{"id":41356,"date":"2017-12-14T12:00:06","date_gmt":"2017-12-14T17:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/?p=41356"},"modified":"2022-05-06T20:39:36","modified_gmt":"2022-05-07T00:39:36","slug":"what-camera-settings-should-i-use-for-astrophotography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/what-camera-settings-should-i-use-for-astrophotography\/","title":{"rendered":"What Camera Settings Should I Use for Astrophotography?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Photographing the night sky<\/a> is one of the biggest and most difficult feats to accomplish for an aspiring photographer. It not only requires significant experience, especially in long-exposure photography, but also requires a lot of knowledge in using professional cameras, including astrophotography settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, you don’t have to spend years practicing or a fortune in photography workshops just to level up and be able to get a decent shot of the moon and stars<\/a>. All you really need is some dedication, a lot of patience, your camera equipment, and technical suggestions to optimize your camera for astrophotography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recommended Manual Camera Settings for Astrophotography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Stunning
Image via Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Before anything, you\u2019ll want to choose a good spot for your camera and an ideal tripod for astrophotography<\/a>. It should have a pretty good view of the night sky that\u2019s ideally pitch black and far away from the light pollution of the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019re ready to start shooting, dial in these recommended<\/em> camera settings. These are basic camera settings usually set with controls on the outside of your camera, but they can also be set in menus. Most of these should already be familiar to you, but we\u2019ll also explain it in detail below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Set Camera Dial to Manual Exposure Mode<\/li>
  2. Adjust Exposure Compensation to Zero<\/li>
  3. Go With a Very Wide Aperture<\/li>
  4. Use Longer Shutter Speeds<\/li>
  5. Set High ISO Levels<\/li>
  6. Turn the Auto-Focus Feature OFF<\/li>
  7. Select the Highest Resolution and Quality Setting<\/li>
  8. Choose the RAW (or RAW + JPEG) Image File Format<\/li>
  9. Set White Balance to Daylight<\/li>
  10. Turn In-Camera Long Exposure Noise Reduction OFF<\/li>
  11. Disable In-Camera Sharpening OFF<\/li>
  12. Set Color Space to sRGB<\/li>
  13. Turn Built-In Flash OFF<\/li>
  14. Use a Remote Shutter Release<\/li>
  15. Shoot in Bulb Mode<\/li>
  16. Enable Mirror Lockup<\/li>
  17. Cover the Viewfinder<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"Silhouette
    Image via Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Set Camera Dial to Manual Exposure Mode<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Astrophotography involves taking long exposure<\/a> shots at night, which means adjusting different manual camera settings that include the shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and many others. This also explains why shooting night skies requires more advanced photography skills and camera know-how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Adjust Exposure Compensation to Zero<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    In case you used auto exposure beforehand or allowed somebody to use your camera, make sure your exposure compensation is set to 0. After all, you\u2019ll be adjusting your astrophotography exposure settings manually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Go With a Very Wide Aperture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Since it’s very important to let as much light in as possible when shooting dark skies, it’s crucial that you really open up your aperture. Use apertures like f\/2.8 or bigger, depending on what your lens allows. If it doesn’t, you may want to consider getting one that’s much faster! You\u2019ll be surprised how just a few stops can make a huge difference in terms of image brightness (i.e. f\/1.4 letting in around 200% of the light at f\/2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Camera
    Image via Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Use Longer Shutter Speeds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Many shooters use shutter speeds<\/a> of 30 seconds and longer, but if you can leave your aperture wide open, you should already be able to get a good shot of the stars at 20 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Set High ISO Levels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    For deep-sky astrophotography, your ISO levels should generally be set high and support your other exposure settings. For some, 800 or 1600 works in bringing out the moon and stars during long-exposure shots of dark night skies. You can opt to go higher than that if your camera is one that excels in low light conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Turn Autofocus OFF<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Cameras have a hard time autofocusing when there’s not much light present. Instead, autofocus on the moon, the nearest star, or the hard edge of a faraway tree or building before switching to manual focus to keep it there. If there aren\u2019t any bright or visible points, you can try using a laser pointer and try to make your camera focus on that (using LiveView) before switching to manual focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"purple
    Image via Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Select the Highest Resolution and Quality Setting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    For astrophotography, it’s always ideal to pick the highest optical resolution and quality possible. They\u2019re usually labeled as “Large”, “Medium” and “Small”, or “High”, “Medium” and “Low” within the camera menu, depending on the model and brand of your camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Choose the RAW (or RAW + JPEG) Image File Format<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Shooting in digital RAW vs JPEG<\/a> allows you to preserve all of the original image information, which means it also gives you a much larger 12-bit photo compared to compressed JPEGs. It’s obviously the best file format to shoot in when doing astrophotography as it gives you more control over how it is manipulated and enhanced later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Of course, you also have the option to shoot both JPEGs and RAW files at a time, especially if your camera has good low-noise performance. This saves you from going through any trouble just to have a ready image to show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Set White Balance to Daylight<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The easiest way to do it is to set your white balance to Daylight, especially if you\u2019re shooting JPEG images. You\u2019ll find that this white balance mode color corrects the entire image based on the whitish color temperature of most stars. However, the effect may not be as pleasing on the sky background, especially when there\u2019s light pollution present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Fix it by using a custom white balance, or even the Tungsten mode for sites with reddish light pollution. Or, you can simply shoot RAW image files and try out different white balance settings on them later on during post-processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"rock
    Image via Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Turn the In-Camera Long-Exposure Noise Reduction OFF<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    This recommendation greatly depends on your skill level. If you will be shooting long-exposure JPEG photos, then you’ll do well with your camera’s long-exposure noise reduction (LENR). Capturing photos will take longer than usual, but it helps \u201creduce\u201d the appearance of image noise by weakening your thermal signal. Once you level up and wish to try shooting multiple frames that you can stack later on to create a more sophisticated and professional image, you’ll want to turn this feature off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Disable In-Camera Sharpening<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Your camera’s built-in sharpening feature can make stars look sharper, but it can also make image noise more pronounced, especially if you’re shooting JPEGs at a high ISO<\/a>. Hence, it’s best to save the careful and selective sharpening for later during the post-processing stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Set Color Space to sRGB<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Many professionals know that using Adobe RGB allows you to use the largest color space available, but this also requires some serious understanding of color spaces. Otherwise, you end up with inaccurate colors that will ruin your image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Unless you know what you\u2019re doing, avoid damaging your images and set your color space to the default sRGB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"starry
    Image via Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Turn Built-In Flash OFF<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    This should go without saying, but taking photos of stars and the night sky doesn\u2019t require any flash as the light won\u2019t even reach the atmosphere, much less the moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Use a Remote Shutter Release<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Nobody should dare do long exposures without using a remote shutter<\/a>. If you don\u2019t have it, use the built-in timer so that you don\u2019t have to touch the camera, as well as to reduce vibrations and the appearance of star \u201ctrails.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Shoot in Bulb Mode<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Experience will tell you that 25 seconds is just not enough sometimes. So by all means, use shutter speeds beyond that but depending on your camera, it may require you to choose Bulb mode. Use a cable release<\/a> so you don\u2019t have to stand next to your camera during every lengthy exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"starry
    Image via Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Enable Mirror Lockup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    For most astrophotos with short exposures and a tripod, it helps to lock the mirror up beforehand so the internal mirror stays up and doesn\u2019t slap or cause vibrations that will result in blurry stars. However, this may not be necessary if you\u2019re doing longer exposures with a decent and solid tripod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Cover your viewfinder<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    When doing long exposures in the dark, remember to always cover your viewfinder to prevent any light coming from the back of the camera from disrupting or brightening your exposure. Many cameras are known to have light leak problems, so it\u2019s best to be sure by covering your viewfinder with your hand, a cloth, a cardboard, or the cap that came with it, depending on the light source and strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here are a few more recommended settings for astrophotography:<\/p>\n\n\n\n