M50 + sigma 100-400mm c + canon x2 mkiii pushing the limits a bit, need to make an extension to the tripod mount to cradle the end of the lens so it settles quicker 800mm iso 100, ss 1/6 ƒ25
I had no idea what that was so I looked it up, I now can see why you needed to sit it on your front wall. Here's a idea, though you may have already considered it. Next time you are shooting at 800mm, to help reduce vibration, put some sand in a plastic bag and then put it in a old pillow-case. wrap the whole lot around the legs of the tripod or make up 4 smaller ones, one in the middle of the legs and the other 3 sat on the legs. This will stabilize the camera and help absorb any errant vibration, eg. nearby traffic etc. One of my Photography students does a similar thing, She has a light plastic tripod and weighs it down with a sand bag when she uses her larger lenses.
the legs are solid on it, the problem is the balance point, i need to lave the mount touch the end or close to ens of the lens so its not pulling down, same way when we hold a longer set up we have one hand on the camera and one on the lens. i have the 3way gear head too that helps alot more, not really done anything as yet to mount it properly as i'm still looking to get the 100 - 600mm
Just a thought, in my previous comment about using a sand bag, there is no reason why you can not put your camera on your tripod and have the lens resting on the sandbag, this will help alleviate any vibration, I must admit a 100 -600m lens is a pretty sexy lens. I had my 75 to 600mm lens with two times extender set up in my lounge room looking at the top of Mount Wellington, my son is embarrassed about it thinking the neighbors might see me and think I am a peeping tom.
i once had a neighbour who had the same concerns so i pointed the camera and lens at her house, put it in manual, threw the focus way out and took a picture, i showed her the blurred un ledgeble image and told her the hens was too big to focus on her house. it set her mind at ease, well i had to or she might draw the curtains........................ as for the sand bag on lens thing, yes that can work but it makes moving it a pita as then the tripod has to be moved as well to rest on the sand. the trick i do is to place the planet in the path of the center of the lens so by the time the lens settles down it should be in the right place,
Don't know much of astrophotography. Does the use of gimbal based tracker help getting better images? I have heard this being talked about in another forum. It is in my wish list to get the Milky Way at some point in time.
Pretty impressive image with the gear that you are using, and where you are located. How much of a crop did you need to do to get the final image? Any chance of seeing the uncropped image? Gary
Grab a tracker and it will make milky way images better. But be warned, once you start, it opens up a whole new world. Yell out if you want a few ideas. Gary
Thanks. Sure will do when I get a chance to visit a place with less of light pollution. Haven't done much of travel these days.
I'd be very pleased to get an image as good as yours, and there's no hidden sarcasm in that statement! I worked with a guy who's hobby was astrophotography and he took some pictures that pretty much rivalled the stuff you see by the pro's. Absolutely stunning images. But..... he had a very well paid job, good enough to build his own motorised observatory in his garden! (He was one of our top boffins ) I've had some expensive hobbies over the years, but this guy was in a whole other league!
I agree. This is by no means a small achievement given the planet is so far away and the shot was made from London.
he he he he, Rookie tripod user mistake, known about it so i have no real excuse apart from i very rarely use a tripod, the "settlement" was cos i had the image stabilization on on the lens!!!!, with it off it does what it should do, shake for a few seconds when i let go of the lens then stays still. rather than wandering around. TBH someone here should have realized that and mentioned it, so i'm going to blame you guys in post...................... not really
Does locking the mirror help prevent the shake? How does mirrorless camera pan out in these situations?
i have the M50 therefore it has no mirror, (insert lipstick joke here) the shake is just the vibration from letting go of the camera, i have a remote for the m50 and 2sec or 10sec timer, now i sorted the wandering issue i should be good for a better focus and be able to shoot a little bit longer shutter speed, obviously jupiter moves pretty fast at 800mm across the frame without a tracker. a side note to this, when i took the 2mm macro shot with twin x2 converters i was having the same wandering after i let go of the lens, i was a bit baffled back then why it was moving so much, i put it down to the stupidly high magnification and the number of items in the set up, as there were a few ext tubes as well. should make for some better high mag macro stuff now i know the issue. the camera shake isnt actually a problem, the wandering was because it was longer than 10sec
Didn't know M stood for mirrorless. Obviously the limiting factor here is the optical resolution. I think a tracker may offer a solution to the atmospheric noise issues (in addition to reducing the motion blur). Acquiring multiple exposures and averaging can help with this.
