Northern Lights shooting

[Jubb Jubb]

I'm travelling to northern Sweden at Christmas and hopefully going to see some Northern Light action.

I'm wondering if anyone here has done this sort of thing and shot it or have any tips on what to do/how to shoot in these cold and dark conditions?

I was hoping to purchase a Mamiya 7 to take with me, or a digi SLR. Or both.

Thanks for any help

 

[geertvn]

Iso 800 f2.0 15-20 seconds and a wide angle lens (28 or wider) is a good starting point.
Don't let the exposure time go too far beyond 30s to avoid too obvious startrails.
Focusing manually by setting the lens at infinity.
You want a clear sky and a dark envirenment.
Of course you need a tripod.

Very important: good walking boots or shoes with thick soles that lift your body of the ground so your feet stay warm. Sneakers or running shoes are definitely not good for this.

And patience.

 

[sevo]

The Mamiya 7 might do well, at least if you catch the Northern Lights during a warm night (for the season and location). But I have some doubts whether its somewhat complex mechanics will still work in genuine arctic conditions. Personally I'd opt for something less complicated, some basic wide angle medium or large format camera. After all, it is a task for which you could do with a bare lens on a box - no focusing or shutter are required to record subjects at 100km distance with exposure times upward of a minute.

YMMV with digital cameras in freezing conditions, but people have worked out solutions for that. Older (slower) digital cameras have issues with sensor noise in long time exposures (the loss of detail when post-processing the same away led to the slew of very bland plasticky looking Northern Lights shots from 5-10 years ago). Current 35mm FF pro SLRs have sensor speeds fast enough to avoid that - at a price.

 

[sevo]

Regarding star trails - the longer the lens, the earlier these become visible. With a lens starting at f/5.6 and ISO 100 film, you will need around 1-4 minutes exposure, which is ok using a wide. Normal to long lenses may be used while supplies of the last ISO 800 medium format colour film still last - but there I'd go 35mm or digital (and their faster lenses and films/sensors).

 

[Jubb Jubb]

thanks @sevo.

What does YMMV mean? So you think i'd be better getting something like a D800 or 5D for this type of thing?

 

[sevo]

thanks @sevo.

What does YMMV mean? So you think i'd be better getting something like a D800 or 5D for this type of thing?

"Your mileage may vary" (the car ad disclaimer)...

Noise handling at high speed and long exposure times is a matter where even current digital cameras have a lot of variability, and often some odd inconsistencies. And as that is a rarely requested feature, the manufacturers publications and independent tests tend to say nothing useful on that matter. You will really have to research deeper into the matter. Astrophotographers would be the ones to ask - they will know best about low-light DSLRs. Plus mountaineering/arctic expedition photographers for operations in cold weather...

Film has much less issues, in that it does not have long exposure noise (and modern film does not have much reciprocity any more either), and can be shot (for the purpose) with mechanics as trivial as a 19th century camera. But you would be (increasingly) speed limited with colour film, and stuck with slow lenses if you go MF/LF.