Thanks for the pointers. The light pollution kept my ISO low. I should go to a better location. I tried the focus peaking on the stars. I thought i was in focus. Any tips on manual focusing?
I don't let the light pollution control my exposures, and with the new LR controls, you can really adjust the light pollution areas. For me, on a lens that is not the B18, it is a matter of testing, make an image, zoom in and see what they look like, then try again. We did this out in DV with Alfredo last year and the 16-35GM, just kept making tiny adjustments to get it right. The B18 makes it so easy with the OLED readout. OOF stars look a lot like bokeh balls in the sky, they are not pin point sharp.
Magnify is your friend

You could still over expose in light polluted areas & then drag the sky back down. Probably better than going the other way.
I usually go something like 13-15 seconds, f/1.8, ISO 800-1600 - that's at 21/24mm
I agree, better to be a bit bright and bring it back down. Underexposign the MW and stars mean you can't see them.








