I just got my new Nikon Z50 a couple weeks ago. thanks for this video. it would be of great help for me. I will be looking forward for another tips for best settings use in Z50 when it comes to photography and cinematic video.
Hey thanks a lot man! I've been longing to do the review of what this Z50 and what it can do. Hopefully get around to prioritise it soon. I'll keep it in mind about the best setting for cinematic video. As far as best photography setting, it really is depending on what you are shooting and trying to achieve 😃 Feel free to drop in any questions you may have along the way. Happy to help 😃
Its a great starter video. I think that 30s exposure will get you star trails. For you Z50 with a 14mm f/2.8 lens you should be shooting max 16s to get spot stars for milky way shooting.
Thanks mate! Yep spot on! The 30s second exposure definitely will give a bit of trail with at 14mm or 16mm focal length. But i'm okay with it, as the other option is to accept more noise from the higher ISO. Coz kit lens 16-50mm only opens to max f3.5. And you're definitely right too, it's a starter video to get my audience excited that shooting stars with Z50 is possible 😃 Once they dip their toes into it, i'm sure they will learn more advance stuffs like how to avoid trails, noise, editing techniques, star trackers and so on 🙂
I’m amazed with this camera. I was shooting the moon handheld with the kit 50-250 at 250mm which has a fx equivalent of about 400mm and it was able to focus absolutely well!
That's great to hear your positive experience man! Yes. It's impressive how much this little FX camera can do. Really good hybrid for photos and videos too 😃
One thing to add: the SnapBridge app works amazingly with the Nikon Z 50 when you’re doing stuff like this! Love your video and especially the intro! Just subbed. Thanks!
I accidentally came across this Channel. What should I say, I have got a Nikon z50 and I enjoyed this tutorial. Honestly, I don't do Astro but your explanation and your calm and clear talking made me to superscribe. Thanks a lot for this channel.
Thanks for the tips. You kept the steps simple and your shots were amazing. I'm avid photographer, I like taking landscape shots. I really wanted to try astro photography...your video was very resourceful.
Great video, simple to understand and fabulous info for someone just starting out like me. What I really wanted to know is how to take multiple 10s high ISO exposures so I can blend them in Photoshop to reduce noise. Maybe you could consider this for your next video?
Thanks a lot Peter. That's a great suggestion to cover in the future videos. I might do how to edit a single exposure astro photography shoot first. But I'll definitely keep that in mind 🙂
Shutter speed while shooting video is limited. Therefore you cannot record star in video. The only way to capture stars in video is timelapse. Which is multiple photos put together as video. Hope it make sense. I may need to make video about it :)
Bagus! I tried this last year whilst house sitting in the Blue Mountains. Only focused on the foreground tree tops during the day (I have a star tracking app), taped the lens with painters tape and returned during the night to take the photo. This won’t work if you accident bump the camera on its tripod though
Terima Kasih!!! 😃 Start tracking app is next level. Yep, that's a dedication to lock in the focus! Well done! And yes, one small bump on the tripod and the lens, then bye bye focus 😄 Hope you got the shots you love!
Hey sure mate. What I meant was you need to find the. brightest star, use your LCD screen to zoom to that star and adjust your focus ring manually until that one star is in focus. Once done, take some test shots to check. Once you nailed the focus, you have basically set the focus to infinity and ready to take shots throughout the night, as long as you don't re adjust the focus ring. Let me know if this makes any sense.
Brilliant! I'm looking to up my simple iPhone photography game with a compact mirrorless camera and for some time I've been smitten with the Fujifilm X100V ... but ... I'm slowly coming around to the versatility of the Z50 ... still in a compact package for travel and bicycling etc. Astrophotography, nature pics (birds) and sailing are amongst my interests so it would seem that the Z50 would be a better choice than the X100V. Both have weather sealing although the Nikon Z50 kit lenses are not? In any case, I very much enjoyed your videos ... thanks!
Hey thanks a lot mate! The Z50 is definitely suit travellers. And you are correct, the body is weather shield but kit lens is not. In saying that, mine has been exposed to a lot and still going strong. Just don't go too crazy i guess 😄 Fuji X100V is a cool compact option too, a little more pricey. Just not sure how the weather shield goes. Whichever you're getting, or already got, hope it suits you best 👍😃
I like all your tips but I'm confused about one thing, regarding manual focus. Obviously the stars are very far away so wouldn't setting manual focus to Infinity be all you need?
Hi James, thanks for bringing this up. Valid point and good logic 😃 The infinity on digital camera lenses however, not a true infinity. Normally you need to turn the focus ring a tad bit back from where it stops at the 'infinity' to get the actual infinity. Maybe try out your camera in the day time and focus on the clouds, then you'll get what I mean. A little tips you can do to mark the actual infinity on your lens, is draw a line using a pointy permanent marker across the focus ring and the lens shell. Hope it makes sense and helpful 🙂
Great video thanks! You show astro-video samples at the end and don't talk at all about shooting video with the z50, that would have been cool. Maybe next video
Thanks a lot mate! Been wanting to talk about it, just haven't made it a priority 😄 But now that you mentioned it, the priority is ranked higher. Cheers! 🍻😃
Hi. I have several questions. 1. Are you using any star tracker? With shutter speed 30sec there should be tracks instead of clear stars, am I wrong? 2. Could you please advice with the remote trigger for Z50? I find out that it is a problem with the remote shutter releases/intervalometers for this camera since it has no ports (10-pin or DC-2) for external equipment. I've tried to use SnapBridge, but it is ok only for a few shots. Using it for 50-100 shots session... It's a bit a pain in the ass )).
Hey Max, valid questions there. 1. No I don't use start tracker .. yet 😃 But it's getting more and more tempting to get one. To get the best 'no trail' shots of the stars, then yes you need a star tracker. Without star tracker, you can minimise the trail by adjusting your shutter speed according to the focal length of your lens. The '500 rules' is a good start. It's calculated based on 500/FX Focal Length = Recommended Exposure Time. For example, if you are shooting with 11mm DX, which is equivalent to 16.5mm FX, then the calculation goes 500/16.5 = 30.3 seconds, meaning that you can shoot 30 seconds without obvious trails. If you're shooting with kit lens at 16mm, which equates to FX focal length of 24mm, then the recommended shutter speed is 20 seconds. But me personally, I'd still shoot for 30 seconds to compensate the less light from f3.5. 🙂 2. I haven't got the need for shutter release/intervalometer. So not sure what to recommend, sorry mate. But here's why I don't need it. For single shots, I just set the camera on the internal timer of 2 seconds. For interval continuous shots, which is good if I plan to create a timelapse from the stills, then I use the Interval Time Shooting to let the camera to capture up photos one after another for an extended period of time. In fact I've never used shutter release at all with all my Nikon Zs because these features. The only scenario I'm using the shutter release is when I'm shooting fireworks when I need to get the click at a specific time without touching the camera. Hope it helps and hope it makes sense mate 🙂
@@RedImaginationbyGG, thanx a lot. I've just rechecked the Interval Time Shooting settings and it looks like a solution ))). I've tried it before but clearly was doing something wrong. Now I tested everything again and, oh miracle, it works as it should ))). Thank you again!
Hi! This was a great video, and I'll definitely be using those tips later! I got a Nikon Z50 in March and I've been having trouble taking a time-lapse of the sky as you did at 0:20. Do you mind running down what settings you played with to get it so that the camera takes a time-lapse? Thanks!
Maaan, thank you very much for your help, so looking forward to trying this out. All pictures/timelapses from minute 7:23 are taken with z50 and 16-50mm lens? If so, I'm left dumbfounded. I've got a z50 and am about to try astrophotography for the first time. I currently have a 16-50 but also a 35mm 1.8 S lens with me, I was wondering, given the crop factor, is the 35 1.8 S still worth a try? I googled around a bit and found that many people say the 35 1.8, even not being such a wide lens, is still very good for astrophotography. Do you have any suggestion? How can I make these two lenses really pop while practising astrophotography?
Hey thanks man. Just to clarify, from 7:23, most of photos and timelapse were shot on Z50 + kit lens 16-50mm, i'd say about 80%. The remaining 20% were shot on Z6 and D750. And YES, your Z50 is capable to do astro. You just need to accept the fact that because it's a smaller sensor, the noise would be more noticeable compared to the full frame cameras, but again, IT CAN get the job done 🙂 About using 35mm 1.8, with the crop factor, it is true that it may not be wide enough. But man, with photography, just like any form of arts, there's never be right or wrong. Go give it a try. That f1.8 is powerful coz it'd allow you to lower the ISO and have less noise. With the not so wide lens, the key is in the composition. Coz obviously you won't be able to get the whole sky. Why not plan it with a good foreground subject, eg. mountain/vehicle/human/tree, and compose it in the way that the milky way just rising behind the foreground. Use the app like PhotoPills or Stellarium to know what date and time would be best in the location of your choice. Great astro photos take lots of practice and planning. It is absolutely possible to shoot with what you got 😃
What kind of recommendation would you give to a novice photographer? I live in Alaska is I’ve taken some nice Northern Lights with my phone. But j finally put the funds in to buy the NikonZ50. All things said, it can drop to -20 degrees in Alaska. Would the camera need some form of “weatherizing” as silky as that sounds. And what kind of lens would be doable to use for Astrophotography? 🙏. Love the videos you make very informative. Happy trails.
Wow .. Alaska, Northern Lights ... my envy just kicked in, lol. good on you man! I would love to explore what's up there. Would be really different from Australia 😃 Good to hear you got the Nikon Z50. The short answer is any lenses can work for astrophotography. But if we're talking about the ideal lenses, we need lenses with wide aperture (small f number), and likely wide focal length. Depending on your budget, your options are the following ... Kit lens Z 16-50 f3.5-6, or Z 20mm f1.8, or 14-24mm f2.8. I do some astro with the Nikon Z 50 + kit lens too in this video 🙂 As far as shooting in cold temperature, i'd wrap the lens with one of those beaded hand warmers to avoid the frost build up on the glass. In saying that though, I only have experience to shoot at -6 celcius so far 😄So honestly speaking, I don't know how the camera will behave at -20. That is gnarly 😄 Hope it helps man! 👊
@@RedImaginationbyGG I have yet to see any issue with using my Nikon d750 down towards -30° celsius with 5sek to 5min shutter time and continues shooting 3-8 hours straight. When you bring it out to cold put it in a bag and leave it outside so it will get gradually colder, otherwise if you cool it down fast(or heat it up fast from cold) you get condensation. Never had frost on the lens, only on the camera housing, but thats fine, just wipe it off before taking it inside, and same thing there, take the cold bag with camera inside and let it slowly heat up. So no warmers, except in your gloves for nice warm hands :) And change battery a bit more often in winter, original Nikon batteries works great in cold from my experience. I use Samyang 24mm 1.4f and William Optics Zenithstar 73 II APO.
@@Excess8 Mate, really great insight. Being in Sydney, I had no experience shooting in sub zero temperature. So this is good info to have. Thank you for sharing 👍😃
Thank you Sharon! 2 secs timer is the common set up and generally is enough. I use 2 secs all the time. However if you worry about the camera shake taking a while after you press the shutter, then 5 secs is definitely safe. If 5 secs timer still introduce the camera shake and it's not caused by crazy wind, then you may need a new tripod. Hope it helps :)
Hey thanks Lauren :) I personally have never used Artisan but i do hear that it's a descent lens. While I couldn't comment on the optic quality, here's what i think about using this fisheye lens for astro. PRO; - So wide that you can have so much packed in - Wide aperture of f2.8 is definitely a plus for astrophotography NEUTRAL; - A very wide lens will make the milky way core looks smaller. Not a good or bad thing, just something for you to be aware of. - Depending on how you compose the frame, the fisheye will potentially give you a curved horizon. If you don't mind this, then nothing to worry :) Hope it helps. And thanks for the subscribe :)
@@RedImaginationbyGG Ah I haven't tried using the kit for astro didn't think it would do great at 3.5, been looking at some of the faster off brand ones.
@@cameramanrichy Haha i get it. That's the widest lens i got for the Z50. Plus it is to showcase that a kit combo can still manage to get some astro 😃 I also use my Nikon Z6 and Z lens 24-70mm f2.8 for some of the images and timelapse in this video, like the one used as the thumbnail 😃
@@dhachinamoorthy1836 Awesome man! The quick answer is YES, it can work. Some of the images and timelapse taken in this video was using the Z50 and the kit lens. The maximum aperture for the kit lens is f3.5, which means that you need to compensate with higher ISO, which mean that the image will be more grainy. If you can afford to get a lens with consistent aperture of f2.8 or f1.8, that will help you to achieve better result. Hope it helps 🙂
Thanks a lot mate :) The grain would comes from high ISO. Are you referring to the grain on the screen when you digitally zoom in while searching for the focus? If so, it's inevitable and that's totally fine. Because once you've nailed the focus, you're changing your setting to lower the ISO anyway. If I misunderstood your question, enlighten me please :)
@@RedImaginationbyGG Wow. You are a very good man. Taking so much time to teach us. I recently bought z50, the problem is when the light becomes very low during sunset my video tends to become very grainy/noisy (those dancing pixels). But you have such nice video in pitch black dark. Is the actual footage noisy and you removed noise/grain in post? I bought nikon z50 after watching flawless night video performance on nikon official CZcams channel. However nowhere they mentioned that noise has to be removed in post processing. Please help us how to avoid noise/grain in real dark situation. Subscribed with great pleasure for the hard work you put in to make such informative videos. Hope to see more videos soon
@@deephorizon457 Hey thanks a lot for the support man :) With the low light shooting, it is inevitable that you need to bump up the ISO therefore it becomes grainy, regardless of the camera these days. I'm assuming you might've been shooting in Auto Mode that you might not realise that the camera has decided to bump up the ISO automatically? Some ways to help keeping the ISO as low as you can is to shoot the video in 24 fps, therefore the slowest shutter speed you can afford is 1/50. Then use the largest aperture your lens can afford, set to the smallest f number. If you use the kit lens, the largest aperture it can open is f3.5. Then adjust the ISO accordingly, as low as possible. But most of the time i'd rather have a grainy footage rather than too dark and unusable. Any specific minutes and second that you're asking from my vlog? I don't really remove noise/grain from videos in post. If you're thinking to shoot videos of stars like I used in this video, do timelapse instead of video mode.
@@RedImaginationbyGG shooting at 24fps was a very good point. I was able to bring down shutter to 1/25 to push more light in. It really helped a lot. Shooting videos when the sun is almost down tend to give you grainy video (It becomes worse if you process them heavily in post processing). So I feel its a good idea to take silhouette during these hours. In dark situations we should be trying for as much contrast as we can rather than trying to capture shadow details by lowering contrast and shooting logs. Is that correct? Usually, astro videography comes out clean due to the natural contrast of pitch black sky and bright stars. However if there is moonlight we need to adjust contrast and exposure to get as little detail as possible of the area surrounding the moon to avoid grain. Is that correct?
@@deephorizon457 I'm a bit confused with your questions. Haha ... Somethings are not adding up. Based on what you said, lemme take a few steps back to clarify. By. saying astro videography, are you attempting to make a video shown from 7:37 in this video? If not, please let me know what is it you're. trying to achieve. But if it is, then you need to aim to make timelapse video and not a normal video. Lemme know so I can help you with more information. Btw, just uploaded a Short about how to make timelapse in case that's what you need. I'll make a proper video to break it down more when I got a chance :)
Hello. It's a pleasure to share what I know to improve other's skills 🙂 I had only been using the kit lens 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 as I wanted to showcase what it's capable of doing.
@@RedImaginationbyGG OMG~ cant believe that was just using the kit lens. And compare with Z5 and Z50, which camera will u recommend more for astro photography? cause that is what i m concern, which one should i buy.
@@tlli81 The photos and timelapse taken in this video are taken using Z50, Z6 and D750 which i put the disclaimer at the end. But Z50 is still a capable little camera. If you like astro photography, and can afford more, then go for Z5 instead of Z50 because of the bigger sensor. It has more benefit when it comes down to night/astro photography. Choice of lens is also important. If budget allows, I'd recommend either 14-24mm f2.8 or 24mm f1.8. These two lenses have wide aperture and it really does help with astro 🙂
Hi Mohamed, i do use kit Nikon Z50 and the kit lens 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 for some of the shots. The rest were shot using Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 and Nikon 17-35mm f2.8. Kit lenses with smaller aperture can still do the astro well :)
Hey Vishal, sorry for the late reply mate. Your kit lens 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 can be used to shoot astro by following this tutorial. However if you're happy to spend more to get a more ideal lens, your options are either 14-24mm f2.8, or Z 20mm f1.8. As these lenses provide you with larger aperture. Hope it helps :)
Hi mate, I'd love to use all stocks from Z50 but haven't got enough as i just got this camera 2 months ago. That's why i put a disclaimer towards the end of the video too. I'd say 45% Z50, 45% Z6, and 10% D750. If you you specifically need to know which image/timelapse shot on which camera, let me know the timestamp and i'll be happy to share. Hope it helps 🙂
I just got my new Nikon Z50 a couple weeks ago. thanks for this video. it would be of great help for me. I will be looking forward for another tips for best settings use in Z50 when it comes to photography and cinematic video.
Hey thanks a lot man! I've been longing to do the review of what this Z50 and what it can do. Hopefully get around to prioritise it soon. I'll keep it in mind about the best setting for cinematic video. As far as best photography setting, it really is depending on what you are shooting and trying to achieve 😃
Feel free to drop in any questions you may have along the way. Happy to help 😃
Thanks I'll be waiting for the review.
Finally found the most informative and helpful explanation for astro photography for N50. Thanks GG.
Thank you! I'm glad you find this useful 🙂🙏🏼
Its a great starter video. I think that 30s exposure will get you star trails. For you Z50 with a 14mm f/2.8 lens you should be shooting max 16s to get spot stars for milky way shooting.
Thanks mate! Yep spot on! The 30s second exposure definitely will give a bit of trail with at 14mm or 16mm focal length. But i'm okay with it, as the other option is to accept more noise from the higher ISO. Coz kit lens 16-50mm only opens to max f3.5. And you're definitely right too, it's a starter video to get my audience excited that shooting stars with Z50 is possible 😃 Once they dip their toes into it, i'm sure they will learn more advance stuffs like how to avoid trails, noise, editing techniques, star trackers and so on 🙂
I’m amazed with this camera. I was shooting the moon handheld with the kit 50-250 at 250mm which has a fx equivalent of about 400mm and it was able to focus absolutely well!
That's great to hear your positive experience man! Yes. It's impressive how much this little FX camera can do. Really good hybrid for photos and videos too 😃
@@RedImaginationbyGG I agree. Dx*
@@krishavshah2369 O yeah .. DX it is .. lol
One thing to add: the SnapBridge app works amazingly with the Nikon Z 50 when you’re doing stuff like this!
Love your video and especially the intro! Just subbed. Thanks!
Thanks a lot for the additional info mate. SnapBridge definitely is one option to shoot wirelessly. Thanks for the sub as well. Much appreciate it 🙏🏼😃
I accidentally came across this Channel. What should I say, I have got a Nikon z50 and I enjoyed this tutorial. Honestly, I don't do Astro but your explanation and your calm and clear talking made me to superscribe. Thanks a lot for this channel.
Awesome! Thanks a lot for your kind words! Really appreciate it 🙏😃 Be careful when trying astro, It's addictive 😄Hope you enjoy your Nikon Z50 too.
@@RedImaginationbyGG I had to share on my Facebook abd Twitter cos after watching other VDOs you got me
Getting my Z50 tomorrow and forward to shoot some nice pics of the nightsky. Thank you for this video!
Nice sharing ! Thank you!
Thanks a lot mate 😃 Always happy to share what i know.
Thanks for the tips. You kept the steps simple and your shots were amazing. I'm avid photographer, I like taking landscape shots. I really wanted to try astro photography...your video was very resourceful.
Thanks a lot buddy. I'm glad you find the video useful. Give it a go and I hope you get the shot you've always wanted! 🙂
I have a Z30, and it worked ! you did a very great tutorial, thank you!
Awesome mate. Music to my ears. Glad to hear it. Keep creating! 👍🏽😃
Great video, simple to understand and fabulous info for someone just starting out like me. What I really wanted to know is how to take multiple 10s high ISO exposures so I can blend them in Photoshop to reduce noise. Maybe you could consider this for your next video?
Thanks a lot Peter. That's a great suggestion to cover in the future videos. I might do how to edit a single exposure astro photography shoot first. But I'll definitely keep that in mind 🙂
You need more subscribers! Realy nice video
Hi Fabian, thanks a lot for your kind words and subscribe man. It's very heart warming. Hope you have an awesome time 🙂
Great video! Thank you very much!
Thanks a lot mate. My pleasure 🙂
How do you record star as in videography? Bcs my I don't know how to increase the shutter speed in the video mode
Shutter speed while shooting video is limited. Therefore you cannot record star in video. The only way to capture stars in video is timelapse. Which is multiple photos put together as video. Hope it make sense. I may need to make video about it :)
Bagus! I tried this last year whilst house sitting in the Blue Mountains. Only focused on the foreground tree tops during the day (I have a star tracking app), taped the lens with painters tape and returned during the night to take the photo. This won’t work if you accident bump the camera on its tripod though
Terima Kasih!!! 😃 Start tracking app is next level. Yep, that's a dedication to lock in the focus! Well done! And yes, one small bump on the tripod and the lens, then bye bye focus 😄 Hope you got the shots you love!
Hi, just got a new Z50. Could you advice me for a remote trigger/timer for this camera ? Thank you !
kindly elaborate on manual focusing of a subject ( a star) in the sky at night
Hey sure mate. What I meant was you need to find the. brightest star, use your LCD screen to zoom to that star and adjust your focus ring manually until that one star is in focus. Once done, take some test shots to check. Once you nailed the focus, you have basically set the focus to infinity and ready to take shots throughout the night, as long as you don't re adjust the focus ring. Let me know if this makes any sense.
Brilliant! I'm looking to up my simple iPhone photography game with a compact mirrorless camera and for some time I've been smitten with the Fujifilm X100V ... but ... I'm slowly coming around to the versatility of the Z50 ... still in a compact package for travel and bicycling etc. Astrophotography, nature pics (birds) and sailing are amongst my interests so it would seem that the Z50 would be a better choice than the X100V. Both have weather sealing although the Nikon Z50 kit lenses are not? In any case, I very much enjoyed your videos ... thanks!
Hey thanks a lot mate! The Z50 is definitely suit travellers. And you are correct, the body is weather shield but kit lens is not. In saying that, mine has been exposed to a lot and still going strong. Just don't go too crazy i guess 😄 Fuji X100V is a cool compact option too, a little more pricey. Just not sure how the weather shield goes. Whichever you're getting, or already got, hope it suits you best 👍😃
I like all your tips but I'm confused about one thing, regarding manual focus. Obviously the stars are very far away so wouldn't setting manual focus to Infinity be all you need?
Hi James, thanks for bringing this up. Valid point and good logic 😃 The infinity on digital camera lenses however, not a true infinity. Normally you need to turn the focus ring a tad bit back from where it stops at the 'infinity' to get the actual infinity. Maybe try out your camera in the day time and focus on the clouds, then you'll get what I mean. A little tips you can do to mark the actual infinity on your lens, is draw a line using a pointy permanent marker across the focus ring and the lens shell. Hope it makes sense and helpful 🙂
How to timer with no green light?
Great video thanks! You show astro-video samples at the end and don't talk at all about shooting video with the z50, that would have been cool. Maybe next video
Thanks a lot mate! Been wanting to talk about it, just haven't made it a priority 😄 But now that you mentioned it, the priority is ranked higher. Cheers! 🍻😃
Hi. I have several questions.
1. Are you using any star tracker? With shutter speed 30sec there should be tracks instead of clear stars, am I wrong?
2. Could you please advice with the remote trigger for Z50? I find out that it is a problem with the remote shutter releases/intervalometers for this camera since it has no ports (10-pin or DC-2) for external equipment. I've tried to use SnapBridge, but it is ok only for a few shots. Using it for 50-100 shots session... It's a bit a pain in the ass )).
Hey Max, valid questions there.
1. No I don't use start tracker .. yet 😃 But it's getting more and more tempting to get one. To get the best 'no trail' shots of the stars, then yes you need a star tracker. Without star tracker, you can minimise the trail by adjusting your shutter speed according to the focal length of your lens. The '500 rules' is a good start. It's calculated based on 500/FX Focal Length = Recommended Exposure Time. For example, if you are shooting with 11mm DX, which is equivalent to 16.5mm FX, then the calculation goes 500/16.5 = 30.3 seconds, meaning that you can shoot 30 seconds without obvious trails. If you're shooting with kit lens at 16mm, which equates to FX focal length of 24mm, then the recommended shutter speed is 20 seconds. But me personally, I'd still shoot for 30 seconds to compensate the less light from f3.5. 🙂
2. I haven't got the need for shutter release/intervalometer. So not sure what to recommend, sorry mate. But here's why I don't need it. For single shots, I just set the camera on the internal timer of 2 seconds. For interval continuous shots, which is good if I plan to create a timelapse from the stills, then I use the Interval Time Shooting to let the camera to capture up photos one after another for an extended period of time. In fact I've never used shutter release at all with all my Nikon Zs because these features. The only scenario I'm using the shutter release is when I'm shooting fireworks when I need to get the click at a specific time without touching the camera.
Hope it helps and hope it makes sense mate 🙂
@@RedImaginationbyGG, thanx a lot. I've just rechecked the Interval Time Shooting settings and it looks like a solution ))). I've tried it before but clearly was doing something wrong. Now I tested everything again and, oh miracle, it works as it should ))). Thank you again!
@@maxzhukovskyi1679 Anytime mate. Glad to hear it works 🙂
wew Amazing...
Thank you bro Qbonk! 😃
Hi! This was a great video, and I'll definitely be using those tips later! I got a Nikon Z50 in March and I've been having trouble taking a time-lapse of the sky as you did at 0:20. Do you mind running down what settings you played with to get it so that the camera takes a time-lapse? Thanks!
Maaan, thank you very much for your help, so looking forward to trying this out. All pictures/timelapses from minute 7:23 are taken with z50 and 16-50mm lens? If so, I'm left dumbfounded. I've got a z50 and am about to try astrophotography for the first time. I currently have a 16-50 but also a 35mm 1.8 S lens with me, I was wondering, given the crop factor, is the 35 1.8 S still worth a try? I googled around a bit and found that many people say the 35 1.8, even not being such a wide lens, is still very good for astrophotography. Do you have any suggestion? How can I make these two lenses really pop while practising astrophotography?
Hey thanks man. Just to clarify, from 7:23, most of photos and timelapse were shot on Z50 + kit lens 16-50mm, i'd say about 80%. The remaining 20% were shot on Z6 and D750. And YES, your Z50 is capable to do astro. You just need to accept the fact that because it's a smaller sensor, the noise would be more noticeable compared to the full frame cameras, but again, IT CAN get the job done 🙂
About using 35mm 1.8, with the crop factor, it is true that it may not be wide enough. But man, with photography, just like any form of arts, there's never be right or wrong. Go give it a try. That f1.8 is powerful coz it'd allow you to lower the ISO and have less noise. With the not so wide lens, the key is in the composition. Coz obviously you won't be able to get the whole sky. Why not plan it with a good foreground subject, eg. mountain/vehicle/human/tree, and compose it in the way that the milky way just rising behind the foreground. Use the app like PhotoPills or Stellarium to know what date and time would be best in the location of your choice. Great astro photos take lots of practice and planning. It is absolutely possible to shoot with what you got 😃
@@RedImaginationbyGG man I'm beyond expired. Thank you very much. Keep it up < 3
Need to remember about "600" rule
I thought I left that out in case the viewers find it too technical. But definitely noted for the next one. Cheers mate.
For APS-C it should be the 400 rule, right?
Otw beli z50 👍
Lesgoooo!!! 😃
What kind of recommendation would you give to a novice photographer? I live in Alaska is I’ve taken some nice Northern Lights with my phone. But j finally put the funds in to buy the NikonZ50. All things said, it can drop to -20 degrees in Alaska. Would the camera need some form of “weatherizing” as silky as that sounds. And what kind of lens would be doable to use for Astrophotography? 🙏. Love the videos you make very informative. Happy trails.
Wow .. Alaska, Northern Lights ... my envy just kicked in, lol. good on you man! I would love to explore what's up there. Would be really different from Australia 😃
Good to hear you got the Nikon Z50. The short answer is any lenses can work for astrophotography. But if we're talking about the ideal lenses, we need lenses with wide aperture (small f number), and likely wide focal length. Depending on your budget, your options are the following ... Kit lens Z 16-50 f3.5-6, or Z 20mm f1.8, or 14-24mm f2.8. I do some astro with the Nikon Z 50 + kit lens too in this video 🙂
As far as shooting in cold temperature, i'd wrap the lens with one of those beaded hand warmers to avoid the frost build up on the glass. In saying that though, I only have experience to shoot at -6 celcius so far 😄So honestly speaking, I don't know how the camera will behave at -20. That is gnarly 😄 Hope it helps man! 👊
@@RedImaginationbyGG
I have yet to see any issue with using my Nikon d750 down towards -30° celsius with 5sek to 5min shutter time and continues shooting 3-8 hours straight. When you bring it out to cold put it in a bag and leave it outside so it will get gradually colder, otherwise if you cool it down fast(or heat it up fast from cold) you get condensation.
Never had frost on the lens, only on the camera housing, but thats fine, just wipe it off before taking it inside, and same thing there, take the cold bag with camera inside and let it slowly heat up.
So no warmers, except in your gloves for nice warm hands :)
And change battery a bit more often in winter, original Nikon batteries works great in cold from my experience.
I use Samyang 24mm 1.4f and William Optics Zenithstar 73 II APO.
@@Excess8 Mate, really great insight. Being in Sydney, I had no experience shooting in sub zero temperature. So this is good info to have. Thank you for sharing 👍😃
thank you so much for this. Do you know how long you should set the camera timer?
Thank you Sharon! 2 secs timer is the common set up and generally is enough. I use 2 secs all the time. However if you worry about the camera shake taking a while after you press the shutter, then 5 secs is definitely safe. If 5 secs timer still introduce the camera shake and it's not caused by crazy wind, then you may need a new tripod. Hope it helps :)
Thanks for the great video ! What do you think about using a fisheye for instance the 7artisans 7,5 mm F2.8 for the Z50 for astro-photography ?
Hey thanks Lauren :) I personally have never used Artisan but i do hear that it's a descent lens. While I couldn't comment on the optic quality, here's what i think about using this fisheye lens for astro.
PRO;
- So wide that you can have so much packed in
- Wide aperture of f2.8 is definitely a plus for astrophotography
NEUTRAL;
- A very wide lens will make the milky way core looks smaller. Not a good or bad thing, just something for you to be aware of.
- Depending on how you compose the frame, the fisheye will potentially give you a curved horizon. If you don't mind this, then nothing to worry :)
Hope it helps. And thanks for the subscribe :)
@@RedImaginationbyGG Thank you very much for your evaluation :)
@@laurengonzo6957 Anytime :)
Well done vid. What lens do you use on the Z 50 for astro?
Hey thanks a lot man! For the Z50 I was using the kit lens 16-35mm f3.5-6.3 for the astro. Mainly shot at 16mm f3.5 😃
@@RedImaginationbyGG Ah I haven't tried using the kit for astro didn't think it would do great at 3.5, been looking at some of the faster off brand ones.
@@cameramanrichy Haha i get it. That's the widest lens i got for the Z50. Plus it is to showcase that a kit combo can still manage to get some astro 😃 I also use my Nikon Z6 and Z lens 24-70mm f2.8 for some of the images and timelapse in this video, like the one used as the thumbnail 😃
@@RedImaginationbyGG Hey Man , Love From Tamilnadu, ❤️ Now I'm got nikon Z50 but the kit was 16-50 , this will works astro or not..?
@@dhachinamoorthy1836 Awesome man! The quick answer is YES, it can work. Some of the images and timelapse taken in this video was using the Z50 and the kit lens. The maximum aperture for the kit lens is f3.5, which means that you need to compensate with higher ISO, which mean that the image will be more grainy. If you can afford to get a lens with consistent aperture of f2.8 or f1.8, that will help you to achieve better result. Hope it helps 🙂
Very nice video. On the camera screen I was able to see a lot of grain. How do you remove noise?
Thanks a lot mate :) The grain would comes from high ISO. Are you referring to the grain on the screen when you digitally zoom in while searching for the focus? If so, it's inevitable and that's totally fine. Because once you've nailed the focus, you're changing your setting to lower the ISO anyway. If I misunderstood your question, enlighten me please :)
@@RedImaginationbyGG Wow. You are a very good man. Taking so much time to teach us. I recently bought z50, the problem is when the light becomes very low during sunset my video tends to become very grainy/noisy (those dancing pixels). But you have such nice video in pitch black dark. Is the actual footage noisy and you removed noise/grain in post? I bought nikon z50 after watching flawless night video performance on nikon official CZcams channel. However nowhere they mentioned that noise has to be removed in post processing. Please help us how to avoid noise/grain in real dark situation. Subscribed with great pleasure for the hard work you put in to make such informative videos. Hope to see more videos soon
@@deephorizon457 Hey thanks a lot for the support man :) With the low light shooting, it is inevitable that you need to bump up the ISO therefore it becomes grainy, regardless of the camera these days. I'm assuming you might've been shooting in Auto Mode that you might not realise that the camera has decided to bump up the ISO automatically? Some ways to help keeping the ISO as low as you can is to shoot the video in 24 fps, therefore the slowest shutter speed you can afford is 1/50. Then use the largest aperture your lens can afford, set to the smallest f number. If you use the kit lens, the largest aperture it can open is f3.5. Then adjust the ISO accordingly, as low as possible. But most of the time i'd rather have a grainy footage rather than too dark and unusable. Any specific minutes and second that you're asking from my vlog? I don't really remove noise/grain from videos in post. If you're thinking to shoot videos of stars like I used in this video, do timelapse instead of video mode.
@@RedImaginationbyGG shooting at 24fps was a very good point. I was able to bring down shutter to 1/25 to push more light in. It really helped a lot. Shooting videos when the sun is almost down tend to give you grainy video (It becomes worse if you process them heavily in post processing). So I feel its a good idea to take silhouette during these hours. In dark situations we should be trying for as much contrast as we can rather than trying to capture shadow details by lowering contrast and shooting logs. Is that correct? Usually, astro videography comes out clean due to the natural contrast of pitch black sky and bright stars. However if there is moonlight we need to adjust contrast and exposure to get as little detail as possible of the area surrounding the moon to avoid grain. Is that correct?
@@deephorizon457 I'm a bit confused with your questions. Haha ... Somethings are not adding up. Based on what you said, lemme take a few steps back to clarify. By. saying astro videography, are you attempting to make a video shown from 7:37 in this video? If not, please let me know what is it you're. trying to achieve. But if it is, then you need to aim to make timelapse video and not a normal video. Lemme know so I can help you with more information. Btw, just uploaded a Short about how to make timelapse in case that's what you need. I'll make a proper video to break it down more when I got a chance :)
thanks for your sharing? may i know which len are u using on Nikon Z50 for those astro photography?
Hello. It's a pleasure to share what I know to improve other's skills 🙂 I had only been using the kit lens 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 as I wanted to showcase what it's capable of doing.
@@RedImaginationbyGG OMG~ cant believe that was just using the kit lens. And compare with Z5 and Z50, which camera will u recommend more for astro photography? cause that is what i m concern, which one should i buy.
@@tlli81 The photos and timelapse taken in this video are taken using Z50, Z6 and D750 which i put the disclaimer at the end. But Z50 is still a capable little camera. If you like astro photography, and can afford more, then go for Z5 instead of Z50 because of the bigger sensor. It has more benefit when it comes down to night/astro photography. Choice of lens is also important. If budget allows, I'd recommend either 14-24mm f2.8 or 24mm f1.8. These two lenses have wide aperture and it really does help with astro 🙂
You should more subscribers 😃
Hey thanks for the kind words man! Really appreciate it! 😃
Do u use the kit lens for these photos?
Hi Mohamed, i do use kit Nikon Z50 and the kit lens 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 for some of the shots. The rest were shot using Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 and Nikon 17-35mm f2.8. Kit lenses with smaller aperture can still do the astro well :)
For nikkon z50, which lens should i buy for astrophotography?
Hey Vishal, sorry for the late reply mate. Your kit lens 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 can be used to shoot astro by following this tutorial. However if you're happy to spend more to get a more ideal lens, your options are either 14-24mm f2.8, or Z 20mm f1.8. As these lenses provide you with larger aperture. Hope it helps :)
Are all these photo shot with z50?
Hi mate, I'd love to use all stocks from Z50 but haven't got enough as i just got this camera 2 months ago. That's why i put a disclaimer towards the end of the video too. I'd say 45% Z50, 45% Z6, and 10% D750. If you you specifically need to know which image/timelapse shot on which camera, let me know the timestamp and i'll be happy to share. Hope it helps 🙂