15
That one comment about star trailing totally changed my stacking process
Someone on a processing thread told me my Andromeda shot had 'obvious star trailing from 30 second subs' and I was mad at first (nobody likes being called out like that). I switched to 15 second exposures at ISO 800 with my Nikon D5300 and the difference in sharpness is honestly night and day. Has anyone else had to cut their sub lengths way down after getting roasted in feedback?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
jessica1301mo ago
Yeah I used to push 30 seconds too... this post kinda flipped my thinking honestly.
2
daniel1401mo ago
Nah I gotta disagree a bit here. Sure gear matters but at 200mm on a crop sensor 30 seconds is pushing it even with good tracking, you're basically playing roulette with your stars.
2
the_lee1mo ago
My buddy's tracking mount is a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer and even with perfect polar alignment, I still push 45 seconds at f/2.8 with my D5300 and get sharp stars most nights. @jessica130, the real issue isn't always sub length - it's your mount's periodic error and how steady your tripod is on the ground. A 30 second sub at 200mm is totally manageable if you're not battling wind or a flimsy head. I bet half the people telling you to drop to 15 seconds are using entry level gear and blaming the exposure time when it's really their setup shaking. Why toss out extra signal when a better tripod or a counterweight bar might fix the trailing?
0