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Old 06-07-2015, 03:25 PM
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Any tips for shooting nightscapes?

I have a Canon 600D and would love to have a go at shooting some nightscapes. It would be great oiif someone could share a bit of know-how and give me some pointers to get started. For example; what setting should I be using in the Manual option? I can never work out the correct ISO etc. What would be the best tripod for the budget conscious? I'd like something light, but also stable.
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Old 06-07-2015, 03:36 PM
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hi billi,

this is a good intro by mike
http://www.mikesalway.com.au/nightsc...phy-101-intro/
which lens will you be using?

Russ
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Old 06-07-2015, 04:55 PM
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Just the standard 18-55mm lens that came with it. I haven't had a chance to upgrade anything yet.
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Old 06-07-2015, 06:38 PM
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Hi Billi

These two eBooks are well worth a read (and I've also been to one of Phil's workshops here in Melbourne - he explains things well and is great with his follow up on questions.)

http://www.philhart.com/tag/night-sky-photography

http://intothenightphoto.blogspot.com.au/

I only bought Royce's eBook today - and on first glance it looks great.

For $20 a throw for each you can't go wrong, and the their info is current 2014 & 2015.

HTH - Paul
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Old 07-07-2015, 01:49 PM
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Probably another question I should ask is this; what lens would people recommend for shooting nightscapes? I have been doing a bit of research (thanks to Paul and Russ for the useful info) and it seems the standard kit lens for my camera is quite slow. What's a good lens that's relatively cheap but takes decent photos? I'd like to shoot nightime landscapes and would use it during the day too.
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Old 07-07-2015, 02:26 PM
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Aren't the "pancakes" supposed to be good for this sort of thing? f/2.8 is pretty fast?

Billi, Did you get the PDF i emailed you?
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Old 07-07-2015, 03:39 PM
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I use a Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 with my D600 - very happy with the results.
Bought it in January for $485 from DWI (currently listed for $495 - there may be cheaper prices about, I haven't looked).
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Old 07-07-2015, 05:47 PM
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Hi Billi

I haven't got one yet, but am saving for and I have heard and read good things about the Samyang (Rokinon) 14 mm f2.8 manual focus lens. I haven't looked into the Tokina lens mentioned by Rohan - but will look into it.

Paul
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Old 07-07-2015, 06:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Redshift13 View Post
I use a Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 with my D600 - very happy with the results.
Bought it in January for $485 from DWI (currently listed for $495 - there may be cheaper prices about, I haven't looked).
It definitely has good reviews I found one on Gumtree for $399 from Brisbane. Brand new the price is a bit more, but it seems hard to find them.

Quote:
Originally Posted by pfitzgerald View Post
Hi Billi

I haven't got one yet, but am saving for and I have heard and read good things about the Samyang (Rokinon) 14 mm f2.8 manual focus lens. I haven't looked into the Tokina lens mentioned by Rohan - but will look into it.

Paul
They both seem to be similar in price, the Samyang being maybe $50 cheaper from what I have seen. I'm no doubt going to have to save, but I don't want to pay $1000 if I can get something just as good for $500!

Quote:
Originally Posted by BeanerSA View Post
Aren't the "pancakes" supposed to be good for this sort of thing? f/2.8 is pretty fast?

Billi, Did you get the PDF i emailed you?
I did it was quite interesting. Anything faster than f/3 is what I'm looking for. My derpy lense doesn't want to go lower than f/5, but I haven't tried it out so I don't know how bad it is.

*so I just fiddled with the manual settings again and it went down to f/3.5. I honestly have no idea why
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Old 08-07-2015, 09:22 AM
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Samyang 12mm F2 for APS cameras is supposed to be very good.

Its a fairly new lens in the Samyang range. Samyang 24mm F1.4 is good (I had to return the first copy but the 2nd was good). But its a tad narrow. Chromatic aberration is gone by F2-2.8.

Nikon 14-24 F2.8 or Zeiss 15mm F2.8 are kings but pricey.

I imagine the new Canon super wide is great as well but even more expensive.

Voigtlander 15mm F4 may be good but that's F4.

Greg.
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Old 14-07-2015, 09:04 AM
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http://www.cameramarket.com.au/canon...standard-lens/

Do you think a lens like this would be worth getting?
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Old 14-07-2015, 09:32 AM
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hi billi

the 'nifty fifty' is a fast open lens.
it doesn't give a very wide field. but is still useable.

here is a couple of time lapses I did when experimenting with the same lens and same camera as yours (and making timelapses).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/803366...posted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/803366...posted-public/

cheers
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Old 14-07-2015, 10:09 AM
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Yes the nifty fifty is great value for money, bit plastic in design but the optics do what they should.

Don't know if others agree but zoom lenses are a compromise, made to work over a range of focal lengths, fixed focal length might be the way to go.
My 18-250mm Tamron is fine for daytime snaps but nightscapes are horrendous, just can't find a sweet spot, only a flock of seagulls round the edges.

Justin.
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Old 14-07-2015, 10:14 AM
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Bringing up a point mentioned earlier by BeanerSA, what about the "pancake" lenses. I tried to read reviews but my brain turned to mush. Maybe I'm just reading into things too much?

Last edited by BilliGoatsGruff; 14-07-2015 at 11:41 AM.
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Old 14-07-2015, 10:49 AM
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Samyang 14mm f2.8

I have a Samyang 14mm f2.8 lens bought online from Hong Kong for around $400 delivered. It gives 110 degrees vertical field on a full frame camera and is pretty sharp as well (there is a Canon lens that is slightly better for 5 times the price!).
It does have some "moustache" distortion that can be corrected very well in Photoshop or other software tools.

Some examples:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=132345

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=134100

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=136102
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Old 14-07-2015, 11:38 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zenith View Post
I have a Samyang 14mm f2.8 lens bought online from Hong Kong for around $400 delivered. It gives 110 degrees vertical field on a full frame camera and is pretty sharp as well (there is a Canon lens that is slightly better for 5 times the price!).
It does have some "moustache" distortion that can be corrected very well in Photoshop or other software tools.

Some examples:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=132345

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=134100

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=136102
http://stormandsky.com/lens14mm

This review was great, comparing the Samyang against the Canon. I guess it proves that price doesn't always mean quality.

P.S those are some great images

Last edited by BilliGoatsGruff; 14-07-2015 at 02:32 PM.
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