Assistance With Settings For Shooting Milky Way

[tomohawk]

I have a Sony A100 with a DT 18-70mm f3.5 - f5.6 lens.

I want to photograph the Milky Way from Portugal and need detailed help with the settings and exposure time, as I am a beginner.

Thanks,
T

 

[jake337]

I would start with these.

Tripod/remote trigger or timer
18mm
F3.5
25-30 seconds
ISO 1600-max use able

Should get you started. A dark sky map helps as well.

No one can give you detailed settings as every image is different per location, moon status, light pollution levels and your exact camera/lens combo.

 

[tomohawk]

Thanks Jake.

I have a tripod and also a remote trigger.

Should I set the switch on the side from Auto Focus to Manual Focus and should I leave Super Steady Shot in the ON position?

Tommy

 

[Destin]

Turn off the steady shot feature, it should be off when using a tripod.

As far as focus, you want to focus to infinity (or on an object very very far away) and then switch it to manual focus so that it stays focused at that distance.

 

[tomohawk]

Thanks Destin

 

[KmH]

There are boatloads of online resources:
Photographing the Milky Way

 

[tomohawk]

Thanks KmH

 

[fred76]

Hi!

Steady shot shall be switched off, for sure, autofocus either !

The main issue will be the focusing. Bringing the lens to the infinity mark is not accurate enough. You would better focus on an intense star zooming to the max on your screen. Once the focus is OK, don't touch the lens anymore.

Usually, lenses are better when closed by 1/2 to a full stop.

For the exposure duration, look at the page of Aaron D. Priest who explains the "NPF rule" :

NPF Rule for Sharp Stars

That will allow you to shoot the Milky Way without stars trailing. This rule supersedes the 600 or 500 rule.

LENR is quite efficient to remove the thermal signal from long exposures.

Beware : on the A6***, A7, A7S, A7R mk I, do not shot 30s or more in Bulb as a terrific internal software filter will eat most of the stars ! For the mk II and A9, it is even worse as the Star Eater is activated in all modes for exposures of 4 seconds or more... These mk II cameras are therefore not for nightscapers !

Clear Sky

Fred

 

[FotosbyMike]

Camera settings are important but pre-planning is key for things like, knowing where the Milky Way is going to be(time of night/direction), weather, moon phases and inducing the floor ground can make or break a good shot.

Here is a URL that will help you step by step with the planning, https://www.davemorrowphotography.com/p/tutorial-shooting-night-sky.html

 

[idcanyon]

Its worth doing this but you should be aware that MW shots are ideally done at about 30 sec, ISO 3200, and f2.8 or faster. At f/3.5 you really ought to be at ISO 6400. You'll have to overexpose your image by at least 2 stops in post processing. Doing so will make noise problematic. You'll be trying to balance the need to reduce noise and noise reduction's tendency to remove faint stars. I used to have an A100 so I know its not a stellar performer when it comes to noise. You are really pushing the limit of what you can do with this camera.

 

[fred76]

With 30s you will certainly loose details as the Earth is rotating, unless you use a very wide angle lens (8 mm or less).

Use the NPF rule explained on the site of Aaron D. Priest to get the correct exposure duration so that the stars are pin point.