>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bZbiZDAGc4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bZbiZDAGc4</a><br>

For IR photography you can use a IR filter, like Hoya for exemple.<br>

<a href="http://www.hoyafilter.com/products/hoya/oef-15.html">http://www.hoyafilter.com/products/hoya/oef-15.html</a><br>

For IR photos I advice to take R72 filter.<br>

Sorry my english.<br>

ps: settings are the same nikon/canon/pentax...etc. Look at tutorials.</p>

[donaldamacmillan]

<p>Thank you Mircea, very useful tutorials, thankyou for providing me with these. </p>

<p>I am reluctant to use slide film because i don't really have the facility to enjoy slides, is there a 'recommended' regular print film for recording star trails? What i have done once was to shoot (normal daytime) slide film, which i had accidently bought, then the lab produced prints for me on request (was expensive!). Would doing this solve the colour temperature 'problem'? </p>

<p>Kind regards,<br>

Donaldo</p>

 

[steven_oster]

<p>Hey Donald, I've done a few star trails. Light pollution is the most important factor. Get away from the city, and forget about the stars if there is a full moon out. </p>

<p>These shots are usually done with a wide angle lens, your 35mm will be your first choice, although you can use whatever. If you want to buy a wide angle lens for this project, look at the nikon 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5. That will get you something really wide for about $250. I really like that lens.</p>

<p>Film- Kodak E100vs is my first choice. Reciprocity is the major factor here. Some people like Velvia, or Provia. I stay away from C-41 for this, never tried it, but I imagine the grain to be ugly, and colors lacking. Go with slide, trust me. Some people recommend tungsten, but the stars won't show their varied spectrum which is the nicest thing about star trails on film.<br>

Choice of aperture: 5.6 for about 6-8 hours, f/4 for 4-6 hours, 2.8 for 1-3 hours. These are ballpark figures, a lot of factors go into this choice. Overexposing will give you a washed out sky that looks like daytime.</p>

<p>35mm print enlargement is so subjective, you will get so many opinions on this subject, and there is no real answer. Ballpark figure: 12x18 inches assuming it is done expensively by a quality lab. This of course is dependent on your expectations, and what you consider 'quality'.</p>

<p>Composition: If going wide, stick something in the foreground. A cactus, person, building, antique truck, you get the idea. Be able to identify the north star and factor that in your composition. </p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

[donaldamacmillan]

<p> Thank you Steve, yes very helpful. I've received much helpful advice on how to do this and am really looking forward to giving it a go. A big thank you for mentioning about 35mm and print size. One thing is bothering me though (maybe two). Reading between the lines i think i know the answer to this, so this may be a very silly question (sorry!); if i use slide film can i get proper 'prints'? And will these prints, if i use a 'good' lab, still show me rich and varied star colour against a deep dark sky? </p>

<p>I'm actually waiting on a 'new' lens hopefully arriving today, a 24mm f2.8 Ai, so i'm looking forward to going wide angle. I'd like to include foreground interest, if i can find something, but what is the best way to 'gentley' illuminate the foreground? I wouldn't want to risk ruining my exposure. Should i be 'scrambling around' my foreground with my flash or with a torch? Or will some sort of natural sky glow, after an hour or two's exposure, do the job for me? </p>

<p>Oh, the other thing, cacti don't grow wild in the North-East of Scotland, i wish that they did! :-D (that would really prove global warming though!)</p>

<p>Kindest regards,<br>

Donaldo</p>

 

[steven_oster]

<p>I've used, and still have the 24mm AIS. I like that lens. Be aware that it vignettes wide open (which isn't necessarily always bad). That's a good lens for this purpose.</p>

<p>As far as prints from slides go: These days, the preferred method is to scan, and then print. There are different ways to scan, and different ways to print. That's something to research other forums about, or ask your lab about.<br>

The cost effective way is to just get the slides developed normally. To view them, put a slide against your 50mm 1.8 (front element side) and look through the rear element while pointing it at a light source (desk lamp, or bright window works great). You've already got a great loupe! This will beat the heck out of any 4x6, trust me. <br>

Take the winning slide(s) to your custom lab, and discuss prices/sizes/methods and I'm sure you will find some method that you like.</p>

<p>As far as print quality goes with "rich and varied star color against a deep dark sky". The major challenge is for you to get the shot. It probably won't be on your first try. These shots are challenging because you only get one shot per night per camera. This can be an experimental area of photography, and you've got more things that can go wrong than can go right. As far as getting a beautiful print, yes, 35mm slides can look as good as any other medium when done right.</p>

<p>As for illuminating your foreground: For subtlety, I like to use a flashlight. Using a flash off camera can be a bit much I think. Keep in mind the color temperature of your flashlight. Incandescent bulb will be amber color, LED is usually bluer. This is easier on digital because it usually takes a few tries to get effect you are looking for. If there is some sort of moon out, a few hours exposure will be illuminated.</p>

<p>The following is a pic illuminated with a LED flashlight. Taken on a D90 with 50mm 1.2 wide open.</p><div></div>

[steven_oster]

<p>If you look in the sky, those things that look like raindrops or something are stars, out of focus of course. And that's the busy city street down below in Sedona, AZ. Notice how the city lights totally overpower the stars? And this is on a dark mountainside. I think the 50mm 1.2 AIS is another wonderful lens.</p>

[donaldamacmillan]

<p>Thank you again Steve, really appreciate what you've explained to me. </p>

<p>Donaldo</p>