10/10/2024
Looking to catch the Northern lights? Tonight offers a rare opportunity for many parts of the country. A G4 storm is expected to produce a colorful display of lights. 😍
The best time to check is after sunset until midnight. Here is a basic how to guide for cameras and phones to capture the auroras. 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
👉🏼 A tripod is recommended for everything below. These settings are subject to chance based on conditions... so adjust as needed. 🤷🏼♀️
📷 CAMERAS:
- Select Manual mode on your camera
- Shutter speed:
Around 10 seconds is best, if the auroras are far away and not moving fast.
If the auroras are directly overhead and moving fast, 2 - 4 seconds is best.
- F stop:
As low as it possibly goes for the lens that you are using. For example, if one's primary aurora lens goes down to F 2.8, then keep it at that.
- ISO:
This will depend on the quality of your camera. ISO is normally set between 800 - 1600, but you might have go higher if your images are darker. Be aware that the higher your ISO is, the "grainier" your picture will look.
- RAW vs JPEG
Use RAW if you are doing any real editing.
JPEG is fine for those who don't plan on doing much to the photo.
- Turn OFF autofocus. Manually focus your lens to just below the crosshairs of infinity. This will give you better control to get sharp images.
- Unless you have a remote shutter, turn on a 2 second timer to avoid any camera shake.
That is the basic starting point for your cameras. From there, you can adjust the settings to get your images perfect.
📱ANDROID phone SETTINGS:
- Use Pro/Manual/Night mode
- Set exposure: 3 - 10 seconds.
- ISO: Start between 400 - 600 and adjust as needed
- Turn off flash
- Focus: Manual or Infinity
- Use a 3-second timer to avoid any camera shake
- Turn on RAW if it is available on your phone to get the best quality
🍏 iPHONE SETTINGS:
- Use Night mode (iPhone 11 and later) or manual mode (third-party apps).
- Set exposure: 3-10 seconds
- ISO: Start between 400 - 600 and adjust as needed
- Turn off flash
- Focus: Manual or Infinity
- Use a 3-second timer to avoid any camera shake
- Turn on RAW Max if it is available on your phone to get the best quality
Info originally created by Tony Bendele 📷
ENJOY!!! I'm hoping to see them with the naked eye in our area... but also hoping to see pink and red and yellow this time. 😍
