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  1. #1
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    Default Ideal camera settings?

    My birds off to Iceland in November, she has a Samsung NX 1000 camera and is wondering what the best settings to use, for the northern lights?

    She has a tripod but only the standard provided lens.

    Would it be best to use the smart setting or a manual setting?

    Cheers

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    DF VIP Member Bilbo_baggin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ideal camera settings?

    Thanks to Bilbo_baggin

    Ashley (22nd October 2016)  


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    Default Re: Ideal camera settings?

    Thank you that's great.

    Thanks to Ashley

    Bilbo_baggin (22nd October 2016)  


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    Default Re: Ideal camera settings?

    My Northern Lights photos here. https://ipc.smugmug.com/Landscapes/Iceland-2016/

    Not as good as some that you might see by other photographers mainly as we were on the "guided tours" as opposed to hiring a car and driving out ourselves next time we go however, for my first ever trip to a Northern Lights hotspot, and being so darn lucky enough to see them. They're perfectly acceptable for me

    To find out the settings for each shot, select the image and click the little circle with the "i" in it in the bottom right. Most shots are between 10 and 30 seconds at F/3.5, ISO 320 - 800 (perhaps some other ISO's also) and 10mm FL.


    The standard lens on the NX1000 I think goes down as wide as 20mm which should be fine. Try the Manual setting on the camera, set ISO to 800, set to 20mm, open up the lens as wide as it'll go (so F/3.5) then try a 10 to 15 second exposure. If it's too dark, go for 20 seconds or increase ISO to 1000. You can go higher but this will introduce ISO noise. I'm not sure how that camera handles ISO noise, if the image is very grainy, drop the ISO to 400 but she'll need to expose for a longer time, 30 seconds or so. The problem with using "Smart" functions etc. is that unless there's specifically a setting for Northern Lights or a Long exposure, the camera will try to get a quick shutter, sharp image as best exposed as it can which will generally not capture the movement of the lights.


    Bear in mind, my ISO settings were based on the fkin street lights that were all over the place (despite them telling us not to look at a mobile phone as the light from it can ruin your view of the Northern lights). If your Girlfriend is in a MUCH darker sky area, she will likely need to increase ISO to 4000 or higher to capture foreground detail but again, the settings all depend on the conditions at the time. There is no exact go to setting.
    Last edited by dpSparhawk; 22nd October 2016 at 09:33 PM.

    Thanks to dpSparhawk

    Ashley (23rd October 2016)  


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    Default Re: Ideal camera settings?

    Quote Originally Posted by dpSparhawk View Post
    My Northern Lights photos here. https://ipc.smugmug.com/Landscapes/Iceland-2016/

    Not as good as some that you might see by other photographers mainly as we were on the "guided tours" as opposed to hiring a car and driving out ourselves next time we go however, for my first ever trip to a Northern Lights hotspot, and being so darn lucky enough to see them. They're perfectly acceptable for me

    To find out the settings for each shot, select the image and click the little circle with the "i" in it in the bottom right. Most shots are between 10 and 30 seconds at F/3.5, ISO 320 - 800 (perhaps some other ISO's also) and 10mm FL.


    The standard lens on the NX1000 I think goes down as wide as 20mm which should be fine. Try the Manual setting on the camera, set ISO to 800, set to 20mm, open up the lens as wide as it'll go (so F/3.5) then try a 10 to 15 second exposure. If it's too dark, go for 20 seconds or increase ISO to 1000. You can go higher but this will introduce ISO noise. I'm not sure how that camera handles ISO noise, if the image is very grainy, drop the ISO to 400 but she'll need to expose for a longer time, 30 seconds or so. The problem with using "Smart" functions etc. is that unless there's specifically a setting for Northern Lights or a Long exposure, the camera will try to get a quick shutter, sharp image as best exposed as it can which will generally not capture the movement of the lights.


    Bear in mind, my ISO settings were based on the fkin street lights that were all over the place (despite them telling us not to look at a mobile phone as the light from it can ruin your view of the Northern lights). If your Girlfriend is in a MUCH darker sky area, she will likely need to increase ISO to 4000 or higher to capture foreground detail but again, the settings all depend on the conditions at the time. There is no exact go to setting.
    Thank you that's a great help.

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