Milky way core with a DSLR and 24 mm lens

[ahmed_haider]

Hi all,

I had been looking for dark sky sites near sydney for a while and finally found a location close(ish) to my house in Quakers Hill.
Google maps link: https://g.page/grey-gum-cafe-putty?share

I like this place mainly because its listed as a bortle 2 in lightpollutionmap.info
Also because there's a free public washroom right beside the parking ;)
And mostly because the weather there is not much colder than sydney, other dark sky sites are near blue mountains and its really cold there brrrr

From this dark location you can see the milky way arc right across the sky
these days. We went there last weekend 13th June. At around 10:30 pm at night we started our photography.

The best photos we took are using ISO 12800, exposure 15 seconds
Camera used is a canon 70d, shooting with the phone app connected to wifi to minimize.

I've just started photography and have a LOT to learn. AlsocI need to learn some post processing :D

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Comments and criticisms welcome :)

[Retrograde]

Looks pretty good Ahmed - welcome to IIS. :hi:

What focal length lens were you using? Good to hear you've found a good dark sky spot.
To reduce a bit of noise you can take multiple exposures and stack them with software programs such as Deep Sky Stacker or Sequator (both free).
Hope you're enjoying the hobby.

Pete.

[ahmed_haider]

Thank you for the kind words!
I used a 24 mm lens.
I'll try out DSS, i've seen a lot of astro-photographers use it on youtube.

[gregbradley]

Very good Ahmed.

The MWay shots are great. The one with the landscape seems a bit soft (focus a tad off?).

Next step for the MWay shots is to take several and stack them. That's the easiest way to get deeper and better colour and lower noise.

I often take 8 x 30 seconds ISO3200 F1.8 to F2.8.

Watch I2800 as you may end up with no colour in the stars as it will overexpose quickly.

A cheap tracker for the camera is a terrific accessory for this type of imaging. Although you can get great results using a 14mSamyang lens are 2.8 x 30 secs x ISO3200 and then make them into a mosaic.
say 3 up and 4 across would be plenty, overlap each panels by say 1/3rd to 1/2.

The Skywatcher Star Adventurer is a very popular tracker. A more upmarket one is the Fornax Lightrack 11 which uses a friction drive with almost no errors versus gears with their errors. But 14mm is very forgiving.

I use smartphone apps to polar align my tracker (a compass for true south and a digital inclinometer to get the right angle, same as your latitude).

8 x 30 seconds ISO3200 RAW LENR off, auto white balance, IBIS off (if your camera has it) . I use a 2 -5 second delay if I use the shutter but the EOSr has a touch screen activated shutter and I use that. A very light touch of the screen activates the exposure.

I use electronic first curtain shutter as well so no shutter shock.

Greg.