Digital time exposures.

[mrca]

Many years ago took a class at Pt Reyes on night photography and we did numerous 5 minute exposures. I did an evening of some and it drained my battery in an hour or so. I wonder if your battery would last 3 hours.

 

[RacePhoto]

LOL yeah, Wisconsin, I need the heater in the Summer and the Fall. It was 80 today (ah I have to look now?) 26C and it's already 18C/ mid 60s. The US should have adopted C scale years ago. People would learn and understand. Instead they are so stuck, they keep saying "Oh what is that, I have to convert." Well if it's hot, they would learn fast that's 23, and if it's freezing and Zero, they would get the idea.

Our cars are half fractional and other half Metric. That didn't work did it?

None of this is meant to be the final solution, just a starting point.

I just looked and set out the 20-D tonight, facing West. That's different. Without going "H" it's ISO 1600, I missed that.

The idea that someone could take darn near any camera and have some fun, is my general direction.

My 20-D that I'm using tonight, with grip $30 and an 8mm (note: MM!). Rummage sale tripod. Most expensive part is the lens, maybe, one with a scratch. They are not a good lens, aberrations, fall off on the edges. Color is not the best. But for B&W or night sky, under $100. Battery unit I had to upgrade, that was almost as much as the lens, but the case was under $10 at a resale shop.

Making everything as easy and simple, is my goal.

Lens heater is home made, this is my third. 110 winds of #38 wire. Unless it's 120 because I could have lost count.

First was just wound around a plastic bottle, same size as a ID of a 58mm filter. Then glued it in.

Second, I put a layer of foil, then tape and folded it over with masking tape after. Last one for the 14mm I put the tape backwards, so I could slide the heater off the lens, if I wanted to use it normally. That one is the prize. A 14mm Rokinon, nice, sharp, clear.

The last two I covered in shrink plastic and heated, to seal them and keep the shape.

I said simple didn't I. OK after fans, and all kinds of failures, the coil is the easiest. It just needs electricity. The idea isn't original, that's how people keep telescopes from fogging at night.

What's best of the hybrid unit is, everything is simple battery to coil and battery to camera, using standardized plugs that are for surveillance cameras. Y cord, no transformers, it does the job.

the 40-D with the 14mm is a little more complex because the camera will lock, ERR 99 with 12V, so I had to add a Buck Transformer to bring it down to 7.4V. Heater coil is 12V but I also have an option for 5V with a USB plug. Not sure which is best. Most of that is about, how long that battery can run the coil, in the cold and how hot will it keep the lens?

Leonids is in November. 47 / 31 °F C could be frosty overnight.

The best part is, how this would have been expensive and taken much more trouble, with film. Imagine 800 photos, then combining them? Digital is just amazing.

HAVE FUN!

 

[RacePhoto]

Many years ago took a class at Pt Reyes on night photography and we did numerous 5 minute exposures. I did an evening of some and it drained my battery in an hour or so. I wonder if your battery would last 3 hours.

External 12V power, to a grip with a camera battery, which is kind of a buffer. Yes you're right, time exposures would do that. I'm doing star trails and night sky, multiple images. They using http://www.startrails.de/

Doesn't even show on this list? Top 9 Best Astrophotography Software in 2022

I'm pretty sure the newer ones have more features and better quality.

I believe this started with questions of "frying" the sensor". Film has some definite advantages after reciprocity issues for long exposures.

There are at least three possibilities here. Long Exposure, single sharp images and star trails. Someone could also take a light image with the scenic elements and a night sky and merge them into one.

Possibilities and creative options.

 

[mrca]

This thread is really interesting to a portrait guy to see what lengths photographers who are passionate about another genre will go to for their art. I can see the joy as Clint said, to improvise, adapt over come ( the tattoo around the left breast of a figure competitor I shot recently who turned out to be a Marine) in pursuit of your photographic vision. I think it is something shared by photographers across all genres.

 

[Ozzie_Traveller]

Many years ago took a class at Pt Reyes on night photography and we did numerous 5 minute exposures. I did an evening of some and it drained my battery in an hour or so. I wonder if your battery would last 3 hours.

G'day mate

You mention elsewhere that this conversation is 'drifting' a bit--and yes, but many similar discussions do open up to a wider set of topics

Battery wise ... sight unseen as to your battery or its size-shape, I am unable to comment
My Panasonic batteries are marked "7,4v x 1000mAh" for OEM and "850mAh" for the 3rd party ones. (that cost 1/3 the price of the OEMs)

A fully charged battery on my Panny camera/s will do about 600 exposures of 10 seconds or 350 exposures of 30 seconds

Hope this helps
Phil

 

[mrca]

I'm not a star or landscape guy and my entire portfolio was probably captured at a fraction of the time of one of these shots usually at 1/125 or there abouts. But I remember when I experimented with long night exposures surprised how quickly it drained my battery. My current d850 has the on camera battery and a huge battery in the grip so no clue how long they would last compared to the single battery a decade ago. It's an important consideration since you might not be present for shots as long as you plan and it might stop before the shot was finished.

 

[RacePhoto]

Last Night, battery test. New 7Ah small battery, worked until I got up in the morning and turned off the camera. 1,139 images. Not all are of any use. The light ones from before the Sun set are just blank and after Sunrise, haze and finally into all white. That's all 30 second exposures.

My objective was, 12V portable power so I could have the camera remote, overnight, on the lake shore, without city light pollution. Other half is the heater for dew. On a good night, no need in the field, but lakefront, I think it's a good addition.

Funny thing about West, road traffic (I removed most of it) security lights, traffic a 1/4 mile North shows on the right. Funny was a farmer lighting his burn pile, which was an added bonus.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

Well I certainly have not had much luck with star trails. The weather has been very humid causing my lens to dew over after a couple of hours, add to this really bad sky glow. I usually shoot from 11:00 pm to 2:00 am.

I do have some film to develop but I am not too hopeful, but I will post them if the show anything reasonable.

I think I will wait until fall when it is cooler, less humid and darker longer.

 

[Soocom1]

Something I learned from my woodworking:
Weight!

Now for hikers this is a murder situation where weight is difficult to carry long distances. But the ones who can go to places easily accessible the weight factor is one item I would think about.

In wood working, cast iron is used on various pro end machines because the mass absorbs vibration.

I have an old Tiltall and have used and even an older K&E Transit Tripod with an adapter for night time shooting.

With extra bags and or other mass attached to the tripod, the shake is highly minimized.

Not for everyone for sure, but something to consider.

 

[Ozzie_Traveller]

Well I certainly have not had much luck with star trails. The weather has been very humid causing my lens to dew over after a couple of hours, add to this really bad sky glow. I usually shoot from 11:00 pm to 2:00 am. .... I think I will wait until fall when it is cooler, less humid and darker longer.

G'day Ron

two suggestions ...
a) I find a start time earlier in the evening gives me better silhouettes of trees / landmarks, rather that the total-black from late at night, and
b) try a small "personal" 8-inch fan to blow air over the front of the lens rather than a heater to stop dew from settling onto the lens (unless your cold nights are a damn sight colder than ours)

Hope this helps
Phil

 

[RacePhoto]

The Moon is your enemy! Just saying that because I was trying to get a dark sky shot, over the lake, and I discovered that the reflections from the Moon, over what I imagined would be, dark skies, were worse than light pollution.

I find this an interesting subject and I have fun with the challenges. Eventual goal is, a meteorite shower.

Pretty much new Moon last night. Cloudy skies coming the rest of the week. I drove down to Lake Michigan at Sunset and set up. This is effectively a 60 second exposure, (making the stars less than perfect dots) because I combined two 30 second shots, to include the lone, possible, meteorite. Just before dawn, the horizon is already starting to glow from the Sunrise and clouds are rolling in over the water.

But lots of stars!

4GB card filled, which means the heater and the external battery, meet the goal of lasting all night, from Sunset to Sunrise. No dew.