Thanks Richard, you're a great help to me and many others! Thanks for being an excellent teacher and sharing your vast knowledge of nightscape photography! Great video, God bless.
You are a class act Mr. Richard. A true working pro. Sharing your passion for photography. We all have those who helped and shaped our photography journeys. There are worse additions to have... Photography allows our passions during daytime, nighttime, top-side and underwater, where ever you find light, you will find someone with a camera. Thank you and your wife for all you share about photography.
I think it's important to be repetitive with this type of content. I often look at these videos and think I'm just going over and over the same stuff . .but so many people tell me they appreciate that aspect of it. Thanks for watching Roy.
Dear Richard, Thanks to your guidance, I was able to take my first shot of the Milky Way core. I hope to continue to work on my skills and plan better compositions in the near future. I feel Nightscape images go beyond photography and are a way for us to connect to the universe all around us. Look forward to your wonderful videos. Dark skies :)
I'm constantly imagining getting attacked by a mountain lion when I'm on night shoots. Besides that, it's been fun to learn nightscapes. This channel has been an incredible resource for me.
I once took a series of shots for a star trail in a park in Namibia. As I was imagining the leopard, I heard a noise behind me. Turned out to be just a little Cape Fox, but he was only 6 feet away. Was it a leopard, I'd have been in trouble!
i had a pack of wild dogs surround me while shooting the the stars the howls went through me and chilled me to the bone but the torch i was using to light paint has a bright beam and was able to frighten them off by shining it in their eyes
Richard, I've been helping friends of mine get started in nightscape photography just by their curiosity of my images. I'm probably not the best teacher but with these beginner series of videos, i'll definitely be pointing them here for some good videos to watch! Thanks again for the great work!
This is going to be a great series, Richard. It's pitched perfectly for the beginner, and very useful as a refresher for those who have learned with you already. It's a great idea to show people what can be achieved with less expensive gear, as the results are excellent. Thanks again!
Thank you for the videos. I learned a tough lesson trying to take nightskys . bring a chair to sit on and do not sit on the ground. I sat on an ant hill and had tons of ant bites all over my legs. Took about a week to heal up.
Going through my U tube videos and came across yours. I am a new beginner and am still learning my settings and how to focus. I am quite away from learning stacking and all those tricks. Right now I just enjoy clear photos and all the non photographers likes that I get. I pick up a lot of tips from you. I am a basic photographer and for me this was past simple for me. I know it is hard to go back to your beginning. Please keep us true beginners in mind. Thank You
Thank you so much for watching John. I really do appreciate your comments and will make sure I provide content for those just starting out . .I think it's good to go back to the basics from time to time anyway.
@@nightscapeimages.richard I went outside last night with your information. We have not had clear skies here in Oregon USA for so long and it was so cold. Now I have to go over the points about focusing again. I had one good photo of Orion which I was trying to get. Of course I could not make small enough with my kit lense to get the dog star 18 mm is my Canon kit lense. Thanks for getting back to me
After watching the video again I paid more attention to your cameras you used. My camera is Canon EOS REBEL T6 and I use kit lense 18-55 mm kit lense. Some info was confusing since I have a basic and some numbers for settings did not make sense. I did get some great info. Will find your focus video for nightscapes. Thanks John
Richard, a really concise and clear tutorial. Delighted to see how well the Lumix 4/3 performed, so you are doing a great job building up my confidence and this brings me one step closer to testing out the old OMD EM5 with my Oly 45mm f1.8. The clear explanations are really great and the practical advice invaluable.
Thanks for all the videos, tips and free guides Richard! Recently got I motivated to go out and practice what I've learned at Lake Moogerah, QLD. Still need more practice but was really happy to see one of the shots taken there featured on Unsplash. Thank you!
Fantastic tutorial for me and I bet for others as well. The information you've provided here is very helpful as I am a beginner in astro photography. An important question you answered for me is white balance setting. I need to learn where the milky way is located from my position in eastern Florida. I once saw that there are APPS for this. A surprise for me last night ( my first attempt at night shooting) was the mosquitos . Almost unbearable here near a swamp and small river. We also have a pest here in Florida we call "no see ums" . You can see them but sure know they are there biting you. I ordered my Viltrox lens 16mm 1.8 but they are backordered which I'm not surprised after seeing multiple YT videos about this lens. I'll also have to get a few of those low level lights. I already have many sheets of color correction gels. Thanks so much and have a blessed day. Ted in Sebastian,Fl.
Thanks again for your kind words Ted. Check out Stellarium. It's a great app for working out the position of the milky way. I use the desktop version of this all the time. stellarium.org/
@@nightscapeimages.richard thanks I am getting the app stellurium and photo pills as I watched your video on this, great software! I sent you a small gift for the "coffee fund" but the pay pal receipt is in my wife's name Mary Sue, not Ted. She always gets the credit, ha ha.
Another great job. I would suggest that you need to talk a bit about dark skies. So very many of us don’t have the advantage of the dark skies that you have access too. That plays a huge part of what we can actually capture. Thanks again for another great video.
Yeah, with you on that one, I have to drive an hour and a half for a bortle 3 sky. Otherwise it's bortle 4 30 mins away. Wish I could afford to come to Australia to see your skies. Thanks for your hard work Richard, much appreciated
Many thanks Richard that helped a lot. It was nice to see that the result from the G9 was acceptable compared to the D710. The GX8 which I use has the same sensor as the G9 so I will persevere and get some more practice in with the GX8. I have been quite pleased with the Laowa 7.5 mm f/2 results and before that the Pany 7-14mm f/4 (but what a difference those extra f stops make). I have also found that the NIK software Define 2 with controlled points for colour and contrast has produced acceptable noise reduction for single exposures. Thanks once again for the link, you remain my inspiration to improve and experiment.
Really helpful video Richard, planning to do a Milky Way shot in the future with my elderly Nikon and was wondering if I could get away with single shots. This video has shown me that it might not be possible to get good enough quality and will have to resort to stacking. The tips on light painting are priceless for us amateurs, especially being careful not to overdo it for the full exposure length. Looking forward to the challenge with the shot I have planned in my mind 🤞👍
Thanks so much for watching. You can certainly try shooting single exposure images. Nothing wrong with that at all. The stacking will increase the quality though for when you are ready for that.
thank you Richard...awesome video. I am really impressed with the single image of the Milky Way as opposed to multiple images and stacking. I think single images work out just as well. Looking forward to more.
Great video to astro basics Richard. Was interesting to see the different camera types in astro situations and results. Nice post tips too as well. Thanks for the video mate.
I can't thank you enough for the solid information. Finally (reread the intervalometer instruction book) got my equipment sorted and got my first good shot. This is going to be a fun journey, tossed a bit into your paypal, have a beer on me.
I have a d3400 &d7100, I tend to leave noise reduction off. I shared this with a friend who wants to learn mw photography. I really like your style of teaching
Really nice clear delivery to the video and explanation of the image taking. Interesting to see the three images after one another at the end of the video, clearly showed the differences.
Hi Richard, great video. What did you forget ? Well, if you need the gloves, you'll need a good wooly hat and a thermos ! I was a bit surprised the d7100 was not so good. I had a d7000 and it was ( at the time ) quite good. The advantage with these, you can get them cheap secondhand and they accept many old manual lenses, which are often fast and cheap. For those on a budget, the self timer is a good start. It might be interesting for beginners to learn which cheaper lenses are interesting eg those from Sanyang / Rokinon or older manual lenses.
Well, keep in mind he was just showing what someone could do with a crop sensor a kit lens and a single exposure. He also forgot to take the same shot with noise reduction off, which I think would of provided a better image. Had he used a 1.4 or a 1.8 lens, there would be NO comparison here. I had a D3400 and I took some test shots with a $200 35mm 1.8 and got between his photo and his z6 photo with it. That kit lens in no way showed what that D7100 body is fully capable of. Not even close.
Those are all very good observations David. I agree that a comparison between lenses would be beneficial. I don't have a lot of lenses to suit the crop sensor bodies. Also I think the D7100 had a different sensor to both the D7000 and D7200 which may be a little inferior for low light photography. Always appreciate your comments.
Hi Richard. I love the new series. I look forward to the next videos. I really want to purchase a full frame camera. My cropped-sensor camera doesn't allow me a wide enough view. Plus I can't keep the lens open for more than 13 seconds. I can afford a full-frame camera, but it is the lenses that really cost. I have a Canon 70D camera. I will probably stick with the Canon line because of my lenses. Anyway, great video and it always a treat to see you. BTW, it is 40 C degrees here in the USA. I guess I don't need a lens warmer. LOL Thanks Nyall.
Absolutely brilliant Richard I’m pretty comfortable with my night work single frame basic light painting but I’ll definitely use some better lighting techniques love the lens warmer beats my Leeds United scarf 💛💙💛💙💛💙 thanks for the video mate love it
Nice one Richard.👍 It would have been good to see what result you'd have got with the 17-50 f2.8 on the D7100. I think it would have been a lot better than the kit lens. Your Z6 shots were awesome. Thanks for the weekly videos, all the help and advice is really appreciated. Another contribution is on its way.👏👏👏
Brilliant work mate I have loved all of your workshop videos. I will send you my latest photo for you to look at and let me know what you think. Thanks mate great work.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Ive watched a lot of astro stuff and find a lot of it overly complex, and ive been a pro phot for nearly 20 years! Your teaching manner and technique make in not only interesting but inspiring. I'm off on my hols next week, new Z6 in the bag with the 14-30 f4, so I'll be having a little refresher before I head down to the beach in the darkness! Thanks for your great vids!
After watching some of your clips I got into a night photography. I love the night, the quiet and being alone for few hours :) my results so far - less. But, I'm getting there). I also want to switch to a mirrorless camera and the Z6 was my choice. The only thing stopping me is the AF (tracking and Eye AF). So, I'm waiting for the Z6S. hope it will have a better AF (maybe closer to A7III).
Interesting; thank you. I have the G9 and I wonder how it would behave in this scenario using the hi res mode; maybe using one second exposure. Taking my G9 to the desert on a camping trip in two weeks so I'll give that a try as well as using your suggested exposures. Thanks!
Thanks so much for watching Brad. The G9 is a wonderful camera but there's no getting past that small sensor. That will always be the achilles heel for micro 4/3 systems when doing low light and long exposure photography. But as you can see in this test it's a lot better than the Nikon crop sensor camera. I've never used high res mode . .not sure how that would help with light gathering when you have moving stars though.
Fantastic vid Richard! Thanks. I've recently done my 3rd light painting image, based on your techniques. Did the comet Neowise. I'm pretty happy about it. Thanks to you.
Thanks Richard, I was supposed to be there tonight with you on the workshop, one day in the far future by the look of things. Could you give the details of the big white power bank that you use. I am buying a campervan and will need to power all of the gadgets up when away from main power. Keep up the good work, i always learn something new
Thanks so much for watching Kim, really sorry we couldn't continue with the workshop. The white power bank I show is actually a 12 volt car jump starter. You can buy them at any of the automotive stores like Autobarn or Supercheap Auto. I had to use 12 volts to power that particular lens warmer. I also have other lens warmers that only require a usb power bank.
That z6 shot 😳😳😳❤️❤️ I prefer single frame to stacking I used in camera noise reduction although I hate waiting the extra 25 to 30 seconds soooo frustrating especially when a meteor rips through the scene during processing 🧐
Love your content and have been subscribed for a while! Have learned quite a bit, thank you. This video gave great tips for lighting the scene which I haven't tried yet. One major difference between these images is the amount of distortion, which you see most with the full frame 20mm lens where the sides of the shed for example are really angled. I like the overall shot better but struggle with that distortion and it being distracting for me on really wide angle shots. I'm planning to sell my Rokinon AF 14 2.8 for that very reason. I think a 20mm 1.8 is better and the most distortion I can handle. :) I got a few really nice star/milky way shots with a 24-70 2.8 in Yosemite last week and the distortion at the wide end is minimal.
Thanks a lot for watching Steve. I totally agree with you regarding wide angle distortion . .hence why I mostly shoot at 20mm but if I can get away with it I'll go 35 or even 50mm.
First of all, a collective and infinite thanks from the community of emerging nightscape photographers who rely on your precise and pragmatic advice to advance their craft. We appreciate your work, time, and art immensely. With that introduction, I have a technical question: considering your gear excluding D850, I was wondering if you could comment on the functionality or the desirability of this camera for the purpose of nightscape photography. Are Z7 and D750 indeed superior to D810a and, especially, D850? I would very much appreciate your thought on the matter, as I intend to upgrade to a higher Nikon camera soon. Many thanks for your time, from your neighbour New Zealand.
Thank you so much for watching my friend. The D850 is an outstanding camera and I have seen quite a few excellent nightscapes taken with that camera. All the cameras you mentioned are excellent .. .They are all very good for nightscapes. For me personally I prefer cameras with a flip screen .. much easier to compose images at night. I think the Z6 is superior in very low light conditions but the Z7 is fine as well. The new mirrorless cameras are superb.
Thank you sir for this and all the other great videos, Did you know that a Z 6 with a native Z Mount lens will jump to infinity focus when powered up ? It is quite accurate too. I tried with both the 35 mm and 50 mm. Powering the camera off and then on gave me sharp focus on the stars as good or better than i could do with other focus procedures. I hope the 20 mm does the same when I get one.
Thanks Richard sharing your vast knowledge and expérience. As a general question, did you ever used star night filter to reduce the light pollution? Thanks!
Thanks for sharing you knowledge. I am very interested in your comparison on different crop sizes. Having a Canon 70d, 1.6 crop. I could upgrade to a 6d II full frame in my budget. Have you had any experience with Canon? Do nikon take better nightscapes? Do lenses play a big part in quality? Thank you.
Thanks again for watching Darren. The Canon 6D series of cameras are great for nightscapes. Yes the lens quality makes a huge difference on any camera when shooting the night sky.
Hey Richard, Another great and useful video. I am in Boston and in winter it gets very cold. I tried various types of the mitten , and they all failed. Can you put a link for those mittens as well? Thanks
Thanks a lot for watching Rakesh. It's not as cold here in Australia. These are lightweight cotton gloves found in K Mart, Target, Big W etc. Very cheap and light.
Richard, I'm hoping you can help me understand something about the quality of light. Let's say I shoot a nightscape image using a 4000k torch with a matching camera setting of 4000k. Now I repeat the same image using a 3000k torch without adjusting the camera white balance. Obviously the second image is going to have a warmer color tone than the first image. Can I open the initial 4000k image in Lightroom and just by tweaking the white balance alone make my 4,000k image exactly match the color tones of my 3000k image? It seems to me the answer to this question is yes. I'd like to be sure, as I'm debating whether or not I'd like to try a 3,000k torch head in addition to the 4000k torch head I'm already using. If I can just change the white balance of the 4000k RAW file in Lightroom and achieve the same effect as if I had shot the image with a 3000k torch head, then my best guess here is there would be no point in purchasing and experimenting with a 3000k torch head. I just want to be sure I'm not missing anything about Kelvin temperature and my ability to adjust it in post later.
That's always a very good question. I would say that yes you can certainly adjust the white balance in lightroom to make up for the difference in your light source. To be honest all of these things have a fair amount of leeway when editing. I've used a number of different white balance settings in camera with the same led torch and been quite ok. I think both of the lights you mentioned are in the ball park anyway so all good. Obviously everyone has a different taste in what they like and that comes into it as well.
@@nightscapeimages.richardOk, thank you. I want to ensure I'm clear. Would you not consider a 2000k torch to be the ballpark? If I shoot a scene with torch set to 4000k and camera also set to 4000k, and then I shoot that same scene with torch set to 2000k and camera also at 2000k, would both scenes be identical? I guess what I'm really asking is does kelvin temperature of the torch really even matter at all as long as I'm matching that temperature in camera? I'm really new at this, but from what I've understood so far it seems to me it shouldn't make any difference what color temperature my torch is set to as long as I've matched it in camera. If that's correct, then there really wouldn't be good or bad color temperature range. I think?
@@keepitsimple7604 No unless you want the night sky to look really blue you'll have to set the white balance somewhere near the correct temperature in camera. When you apply light to your foreground, this is in effect another layer of colour that is being introduced. So the question is .. how do we balance the ambient colour (The milky way for example) with the torch lit foreground elements. That's where the LED temperature comes into play. So if I'm lighting a scene with a warm colour light source, I won't necessarily increase my in camera white balance to suit as that will effect the ambient light (Milky Way). My practice is to set the exposure in camera to suit the ambient conditions I want to capture, then add the necessary light on top of that.
@@nightscapeimages.richard All right, great. Thank you. I think I'm almost there. You're getting your star exposure with something like 4000k, then you've gelled your Ledlenser so you've got a warmer color on your foreground image without having to change your camera's white balance setting. I'm curious, if you shot the stars at 4000k, would it be possible to not gel your torch at all, and instead change the white balance kelvin temperature to a warm color that gives the same look as your gelled torch? Or, is there no such kelvin temperature in camera that would provide the same look you're getting with the gel? I think the answer is your orange gel is providing a color tone you cannot replicate in camera, either that or it's just simpler to not have to keep changing your white balance settings during the shoot? Thank you Richard.
@@keepitsimple7604 All of those scenarios are possibilities. I prefer not to have my stars too blue or too yellow so I choose the white balance I like somewhere in the middle . .about 4000k. If I was to shoot at a higher white balance .. perhaps 5500k or thereabouts I could probably dispense with the cto gel on the torch.
Hello Luis, thanks for watching. Just click this link and you'll see the documents for download. www.nightscapeimages.com.au/workshops---online.html Just click on the image and it will open as a jpeg. Just right click and save image.
Always worth going back to basics ,great video.Richard i went to a place last night with numerous things to shoot ,the first one i set my camera before it was dark then when i finished i shot another subject in the same place but it was so hard to set the camera up for composition ,the question i want to ask is it better just to concentrate on one subject ?
Thanks a lot as always Phill. I think it's best to get one composition right before you move to the next one. It can become very rushed when you try to achieve too much on a night shoot.
Easy to learn from your videos. Downloaded the guide. How long did you take for setting up this particular setup end to end. Lot of patience needed . 👍👌
Richard I have a Sony RX100 m7 which is a powerful compact which I intend to use. Do you think I would be wasting my time with this camera. It certainly offers functionality mentioned in your videos. I would like your thoughts on using this?
Richard hi I've seen most of your videos and I think your extremely motivating, my question is very simple for you I'm thinking. In photoshop how can I copy and paste a new photo into my layer panel. thanking you in advance Richard, Shane
Thanks so much Shane. You'll see that I do this quite often in my editing videos. Go to file - Open - navigate to the image and simply select - copy - paste into your project.
Can't wait to watch this. Before I forget though, Richard, I wanted to ask you about a setting new to me from my crop sensor to my new to me D610. I notice an old setting that I knew to turn off of course called " Long exposure Noise reduction". However there is another one on this camera (and I suspect all full frame/ pro bodies) and that is "ISO noise reduction" with a few options, low - normal - and high I think they are. I googled this but I couldn't find anything about it relating to astro. I guessed I wanted that kept on normal so I've left it there for the couple times I've shot the Milky Way so far, is this correct or do you have a better recommendation for this particular setting on this camera?
Richard, thank you so much for this series! I took my first successful stary sky last night! I also have a Nikon d750, and am curious - do you think having a weather sealed lens is necessary due to dew accumulation?
Thanks a lot for watching Erin. No I don't think a weather sealed lens is necessary but I'd probably keep the lens as dry as you can while shooting just to be on the safe side.
Thanks for mentioning that Charles. When I got back to editing those images I forgot about that. In a nutshell I didn't notice any difference between having it on or off with the Z6. With the other 2 cameras I didn't shoot with it off as I know they'll be very noisy. Hope that helps. I usually advise people with full frame cameras and good fast lenses to leave it off.
I'm at the point where you are recommending to actually use long exposure noise reduction when shooting single exposures. I would add to this, Richard that this will greatly depend on the camera you're using. For example, the camera I just retired, A Nikon D3400. Nikons entry level model (replaced w/ the 3500 now) would actually greatly reduce the quality of the image whenever I tested it. So all that time for it to go through the process of attempting to clean the image up after taking the photo was 100% complete waste of time. Since you have higher end crop sensors, that might be why you actually saw an improvement. So while it might be helpful in some cases, I think it's important that the user should go ahead and take some test shots with their gear to see if they should ever do that. With the Nikon D3400, turning that on was a massive waste of time and major degrade, an actual loss of image quality than if I just left it off. I always had a good lens on too. The full frame Rokinon (Samyang) 24mm f/1.4
OK, Richard, after watching the whole thing, I think you got the same results as I did with my D3400 w/ long exposure noise reduction. Had you left that off, I think you would of had a MUCH nicer image. That's just what my camera did. It actually made it more grainy and introduced all those color noise, those green streaks and whatnot in the sky. I think if you took that again with it off, you'll see the camera is capable of a much better photo than that with all other things equal.
Thank you again Richard, it is very interesting as always! Just one question: is it possible/difficult to make a (vertical) panorama and to blend the first picture for example? My only fast aperture lens is a 50mm and I have to make vertical panoramas to capture the whole milky way and I was wondering if it is possible to lightpaint the foreground on the first picture in a panorama.
Something like this. www.ebay.com.au/itm/1-4-Hot-Cold-Shoe-Mount-for-DSLR-Rig-Flash-Light-Cinema-Camera-Cage-1241/254261651211?epid=2254535502&hash=item3b332ce70b:g:imEAAOSwhpZZ6YKu&frcectupt=true
@@nightscapeimages.richard Thanks again Richard. I've got a lot to learn but I feel I've also now got a solid set of equipment and accessories to be proud of and with confidence of their quality and function which I don't think I'll have achieved without your guidance. Can't thank you enough from UK. 👍👍👍
Hi Richard. Did you choose the Ledlenser P7.2 for particular reasons rather than something like the ledlenser MT10 or other quality brands? Was it more to do with the orange CTO filter? I'm looking at the MT10
No particular reason Arnie except that it's a quality light and it's small and light weight. Also it's not too bright. There are lots of other good ones as you suggested.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Hi Richard Sorry to bother you again. With the Z96, which battery would you recommend ? I've seen the Sony NP-F330 (5.0Wh) and Insten (compatible type) 2500mAh, 18.5Wh. Also, did you just stick the cto gel over the magnetic filter? Thanks
Afternoon Richard, I saw on one of your videos that you set up a function button to call up your level. I have a canon eos r and I cannot see how I can do this function, I realize our cameras are different, but how did you set you level up on demand???
@@brucemullis479 That's a good combination Bruce. I can't see that being a problem in post production. Sometimes pushing things like clarity or de-haze can do funny things. PS: Thanks so much for your generous support.
Hey Jerry, that's mainly for better battery life. It won't have any negative impact on the image if you leave it on. Most mirrorless cameras are always in live view anyway . .as well as that a lot of Canon cameras automatically turn off live view after a set amount of time. The rear screen takes a fair amount of battery power to run and that's my logic.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Thanks! I am about to purchase a new camera. Concerning tilting screen as on the M6 Mark II or a fully reciprocating screen as on the 90d or RP, which is better for astrophotography? Thanks
@@jerryfortenberry1956 Well out of those 3 choices the RP is the best as it has the largest sensor. For most photography not a big deal but for very low light and high iso work as in astrophotography .. it really does make a difference. So I'd go RP first, then 90D then M6mk2.
Nightscape Images Just to know , the kit lens on this camera will provide similar results or there is a big difference between them? Of course that i am going to get better result with the lens you mentioned .. but for a beginner can i make similar images as you did with the kit lens? Thank you very much for responding!! 🙏🙏🙏
Hey, Richard. Here's one of my latest thanks to you. In your other videos of course with your more advanced multiple exposures with layering in photoshop. You're helping me learn how to do it. i.ibb.co/dfsZQQc/Image00004.jpg Of course, I see where I still need some practice. I should of focus stacked of course and I'm not very good at blending yet haha. I need to learn to use more of a softer brush and whatnot and perhaps take a few more photos too but hey, for just starting out with the main principles anyway, of layering and stacking and whatnot and just low level light kinda sorta used as some light painting but of course that's not the same as when my flashlight and gel arrive so I incorporate that instead for my light dynamics but I have the general idea down. Now just for a few hundred hours so I can get good! Having a blast!
I popped out the Milky Way reflection using the method you demonstrated on the barrel by using the radial filter. I do that to my core reflection whenever I have one in water. It's simple and really makes it pop! :) In fact, I always use one (with a heavy feather is the trick) right on my Milky Way core too and generally bring up the highlights, whites and exposure all just a bit. Going pretty heavy on the highlights and whites.
@@sarikaFauzi Thanks guys! I have a couple years practice with a crop sensor and taking single exposures but the new to me full frame and these multiple exposures is so next level! I'm just a couple weeks in in this more advanced stuff. This is my first one here with the new to me D610. Street lighting and a few exposures with me lighting up the tree. A pano stitch too and stacked sky using sequator. i.ibb.co/nQ7LMTH/1.jpg
I would have tried to focus at least one one star....somehow. So you`re saying that you`ve focused on the building by using F2.2? and that worked as infinity...as a consequence, the stars are crystal clear?.....mmmhhhhh.
Well, that's what you normally do with fast glass, yes. However with a kit lens that only stops down to 3.5 the lcd screen wont show anything at all. You'll never see a star no matter how much you zoom in on the lcd, it's simply not fast enough glass. That's why you have to use that method with a kit lens / any lens probably below 2.8 ish range. With some fast glass, that stops down to 1.4 or 1.8 for example, you can point to a star, zoom in on it using live view and focus right on it and Bob's your uncle.
It's all about the maths involved in lenses. Take a look at a depth of field chart and it will clearly state where the infinity focus point starts. See here: www.photopills.com/calculators/dof-table
You can't compare APS-C from Nikon/Canon/Sony to their 24x36 models. Those brands use APS-C as low-level, budget, cheap cameras. If you do like Panasonic or Fuji with their micro 4/3 and APS-C, they make high-end cameras with these sensors. The result is then way better than the equivalent from Nikon/Canon/Sony. It's just a matter of positioning. Nikon wants you to buy their more expensive 24x36 models. They give you a reason with cheap APS-C. If you are so much focused on sensor size, move to Fuji's GFX Medium Format. After all, in film era, 24x36 was the smallest size :) Why think it's now the ultimate size? Marketing, marketing...
@@nightscapeimages.richard Hey, I should have add that your videos are good. Didn't want to sound rude, but reading myself again, that's what it looks like. Sorry for that.
Yes you are right Andrew, but the main point of this video isn't to compare the images .. it's to get the ideas, motivation and techniques for shooting the images.
Just come across your TH-cam channel and look forward to trying out some nightscape photography. One coffee on it's way to you.
Thanks so much for your great support Colin, very much appreciated.
You get the thumbs up before I start watching, I know that your content is always great!
That's very kind of you Tom, thanks so much.
Thanks Richard, you're a great help to me and many others! Thanks for being an excellent teacher and sharing your vast knowledge of nightscape photography! Great video, God bless.
I'm really pleased that you're getting something from the videos Kirk, appreciate your comments.
You are a class act Mr. Richard. A true working pro. Sharing your passion for photography. We all have those who helped and shaped our photography journeys. There are worse additions to have... Photography allows our passions during daytime, nighttime, top-side and underwater, where ever you find light, you will find someone with a camera. Thank you and your wife for all you share about photography.
That is very kind of you to say Marji, thank you.
Good job again Richard,thanks a lot !
Thanks very much for watching Peter
Simple and useful for everyone, especially beginners. Thank you Mr Richard!!!!!
Thanks so much Milorad .. as always.
Richard, thank you so much. What a journey you are taking me on, I have learnt so much.
I'm really pleased you're enjoying it David, thanks so much for watching.
The Best video I’ve seen
Thanks very much for watching.
Great video again Richard. Going through all your stuff over and over. You never know, something might stick. Lol, ok probably not.
I think it's important to be repetitive with this type of content. I often look at these videos and think I'm just going over and over the same stuff . .but so many people tell me they appreciate that aspect of it. Thanks for watching Roy.
Very well done. Thank you for providing such a well organized and presented tutorial.
I'm really pleased you liked it Todd, thanks so much.
Thank you for sharing
Thanks so much for watching Peggy
I will say it again... Just superb, thank you 😁
Really appreciate that Duncan.
Thank you. A couple of very useful tips to help me improve my night photography.
I'm glad you liked it Barry
For sure I will be following you as I want to learn this type of photography.
Thanks very much Mario, appreciate you watching.
Dear Richard,
Thanks to your guidance, I was able to take my first shot of the Milky Way core. I hope to continue to work on my skills and plan better compositions in the near future. I feel Nightscape images go beyond photography and are a way for us to connect to the universe all around us. Look forward to your wonderful videos. Dark skies :)
Thank you so much for watching Chinmay. Yes I agree that the experience of being out there under the stars is priceless.
I'm constantly imagining getting attacked by a mountain lion when I'm on night shoots. Besides that, it's been fun to learn nightscapes. This channel has been an incredible resource for me.
I'm really pleased you like the videos my friend. No mountain lions over here.
I once took a series of shots for a star trail in a park in Namibia. As I was imagining the leopard, I heard a noise behind me. Turned out to be just a little Cape Fox, but he was only 6 feet away. Was it a leopard, I'd have been in trouble!
i had a pack of wild dogs surround me while shooting the the stars the howls went through me and chilled me to the bone but the torch i was using to light paint has a bright beam and was able to frighten them off by shining it in their eyes
Richard, I've been helping friends of mine get started in nightscape photography just by their curiosity of my images. I'm probably not the best teacher but with these beginner series of videos, i'll definitely be pointing them here for some good videos to watch! Thanks again for the great work!
Thanks very much Cory, really appreciate you watching my friend.
Really enjoying your videos Richard. Thanks again mate.
Thanks so much for watching John.
Thank you , you’re great
Thank you so much for watching.
Thanks Richard! Excellent workshop!
I really appreciate you watching Allen, thank you.
Thanks Richard
once again fantastic work thanks Richard
Thanks very much Zach, appreciate that.
This is going to be a great series, Richard. It's pitched perfectly for the beginner, and very useful as a refresher for those who have learned with you already. It's a great idea to show people what can be achieved with less expensive gear, as the results are excellent. Thanks again!
Thanks as always Simon, thanks so much for your support my friend.
Thank you for the videos. I learned a tough lesson trying to take nightskys . bring a chair to sit on and do not sit on the ground. I sat on an ant hill and had tons of ant bites all over my legs. Took about a week to heal up.
Thanks for watching Karen, yes I learnt that one as well the hard way. Always happy to help if I can.
@@nightscapeimages.richard the exchange rate is great between America and Australia . Maybe in a year or so i would love to visit .
@@kaaytie84 Would love to see you Karen
AWESOME Mate!! thanks you for simple video tonight. looking forward to see your next video. thanks again :)
I really appreciate that Patrick, thanks for watching.
Fantastic images as always! I really enjoy seeing your process! Thanks for posting!
Thanks a lot for watching, greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much Richard!
I very much appreciate you watching.
Great Job. You are simply the best.
You're very kind indeed my friend.
Going through my U tube videos and came across yours. I am a new beginner and am still learning my settings and how to focus. I am quite away from learning stacking and all those tricks. Right now I just enjoy clear photos and all the non photographers likes that I get. I pick up a lot of tips from you. I am a basic photographer and for me this was past simple for me. I know it is hard to go back to your beginning. Please keep us true beginners in mind. Thank You
Thank you so much for watching John. I really do appreciate your comments and will make sure I provide content for those just starting out . .I think it's good to go back to the basics from time to time anyway.
@@nightscapeimages.richard I went outside last night with your information. We have not had clear skies here in Oregon USA for so long and it was so cold. Now I have to go over the points about focusing again. I had one good photo of Orion which I was trying to get. Of course I could not make small enough with my kit lense to get the dog star 18 mm is my Canon kit lense. Thanks for getting back to me
After watching the video again I paid more attention to your cameras you used. My camera is Canon EOS REBEL T6 and I use kit lense 18-55 mm kit lense. Some info was confusing since I have a basic and some numbers for settings did not make sense. I did get some great info. Will find your focus video for nightscapes. Thanks John
@@johnwilliams5692 No problem at all John, always happy to chat.
@@johnwilliams5692 Check these 2 videos John. th-cam.com/video/lqYf2w_BAQ8/w-d-xo.html and this one: th-cam.com/video/1GynWrNxts0/w-d-xo.html
Richard, a really concise and clear tutorial. Delighted to see how well the Lumix 4/3 performed, so you are doing a great job building up my confidence and this brings me one step closer to testing out the old OMD EM5 with my Oly 45mm f1.8. The clear explanations are really great and the practical advice invaluable.
That's really great Kevin, appreciate your comments.
Great!
Thank you so much for watching Sandro.
Love the idea of simple, thanks for making these!
Thanks so much Steve, really appreciate you watching.
Thanks for all the videos, tips and free guides Richard! Recently got I motivated to go out and practice what I've learned at Lake Moogerah, QLD. Still need more practice but was really happy to see one of the shots taken there featured on Unsplash. Thank you!
Thank you so much for watching Adli, that's fantastic that your shot was featured .. well done.
Thanks Richard. Awesome video, I got a lot out of it. 👍
Thanks so much for watching mate
Fantastic tutorial for me and I bet for others as well. The information you've provided here is very helpful as I am a beginner in astro photography. An important question you answered for me is white balance setting. I need to learn where the milky way is located from my position in eastern Florida. I once saw that there are APPS for this. A surprise for me last night ( my first attempt at night shooting) was the mosquitos . Almost unbearable here near a swamp and small river. We also have a pest here in Florida we call "no see ums" . You can see them but sure know they are there biting you. I ordered my Viltrox lens 16mm 1.8 but they are backordered which I'm not surprised after seeing multiple YT videos about this lens. I'll also have to get a few of those low level lights. I already have many sheets of color correction gels. Thanks so much and have a blessed day. Ted in Sebastian,Fl.
Thanks again for your kind words Ted. Check out Stellarium. It's a great app for working out the position of the milky way. I use the desktop version of this all the time. stellarium.org/
@@nightscapeimages.richard thanks I am getting the app stellurium and photo pills as I watched your video on this, great software! I sent you a small gift for the "coffee fund" but the pay pal receipt is in my wife's name Mary Sue, not Ted. She always gets the credit, ha ha.
@@tedk2814 That's very kind of you Ted . . and Mary Sue ..!!!!!
Another great job. I would suggest that you need to talk a bit about dark skies. So very many of us don’t have the advantage of the dark skies that you have access too. That plays a huge part of what we can actually capture. Thanks again for another great video.
Thanks so much John, always appreciate your comments.
Yeah, with you on that one, I have to drive an hour and a half for a bortle 3 sky. Otherwise it's bortle 4 30 mins away. Wish I could afford to come to Australia to see your skies. Thanks for your hard work Richard, much appreciated
@@andysuzierawlins5462 Always happy to help Suzanne
Many thanks Richard that helped a lot. It was nice to see that the result from the G9 was acceptable compared to the D710. The GX8 which I use has the same sensor as the G9 so I will persevere and get some more practice in with the GX8. I have been quite pleased with the Laowa 7.5 mm f/2 results and before that the Pany 7-14mm f/4 (but what a difference those extra f stops make). I have also found that the NIK software Define 2 with controlled points for colour and contrast has produced acceptable noise reduction for single exposures. Thanks once again for the link, you remain my inspiration to improve and experiment.
Thanks once again for watching Peter, I really appreciate your comments. I have heard good things about that Laowa 7.5mm lens.
added to my playlist! very valuable! thank you ( I watched the ads! its my way of showing support).
Thank you so much for your support, really appreciated.
Really helpful video Richard, planning to do a Milky Way shot in the future with my elderly Nikon and was wondering if I could get away with single shots. This video has shown me that it might not be possible to get good enough quality and will have to resort to stacking. The tips on light painting are priceless for us amateurs, especially being careful not to overdo it for the full exposure length. Looking forward to the challenge with the shot I have planned in my mind 🤞👍
Thanks so much for watching. You can certainly try shooting single exposure images. Nothing wrong with that at all. The stacking will increase the quality though for when you are ready for that.
Incredible! more of this!
Thanks very much Heathen Hammer, I'll see what I can do.
thank you Richard...awesome video. I am really impressed with the single image of the Milky Way as opposed to multiple images and stacking. I think single images work out just as well. Looking forward to more.
Thanks so much for watching Betty, really appreciate that.
@@nightscapeimages.richard youre so welcome Richard..
thanks for this course. inspiring me to try it for myself... going to scout some locations on the weekend..
Thanks so much for having a look Spud, really appreciate that.
Amazing.
Thanks so much for watching.
Great video to astro basics Richard. Was interesting to see the different camera types in astro situations and results. Nice post tips too as well. Thanks for the video mate.
Always appreciate your comments Adrian, thanks again mate.
I can't thank you enough for the solid information. Finally (reread the intervalometer instruction book) got my equipment sorted and got my first good shot. This is going to be a fun journey, tossed a bit into your paypal, have a beer on me.
You are very kind indeed. I'm glad you got something out of the video.
I have a d3400 &d7100, I tend to leave noise reduction off. I shared this with a friend who wants to learn mw photography. I really like your style of teaching
I find the D7100 very noisy at high iso. For saingle shots I'd be leaving long exposure noise reduction on .. but if stacking I'd leave it off.
@@nightscapeimages.richard I've started taking more images to stack recently, still haven't got round to processing though, lol
That was great and easy to follow
I really appreciate you watching David
Really nice clear delivery to the video and explanation of the image taking. Interesting to see the three images after one another at the end of the video, clearly showed the differences.
Thanks so much as always my friend.
Hi Richard, great video. What did you forget ? Well, if you need the gloves, you'll need a good wooly hat and a thermos !
I was a bit surprised the d7100 was not so good. I had a d7000 and it was ( at the time ) quite good. The advantage with these, you can get them cheap secondhand and they accept many old manual lenses, which are often fast and cheap. For those on a budget, the self timer is a good start. It might be interesting for beginners to learn which cheaper lenses are interesting eg those from Sanyang / Rokinon or older manual lenses.
Well, keep in mind he was just showing what someone could do with a crop sensor a kit lens and a single exposure. He also forgot to take the same shot with noise reduction off, which I think would of provided a better image. Had he used a 1.4 or a 1.8 lens, there would be NO comparison here. I had a D3400 and I took some test shots with a $200 35mm 1.8 and got between his photo and his z6 photo with it. That kit lens in no way showed what that D7100 body is fully capable of. Not even close.
Check this out David. This was taken using just a D3400 but with some fast glass.
i.ibb.co/p49WCF9/DSC-9923-Pano.jpg
Those are all very good observations David. I agree that a comparison between lenses would be beneficial. I don't have a lot of lenses to suit the crop sensor bodies. Also I think the D7100 had a different sensor to both the D7000 and D7200 which may be a little inferior for low light photography. Always appreciate your comments.
Merci !
Thanks again for watching Doume
Another great video. Great also to see you use your G9, I love mine, with the Leica 8-18 f2.8,.
Thanks very much Vikki. I use the G9 for all of my video recording .. it's awesome.
Awesome tutorial…. ❤
Thanks so much for watching.
Hi Richard. I love the new series. I look forward to the next videos. I really want to purchase a full frame camera. My cropped-sensor camera doesn't allow me a wide enough view. Plus I can't keep the lens open for more than 13 seconds. I can afford a full-frame camera, but it is the lenses that really cost. I have a Canon 70D camera. I will probably stick with the Canon line because of my lenses. Anyway, great video and it always a treat to see you. BTW, it is 40 C degrees here in the USA. I guess I don't need a lens warmer. LOL Thanks Nyall.
Thanks as always for watching Nyall.
Superb
Thanks so much as always Chetan.
Absolutely brilliant Richard I’m pretty comfortable with my night work single frame basic light painting but I’ll definitely use some better lighting techniques love the lens warmer beats my Leeds United scarf 💛💙💛💙💛💙 thanks for the video mate love it
Thanks heaps Paul
Nice one Richard.👍
It would have been good to see what result you'd have got with the 17-50 f2.8 on the D7100. I think it would have been a lot better than the kit lens. Your Z6 shots were awesome.
Thanks for the weekly videos, all the help and advice is really appreciated.
Another contribution is on its way.👏👏👏
Thanks so much Ian. Yes perhaps that lens would have been better but I didn't have time to do all the lenses.
Brilliant work mate I have loved all of your workshop videos. I will send you my latest photo for you to look at and let me know what you think. Thanks mate great work.
Thanks heaps Brad. I absolutely love your chainsaw image ..!!!
👌👌👌👍👍👍 thanks for this Video, it’s great
Thanks very much for watching Peter
Brilliant!
Thanks so much Mike
@@nightscapeimages.richard Ive watched a lot of astro stuff and find a lot of it overly complex, and ive been a pro phot for nearly 20 years! Your teaching manner and technique make in not only interesting but inspiring. I'm off on my hols next week, new Z6 in the bag with the 14-30 f4, so I'll be having a little refresher before I head down to the beach in the darkness! Thanks for your great vids!
@@mikefletcher6595 Hey Mike, thanks so much for watching the channel. I'm pleased you feel inspired by the videos. All the best for your trip.
After watching some of your clips I got into a night photography. I love the night, the quiet and being alone for few hours :) my results so far - less. But, I'm getting there). I also want to switch to a mirrorless camera and the Z6 was my choice. The only thing stopping me is the AF (tracking and Eye AF). So, I'm waiting for the Z6S. hope it will have a better AF (maybe closer to A7III).
Thanks so much Daniel. There's no doubt the Z6 auto focus isn't quite as good as the Sony but it's not too far behind now with the latest firmware.
Interesting; thank you. I have the G9 and I wonder how it would behave in this scenario using the hi res mode; maybe using one second exposure. Taking my G9 to the desert on a camping trip in two weeks so I'll give that a try as well as using your suggested exposures. Thanks!
Thanks so much for watching Brad. The G9 is a wonderful camera but there's no getting past that small sensor. That will always be the achilles heel for micro 4/3 systems when doing low light and long exposure photography. But as you can see in this test it's a lot better than the Nikon crop sensor camera. I've never used high res mode . .not sure how that would help with light gathering when you have moving stars though.
Fantastic vid Richard! Thanks. I've recently done my 3rd light painting image, based on your techniques. Did the comet Neowise. I'm pretty happy about it. Thanks to you.
I'm so pleased to hear that Bret .. .well done.
Thanks Richard, I was supposed to be there tonight with you on the workshop, one day in the far future by the look of things. Could you give the details of the big white power bank that you use. I am buying a campervan and will need to power all of the gadgets up when away from main power. Keep up the good work, i always learn something new
Thanks so much for watching Kim, really sorry we couldn't continue with the workshop. The white power bank I show is actually a 12 volt car jump starter. You can buy them at any of the automotive stores like Autobarn or Supercheap Auto. I had to use 12 volts to power that particular lens warmer. I also have other lens warmers that only require a usb power bank.
That z6 shot 😳😳😳❤️❤️ I prefer single frame to stacking I used in camera noise reduction although I hate waiting the extra 25 to 30 seconds soooo frustrating especially when a meteor rips through the scene during processing 🧐
Yes I know what you mean Paul. Thanks for watching.
Love your content and have been subscribed for a while! Have learned quite a bit, thank you. This video gave great tips for lighting the scene which I haven't tried yet. One major difference between these images is the amount of distortion, which you see most with the full frame 20mm lens where the sides of the shed for example are really angled. I like the overall shot better but struggle with that distortion and it being distracting for me on really wide angle shots. I'm planning to sell my Rokinon AF 14 2.8 for that very reason. I think a 20mm 1.8 is better and the most distortion I can handle. :) I got a few really nice star/milky way shots with a 24-70 2.8 in Yosemite last week and the distortion at the wide end is minimal.
Thanks a lot for watching Steve. I totally agree with you regarding wide angle distortion . .hence why I mostly shoot at 20mm but if I can get away with it I'll go 35 or even 50mm.
First of all, a collective and infinite thanks from the community of emerging nightscape photographers who rely on your precise and pragmatic advice to advance their craft. We appreciate your work, time, and art immensely. With that introduction, I have a technical question: considering your gear excluding D850, I was wondering if you could comment on the functionality or the desirability of this camera for the purpose of nightscape photography. Are Z7 and D750 indeed superior to D810a and, especially, D850? I would very much appreciate your thought on the matter, as I intend to upgrade to a higher Nikon camera soon. Many thanks for your time, from your neighbour New Zealand.
Thank you so much for watching my friend. The D850 is an outstanding camera and I have seen quite a few excellent nightscapes taken with that camera. All the cameras you mentioned are excellent .. .They are all very good for nightscapes. For me personally I prefer cameras with a flip screen .. much easier to compose images at night. I think the Z6 is superior in very low light conditions but the Z7 is fine as well. The new mirrorless cameras are superb.
@@nightscapeimages.richard much appreciated! Hope you include NZ in your upcoming nightscape photography expeditions as well. Cheers.
@@alpsofsilence1461 I had a trip planned for March 2020 but Covid put paid to that one.
Thank you sir for this and all the other great videos, Did you know that a Z 6 with a native Z Mount lens will jump to infinity focus when powered up ? It is quite accurate too. I tried with both the 35 mm and 50 mm. Powering the camera off and then on gave me sharp focus on the stars as good or better than i could do with other focus procedures. I hope the 20 mm does the same when I get one.
Thanks so much for watching Hugh. Yes I love that feature with the Z cameras and lenses .. I use it all the time. Same with the 20mm.
Thanks Richard sharing your vast knowledge and expérience. As a general question, did you ever used star night filter to reduce the light pollution? Thanks!
Thanks so much for watching Andre. I've never used any light pollution filters as I don't have to shoot anywhere near any large cities. Sorry.
Subbed Thankyou!!
Thanks so much for watching my friend. Really appreciated.
Thanks for sharing you knowledge. I am very interested in your comparison on different crop sizes. Having a Canon 70d, 1.6 crop. I could upgrade to a 6d II full frame in my budget. Have you had any experience with Canon? Do nikon take better nightscapes? Do lenses play a big part in quality? Thank you.
Thanks again for watching Darren. The Canon 6D series of cameras are great for nightscapes. Yes the lens quality makes a huge difference on any camera when shooting the night sky.
Hey Richard, Another great and useful video. I am in Boston and in winter it gets very cold. I tried various types of the mitten , and they all failed. Can you put a link for those mittens as well? Thanks
Thanks a lot for watching Rakesh. It's not as cold here in Australia. These are lightweight cotton gloves found in K Mart, Target, Big W etc. Very cheap and light.
Richard, I'm hoping you can help me understand something about the quality of light. Let's say I shoot a nightscape image using a 4000k torch with a matching camera setting of 4000k. Now I repeat the same image using a 3000k torch without adjusting the camera white balance. Obviously the second image is going to have a warmer color tone than the first image. Can I open the initial 4000k image in Lightroom and just by tweaking the white balance alone make my 4,000k image exactly match the color tones of my 3000k image? It seems to me the answer to this question is yes. I'd like to be sure, as I'm debating whether or not I'd like to try a 3,000k torch head in addition to the 4000k torch head I'm already using. If I can just change the white balance of the 4000k RAW file in Lightroom and achieve the same effect as if I had shot the image with a 3000k torch head, then my best guess here is there would be no point in purchasing and experimenting with a 3000k torch head. I just want to be sure I'm not missing anything about Kelvin temperature and my ability to adjust it in post later.
That's always a very good question. I would say that yes you can certainly adjust the white balance in lightroom to make up for the difference in your light source. To be honest all of these things have a fair amount of leeway when editing. I've used a number of different white balance settings in camera with the same led torch and been quite ok. I think both of the lights you mentioned are in the ball park anyway so all good. Obviously everyone has a different taste in what they like and that comes into it as well.
@@nightscapeimages.richardOk, thank you. I want to ensure I'm clear. Would you not consider a 2000k torch to be the ballpark? If I shoot a scene with torch set to 4000k and camera also set to 4000k, and then I shoot that same scene with torch set to 2000k and camera also at 2000k, would both scenes be identical? I guess what I'm really asking is does kelvin temperature of the torch really even matter at all as long as I'm matching that temperature in camera? I'm really new at this, but from what I've understood so far it seems to me it shouldn't make any difference what color temperature my torch is set to as long as I've matched it in camera. If that's correct, then there really wouldn't be good or bad color temperature range. I think?
@@keepitsimple7604 No unless you want the night sky to look really blue you'll have to set the white balance somewhere near the correct temperature in camera. When you apply light to your foreground, this is in effect another layer of colour that is being introduced. So the question is .. how do we balance the ambient colour (The milky way for example) with the torch lit foreground elements. That's where the LED temperature comes into play. So if I'm lighting a scene with a warm colour light source, I won't necessarily increase my in camera white balance to suit as that will effect the ambient light (Milky Way). My practice is to set the exposure in camera to suit the ambient conditions I want to capture, then add the necessary light on top of that.
@@nightscapeimages.richard All right, great. Thank you. I think I'm almost there. You're getting your star exposure with something like 4000k, then you've gelled your Ledlenser so you've got a warmer color on your foreground image without having to change your camera's white balance setting. I'm curious, if you shot the stars at 4000k, would it be possible to not gel your torch at all, and instead change the white balance kelvin temperature to a warm color that gives the same look as your gelled torch? Or, is there no such kelvin temperature in camera that would provide the same look you're getting with the gel? I think the answer is your orange gel is providing a color tone you cannot replicate in camera, either that or it's just simpler to not have to keep changing your white balance settings during the shoot? Thank you Richard.
@@keepitsimple7604 All of those scenarios are possibilities. I prefer not to have my stars too blue or too yellow so I choose the white balance I like somewhere in the middle . .about 4000k. If I was to shoot at a higher white balance .. perhaps 5500k or thereabouts I could probably dispense with the cto gel on the torch.
Hi Richard, how do I go about getting the pocket size guides?
Hello Luis, thanks for watching. Just click this link and you'll see the documents for download. www.nightscapeimages.com.au/workshops---online.html Just click on the image and it will open as a jpeg. Just right click and save image.
Thank you so much. Greetings from California USA
Always worth going back to basics ,great video.Richard i went to a place last night with numerous things to shoot ,the first one i set my camera before it was dark then when i finished i shot another subject in the same place but it was so hard to set the camera up for composition ,the question i want to ask is it better just to concentrate on one subject ?
Thanks a lot as always Phill. I think it's best to get one composition right before you move to the next one. It can become very rushed when you try to achieve too much on a night shoot.
@@nightscapeimages.richard thankyou for your advice as always quality not quantity
Easy to learn from your videos. Downloaded the guide. How long did you take for setting up this particular setup end to end. Lot of patience needed . 👍👌
Yes it takes a lot of time to put these videos together.
Richard I have a Sony RX100 m7 which is a powerful compact which I intend to use. Do you think I would be wasting my time with this camera. It certainly offers functionality mentioned in your videos. I would like your thoughts on using this?
I think you'll get some great images with that camera but as a small sensor camera you will be battling noise in low light.
Richard hi I've seen most of your videos and I think your extremely motivating, my question is very simple for you I'm thinking. In photoshop how can I copy and paste a new photo into my
layer panel. thanking you in advance Richard, Shane
Thanks so much Shane. You'll see that I do this quite often in my editing videos. Go to file - Open - navigate to the image and simply select - copy - paste into your project.
@@nightscapeimages.richard thank you Richard
Can't wait to watch this. Before I forget though, Richard, I wanted to ask you about a setting new to me from my crop sensor to my new to me D610. I notice an old setting that I knew to turn off of course called " Long exposure Noise reduction". However there is another one on this camera (and I suspect all full frame/ pro bodies) and that is "ISO noise reduction" with a few options, low - normal - and high I think they are. I googled this but I couldn't find anything about it relating to astro. I guessed I wanted that kept on normal so I've left it there for the couple times I've shot the Milky Way so far, is this correct or do you have a better recommendation for this particular setting on this camera?
Thanks again for watching my friend. I usually leave the ISO Noise Reduction on normal also with good results.
Richard, thank you so much for this series! I took my first successful stary sky last night! I also have a Nikon d750, and am curious - do you think having a weather sealed lens is necessary due to dew accumulation?
Thanks a lot for watching Erin. No I don't think a weather sealed lens is necessary but I'd probably keep the lens as dry as you can while shooting just to be on the safe side.
You said you where going to show the differences with in camera NOISE REDUCTION on/off? Or, did I misunderstand??
Thanks for mentioning that Charles. When I got back to editing those images I forgot about that. In a nutshell I didn't notice any difference between having it on or off with the Z6. With the other 2 cameras I didn't shoot with it off as I know they'll be very noisy. Hope that helps. I usually advise people with full frame cameras and good fast lenses to leave it off.
I'm at the point where you are recommending to actually use long exposure noise reduction when shooting single exposures. I would add to this, Richard that this will greatly depend on the camera you're using. For example, the camera I just retired, A Nikon D3400. Nikons entry level model (replaced w/ the 3500 now) would actually greatly reduce the quality of the image whenever I tested it. So all that time for it to go through the process of attempting to clean the image up after taking the photo was 100% complete waste of time. Since you have higher end crop sensors, that might be why you actually saw an improvement. So while it might be helpful in some cases, I think it's important that the user should go ahead and take some test shots with their gear to see if they should ever do that. With the Nikon D3400, turning that on was a massive waste of time and major degrade, an actual loss of image quality than if I just left it off. I always had a good lens on too. The full frame Rokinon (Samyang) 24mm f/1.4
OK, Richard, after watching the whole thing, I think you got the same results as I did with my D3400 w/ long exposure noise reduction. Had you left that off, I think you would of had a MUCH nicer image. That's just what my camera did. It actually made it more grainy and introduced all those color noise, those green streaks and whatnot in the sky. I think if you took that again with it off, you'll see the camera is capable of a much better photo than that with all other things equal.
All very good observations my friend, thanks again.
I watch you videos, They are very interesting, I want to buy toch what kind and what brand do you recomend ?
Thanks a lot Nihal. I use the LED Lenser P7 torch.
Thank you again Richard, it is very interesting as always! Just one question: is it possible/difficult to make a (vertical) panorama and to blend the first picture for example? My only fast aperture lens is a 50mm and I have to make vertical panoramas to capture the whole milky way and I was wondering if it is possible to lightpaint the foreground on the first picture in a panorama.
Yes you can certainly make a vertical panorama with your 50mm lens. You may need to light paint more than one image as they will overlap a fair bit.
Thanks, I have to lightpaint more than one image, that is what I guessed!
Hi Richard Can you link me to the cold shoe mount you're using to hold the yongnuo remote trigger on the tripod please ?
Something like this. www.ebay.com.au/itm/1-4-Hot-Cold-Shoe-Mount-for-DSLR-Rig-Flash-Light-Cinema-Camera-Cage-1241/254261651211?epid=2254535502&hash=item3b332ce70b:g:imEAAOSwhpZZ6YKu&frcectupt=true
@@nightscapeimages.richard Thanks Richard. I meant the bracket mounting to the tripod 🤔
@@arniet1 That's a simple hose clamp.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Thanks again Richard. I've got a lot to learn but I feel I've also now got a solid set of equipment and accessories to be proud of and with confidence of their quality and function which I don't think I'll have achieved without your guidance. Can't thank you enough from UK. 👍👍👍
Hi Richard. Did you choose the Ledlenser P7.2 for particular reasons rather than something like the ledlenser MT10 or other quality brands? Was it more to do with the orange CTO filter? I'm looking at the MT10
No particular reason Arnie except that it's a quality light and it's small and light weight. Also it's not too bright. There are lots of other good ones as you suggested.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Thank you
@@nightscapeimages.richard Hi Richard Sorry to bother you again. With the Z96, which battery would you recommend ? I've seen the Sony NP-F330 (5.0Wh) and Insten (compatible type) 2500mAh, 18.5Wh.
Also, did you just stick the cto gel over the magnetic filter?
Thanks
@@arniet1 I use both the NPF 750 and NPF 970. Yes I simply tape the gel on.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Thankyou.
Afternoon Richard, I saw on one of your videos that you set up a function button to call up your level. I have a canon eos r and I cannot see how I can do this function, I realize our cameras are different, but how did you set you level up on demand???
Have a look at this video Gary .. Hope it helps. th-cam.com/video/GsrhQMO9ZbI/w-d-xo.html
There’s no link for that stool Richard. I’ve got to get one of those. Where did you get it from? Great video btw! 😀👍🤗
Haha, yes very handy piece of equipment Nash. Aussie Disposals.
Kmart, Big W all sell then for around 10 dollars
I am having some issues with a few of my images. Halo shapes in dark areas . Is it over processing. Pushing the sliders too much ? Keep them coming.
It could well be that Bruce, it's hard to know for sure. All cameras are different in how they respond to editing.
@@nightscapeimages.richard it's a D750 and usually a sigma Art 20mm.
@@brucemullis479 That's a good combination Bruce. I can't see that being a problem in post production. Sometimes pushing things like clarity or de-haze can do funny things. PS: Thanks so much for your generous support.
In your notes "Night Photography Shooting Guide" you suggest turning off live view before taking the shot. What is the reason for this? Thanks
Hey Jerry, that's mainly for better battery life. It won't have any negative impact on the image if you leave it on. Most mirrorless cameras are always in live view anyway . .as well as that a lot of Canon cameras automatically turn off live view after a set amount of time. The rear screen takes a fair amount of battery power to run and that's my logic.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Thanks!
I am about to purchase a new camera. Concerning tilting screen as on the M6 Mark II or a fully reciprocating screen as on the 90d or RP, which is better for astrophotography? Thanks
@@jerryfortenberry1956 Well out of those 3 choices the RP is the best as it has the largest sensor. For most photography not a big deal but for very low light and high iso work as in astrophotography .. it really does make a difference. So I'd go RP first, then 90D then M6mk2.
Hi!
If im going to buy the DSLR Nikon d5600 what lens do you recommend to buy for this kind of photos?
thanks!
Thanks for watching. My preference is the Tokina 14-20 f2 or maybe the Samyang 16mm f2 for that camera.
Nightscape Images Just to know , the kit lens on this camera will provide similar results or there is a big difference between them? Of course that i am going to get better result with the lens you mentioned .. but for a beginner can i make similar images as you did with the kit lens?
Thank you very much for responding!!
🙏🙏🙏
@@orion7600 I think the kit lens for that camera will be the same as the one I used.
Nightscape Images Thanks 😊 when I’ll buy i may ask you more in the future. I love this kind of photos a lot!! Thanks again.
Hey, Richard. Here's one of my latest thanks to you. In your other videos of course with your more advanced multiple exposures with layering in photoshop. You're helping me learn how to do it.
i.ibb.co/dfsZQQc/Image00004.jpg
Of course, I see where I still need some practice. I should of focus stacked of course and I'm not very good at blending yet haha. I need to learn to use more of a softer brush and whatnot and perhaps take a few more photos too but hey, for just starting out with the main principles anyway, of layering and stacking and whatnot and just low level light kinda sorta used as some light painting but of course that's not the same as when my flashlight and gel arrive so I incorporate that instead for my light dynamics but I have the general idea down. Now just for a few hundred hours so I can get good! Having a blast!
Nikon D610 w/ Rokinon (Samyang) 24mm f/1.4
I popped out the Milky Way reflection using the method you demonstrated on the barrel by using the radial filter. I do that to my core reflection whenever I have one in water. It's simple and really makes it pop! :) In fact, I always use one (with a heavy feather is the trick) right on my Milky Way core too and generally bring up the highlights, whites and exposure all just a bit. Going pretty heavy on the highlights and whites.
That's a beautiful image . .really nice indeed. I'm so pleased you are inspired to get out there under the stars my friend.
that a great image
@@sarikaFauzi Thanks guys! I have a couple years practice with a crop sensor and taking single exposures but the new to me full frame and these multiple exposures is so next level! I'm just a couple weeks in in this more advanced stuff. This is my first one here with the new to me D610. Street lighting and a few exposures with me lighting up the tree. A pano stitch too and stacked sky using sequator.
i.ibb.co/nQ7LMTH/1.jpg
How do you download the cards please
Have a look at the link in the description above. You'll see a download link.
I would have tried to focus at least one one star....somehow. So you`re saying that you`ve focused on the building by using F2.2? and that worked as infinity...as a consequence, the stars are crystal clear?.....mmmhhhhh.
Well, that's what you normally do with fast glass, yes. However with a kit lens that only stops down to 3.5 the lcd screen wont show anything at all. You'll never see a star no matter how much you zoom in on the lcd, it's simply not fast enough glass. That's why you have to use that method with a kit lens / any lens probably below 2.8 ish range. With some fast glass, that stops down to 1.4 or 1.8 for example, you can point to a star, zoom in on it using live view and focus right on it and Bob's your uncle.
@@Warrior_Resisting_Colonialism super, thanks... that's what I thought.... :-)
It's all about the maths involved in lenses. Take a look at a depth of field chart and it will clearly state where the infinity focus point starts. See here: www.photopills.com/calculators/dof-table
You can't compare APS-C from Nikon/Canon/Sony to their 24x36 models. Those brands use APS-C as low-level, budget, cheap cameras. If you do like Panasonic or Fuji with their micro 4/3 and APS-C, they make high-end cameras with these sensors. The result is then way better than the equivalent from Nikon/Canon/Sony. It's just a matter of positioning. Nikon wants you to buy their more expensive 24x36 models. They give you a reason with cheap APS-C. If you are so much focused on sensor size, move to Fuji's GFX Medium Format. After all, in film era, 24x36 was the smallest size :) Why think it's now the ultimate size? Marketing, marketing...
Thanks for your comments, appreciate you watching.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Hey, I should have add that your videos are good. Didn't want to sound rude, but reading myself again, that's what it looks like. Sorry for that.
@@flexable9256 All good my friend, no offence taken at all. I always appreciate people's comments.
👍📸🌌👍 Продаю d 7000 покупаю z6 ))
The Z6 is a marvelous camera for nightscapes.
your talking chalk and cheese if you used the same sort of lens eg length on the 3 cameras then you can compare images better
Yes you are right Andrew, but the main point of this video isn't to compare the images .. it's to get the ideas, motivation and techniques for shooting the images.
And, btw, it has to be said that you are cheating, you in Southern Hemisphere! You have one more month of milky way and a better angle to the Core. :)
Haha, sorry about that. In fact we can see the milky way core from late January til start of November .. but I'll take it.