Lens for taking night stars


ahboy168

Senior Member
Mar 30, 2009
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I will be going Cameron highland in next few days. Which prime is a must have to take night stars or landscape sun rise with just a mini-tripod on 5dmk2 ?
 

I will be going Cameron highland in next few days. Which prime is a must have to take night stars or landscape sun rise with just a mini-tripod on 5dmk2 ?

I will just take a UWA...I wonder why must it be a prime?
 

do you already know the exact spot for the shoots?

for me, I will pack all if I have no ideal of how the place will be like, and I will consider myself very lucky if I able to get what I want at my first visit to the place.
 

I will be staying at Equatorial hotel.
Maybe can take at balcony.
Mini- tripod that look like spider leg type which can mount on tree, etc.

Intend to bring just 24-70/2.8 and 20/2.8.
F2.8 means long shutter ..... I think.
 

I will be staying at Equatorial hotel.
Maybe can take at balcony.
Mini- tripod that look like spider leg type which can mount on tree, etc.

Intend to bring just 24-70/2.8 and 20/2.8.
F2.8 means long shutter ..... I think.
you want to shoot sunrise sunset at f2.8? that is very interesting,
and you want to shoot star trail at hotel balcony? that is very interesting too, for what I know people will go to remote places like desert or wilderness to shoot star trails.
 

I mean taking picture that can show earth do rotate in total darkness except thousand of stars !
Really Newbie in this area.
 

I will be staying at Equatorial hotel.
Maybe can take at balcony.
Mini- tripod that look like spider leg type which can mount on tree, etc.

Intend to bring just 24-70/2.8 and 20/2.8.
F2.8 means long shutter ..... I think.
hmm...are you saying... if u have a 24 F1.2 prime for eg.. you going to shoot at 1.2? is that why u asked for a prime lens in your first post? hmm..cool..i wont use such wide aperture tho. I dontknow what u can get from your balcony..but usually...isnt it better to go some wide empty area for stars? hmm..
 

That why I post my qns here ....
 

er, you want to shoot stars or star trails?

either way, you need to be away from the urban/residential areas where there are light pollution which will decrease the contrast of your stars (if you can see any).
 

F2.8 means long shutter ..... I think.

Erm. Please do consider reading up on the basics. In fact, you can even test this on your camera. Switch to Av mode, set the aperture to 2.8 and look at the shutter speed. Now set it to 11 - look at the shutter speed. Notice anything?

FYI, people who shoot star trails travel faaaaaar to get away from all lights. I mean, middle of the desert, on top of mountains, etc. If you are shooting from a hotel balcony, I'm 99% sure you will have too much light pollution. You'll need to have a clear sky use bulb mode, shoot several shots up to 20-30minutes each, then consider stacking software, etc....
 

I will be staying at Equatorial hotel.
Maybe can take at balcony.
Mini- tripod that look like spider leg type which can mount on tree, etc.

Intend to bring just 24-70/2.8 and 20/2.8.
F2.8 means long shutter ..... I think.
I stayed there before. I stayed in a Club Room.
A room with balcony. If not, I doubt you can get any balcony. :dunno:

I can show you a pic from up there, using film cam.
 

F1030008.jpg


Here's the pic, facing the old streets. Took using a film SLR and a kit lens + tripod. This pic was dated a few years ago.
When I was there, the wind was strong. Just to take note.
 

I stayed at Equatorial Hotel before and seriously, I don't recall I have any chance to do star trails. Good luck and be sure to have fun shooting your first star trail.
 

I doubt you'll see any stars, maybe Sirus at best. There's too much ambient light, coupled with the humidity which is not much these days , you're unlikely to get a clear sky view to see much.

The reason for deserts is that there's little moisture in the air to stop the light coming down and almost no ambient light except the nearby towns.

I had the good luck to be at such a place. The sky is full of stars with almost no gaps, very very different from what we see here.
 

If you want to do star trails nearer to spore, go to some isolated dark beaches with no lights up north or stay on a kelong far out at sea and point cam away from the kelong lights... your best chance and Good Luck. Cameroon most unlikely.

If you've ever at some far out in the "wild" and look at some "distant city" you will see a canopy of light halo overhanging the city.
 

newbies here too, i have d7000 with it kit lens 18mm to 105 and brought a prime len f1.8 50g. Care to advise what is the setting to take star?

next month i be at taiwan, nantao cingjing , staying at starry night minsu which i believe there be spot where no light can be seem and just stars. thanks
 

Last night .... Too misty.
Maybe tonight I drive out to some spot near plantation ... If weather is good. Hehe