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northern lights camera

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 1:59 pm
by Wildflower-nut
any opinions on whether the eos rp or sony a7iii is better for northern lights photography?  Also have access to eos 5D4.  Would like use of ASA 3200 to be "reasonable".

Re: northern lights camera

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 6:05 pm
by ricardo00
Wildflower-nut wrote:any opinions on whether the eos rp or sony a7iii is better for northern lights photography?  Also have access to eos 5D4.  Would like use of ASA 3200 to be "reasonable".
  Just curious, what lens will you use?  Presumably the same on both cameras?

I have no idea how the Canon would compare with Sony (have never shot with either) but a lot will depend on how strong the aurora is as to what ASA you can use and how long you have to expose.  I have shot the aurora when I could barely see it (the long exposure made it much more visible) versus a couple of times it was an amazing show, just with my naked eye.
 

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 6:13 pm
by E.J. Peiker
OK, ASA died 20 years ago and was a film term ;) It's ISO. The two very best lowlight cameras on the market are the Sony a7S II and the Nikon D5 but you didn't ask about either. The Sony a73 sensor is vastly superior to the Canon RP's sensor:
http://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/P ... 20ILCE-7M3

Re:

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 8:19 pm
by Wildflower-nut
E.J. Peiker wrote:OK, ASA died 20 years ago and was a film term ;)  It's ISO.  The two very best lowlight cameras on the market are the Sony a7S II and the Nikon D5 but you didn't ask about either.  The Sony a73 sensor is vastly superior to the Canon RP's sensor:
http://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/P ... 20ILCE-7M3


That's ok.  I started with weston ratings, then it was din and ASA.  Now ISO.  I have to go with the cameras I've access to as I don't plan to do enough of this to buy a special camera.  My optics all all EF mounts so Nikon is out.  Sony I guess could be rented.  I'll check your reference out.  Thanks.

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 8:24 pm
by Wildflower-nut
The sony appears superior but at iso 1600 or 3200, the difference narrows.

Re: northern lights camera

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 8:37 pm
by WJaekel
I've been on several special photo trips for northen lights in Northern Norway and was happy with the results I got with my 1Dx (II) and 5D4 cameras. I mostly used the 1Dx and 5 in the 1600 to 2000 ISO range. There rarely was the need to shoot at ISO 3200 or above for capturing the displays. The same was true for the fellow Nikon shooters using the D5. Of course, the settings depend on the ambient light and strength of the displays, too. So it's just my experience from 5 photo trips. We had no Sony guys in our group so I cannot comment on that and  I have no experience with the rp either.
You can view some shots here:

https://www.wjaekel-foto.de/photo-trip/ ... rn-lights/

They're not at full size on my site, though and thus certainly cannot serve as a proof for pixel peeping ;-)
At that time, a few shots still were taken with the 5d3 which was problematic as for banding and noise if you wanted to push the shadows. I had no problems with the 5d4 here - and of course  no issue at all with 1 Dx either (which you haven't asked for, though). You can also check a few aurora images from my Greenland trip, if you scroll down in the gallery: https://www.wjaekel-foto.de/photo-trip/ ... land-2016/
That said, I normally don't like the extremly bright daylight-like pushed images of aurora shots taken at night which look unnatural to me. But that's a matter of personal preference and taste, of course. Anyway, I've been happy with my Canons, so far.

Wolfgang

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 8:42 pm
by E.J. Peiker
Yeah but the quality of the noise is very different.  The Canon's has a lot of pattern noise which is more difficult to deal with than a more film grain like quality in the a7.  A lot depends on the lenses you plan on using as the speed of those will determine the ISO you end up using.

Of course either camera can yield good images but you specifically asked which is better :)

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 9:15 pm
by Wildflower-nut
I PLAN TO TAKE:

15-30 f2.8 version 1 Tamron probably at f2.8
24mm f1.4 Samyang probably used no wider than f2.0

along if needed
35mm f1.4 II canon probably used no wider than f2.0

Want short exposures to maintain structure of the northern lights rather than smear with longer exposure.  Hence the desire to use 1600 or more iso and exposures in the 2-10 sec range depending upon brightness.

Re: northern lights camera

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 9:17 pm
by Wildflower-nut
WJaekel wrote:I've been on several special photo trips for northen lights in Northern Norway and was happy with the results I got with my 1Dx (II) and 5D4 cameras. I mostly used the 1Dx and 5 in the 1600 to 2000 ISO range. There rarely was the need to shoot at ISO 3200 or above for capturing the displays. The same was true for the fellow Nikon shooters using the D5. Of course, the settings depend on the ambient light and strength of the displays, too. So it's just my experience from 5 photo trips. We had no Sony guys in our group so I cannot comment on that and  I have no experience with the rp either.
You can view some shots here:

https://www.wjaekel-foto.de/photo-trip/ ... rn-lights/

They're not at full size on my site, though and thus certainly cannot serve as a proof for pixel peeping ;-)
At that time, a few shots still were taken with the 5d3 which was problematic as for banding and noise if you wanted to push the shadows. I had no problems with the 5d4 here - and of course  no issue at all with 1 Dx either (which you haven't asked for, though). You can also check a few aurora images from my Greenland trip, if you scroll down in the gallery: https://www.wjaekel-foto.de/photo-trip/ ... land-2016/
That said, I normally don't like the extremly bright daylight-like pushed images of aurora shots taken at night which look unnatural to me. But that's a matter of personal preference and taste, of course. Anyway, I've been happy with my Canons, so far.

Wolfgang
really like your pictures

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2019 4:05 am
by Neilyb
EOS RP is based on Canon's older sensor tech (from the 6D mkII) and cannot compare to the newer bodies, especially if you try to recover shadow detail. That said, with the right lens (35 1.4, 24 1.4, or any of the above 2.8 zooms) I do not think I would struggle to take good Aurora shots unless it was a weak showing. Seriously, if you have access to good glass either the RP or (IMO the best sensor Canon has ever built) the 5D4, you will be fine (ISO3200 is actually very useable).

I would recommend the fastest lens you can take and worry less about bodies, freeze the action and get those pin-point stars.

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2019 7:33 am
by E.J. Peiker
This link includes the 5D4 sensor in the comparison I linked earlier:
http://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/P ... 20ILCE-7M3

Re:

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2019 9:36 am
by Wildflower-nut
E.J. Peiker wrote:This link includes the 5D4 sensor in the comparison I linked earlier:
http://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/P ... y%20ILCE-T

Thanks for your input.  The lenses I listed are the ones I plan to take.  I'm taking two 5D4 and have a choice of the sony a7riii or the rp for the 3rd.  Figure 2 cameras on tripods for Northern lights (zoom and 24).  Three bodies for tundra buggy so I can mount a lens and not worry about changing lenses.  200-400, 100-400, 24-105.  Last time I went I had 200-400 and a 600 but no bears at Cape Churchill and a lot of weight.  Still toying between 600 and 200-400.

Re: Re:

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2019 2:29 pm
by ricardo00
Wildflower-nut wrote: Last time I went I had 200-400 and a 600 but no bears at Cape Churchill and a lot of weight.  Still toying between 600 and 200-400.
  Wow that is sad to hear that there were no bears at Cape Churchill.  This is a bit off topic, but you might want to bring a powerful flashlight so that if you are lucky enough to have the aurora and bears, you can try to paint the bears with the flashlight.  I tried this once with no where is good equipment as what you have but would love to try again with better equipment:
Image

Re: Re:

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2019 5:39 pm
by Wildflower-nut
ricardo00 wrote:
Wildflower-nut wrote: Last time I went I had 200-400 and a 600 but no bears at Cape Churchill and a lot of weight.  Still toying between 600 and 200-400.
  Wow that is sad to hear that there were no bears at Cape Churchill.  This is a bit off topic, but you might want to bring a powerful flashlight so that if you are lucky enough to have the aurora and bears, you can try to paint the bears with the flashlight.  I tried this once with no where is good equipment as what you have but would love to try again with better equipment:
Image
Beautiful.  Gives me something to work for.  Our problem was the freeze up had occurred before we got there and the bears had gone out on Hudson bay to hunt seal.

Re: Re:

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2019 7:31 pm
by ricardo00
Wildflower-nut wrote: Beautiful.  Gives me something to work for.  Our problems was the freeze up had occurred before we got there and the bears had gone out on Hudson bay to hunt seal.

   Thanks!  Good luck getting lots of polar bear shots and aurora shots.