how do you shoot long exposures back to back?

Im talking about people shooting a hundred plus pictures over an hour or longer, like 15 or 30 sec exposures, then combining them in PS. Ive seen how to combine them but I don't understand how you shoot it back to back, unless you sit there with a stopwatch and remote shutter release and manually press it every 15 sec. Is there an easier, automatic way? i have a 50d with a remote shutter release if it helps any

Yeah, there is actually. The way I do it, and I'm not sure if it's the easiest way, but I use to use a remote shutter that I would put one of those large black paperclips on the button and make it stay depressed. If you put the camera in "continuous mode" shooting (the usual three choices are single shot, continuous shooting and timer) and then lock down the shutter release remote, it will continue to take pictures back-to-back until you release the shutter remote. All you need to do is set your shutter speed (15", 30", etc...). What I've moved to now is I've made a homemade shutter release with three parts from radio shot costing ~10$. Basically it consists of a simple on/off switch that I can flip on to start taking pictures and flip off when I'm finished. However, I'm pretty sure there are shutter releases that are made to be locked down. This is exactly how I create my star trails, and it's awful convenient to be able to set up the camera and leave it to shoot for however long you want it too. Hope this helps.

I bought an ebay clone of the canon remote and it allows you to set exposure times, total frame numbers, and the delay between each frame if required. It also has a locking shutter button too if you want to do it that way.

This is the one I bought

ohhh duh! thanks dude, idk why i couldnt figure it out lol. i was stuck thinking it had to be in bulb mode for some reason ha. i just need a fat clip to put on my remote's button, heck i could just tape a rock to it!

pixelbasher- that sounds super pimp. mine is just your normal one, ive seen those on ebay though thats awesome

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …e_Controller_TC​_80N3.html

Although there are countless cheaper options on Ebay, Hong Kong, etc..

You can also do it, tethered to a laptop.

Oh, and make sure Mirror Lock-Up is off, otherwise continuous shooting doesn't work.

One of the easiest methods I have used is the EOS software and a USB cable, granted you are tethered but if you are shooting hundreds of images you're not going anywhere anyway. You can do this on batteries but AC adapters are way more convenient and then you are really tethered.

But a timer remote is probably just as easy without the need for all the cords.

The OP asked for "easier, automatic" not necessarily cheaper. But since the EOS software comes with the camera and if your reading this you have a computer... USB cables are pretty cheap.

APG-Angus wrote in post #9043221
... USB cables are pretty cheap.

And mine came with the camera (I think) so control from the PC was free for me. Though I did buy one of those power adapters because I don't want a series of shots to die halfway through down to the battery running out.

Adrena1in wrote in post #9043489
And mine came with the camera (I think) so control from the PC was free for me. Though I did buy one of those power adapters because I don't want a series of shots to die halfway through down to the battery running out.

Yes, I believe you get a 6' cable but I bought an 6' extension so i can sit inside the house, lazy, but warm. I will be getting an AC adapter even though I found that I could shoot well over 500 frames on one battery @ about 35 degrees F.

I really enjoy the image taking process and prefer a more hands on approach when using a telescope and mount. In the course of a good night I get between 30-40 5-minute exposures. I use the Canon TC80N3, but since I use mirror lock I trigger the exposures manually(2 clicks) and wait for the timer to count it down and end the exposure. With a nice pair of astro binos in hand it's easy to pass the time during exposures. By imaging this way I can better monitor my tracking periodically and make necessary corrections. Automation is great if you have a close-to-flawless rig and all runs as planned with a means to monitor exposures remotely(i.e. laptop), otherwise many exposures can end up in the trash bin.

In the case of a tripod and camera/lens set up I could see full automation being the way to go(laptop & software). That's one of the very nice things about tripod work, it requires no real gear monitoring aside from dew or frost on the glass, unless a dew heater and strap are used for prevention.

With my point & shoot I made a little wad of paper, put it on the shutter button and held it on with a rubber band. Set the camera to 15 seconds, repeat while shutter held and left it to it. I'm sure a similar method would work with a DSLR.

You don't need to do the double click for mirror lockup if you use the timer. If mirror lockup is set, it will lift the mirror then time for 2 or 10 sec and then open the shutter. That means that you can set the camera to 30 sec exposures with mirror lock enabled, timer on 2 sec and just lock the shutter.

With live-view cameras you don't have to set mirror lock on. Just put it into live view mode and lock the shutter. At the end of the exposure the mirror lifts up, then there's the timer delay and then the shutter opens. The advantage is that you don't have to go into the menu between astro use and daytime use and therefore, you can't forget to turn off mirror lockup.

Steve.

I operate like Steve (Nighthound). The camera is working away with the button locked down but I'm there too with the binoculars. If a cloud (or plane) comes past then I just put my hat over the lens and take a dark frame or two

Us the EOS utility and it allows you to sequence a series of pictures say 20 of 10mins each with a 1 min delay between pictures to let the CCD chip cool down.

Basically control it via the USB cable and save direct to your computer.

It is on the Canon Software disc.

Good info in here.. thanks!