Therefore, if you want to try something a bit different, use a lower ISO for one of your star trails sessions! I recommend between ISO 400 - 800. Since our entire image is focused on the stars, this isn't good! You might be surprised at the star colors you can capture when you use a lower ISO. However, this has the potential to clip the highlights (stars). Many people recommend using ISO 1600+ when shooting at night. 3000 - 5200 K White Balance (Don't leave on Auto).Therefore, there are no "default camera settings" when photographing Star Trails, it's entirely up to you! With that being said, here's some settings to get you started:
Click here to see the difference between ISO 100 - 6400, it should give you a good idea of how many stars you can capture. If you shoot at a lower ISO (100-800) you will have far fewer stars, more star colors, and your Star Trails will have some space between them. If you shoot at a high ISO (1600+) you will have tons of stars in your image and your Star Trails will be very dense and bright. If you have a very high-resolution camera, like the Nikon D850, you'll likely want a 128GB card to hold enough images.īefore you take your Star Trails photo, you need to decide how you want the final image to look. If you do not use a fast enough SD Card, your camera may need extra time to process each RAW file, potentially causing gaps in your star trails. The 32 GB card holds roughly 1,000 uncompressed 14 bit RAW images at 24 megapixels. I use these 32 GB SanDisk cards in my D750. You can always test your camera out before leaving the house, to see if your current SD card is fast enough. You will need a Class 10 or UHS Class 3 card to be able to successfully capture Star Trails. The SD Association has created a graph that clearly explains what all the numbers on the card actually mean. You will be shooting potentially hundreds of Long Exposure photographs one-after-the-other for up to 6 hours straight! You cannot afford to have your SD Card get bogged down, as it will completely mess up the interval. Both are quite expensive, but they do a great job for all kinds of photography.Ī large, fast SD card is recommended. I use a Feisol CT-3441T tripod and an Acratech GP Ballhead. Of course, you'll also need a sturdy tripod and ballhead to make sure the camera does not move over the hours. I use a Vello Shutterboss II for some of my astro, it works great. If your camera does not have a built in intervalometer, you will need to purchase a remote that has this capability. You can merge the two exposures in Photoshop. For the foreground, take 1 photo at the beginning or end of the shoot. Alternatively, you can set your camera to capture 90% sky for the star trails photos. This allows you to capture a large portion of the sky and a foreground.
Personally, I would recommend using a Full-Frame camera with a 14mm lens. Since all of your exposures will be blended, the star distortion is not an issue. Any wide angle lens will do, even ones that have bad coma. All you need is a camera with an intervalometer and a wide angle lens.
#Startrail timelapse tutorial full#
You can also do star trails image during a full moon.Ĭapturing star trails doesn't require expensive gear. Even in light polluted areas, you can still capture a great star trails photo. The great thing about star trails is that you do not need a dark sky to get a beautiful image. Basically, the more rows of dark blue squares, the better. These charts can be a bit difficult to understand at first. I would highly recommend using Clear Dark Sky charts to help you pick a good night. In order to get a spectacular Star Trails image, you should try to have a completely clear sky for the duration of your shoot. Temple of the Moon - Star Trails A colorful Star Trails image over the Temple of the MoonĪ clear sky is one of the most important things to watch for when planning a Star Trails photo.
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