T2I and a Nifty Fifty

Weather permitting, I am hoping to go up to the lake next weekend and would like to take some sunset and star pictures.

For the star pictures, I plan on using my Nifty Fifty and T2i. I heard that F2 to F3 is sharper than 1.8, so will give that a try. I also plan to go between 20 and 25 seconds for the exposure. The camera will be tethered to my laptop.

Does anyone know if I will start getting star trails at that time or should I shorten the time up a bit? Also, should I be taking multiple shots and stacking them later? I want to capture the Milky Way over the lake at night.

Thanks in advance...
Al

Chopper Al wrote in post #14522177
Weather permitting, I am hoping to go up to the lake next weekend and would like to take some sunset and star pictures.

For the star pictures, I plan on using my Nifty Fifty and T2i. I heard that F2 to F3 is sharper than 1.8, so will give that a try. I also plan to go between 20 and 25 seconds for the exposure. The camera will be tethered to my laptop.

Does anyone know if I will start getting star trails at that time or should I shorten the time up a bit? Also, should I be taking multiple shots and stacking them later? I want to capture the Milky Way over the lake at night.

Thanks in advance...
Al

In this thread, see post #21 for a guide on exposure times vs star trailing.

In short, that's probably too long for that focal length on a crop camera. 6 to 8 sec is more likely to work, depending on just how much elongation you consider "good enough". Do you have the kit 18-55? If you can drop to 18mm, you should be able to get 20 to 30 sec without trailing.

Thanks everyone.

archer1960 wrote in post #14524560
In short, that's probably too long for that focal length on a crop camera. 6 to 8 sec is more likely to work, depending on just how much elongation you consider "good enough". Do you have the kit 18-55? If you can drop to 18mm, you should be able to get 20 to 30 sec without trailing.

What would be more likely to give a better picture? A 50mm at 6 seconds or 18mm at 20 seconds?

Chopper Al wrote in post #14525409
Thanks everyone.

What would be more likely to give a better picture? A 50mm at 6 seconds or 18mm at 20 seconds?

Define "better"? Unless your 50 is one of the high-end 50's (1.2 or 1.4), you probably won't see much difference in sharpness between the 18-55 and a standard 50. However, being able to do longer exposures with the wider lens means you'll get much brighter exposures without having to stack individual images or crank the ISO way up. If you're shooting the Milky Way, 50 is too long anyway; you need a much wider FOV for the best composition. In fact, I find 18mm to be rather narrow on a crop; my best Milky Way shots have come with my Tokina 11-16.

Since you're shooting relatively short exposures any way, try them both lenses at various exposure lengths and see what you get, and which ones you like better.

I guess by better I meant brighter and more stars. Sharpness and clarity is definitely a factor as well. I can't afford a proper wide angle like the Tokina that was mentioned.

Sounds like your idea of shooting with both would be the best way to go. Also, I looked at Stellarium and it looks like the Milky is still close to the horizon this time of year. So, I will practice and see what I get this weekend and get ready for when it is higher in the sky later in the summer.

Al