iMac1943 Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 I am going to Namibia in May and I want to take pictures of the stars at night. What is the best way to do that and what corrections do I have to make afterwards with Affinity Photo? Also I want to take photo every ... sec or min to make a movie of the 'travelling' stars. All help is welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanSG Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 If you search this forum for "astrophotography" you'll find lots of useful posts. Similarly, if you search google for "star trails" and "DSLR" you'll find useful information about taking the pictures. You haven't told us what sort of camera you'll be using but it's likely that you'll need an intervalometer to take a sequence of pictures. One piece of advice I haven't seen anywhere is to be aware of "zoom creep" - the lens' zoom changes over time as the camera is pointed upwards. Wrapping an elastic band behind the zoom control should prevent that. Start practicing now - astrophotography is great fun but it's also a minefield! Quote AP, AD & APub user, running Win10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iMac1943 Posted February 26, 2018 Author Share Posted February 26, 2018 Thank you for your very useful reply Ian. I have a Lumix Panasonic DMC-FZ1000 camera. Does this help you? I assume AF will be the ideal prog to make the photos even better. Then I want to import it into a movie I'll make from that trip (FCP) Regards, Luc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingdong Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Hi iMac1943 Im using Canon and Ive found that AF doesn't work. It struggles to find focus on infinity/faint stars and then won't take an image. Ive heard of IanSGs rubber band suggestion also. The trick (I've read and used) is to use manual focus. Turn on live view and focus the stars to pin pricks if they're bright enough for the screen to pick up. Otherwise use the viewfinder. Deep breaths and patience helps as does a remote shutter release cable/intravalometer. My two cents worth... D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iMac1943 Posted April 25, 2018 Author Share Posted April 25, 2018 Thank you Dingdong for your reply. Only 3 weeks away from our trip to Namibia and then I can try it. I still hope ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanSG Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 7 hours ago, iMac1943 said: Only 3 weeks away from our trip to Namibia and then I can try it. I still hope ... Even if you can't get the truly dark skies you want, start practicing using your camera in the dark before you go - it's amazing how difficult even the simplest things can be when you can't see properly! Quote AP, AD & APub user, running Win10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iMac1943 Posted April 25, 2018 Author Share Posted April 25, 2018 I'll follow your advice IanSG! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstdefence Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 When I do photography I use an App called PhotoPills Its Android and iOS so should be OK for most people. Buying an iOS licence will also get you the iPad version too Quote iMac 27" 2019 Somona 14.3.1, iMac 27" Affinity Designer, Photo & Publisher V1 & V2, Adobe, Inkscape, Vectorstyler, Blender, C4D, Sketchup + more... XP-Pen Artist-22E, - iPad Pro 12.9 (Please refrain from licking the screen while using this forum) Affinity Help - Affinity Desktop Tutorials - Feedback - FAQ - most asked questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iMac1943 Posted April 26, 2018 Author Share Posted April 26, 2018 Hmmm, interesting, and not expensive for the iPhone. I watched the video on their website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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