| Joined: | Mon Apr 2nd, 2012 |
| Location: | South Lakeland, UK |
| Posts: | 4066 |
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One of the things I had hoped for with the D800 was increased sensitivity and greater detail, with an absence of banding and excessive heat generated noise, for my astro photography.
Last night after a very large New Years roast Dinner with the family, as the tribe drove away, Christopher suggested we take advantage of a clear Moonless sky and take the new D800 out. I leaped at the chance, grabbing my heaviest tripod, the D800 and the 16mm fisheye, we braved the icy roads and headed for the hills. It was bitterly cold but quickly setting up and returning to the car for a couple of mince pies and a sip of coffee from the flask kept the seasonal theme.
About 25 minutes later I judged I would have enough for a stack, about 40, 20 second exposures with 20 second intervals at f/4, ISO 3200. All saved as NEF's. My intended use is to stack them to intensify the stars.
I then took a further 50, 30 second exposures @ f/5.6 for star trails. I have processed these files and created the final star trail image. This is where the superb definition of the D800 becomes a problem... It can define so many stars, so clearly that the sky is filled with trails.
The individual stars are very clear, well defined and sharp, previously with other cameras the stars were just an indistinct blob of light, with the D800 even with the Nikkor 16mm f/2.8 fisheye lens each and every star is clear and very distinct, OK there was CA but Lightroom dealt with that perfectly, CA gone.
Taken at Stickle Pike, in the Lake District; Orion bottom right, Ursa Major, top left, the Milky Way is central, top to bottom.
Attachment: Stickle StarTrails 2019.jpg (Downloaded 24 times)
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Robert.