stringplayer wrote:
The trip is organized as a tour for the specific purpose of photographing the Northern Lights - so hopefully they'll take that into consideration. If not, I'll definitely keep your suggestion in mind. Thanks so much.
That sounds great!
Except for timing. December is not particularly good. Late September into early November and then February through early March are the best times. But the fall months are more likely to be cloudy, while the spring months are clear (and freaking cold too). During peak years it makes no difference, but otherwise it does.
klbuild
Loc: Durham, north carolina
stringplayer wrote:
Hello. I will be going to Fairbanks, Alaska in a couple of weeks to experience and photograph the Northern Lights. My planned equipment (in addition to long underwear!) will be my Nikon D800, my new AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G ED, my trusty AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, and my tripod. Any suggestions for how to get the best shots? Also, I do have an AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED. Should I take it instead of the 28-300mm lens? (I would prefer not to take all three; changing lenses at 30 below will be a real hassle.)
Thanks much for your advice.
Hello. I will be going to Fairbanks, Alaska in a ... (
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Rokinon 14mm 2.8
24mm 1.4
35mm 1.4
85mm 1.4
These lenses are highly recommended by David kingman. I've read a lot about night photography. I'm going to Wyoming in a couple months
Jer
Loc: Mesa, Arizona
I'm planning on going to either Alaska or Iceland to take photos during peak season.
All of the infor was very helpful.
thx
Be sure to take foot warmers & hand warmers, you will probably need them. I like to use thin gloves under a mitten-glove where the "mitten" folds back so you can operate the camera, putting a hand warmer on top of your fingers in the mitten will help a lot, you can also just stick your trigger finger out & keep others covered.
It is possible to get frost on the lens so have your lens cleaning cloth handy.
When focusing zoom in & see if the stars are sharp then you can tape your lens in that position so it doesn't move if you like.
Most of all, keep warm & enjoy!
Jer
Loc: Mesa, Arizona
Thx, I really appreciate the advice.
lhdiver wrote:
Be sure to take foot warmers & hand warmers, you will probably need them. I like to use thin gloves under a mitten-glove where the "mitten" folds back so you can operate the camera, putting a hand warmer on top of your fingers in the mitten will help a lot, you can also just stick your trigger finger out & keep others covered.
It is possible to get frost on the lens so have your lens cleaning cloth handy.
When focusing zoom in & see if the stars are sharp then you can tape your lens in that position so it doesn't move if you like.
Most of all, keep warm & enjoy!
Be sure to take foot warmers & hand warmers, y... (
show quote)
stringplayer wrote:
Hello. I will be going to Fairbanks, Alaska in a couple of weeks to experience and photograph the Northern Lights. My planned equipment (in addition to long underwear!) will be my Nikon D800, my new AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G ED, my trusty AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, and my tripod. Any suggestions for how to get the best shots? Also, I do have an AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED. Should I take it instead of the 28-300mm lens? (I would prefer not to take all three; changing lenses at 30 below will be a real hassle.)
Thanks much for your advice.
Hello. I will be going to Fairbanks, Alaska in a ... (
show quote)
Keep it simple, take your 28mm-300mm. Not just my opinion. Trey Ratcliff & Ken Rockwell also believes the same.
Robeng wrote:
Keep it simple, take your 28mm-300mm. Not just my opinion. Trey Ratcliff & Ken Rockwell also believes the same.
Agreed, the 28-300 is my workhorse lens. That & your 20mm for the lights should be all you need.
The University of Alaska, Anchorage, has a phone app. that will notify you if there is any activity. You know there is no guarantee. You need super clear skies, December should do that for you, and no city or artificial light. Plenty of good google info on how to shoot.
Don't forget to take extra batteries and keep them fully charged inside your coat next to your body. The cold will suck the charge right out of a battery in short order. I also have an inverter to run my charger off my car battery. Fingers and toes will be the weak points. Take hand warmers and good boots.
Purchase chemical hand warmers to help keep your batteries warm. The cold zaps the length of the charge. Make certain to put your camera into a ziplock before entering a building and let it adjust to the inside temperature for about 30 minutes before removing it from the bag. This will reduce condensation from the cold
Kalina54 wrote:
Purchase chemical hand warmers to help keep your batteries warm. The cold zaps the length of the charge. Make certain to put your camera into a ziplock before entering a building and let it adjust to the inside temperature for about 30 minutes before removing it from the bag. This will reduce condensation from the cold
Ziploc bags will work, but they aren't the best way to do it.
Almost anything will work in a pinch, so even just wrapping the camera in a coat will work... if you can wait all the next day for it to get warm enough to take out!
The best way is to use a kitchen size plastic trash bag, and while still outside put the camera into that, squeeze all the air out and give it a twist to keep air out. Bring that inside and place it in a warm area that has good air circulation. Because the air was removed (air is very good insulation that would keep the camera warm) it will warm up fast. But there is another advantage too, because if you then decide you want the battery or the memory card you can safely just stick your hand down into the bag and get what you want. No air will get in. With a Ziploc bag that isn't safe because a lot of air will get into the bag.
With the kitchen sized trash bag you might get the camera warm in 30 minutes, but maybe not. With other wrapping it will take longer. Given that in December it might be anything from -30F to -60F, it could take awhile. The camera needs to be at least about +36F to prevent condensation.
I neglected to follow up with you fine folks. First, thanks for all the suggestions. I ultimately decided to go with the AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G ED, which worked just fine. I took the two shots below with my D800 at an exposure of 13 sec at f/3.2 (ISO 1000). If I had to do it all over again, I'd likely bump up the ISO and use a faster shutter speed. The Northern Lights move more quickly than it appears to the eye, and I think the photos would have been better with less blur. Any thoughts in that regard would be appreciated.
WOW!! Beautiful, I just bought that lens 20mm on Friday, thank you for sharing. Beautiful.
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