Time lapse video: night sky over Lake Powell

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NAXJA Member #135
Location
Albuquerque, NM
One of the things I like the most about getting out in the backcountry is the spectacular stargazing. Unfortunately out of 3 weeks or so of camping I did this year most of the nights were either cloudy or washed out by the moon. Not so for a 3 dayer to Glen Canyon a couple of weekends ago. It was beautiful, warm and clear the duration of the trip. Best of all, the moon was 2 days from new so it didn't wash out the stars. I hung out 2 of the nights in my hammock, enjoying some of the darkest skies in the country. Not wanting to miss anything, I set my camera on a tripod and programmed it to take 30 second exposures every 10 minutes throughout the night.

Click on the photo for the 3.6mb video:
 
That is pretty awesome.
 
A fellow Nikonian!

And with a Nikon D700 too. Man I'm jealous. Were you using Camera Control Pro?

Beautiful images. Quite impressive. I just picked up a D90, hope to get the D700 soon. What lens(es) do you have in your artillery?

Scott
 
Bad ass!


I haven't had much luck with my Nikon point & shoot in time lapse mode. I'll have to keep working on it I guess. Very cool pics.
 
I wish I could view it, but since I rebooted my computer, I can't view .WMV videos online. Anyone have any advise?
 
Nice! You can even spot a couple shooting stars. Sweet vid.
 
Very cool!

Damn you fellow Nikonian's with better camera's than me! lol. I want a FX!! :( I own a D2X body and back that up with a D70s body. Here at work I use a D300 and 2 Hasselblads with Digital Backings.. can you say 64 MP photos? ;-)
 
Yes, it was done with a Nikon D700 and the kit 24-120mm lens. It has a feature Nikon calls an "intervalometer" which you can easily set to automatically take photos at whatever interval you program it to. No additional hardware is needed. I set the camera on a tripod and went to sleep, it did the rest. I mashed the resulting series of photos into a short video using Windows Movie Maker.

The camera has some features I really loved, other than the intervalometer. One that I used all of the time was the artificial horizon. You can check if the camera is level through the viewfinder, on the top LCD or superimposed on the image in Live View. I had a real problem with needing to rotate and crop my photos before, not so with this camera. I programmed the DOF preview button to control this function, since if I am worried about the depth of field of a digital image I just snap a photo and look at the LCD.

Another is the Auto ISO function. The camera adjusts whatever maximum ISO and minimum shutter speed you choose so you can shoot handheld and not get motion blur.

I returned the camera. I was disappointed with the sharpness of the images, as well as very noticeable falloff in the corners of the frame. It had a tendency to make large, green lens flares across the image whenever the sun was shining on the front element. Poking around the internet I found a guy who put that lens on his 10 Worst Nikon Lens list. I may give FX another chance, as soon as I figure out what lenses I would need to get my money's worth out of the full frame sensor. My wish list looks prohibitively expensive: a D700 body, 70-200mm f/2.8D G-AFS, 17-35mm f/2.8D, 50mm f/1.8D & SB-600 Speedlight come to $5900. :eek: Last weekend I shot some jeepin photos with my old Olympus point-n-shoot and hated the experience. I'm definitely getting another DSLR, it is just a matter of figuring out what I can afford to use as a complete system. My favorite shooting is done in the low light conditions for which there is no substitute for a larger sensor.

Here's some more from the Nikon:
Valley of the Gods featuring Orion the Hunter
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The Milky Way
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Comb Ridge and Valley of the Gods, seen from Moki Dugway. This also features the giant size version of the Ugly Green Lens Flare. It usually presents as a series of much smaller green circles.
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Lakeside camping activities:
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The Chocolate Drop
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Handlebars said:
I returned the camera. I was disappointed with the sharpness of the images, as well as very noticeable falloff in the corners of the frame. It had a tendency to make large, green lens flares across the image whenever the sun was shining on the front element. Poking around the internet I found a guy who put that lens on his 10 Worst Nikon Lens list. I may give FX another chance, as soon as I figure out what lenses I would need to get my money's worth out of the full frame sensor. My wish list looks prohibitively expensive: a D700 body, 70-200mm f/2.8D G-AFS, 17-35mm f/2.8D, 50mm f/1.8D & SB-600 Speedlight come to $5900. :eek: Last weekend I shot some jeepin photos with my old Olympus point-n-shoot and hated the experience. I'm definitely getting another DSLR, it is just a matter of figuring out what I can afford to use as a complete system. My favorite shooting is done in the low light conditions for which there is no substitute for a larger sensor.
Click to expand...

A large sensor Nikon fit you well, too bad it wasn't kitted with better glass.
nikonfriendneedles.jpg

Can't remember what you said about the kit lens having a hood? They say that you should buy in to the lens system you want first, start collecting glass then upgrade the body later when the newer body technology is out and/or filtered down to more affordable levels - maybe compromise on the body/sensor size for now and start in on that lens wish list? Now that we have seen what you can do with a lens you didn't like, I can't wait to see what you can do with whatever equipment you do end up with! Can't get enough of that milky way shot!
 
Even though I shoot with a Nikon and love it, You seriously should look at the new Canon 5D mark II http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=17662

I have been listening to a lot of photography podcasts and the reviews it is getting are incredible.

The fact it can shoot 1080p video is a plus also.

Clear low light shooting down to 6400 iso isn't too shabby either.

:edit: Just got through reading his 6 ten worst Nikon lenses page. Then I was plesantly surprised to see the 18-200mm VR lens I have on his ten best Nikon lenses. I have actually read some bad reviews and after spending almost $700 dollars on the lens I was a little disapointed...although I haven't had any issues yet.
 
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Killer photos, Alex!
I'm DLSR shopping right now......the 5D is a great camera, but how do you justify a $2700 body for recreational photography?

The Nikon D90 has me looking away from Canon, due to the video capabilities, but it's a litte outside my budget range. Has great low-light performance too, which is important to me.
 
XJEEPER said:
Killer photos, Alex!
I'm DLSR shopping right now......the 5D is a great camera, but how do you justify a $2700 body for recreational photography?

The Nikon D90 has me looking away from Canon, due to the video capabilities, but it's a litte outside my budget range. Has great low-light performance too, which is important to me.
Click to expand...

There are many people who could say the same thing about what we spend in Jeep parts. I guess it's all about what you love.

Before you get too excited about the video of the D90, read some reviews.
From what I have heard it is only good if you put it on a tripod and take scenic videos of something that doesn't move. It's real jittery with any movement at all.
 
DrMoab said:
There are many people who could say the same thing about what we spend in Jeep parts. I guess it's all about what you love.

Before you get too excited about the video of the D90, read some reviews.
From what I have heard it is only good if you put it on a tripod and take scenic videos of something that doesn't move. It's real jittery with any movement at all.
Click to expand...

Yup, and guys running exo-rigs with dual D60's and 37's are grumbly when I follow them up trails with my daily driver on D44/D30 and 33's.........:rolleyes:

On the money Ryan, every review I've read says that the D90 video is poo and not a feature even worth mentioning.

I'm leaning back towards the Canon 450D (Xsi) body with a Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 macro lens. Reviews indicate great low-light performance, plus this will compliment my Canon 75-300 USM zoom that I already own. Love to have IS, but for double the price, I'll rely on the skills I've acquired shooting with a 35mm SLR for years. I'm so sick of crappy P&S quality that I getting to where I don't even want to take pictures anymore. It's time.......
 
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