Once again the forecast was clear all night. Did it MEAN it?
Yes it did.
The OM1 can stack up to 6hrs of star trails, then you have to start again. Lens is covered in heating pads to prevent fogging, the camera can tolerate -10degrees C and it was pretty nippy last night.
The 2 6hr stacks are then combined in StarStax.
This is my very first cloudless 12 hour stack and I'm very, very pleased with it. Next clear night I'll go wider with the 7-14 lens.
160123 & 170123OM1170123
Doggie mummy living in ancient York, Yorkshire, England.
Joined 1st Jan 2018
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I take photos, am not a photographer.
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@fbailey thanks, but my part is easy, the camera does all the hard work and starstax takes about a second to stack the 2 images. No way would I try to stack the 2880 15 second images that make up this shot! Sky looks promising tonight so I’m trying the 7mm lens. Xx
@merrelyn ok. In menu 2 bulb/time/comp settings set live comp timer to 6hrs. Decide how long you want each comp exposure, I use 15 secs. I also set live time to 4 secs. Obviously sturdy tripod and remote control, dew heaters for the lens if you are somewhere cold.
Point camera where you want, mine is to Polaris which conveniently lives above my chimney! Then I use live time to check that I’m aiming where I want, that ISO is ok. F2.8, 12mm with this lens, 7 with the other which I’ll play with tonight. When I;m happy I set live comp and let it run. Check after about 5 minutes, adjust if necessary. I have 2 Anker powercore+26800 to run camera and heater.
The 2 images created by OM1 are then stacked together in StarStax which is a very fast, free programme.
Try it, you’ve nothing to lose and a lot of fun to gain. Hope your Sky Gods will be kinder than mine but getting 12 hours clear and this photo has wiped away all the frustration.
Hope what I’ve said makes sense.
Good luck🤞🤞📷
Just looked, I doubt you’ll be troubled by minus temperatures! Better still, you might even be able to see the Milky Way, THAT would be wonderful.
If you do decide to go for star gazing, if you can, try to find something a little more interesting than a chimney. I have no choice, but if you have a beautiful building or a tree for example, it will add to the scene.
Again, good luck
Further thoughts. Your battery will last a maximum of 6 hours. The Anker Powercore will keep you running all night and charge the camera battery at the same time. A worthy investment.
@jesika2 Wow, thanks for the explanation, which I've saved for future reference. What ISO did you use? It will be a while before I can try it because I live in suburbia and there is too much light pollution for astro. Hopefully we'll get a camping trip in when the weather cools down.
@merrelyn hello again. ISO was 640 with an f2.8 lens, that’s my starting point. As for being suburban, so am I. About 2 miles from city centre and 1 mile from the end of the city. Just because you can’t see anything does mean OM1 can’t. In fact I’ve been told one of my star shots showed a faint trace of the Milky Way! Now it’s been pointed out, it’s obvious. Experiments required and will be carried out with ISO and time later in the year. Just point OM1 to the south celestial pole and let him do his magic, who knows what you’ll see? Not sure how you’d find that but the internet will tell you. Look forward to seeing your spectacular results.
Yet another thought. If you do decide to aim for the stars, use the starry sky auto focus. Set the bulb to live time, achieve focus by the AF-ON button on the back of the camera. When it focuses then return to live comp and everything should be ok. 🤞📷👏⭐️
Point camera where you want, mine is to Polaris which conveniently lives above my chimney! Then I use live time to check that I’m aiming where I want, that ISO is ok. F2.8, 12mm with this lens, 7 with the other which I’ll play with tonight. When I;m happy I set live comp and let it run. Check after about 5 minutes, adjust if necessary. I have 2 Anker powercore+26800 to run camera and heater.
The 2 images created by OM1 are then stacked together in StarStax which is a very fast, free programme.
Try it, you’ve nothing to lose and a lot of fun to gain. Hope your Sky Gods will be kinder than mine but getting 12 hours clear and this photo has wiped away all the frustration.
Hope what I’ve said makes sense.
Good luck🤞🤞📷
Just looked, I doubt you’ll be troubled by minus temperatures! Better still, you might even be able to see the Milky Way, THAT would be wonderful.
If you do decide to go for star gazing, if you can, try to find something a little more interesting than a chimney. I have no choice, but if you have a beautiful building or a tree for example, it will add to the scene.
Again, good luck
Further thoughts. Your battery will last a maximum of 6 hours. The Anker Powercore will keep you running all night and charge the camera battery at the same time. A worthy investment.
Ian
Yet another thought. If you do decide to aim for the stars, use the starry sky auto focus. Set the bulb to live time, achieve focus by the AF-ON button on the back of the camera. When it focuses then return to live comp and everything should be ok. 🤞📷👏⭐️