Astrophotography - How to Focus on the Stars in the Dark

[@roycejohnson929]

Another good tip is to turn on brightscreen, on my Sony A7R iii i have it set to the AEL button. Went and shot the Aurora last night out here in New Zealand and what a magic site, have never viewed it before, was awesome ! Thanks for some very helpful tips, also with manual focus do a check to see the position during the day time. Cheers

[@AustinJamesJackson]

Do you mean bright monitoring? If so, I love using it but it goes away when you start to dial the manual focus, so it isn’t really a focusing tool. It is however, excellent for framing out your compositions.

[@stigfloberghagenphotography]

Nice advice 👍

[@AustinJamesJackson]

Thanks!

[@00_Ryan_00]

Also use a magnifying glass with live view. I don’t like getting too close with a loomiloop, so magnifying glass is best for me.

[@AustinJamesJackson]

Good tip! Thanks.

[@iamionscat9035]

Exactly the video I needed. Shooting at night is a coin flip for me. Sony a7iv

[@AustinJamesJackson]

Good luck!

[@sanja812]

The image you took, is not too bright?

[@AustinJamesJackson]

Nope!

[@KenToney]

Infinity is not correct on lens because there is compensation built in just in case you are in freezing weather and the metal expands.

[@KenToney]

Great tips!!

[@AustinJamesJackson]

Great to know! I had no idea.

[@KenToney]

@@AustinJamesJackson i’ve been shooting about 60 years and back in the old days. Every lens was metal so we had the same problem. That was so great tips. I’m gonna go shoot tonight the Milky Way so that was awesome tips. I’m shooting the Sony A1 so it be about the same settings.

[@dw.in.michigan]

Just found your channel. Love the editing tutorials. Very concise. Another person mentioned the issue with infinity focus, with regard to freezing temperatures. A really high quality lens is probably going to have much tighter tolerances, and thus have variable performance only in extreme temperature differences. However, in my world, where I can't afford a really high quality lens, the focus breathing that can occur does so with differences in temperature that may be as little as 20-30 degrees (Fahrenheit), as well as with changes in humidity. I think in one of Nico Carver's (Nebula Photos) videos, he gives a much better explanation of what's happening in the lens with variations in temperature and humidity, and he does so within the context of presetting your lenses and doing dark frames and light frames, and taping off your lens where you've focused it ahead of time, doing the shoot, then discovering that your images didn't turn out... because of focus breathing due to weather change. And I think he says to go ahead and prefocus your lenses, but still check your first few images before being satisfied that everything is good.

[@13DCR]

The lousiest night photo I have ever seen 😂

[@AustinJamesJackson]

I wasn’t trying to take a great comp, just show off the example.