1st attempt

This is my 1st attempt at capturing the Milky Way. Taken about half way up Mt Sinai in Egypt. Unfortunately it was a guided walk, so i didn't get much time to experiment..

Any pointers on getting rid of the noise would be much appreciated. My camera (1Dmkii) doesn't seem to handle noise in long exposures very well at all!?! This was a 25 second exposure at 17mm. ISO400

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awesome shot. im no expert, but it seem out of focus, no?

victorelessar wrote in post #14383766
awesome shot. im no expert, but it seem out of focus, no?

Indeed it is. The lens was set to infinity, to capture the stars. If i hadn't been rushing, i'd probably have thought to focus stack.. You live and learn hehe!

really nice, sure is a lot better than any of my attempts at this

It looks a little out of focus but you are off to a great start.
What f-stop? and did you use mirror lock up?

Cheers Doug, If i remember correctly (i'll check tomorrow) it was wide open (f4). I didn't use mirror lock-up, as i didn't think there would be any benefit with a 25 second exposure!?! Do you think it would have made a difference?

Yes, I do. also a cable release or set timer. Anything you can do to minimize camera shake.

looking forward to more from you.

Best,

doug

beano wrote in post #14383798
Indeed it is. The lens was set to infinity, to capture the stars. If i hadn't been rushing, i'd probably have thought to focus stack.. You live and learn hehe!

I do believe I have read many times that you should focus to infinity then back off just a hair.

^ yep, most go "past" the infinity mark if you go all the way till the focus ring stops

Ah! Maybe that's where i've gone wrong then.. I knew i should have practiced more before heading to Egypt! I might be going back in November, so hopefully i'll get another chance to get it right.

good luck...

I have issues with noise on my 1dmkii as well. When i've done some storm chasing with 20-80 sec exposures the noise gets real bad. The only thing I've been able to do about it is noise reduction in PP. LR3 has good noise reduction.

Digitally_Altered wrote in post #14387834
good luck...

Thanks

CK-Photo wrote in post #14389352
I have issues with noise on my 1dmkii as well. When i've done some storm chasing with 20-80 sec exposures the noise gets real bad. The only thing I've been able to do about it is noise reduction in PP. LR3 has good noise reduction.

Thanks, i'll take a look at Lightroom. I'm glad it's not just me, i was starting to think the sensor was on its way out hehe!

Great first try.....way better than mine...!!

As to the "infinity" question, if you look at your lens manual it explains that the "infinity mark" is not the best setting for "normal" conditions. You want to use the "inverted 'L' in the distance scale.

As for the noise, well, first off the camera should have a "Long Exposure Noise Reduction" setting that would be worth playing with, although I'd think that 25 sec wouldn't yield such bad results. But give that a try.

For post-processing, I've seen some excellent work done using some of the specialized "plug-in" software for this type of scene, but I can't find the thread I'm remembering! Dang! Maybe if you check in the Raw, Post Processing and Printing sub-forum someone will have helpful suggestions:

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdis​play.php?f=18