Thanks for the informative video. Because Comet NEOWISE is fuzzy and fairly dim, I set my focal length and focused manually on Jupiter greatly magnified in live view. The result was tack sharp.
I have also just taken several test shots and zoomed in on the monitor until it's sharp....It works for me. Nice to see the Milky Way in the video's again.
That's great. Very useful! I've found a method that also works very well, and it's about placing an 8 x or 10x magnifier on the back of the camera, while on Live View mode. Apart from zooming in by 10x, digitally!
Nice dude! I have a telecscope but the light pollution is red. Im still looking for a stargazing place where's not far from my home. I live in Belgium.
Thanks a lot guys! Follow count or ratings don't mean much to me, this channel already has an awesome community interacting in the comments and learning, what more can I want
@@AlynWallace I agree. I just have use of a PowerShot right now, yet appreciate this tutorial very much since someday I hope to have a very good camera w/ high power lenses to apply this knowledge and experience you've kindly shared - thanks!
I dont mean to be offtopic but does any of you know a trick to get back into an instagram account?? I somehow lost my password. I appreciate any tips you can give me!
That is why I love my 2It informs distance do focus point, the minimum and maximum limit of focus completing the DOF information. If I want hyper focus distance I just need to change focus point until it shows me infinity as the maximum distance focus. It still shows the focus point and the half of it at the LCD.
Hi Alyn. This is really helpful. I use the live view method mostly but have never taped up after finding focus. Makes perfect sense so I definitely will from now on ! Focus stacking definitely helps me as well. Mount Teide's looking good in the video - one day I'll persuade the better half to visit there when we're on holiday! Really enjoyed the video Alyn. Always informative and helpful, so many thanks for sharing.P.S. Was that the Bahtinov Mask you were wearing when focus stacking @ 3:40 ? LOL.
Hahah "Hey love, do you fancy a holiday in Tenerife *sneaks off up mountain* "😂 Ah no haha I had it on there for light pollution filter I think (and a new filter I'll be releasing soon!)
Thanks bud! Quite simply I wouldn't try such a shot when it's windy. Or there was one time when it was a little bit windy and used my bag to shield the flowers
What's your thoughts on focus peek, I'm having good success with it especially on foreground with my Z6. With stars it's pretty much the same technique but I notice the distant stars appear more ounce in focus with focus peek.
I've tried it with my Sny bodies and to be honest I find it to be a pain in the ass for focusing on the stars, just can't really see what I'm doing as all the stars go red and yeah I just found it annoying
My only issue with this video is the fact it’s a video on focusing the stars and throughout the video the stars are out of focus. I just think you’d want stars in focus in a video on how to focus on stars, am i not right?
And have the subject of the video and the demonstration out of focus? Riiiiiiight. The video is about focusing on the stars for photographs, not video. There's no irony here.
Great video Alyn, always appreciate your work. I'm glad you encouraged people to add some extra distance to the hyperfocal length as I don't like the "Acceptable" part of the focus with that. However I often use the Depth of Field table supplied with Photopills and other apps to find where the infinity point actually begins.That is very accurate.
Great video. It was bugging me to no end to constantly see the background stars so out of focus while you kept talking about how to get them in focus. You are an evil evil person! 😂
He has opened the aperture to its max, kept himself in focus. Shallow depth of focus due to wide open aperture. Can't fix without losing focus on himself. Low lit scene so can't dial aperture down either. What bugs me still is, it is still very bright for a night landscape video. I don't know how he got that so well.
Question: if checking the focusing can be hard nor impossible using the KASE model of Bathinov mask, is it easier using the "Focus on stars" model ? According to comments on their website, we can easily see the diffraction stars even using a wide-angle lens... tks
Hey sorry I know this is probably a daft question to ask, but when I take photos of the night sky and check the focus on the camera seems fine and sharp but when i bring the photos into Lightroom/capture one i can see movement in the stars? What am i doing wrong please?
I use a canon rebel t7i and I cannot get my camera to focus on a far away star so my pics are always blurry. Idk how to fix that. I tried infinity and high iso but I can't seem to zoom at all to get a star .
Awesome vid mate. Really informative! If I'm shooting something with a close foreground ( a rock or flowers for example ) and find myself without a bright enough light to light it up well enough to use manual focus on live view, I'll turn my phone torch on and place it down on the thing/point in the image I want to focus on (facing the camera) then use autofocus and focus on the light coming from the torch, or you can manual focus on it too 😊no good for focusing on the stars but works for foreground!
Brilliant cheers Alyn.... I use the Live View and now also use a 10x Loupe magnifier to assist with seeing the number of pixels on screen as you twist for focus. I’ve found this to work really well. Best £3 ever 👌🏻😁
Very helpful, Alan. So far, I've had mixed and unpredictable results obtaining good focus at night. I had originally thought focus on infinity, what could go wrong (lots). Off to try your favourite method first clear sky I get. Thanks for sharing!
You can take a VIDEO with an unfocused milky way in the background and still get more detail out of it than me in a long exposure. That's how dark those skies are. Gimme those.
Hi Alyn, nice video! What lens did you use to film and get the stars so bright in the video? I believe that live view method with the bahtinov mask is the most accurate, with wide lenses the diffraction spikes are much smaller so feels easier jut to use the live view. I would add that taping the lens is not always the best solution, since if there are difference in temperature across the night the focus might change. Clear sky!
Awsome videos Alyn. I also got A7iii. Would love to see 2 tutorials: button layout on your sony and tutorial regarding video editing off realtime Aurora borealis. Keep up your awsome work!
Great video, thanks. But on my Canon 5DmkIII in Live View mode at night its very noisy and if I zoom in x10 its impossible see the stars because of all noice interfering . Is there some setting I might have missed?
1. Daytime focusing is not accurate, as distant object is not the same with infinity focus for most cases. Verify it with Bahtinov mask and you will find out. 2. Live view focusing, my personal practise is to dial up the ISO to maximize the chance of seeing any star 5. Bahtinov mask is the best way to focus a point source light at infinity distance. It's physics lol
To lock your focus down, do NOT use masking or duct tape. Alyn mentions gaffer tape - which works great (no sticky residue) - but is a PITA to find. You'll have an easier time finding painters' tape at your local hardware store (it's usually blue, or sometimes green). It, too, is designed to leave no sticky residue. I've used that same bhatinof mask as shown. Works great - if you can get a filter mount for your lens. I typically do the daytime pre-focus, then lock-down. Here's the thing: you do not have to be at your shooting site to do this, just somewhere where you can see something distant - then lock the lens focus down with painters/gaffer tape. Be sure you've switched your lens to MF Finally, even if you have a MF lens, if your camera can find focus, it has a system to show you if your lens is set to that focus. On Nikon, it's a round dot tor in focus, turns into a angle pointing the way you should focus. Dunno about Canon or Sony. but I'm sure it's there. Looks like a good channel - subscribed!
Good luck if you have a D800, those live-view focusing were literally impossible. Only on the D810 and newer were the live-view focusing possible on their flagship
Man I’ve come across your videos recently, have just started shooting the night sky with my iPhone 11 and some apps for exposure. Will upgrade to DSLR and invest in a nice lens soon. Thanks for the inspiration!!
You have many good lenses in your bag; would you mind doing a comparison to show the quality differences ? (sharpness, coma, etc) would be much appreciated !
Thank you for the video. You can never be too careful when focusing.:) The masking tape is a cool tip, does it leave any tape residue on the lens barrel?
Have a Lumix FZ1000 have seen some nice results posted on Facebook however, I wonder if I am trying to try and use the camera beyond it's real capabilities. I don't have the money for masses of top range gear and software. Would an older SLR be better for just the astro photos, bigger sensor etc please
I love that starry background while you're explaining. Sony cameras are amaizing. I usually use the liveview in my Canon camera conected to a Pc for focusing. Nice tips.
Отличное обьяснение как настраивать фокус в полной темноте. Теперь меня мучает такой вопрос, где найти или как изготовить пластину с тремя щелями интерферометр Пауэлла? Great explanation of how to adjust focus in complete darkness. Now I am tormented by the question, where to find or how to make a plate with three slits of the Powell interferometer?
I found your channel and your work through Gavin Hardcastle. I am happy he mentioned your channel and provided a link. I have watched a few of your videos and I can't wait to watch more. Happy to subscribe to your channel and grateful for your informative content.
Really enjoyed this video. I have had good success with the second method. I purchased the filter but haven't used it properly so thanks for the info on it. What ISO settings do you typically use? O I am going to give your multiple image technique a try as well. That was a great video as well. Finally thanks for the info on Sequator.
I need to try my Live View for focussing on stars. Last night I was using autofocus via my 300mm lens and that seemed to work ok but it is a bit hit & miss! Thanks Alyn.
Thank you Alyn very handy I have been interested in astro for a while so this was very helpful I live by Elan Valley so should have plenty of opportunities to practice and can literally take shots from my house, your enthusiasm is inspiring, If you are ever around elan valley again would be happy to show you around.
brilliant advice buddy i mainly use the fact i have used my lense a good few time i kind of no the sweet spot but also use the live view to help if the look a little out of focus have a wonderful talk at the photo show
Using Sony a7iii it seems to autofocus on a star every time using 16 35 2.8 only been out about 10 times I just magnify the star then autofocus jobs a good un
I use the 10x Live view method, but in addition I use a 10x Carson Lumiloupe when viewing the star on the screen. That magnifies the screen enough for me to count the number of pixels the star occupies on the screen. Focus to the least amount of pixels and voila. Very easy to get the perfect focus 👍
A few people have mentioned a loupe now, I must give it a go! Although I find the electronic viewfinder on the Sony bodies does a similar job, you can distinguish the pixels
Wow that ending picture is amazing!
Thanks for the informative video. Because Comet NEOWISE is fuzzy and fairly dim, I set my focal length and focused manually on Jupiter greatly magnified in live view. The result was tack sharp.
Another great video, Alyn. Many thanks for this. The final image is wonderful....do you have a video on how to capture a MW arch panorama?
I have also just taken several test shots and zoomed in on the monitor until it's sharp....It works for me.
Nice to see the Milky Way in the video's again.
Yup, a method I guess people without liveview are forced into. Thanks!
That's great. Very useful! I've found a method that also works very well, and it's about placing an 8 x or 10x magnifier on the back of the camera, while on Live View mode. Apart from zooming in by 10x, digitally!
Why is this channel so UNDERATED?
I love this channel!❇🌌🌠🌑
It'll pick up soon and hit that fulcrum point! Been following for a while now and it's getting better and better.
Nice dude!
I have a telecscope but the light pollution is red.
Im still looking for a stargazing place where's not far from my home.
I live in Belgium.
Thanks a lot guys! Follow count or ratings don't mean much to me, this channel already has an awesome community interacting in the comments and learning, what more can I want
@@AlynWallace I agree. I just have use of a PowerShot right now, yet appreciate this tutorial very much since someday I hope to have a very good camera w/ high power lenses to apply this knowledge and experience you've kindly shared - thanks!
I dont mean to be offtopic but does any of you know a trick to get back into an instagram account??
I somehow lost my password. I appreciate any tips you can give me!
Thank you very much.
That is why I love my 2It informs distance do focus point, the minimum and maximum limit of focus completing the DOF information. If I want hyper focus distance I just need to change focus point until it shows me infinity as the maximum distance focus. It still shows the focus point and the half of it at the LCD.
That's a wonderful view of the Milky Way via video. 🙂
Just bought those presets, msm just arrived today too, looking forward to the whole experience.
thanks mate
Fantastic video. Some great tips, very helpful.
Thanks for tips cant wait till nightfall love this channel best background for tutorial ever...lol
Great vlog Wally. Well explained.
great！
hats offf to your vlogs... love each content.... alot love from india :)
Thank you
Thanks Bro... Always Useful
I would love to know where you got the Bahtinov mask.
How do you get nightscape videos this bright! Even milkyway is visible in live speed
Hi Alyn. This is really helpful. I use the live view method mostly but have never taped up after finding focus. Makes perfect sense so I definitely will from now on ! Focus stacking definitely helps me as well. Mount Teide's looking good in the video - one day I'll persuade the better half to visit there when we're on holiday! Really enjoyed the video Alyn. Always informative and helpful, so many thanks for sharing.P.S. Was that the Bahtinov Mask you were wearing when focus stacking @ 3:40 ? LOL.
Hahah "Hey love, do you fancy a holiday in Tenerife *sneaks off up mountain* "😂 Ah no haha I had it on there for light pollution filter I think (and a new filter I'll be releasing soon!)
Please recommend cameras for astro photography!
Great video thanks. Can I ask how do you expose for foreground flora when focus stacking to avoid any movement from wind?
Thanks bud! Quite simply I wouldn't try such a shot when it's windy. Or there was one time when it was a little bit windy and used my bag to shield the flowers
I am new subscriber. I like your northern lights videos and moonlight
Thanks a lot!
So I have to ask, which camera did you create this video with? Nice video by moonlight!
A7Sii (all my gear is listed in the video description). And thanks 😁
@@AlynWallace Thanks!
Czym nagrywasz że widać w nocy gwiazdy
What's your thoughts on focus peek, I'm having good success with it especially on foreground with my Z6. With stars it's pretty much the same technique but I notice the distant stars appear more ounce in focus with focus peek.
I've tried it with my Sny bodies and to be honest I find it to be a pain in the ass for focusing on the stars, just can't really see what I'm doing as all the stars go red and yeah I just found it annoying
My only issue with this video is the fact it’s a video on focusing the stars and throughout the video the stars are out of focus. I just think you’d want stars in focus in a video on how to focus on stars, am i not right?
And have the subject of the video and the demonstration out of focus? Riiiiiiight. The video is about focusing on the stars for photographs, not video. There's no irony here.
Haha so unfocused at the intro
The only suggestion I might add would be to use a 10x loupe when dialing in the focus on a star in Live View.
I've been using a Carson lumiloupe
Great video Alyn, always appreciate your work. I'm glad you encouraged people to add some extra distance to the hyperfocal length as I don't like the "Acceptable" part of the focus with that. However I often use the Depth of Field table supplied with Photopills and other apps to find where the infinity point actually begins.That is very accurate.
Thanks Richard! Good to hear you also find the PhotoPills tables accurate
Great video. It was bugging me to no end to constantly see the background stars so out of focus while you kept talking about how to get them in focus. You are an evil evil person! 😂
He has opened the aperture to its max, kept himself in focus. Shallow depth of focus due to wide open aperture. Can't fix without losing focus on himself. Low lit scene so can't dial aperture down either.
What bugs me still is, it is still very bright for a night landscape video. I don't know how he got that so well.
This has truly helped me sooo much, thank you. Again, one of the best astrophotographers. And another amazing video. ❤
Fantastic channel, I'm trying to get into Milky Way photography, I could pick your brains for hours 👍
I use Liveview 10X, I also maximize the screen brightness to make faint stars nicer to see and focus on
I also do that but when I unzoom the white text blinds me
Question: if checking the focusing can be hard nor impossible using the KASE model of Bathinov mask, is it easier using the "Focus on stars" model ? According to comments on their website, we can easily see the diffraction stars even using a wide-angle lens... tks
Great Topic !!!
using the displayed info at 00:02:47 ... How can i find the DoF Table for a Canon SX 510 HS ?
there should be a focus latch included with every lens so you don't have to use tape to hold focus
Hey sorry I know this is probably a daft question to ask, but when I take photos of the night sky and check the focus on the camera seems fine and sharp but when i bring the photos into Lightroom/capture one i can see movement in the stars?
What am i doing wrong please?
I use a canon rebel t7i and I cannot get my camera to focus on a far away star so my pics are always blurry. Idk how to fix that. I tried infinity and high iso but I can't seem to zoom at all to get a star .
Awesome vid mate. Really informative! If I'm shooting something with a close foreground ( a rock or flowers for example ) and find myself without a bright enough light to light it up well enough to use manual focus on live view, I'll turn my phone torch on and place it down on the thing/point in the image I want to focus on (facing the camera) then use autofocus and focus on the light coming from the torch, or you can manual focus on it too 😊no good for focusing on the stars but works for foreground!
Hi what Samyang lens are using for night scapes
You can see the Milky way in a video... ᵒᵏ
I have a 70-24, If i zoom and i am at 70 mm then focus on a bright star, if i put the lens on the 24mm is it still focused?
no
Great videos Alyn. What camera & lens are you using to film this video? Thanks
Thanks. A7sii and 24mm f/1.4
Brilliant cheers Alyn.... I use the Live View and now also use a 10x Loupe magnifier to assist with seeing the number of pixels on screen as you twist for focus. I’ve found this to work really well. Best £3 ever 👌🏻😁
Heard quite a few people mention using a loupe now will have to give it a go
Very helpful, Alan. So far, I've had mixed and unpredictable results obtaining good focus at night. I had originally thought focus on infinity, what could go wrong (lots). Off to try your favourite method first clear sky I get. Thanks for sharing!
Great video and a bonus meteor!
This meteor in minute two is a perseid. Quite nice to see the constelations:)
I want to know how I can film myself talking Infront of the camera
And that the stars are visible behind me
You can take a VIDEO with an unfocused milky way in the background and still get more detail out of it than me in a long exposure. That's how dark those skies are. Gimme those.
Hi Alyn, nice video! What lens did you use to film and get the stars so bright in the video? I believe that live view method with the bahtinov mask is the most accurate, with wide lenses the diffraction spikes are much smaller so feels easier jut to use the live view. I would add that taping the lens is not always the best solution, since if there are difference in temperature across the night the focus might change. Clear sky!
I Alyn, were can I get that especific bahtinov mask from your vídeo?
Kase website
@@AlynWallace thank you!🙌
Great channel and thanks for the advice, wanna get it right for when I’m out in Gran Canaria later this year
Awsome videos Alyn. I also got A7iii. Would love to see 2 tutorials: button layout on your sony and tutorial regarding video editing off realtime Aurora borealis. Keep up your awsome work!
Thanks for the suggestions I'll add them to the list!
Great video, thanks. But on my Canon 5DmkIII in Live View mode at night its very noisy and if I zoom in x10 its impossible see the stars because of all noice interfering . Is there some setting I might have missed?
VERY VERY helpful as always...and filmed in moonlight..AWESOME!!!
Thanks Hel! Gotta love the moonlight
Not exactly to do with focusing but Bright Monitoring on Sony cameras is a great feature for helping get your composition
Yup it rocks! I've demonstrated that in a couple of vlogs and will also make a video soon about all the different methods to compose in the dark :)
1. Daytime focusing is not accurate, as distant object is not the same with infinity focus for most cases. Verify it with Bahtinov mask and you will find out.
2. Live view focusing, my personal practise is to dial up the ISO to maximize the chance of seeing any star
5. Bahtinov mask is the best way to focus a point source light at infinity distance. It's physics lol
excellent video, full of some great tips Thanks! Just subscribed!
To lock your focus down, do NOT use masking or duct tape. Alyn mentions gaffer tape - which works great (no sticky residue) - but is a PITA to find. You'll have an easier time finding painters' tape at your local hardware store (it's usually blue, or sometimes green). It, too, is designed to leave no sticky residue.
I've used that same bhatinof mask as shown. Works great - if you can get a filter mount for your lens.
I typically do the daytime pre-focus, then lock-down. Here's the thing: you do not have to be at your shooting site to do this, just somewhere where you can see something distant - then lock the lens focus down with painters/gaffer tape. Be sure you've switched your lens to MF
Finally, even if you have a MF lens, if your camera can find focus, it has a system to show you if your lens is set to that focus. On Nikon, it's a round dot tor in focus, turns into a angle pointing the way you should focus. Dunno about Canon or Sony. but I'm sure it's there.
Looks like a good channel - subscribed!
Good luck if you have a D800, those live-view focusing were literally impossible. Only on the D810 and newer were the live-view focusing possible on their flagship
Man I’ve come across your videos recently, have just started shooting the night sky with my iPhone 11 and some apps for exposure. Will upgrade to DSLR and invest in a nice lens soon. Thanks for the inspiration!!
meteor looked more like a ufo..
You have many good lenses in your bag; would you mind doing a comparison to show the quality differences ? (sharpness, coma, etc) would be much appreciated !
Really best channel out there
Thank you for the video. You can never be too careful when focusing.:) The masking tape is a cool tip, does it leave any tape residue on the lens barrel?
Have a Lumix FZ1000 have seen some nice results posted on Facebook however, I wonder if I am trying to try and use the camera beyond it's real capabilities. I don't have the money for masses of top range gear and software. Would an older SLR be better for just the astro photos, bigger sensor etc please
I love that starry background while you're explaining. Sony cameras are amaizing. I usually use the liveview in my Canon camera conected to a Pc for focusing. Nice tips.
Yeah the A7s line kicks ass in low light video! And that's intereting thanks for sharing
Отличное обьяснение как настраивать фокус в полной темноте. Теперь меня мучает такой вопрос, где найти или как изготовить пластину с тремя щелями интерферометр Пауэлла?
Great explanation of how to adjust focus in complete darkness. Now I am tormented by the question, where to find or how to make a plate with three slits of the Powell interferometer?
I found your channel and your work through Gavin Hardcastle. I am happy he mentioned your channel and provided a link. I have watched a few of your videos and I can't wait to watch more. Happy to subscribe to your channel and grateful for your informative content.
Hey mate, next time you come the Canary Islands, let me know, i live here, and also do astrophotography. We could meet up !
Really enjoyed this video. I have had good success with the second method. I purchased the filter but haven't used it properly so thanks for the info on it. What ISO settings do you typically use? O I am going to give your multiple image technique a try as well. That was a great video as well. Finally thanks for the info on Sequator.
i was watching th beautiful bokeh f the milky way and stars and listening to you
Thank you! I'm more interested in the AF method. Wondering if the a7riii + 24 1.4GM combo be able to focus on the milky way automatically?
I need to try my Live View for focussing on stars. Last night I was using autofocus via my 300mm lens and that seemed to work ok but it is a bit hit & miss! Thanks Alyn.
Thank you Alyn very handy I have been interested in astro for a while so this was very helpful I live by Elan Valley so should have plenty of opportunities to practice and can literally take shots from my house, your enthusiasm is inspiring, If you are ever around elan valley again would be happy to show you around.
Great info pal. Sagittarius looking nice in the background there.
Teide's dark skys blew my mind, sun down then as your eyes adjust to the night sky was a surreal experience
which method is your fav?
Excellent, thank you!
I made a Hartmann mask for my camera out of cardboard :)
Love your videos. Are you going to try the EOS R?
Thanks Alyn! Good refresher!
Thx for those technics looking forward for trying them
brilliant advice buddy i mainly use the fact i have used my lense a good few time i kind of no the sweet spot but also use the live view to help if the look a little out of focus have a wonderful talk at the photo show
Always good to know your gear. Thanks bud!
2:00 This just happened to me, this is why I am here...
Yesterday you said .. you are busy .. and now with a surprise .. thanks man
busy doing this :P
The circle of confusion...love it.
Yes! I’m just getting ready to go out and shoot now. Thanks for the inspiration!
Good luck and clear skies!
Great stuff, Alyn. Do you have any advice on which brand of Batinoff mask to choose?
Cheers pal. I use the one by Kase, they're all pretty much the same to be honest!
Using Sony a7iii it seems to autofocus on a star every time using 16 35 2.8 only been out about 10 times I just magnify the star then autofocus jobs a good un
Sony are killing it!
Nice to see other methods a couple I wouldn't even of thought of. Great video
thanks man
Not using the Sony 24mm GM anymore?
This was filmed in Tenerife 6months ago :) I'm still using the Sony 24mm and it autofocuses on stars
Great presentation. Thank you!
Thank you!
I use the 10x Live view method, but in addition I use a 10x Carson Lumiloupe when viewing the star on the screen. That magnifies the screen enough for me to count the number of pixels the star occupies on the screen. Focus to the least amount of pixels and voila. Very easy to get the perfect focus 👍
A few people have mentioned a loupe now, I must give it a go! Although I find the electronic viewfinder on the Sony bodies does a similar job, you can distinguish the pixels
Thx for those technics looking forward for trying them. Keep it up👌🏻
Cheers dude!
Hey Alyn . I'm ur big fan dude. Can you tell me how you get that mulkyway behind you in the video live view.