>The 'bulb' functionality allows me to expose for > 30 seconds providing
>a keep my finger on the button. Even on a tripod the camera moves
>slightly. Is there a way to increase the maximum exposure to more than
>30 seconds but without using the 'bulb' function?
No, but you can buy the small wireless remote to trigger the shutter for
long exposures. That way you won't have to touch the camera.
> The 'bulb' functionality allows me to expose for > 30 seconds providing
> a keep my finger on the button. Even on a tripod the camera moves
> slightly. Is there a way to increase the maximum exposure to more than
> 30 seconds but without using the 'bulb' function?
Hello,
You could get a remote release for your camera (I don't know if cable,
wireless or both are available for your camera, look around). Two other
options:
a) Say you want a photo at ISO 100, 4min, f/5.6; take 8 photos at ISO
100, f/5.6, 30sec and add them (eg in photoshop you can layer them and
use Screen blending, which is close enough, or there are programs to
add them). The problem with this is that read noise may be amplified
(if it's patterned)
b) Take many photos (as above) but average them (eg take 4 photos,
layer them, and give the topmost layer 25% opacity, the next 33%, the
next 50% and the last 100%). The resulting image will still be
underexposed, but much cleaner (less noise), so you can easily boost
the shadows. The same problem as above with read noise, but you can use
higher ISOs here to alleviate this (because random noise gets averaged
out when adding, and read noise is smaller relative to the signal).
I use the second technique a lot with my D200 (using the built-in
intervalometer, but it's not necessary).
I should expand a bit here, but I just spend about an hour taking
photographs in this manner and I'm tired, so please ask! I find that
using the last technique (ie (b) above) is very effective, and the main
problem I have now is that I take photographs in places that are too
dark to see what's going on, with the result that I can only see the
final result at home, when it's too late to recompose, and then have to
go and shoot a better version...
gary - 05 Jun 2006 03:13 GMT
Looks like I will need to get a remote control. The method you mention
regarding the layering. Will this work for star photography? I am
taking photos of the night sky (sample of what I have achieved so far
http://g2007.com/wef/milkywayfrommyalllakes.jpg ) using ISO 1600 with
my finger on bulb for about 1min 30seconds.
Thanks for the fast responses.
Gary
achilleaslazarides@yahoo.co.uk - 05 Jun 2006 03:18 GMT
> Looks like I will need to get a remote control. The method you mention
> regarding the layering. Will this work for star photography? I am
> taking photos of the night sky (sample of what I have achieved so far
> http://g2007.com/wef/milkywayfrommyalllakes.jpg ) using ISO 1600 with
> my finger on bulb for about 1min 30seconds.
Sure, stacking is perfect for astrophotography. Take a look at this,
for example:
http://www.tawbaware.com/is_help/imgstack_help.htm
(never used it). I'm pretty sure there are free programs for doing
this, too. I'd love to try my hand at astrophotography, but the sky's
not too clear here (Belgium).
achilleaslazarides@yahoo.co.uk - 05 Jun 2006 03:23 GMT
achilleaslazari...@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
> > Looks like I will need to get a remote control. The method you mention
> > regarding the layering. Will this work for star photography? I am
> > taking photos of the night sky (sample of what I have achieved so far
> > http://g2007.com/wef/milkywayfrommyalllakes.jpg ) using ISO 1600 with
> > my finger on bulb for about 1min 30seconds.
PS: Where's the photograph you posted taken from (roughly)?
gary - 05 Jun 2006 04:14 GMT
Thanks for the link to that image stack program. The picture was taken
at 152.149E, 32.675S or 240km North of Sydney, Australia.
> achilleaslazari...@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
> > > Looks like I will need to get a remote control. The method you mention
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> >
> PS: Where's the photograph you posted taken from (roughly)?
Paul Furman - 05 Jun 2006 15:09 GMT
> Hello,
> You could get a remote release for your camera (I don't know if cable,
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> I use the second technique a lot with my D200 (using the built-in
> intervalometer, but it's not necessary).
Probably not really useful but you can overlay the photos on the D200 as
well.
> I should expand a bit here, but I just spend about an hour taking
> photographs in this manner and I'm tired, so please ask! I find that
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> final result at home, when it's too late to recompose, and then have to
> go and shoot a better version...
Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!) - 05 Jun 2006 21:18 GMT
>Probably not really useful but you can overlay the photos on the D200 as
>well.
To be completely clear, might have been better phrased "in" instead of "on"
the D200. Referencing of course the D200's ability to take multiple
exposures, correct?
--
Ed Ruf (Usenet2@EdwardG.Ruf.com)
Paul Furman - 08 Jun 2006 14:48 GMT
Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!) wrote:
>>Probably not really useful but you can overlay the photos on the D200 as
>>well.
>
> To be completely clear, might have been better phrased "in" instead of "on"
> the D200. Referencing of course the D200's ability to take multiple
> exposures, correct?
After shooting, you can go into the menu & merge shots. I dunno why they
added that.
Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!) - 08 Jun 2006 22:35 GMT
>Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!) wrote:
>
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>After shooting, you can go into the menu & merge shots. I dunno why they
>added that.
Just looked at that. seems to need two raw photos on the same card. The
Multiple exposure option with merge up to ten newly taken frames into one
saved image and doesn't appear to be limited to raw, though I haven't tried
it. Seems to me better to do this in post processing software.
--
Ed Ruf (Usenet2@EdwardG.Ruf.com)
http://edwardgruf.com/Digital_Photography/General/index.html
achilleaslazarides@yahoo.co.uk - 06 Jun 2006 03:35 GMT
> > b) Take many photos (as above) but average them (eg take 4 photos,
> > layer them, and give the topmost layer 25% opacity, the next 33%, the
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> Probably not really useful but you can overlay the photos on the D200 as
> well.
Well, since it can adjust gain too, presumably it'll work, but I
haven't tried (yet).
> The 'bulb' functionality allows me to expose for > 30 seconds providing
> a keep my finger on the button. Even on a tripod the camera moves
> slightly. Is there a way to increase the maximum exposure to more than
> 30 seconds but without using the 'bulb' function?
You need to use the remote release. Set the camera to "bulb", and then
when you press the button on the remote, the shutter opens, and stays
open until you press it again.
The wireless remote is cheap, and very handy to have for that kind of
shooting. You need not touch the camera at all to release the shutter.

Signature
Jeremy | jeremy@exit109.com