W/NW Night Photos

largedrink said:
Thanks dourbalistar your monochrome night sky photos are amazing, I'm inspired to try some myself. I haven't taken any night photos for a long time.
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Thank you, largedrink, very much appreciated! I usually bring a tripod with me on trips where there might be darker skies away from bright city lights. Most of the time, I set the aperture to f/8, focus to infinity, and go do something else for a little while. :)
 
dourbalistar said:
Thank you, largedrink, very much appreciated! I usually bring a tripod with me on trips where there might be darker skies away from bright city lights. Most of the time, I set the aperture to f/8, focus to infinity, and go do something else for a little while. :)
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How about film recommendations? I'm guessing as fine-grained as possible. Why f/8?
 
Arcadia, Los Angeles County, California, USoA


Image by Taipei-metro

Fujifilm XT-100,
7Artisans 25mmF1.8 Lens made in China (37.5mm 相當)
 
largedrink said:
How about film recommendations? I'm guessing as fine-grained as possible. Why f/8?
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I should probably preface that I'm no expert in astrophotography. I kind of brute force things, so my recommendations may not have any basis in actual sound advice. ;)

I mostly use 400 speed film, so I'm afraid I wouldn't be much help for specific film recommendations. I do think there's probably a trade-off between finer grained slow films versus exposure times (accounting for reciprocity). As for f/8, if I can't set up a composition before night sets, the viewfinder is pretty much black. My thought is that stopping down to f/8 gives ample depth of field while keeping any foreground elements reasonably sharp and in focus. Mostly, that combination keeps me from overthinking things and just being free to see whatever comes out.
 
dourbalistar said:
I should probably preface that I'm no expert in astrophotography. I kind of brute force things, so my recommendations may not have any basis in actual sound advice. ;)

I mostly use 400 speed film, so I'm afraid I wouldn't be much help for specific film recommendations. I do think there's probably a trade-off between finer grained slow films versus exposure times (accounting for reciprocity). As for f/8, if I can't set up a composition before night sets, the viewfinder is pretty much black. My thought is that stopping down to f/8 gives ample depth of field while keeping any foreground elements reasonably sharp and in focus. Mostly, that combination keeps me from overthinking things and just being free to see whatever comes out.
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Thanks again dourbalistar I like your approach. Last question I promise, do you find you get better results with any particular focal length lens? Im not sure whether it matters or not for astrophotography - I must do more reading.
 
largedrink said:
Thanks again dourbalistar I like your approach. Last question I promise, do you find you get better results with any particular focal length lens? Im not sure whether it matters or not for astrophotography - I must do more reading.
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largedrink, I'm afraid I won't be of much help for focal length either, since I've only tried star trails on film with a 50mm lens. I do know that, all else equal, a longer lens will result in longer star trails. For example, given the same exposure time, using a 100mm lens will result in longer star trails compared to a 50mm lens. But like I said, I just use the brute force method and expose for an hour or more. :D
 
I like that one, Taipei-metro. Useful composition, and the trail of lights leading to the precariously-perched crawling figure on the roof. Good one!
 
eyes on the Past

elementary School

Arcadia, Los Angeles County

Image by Taipei-metro

Lumix G6, Zuiko14-42
piC Style; panaStandard
Files reduced fitting R f F
 
Miura Beach​

DSCF3535.jpg
Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fujinon GF 30mm f3.5 lens
Classic Chrome film simulation
Miura Beach, Japan - December 17, 2022
Image resized smaller than original​
 
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