You'd think it'd be easy … switch the lens to manual focus and simply turn the focusing ring around to infinity.
HA!
Lots of blobby blurs.
Apparently the trick is to use Live View (the screen thingie rather than the viewfinder).
First up, get a nice bright star in the centre of the screen.
Once you've done that, use the digital zoom (don't touch the lens as dslr zooms are not parfocal - zoom in and out and you have to refocus) to get the image as large as possible on screen.
Then focus manually to infinity and gradually bring the focusing ring back closer. Weirdly, stars come into focus about two-thirds of the way out.
Next up, realise you've forgotten to plug in the remote shutter gizmo and repeat the process all over again, grumbling and cursing as you go.
You want to start at around ISO 1600 and have the lens as wide open as possible to gather lots of light. Set the camera to BULB and try a few test shots.
It takes a little while to get it right and I need a lot more practice. The Moon is way too bright at the moment to get decent photos of the Milky Way arching across the heavens so I'm going to have to wait for a clear, moonless night to try it properly.
Through my binoculars (Nikon ActionEX 10x50 … Woot!) I could see Jupiter's four main moons strung out in a line, which is a wonderful sight. It's so much easier to go out with binoculars than to drag out the telescope and all its associated gallimaufry, especially in a freezing gale. As it was I was so busy looking at stuff that I stayed out way too long and had to bring several body parts home in bags to reattach when they thawed out.
Anyhoo … enough of that. It's amazing how boring I can be talking about taking a picture. And indeed a whole lot of other subjects, too.
11 comments:
How strange as one night last week I was up at an ungodly hour and glanced out of the window and the most marvelous sky full of stars, but could not get a photo of it, as the flash kept going off, so maybe I will go back to the instructions now and see how to do it..
Lovely photo but it was a bitter night so hope you soon got warm.
Amazing picture. I'm happy to just stare open-mouthed at the photo without the techie details.
But full marks for the word 'gallimaufry', today's word of the day.
Maybe with your special lens and no moon you can discover whether the milky way really is a multi-breasted fertility goddess.
what a beautiful shot! We have way too many ground lights here to see even this many stars, even when the moon is out of sight. Show more, please.
Mum, you don't have a tripod so what I'd suggest is (after you've read the manual!) setting the camera somewhere steady so it's looking where you want it to look and then using the delay timer (the thing for taking photos of yourself) so you don't jog the camera, and maybe the night vision setting.
I can't remember if I got you a gorillapod (those little bendy tripods). If not I'll get one for you.
Pea, gallimaufry is your word. You discovered and introduced me to it many years ago.
So glad you like the picture. I would have taken more only I wanted to gawp at Jupiter's moons with my binoculars. When I get the chance I'll start looking for multi-breasted weemen in the sky and post the results for you.
Thank you, Robyn. Annoyingly the council put street lamps in my village a few years ago and now I have to head out into the countryside to see the stars. Light pollution sucks.
Yes you bought me a gorillapod ta..
That's a wonderful shot! Worth being out in the cold to capture such a night sky! There are too many streetlights around here to get a shot like that.
That'a a lovely shot, Dive, and great that you would take yourself out into the freezing night to work at it.
One of the best things I remember about being on the Muskingum River was nights around a bonfire with friends, chatting and laughing. I would lay back in my chair to look at the Milky Way swirling above and around me. A wondrous, beautiful sight! I could never get tired of contemplating my small existence in that wondrous stream of stars. Some times the embers and sparks from our fire would float up to join them. Scout should be able to go near there some evening with a camera to see the Milky Way; it will reveal itself to anyone who cares to look.
Mum, next time I'm over I'll show you how to use it to take pics at night.
Ms.M. there are too many streetlights around here, too. It's quite a trip to find anywhere dark enough to watch the skies, which is a great shame.
It's a wonderful sight that most people no longer get to see, Speedway.
Mercifully, some local councils are switching their streetlamps off after midnight to save money so anyone out really late can at least enjoy the sight.
Beautiful! I have a friend that does tiny paintings of rich skies of purples, reds, blues, and does a contrasting house and trees in black. They are so cool and remind me of this shot. :)
I found her art so you could see what I'm poorly describing. ;)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtByCrixie?ref=em
Woah! Too cool! I love those awesome Addams Family houses. Fantastic stuff, Shan.
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