OM System Starry Sky AF Tips & Settings

[@sweden_ove2074]

You're welcome. I know how important it is to give thumbs up for your videos to be known to the world. Here in South Sweden, it was spring yesterday, and today it's snow storm and completely white outside, so no difference on ground or air. Luckily the birds are accustomed to shifting April weather. I will spread words about your videos as good as I can.

[@leehoyphotography]

That is awesome! I greatly appreciate all the publicity! It helps do more for you all!

[@sweden_ove2074]

I forgot to click thumbs up yesterday for this video. 😅 Now its done. And video shared.

[@leehoyphotography]

Thank you so much!

[@michaelhall2709]

Am setting up my new OM-1 mark II custom settings in preparation for a planned trip to Death Valley next week, so this came at the perfect time. Thanks!

[@leehoyphotography]

Oh cool! Have a great trip! WAtching for Duane below, maybe you will see him! ;)

[@wessmith2422]

Hi Lee. StarySky works great on Panasonic lenses. I use it frequently with the 9mm f1.7 Pany

[@leehoyphotography]

Good to know! Thanks for sharing Wes! I like this kind of information so that if other clilents ask, I have reliable answers!

[@jonathanscherer8567]

Thanks for the info. I have the 25mm 1.7 and considered trying it with Starry Sky AF.

[@johnpark8297]

Fantastic video Lee, really helpful. Thank you very much 👍

[@leehoyphotography]

You are welcome John!

[@DavidL5star]

Very informative- thank you.

[@leehoyphotography]

Of course David, glad it was helpful!

[@DuaneHJardine]

Heading to Death Valley to hopefully take pictures of the night sky. I have an Olympus that is a little older so I do use your hints for manual focus and they work well. Looking forward to any video you do of the night sky. They are a joy to shot.

[@leehoyphotography]

Duane - what camera body do you use? Thanks for watching and have a great trip!

[@DuaneHJardine]

@@leehoyphotography Lee I have the OM-D E-M1 Mark II. It does everything I bought it for but then I found it will take pictures of stars and has other features like pro capture. I thought if it can do these other things why not enjoy it.

[@gennisteele5763]

Thanks so much! This is really helpful. You are so thorough in your explanations.

[@leehoyphotography]

So glad you enjoyed it!

[@hikingwithjackieboy]

Thank you for sharing.

[@leehoyphotography]

You bet!

[@LisaSaffell]

Great Tutorial! Thank you

[@leehoyphotography]

My pleasure Lisa! Thanks for watching!

[@cryptographerchris4856]

Great content as always. Thanks for sharing.

[@leehoyphotography]

You bet, glad you enjoyed it!

[@SimoneSteuxner]

thanks so much! A very helpful video. I just got my Om 1 mkII and can´t wait to try this out.

[@leehoyphotography]

Oh, great to hear Simone! Hope you are loving it!

[@GlennNewton-ru5iq]

Great video and as an OM System user I love your videos. Someday I would like to go on one of your trips. After watching some of your previous videos on bird photography I’ve switched to back button focus and also am not using auto iso. It takes a little time for the muscle memory to kick in but I am seeing definite improvement on my photos because of these changes. For Starry Sky I will give back button focus a try but my question would be how would using a wireless remote function while doing Starry Sky or even live composite for star trails?

[@leehoyphotography]

Would love to have you join me on a workshop Glenn! I love hearing how people are using my teaching to make their nature photography better! Back button is perfect for star trails, you press the button once to get focus. Once focus is aquired, just use the remote shutter to take a photo or start live composite. Only press the remote once and no risk of changing AF!

[@NatPhoto56]

At 18:00 you said that is your Image stabilizer information. That is the Handheld Assist indicator. Why in the world would you have handheld assist turned on for a night, tripod based shot? You also mentioned more than once to look for the green dot in the lower left. If Starry Night AF is successful, yes, the green dot blinks once, but the green focusing square also blinks. You can see it in your video (twice). If Starry Night AF fails, the green dot in the lower left blinks a couple of times. Having the audible confirmation is good, but the green square is far easier to see than worrying about the small green dot in the lower left of the screen.

[@leehoyphotography]

Yes, the Handheld assist is showing you how much you are moving and how much IS is having to work. I have it turned on because when you shoot in the American southwest the summer is monsoon season, we have very strong winds. Even with very sturdy tripods, I like seeing if the wind is causing any movement to my camera and/or tripod setup. I have pushed it with some storms to try and capture lightning and night sky (like the image above except that lightnign was a long ways off and not an issue) at the same time and the wind can be brutal. It is a great visual indicator as to how much impact the wind may or may not have. Yes, the green focus square blinks and both of those are easy to see if you are standing directly behind the camera. Again, for many of my shots in the Big Bend region, you can't lay down or be directly behind your camera to even see the screen hardly because of cactus, etc. So many photographers are use to shooting in "soft" land and not thinking about a very rough, jagged rocky landscape filled with cactus and cliff edges. It is much easier to hear the beep than continuously stare at a screen (which also causes you to lose your night vision) watching for a green dot and/or square that you don't know when it will acquire focus. I do not use my headlamp at night unless hiking out or in, I prefer having much better peripheral vision than a bright, but small area near where I am working. Again, yuoca, lechuguilla, cactus, and most every brush has thorns. Even if I can stand behind my camera, I am usually not during AF, I am standing to the side so as to make sure I don't bump a tripod. I do have to lay down some to get composition, etc, but I try to avoid it as much as possible at night in the area.

[@formermpc10]

@NatPhoto56 My Handheld Assist kepg turning itself on, among other OM-1 problems that cost me time in the field. I sent the camera back for warranty work but, frankly, I don't trust the OM-1 any more and I don't use it nor do I know if it was repaired properly. So when I saw the HHA box my PTSD kicked up.

[@anitaoakley9437]

One good reason to still use shutter button focus… arthritis in my thumb. After a few minutes of back button focus I’m miserable.

[@leehoyphotography]

Anita, there are always those physical limitations that do restrict us! There are settings you can change that help when having to use front button focus!

[@Andi-do8jq]

Great Video! Thanks a lot! What do you think about switching on the high res mode for less noise and more color deepness?

[@leehoyphotography]

You certainly can, it just depends upon how long your shot is or your stars will be blurry. I personally prefer stacking images in StarrySkyStacker adn then blending with foreground image (but blending is a real PIA too). What I am very curious about is how good DxO PureRaw 4 with night sky images versus image stacking. I will be testing that this summer! Too busy until then!

[@RichardBO9]

Wow! This is of great help. The landscape in your area looks a lot like where I live in New Mexico. One question, which Live View mode are you using, Standard or S-OVF.

[@leehoyphotography]

On the OM-1 and OM-1 Mark II I use night vision mode. On E-M1x and OM-D EM-1 Mark III, I use Live View Boost 2. I avoid S-OVF. That is for night sky and macro with a flash!

[@RichardBO9]

@@leehoyphotography Thank you, Lee.

[@hemlockwood]

Hi Lee Really enjoyed your informative and very comprehensive video on Starry Sky AF. If I use your settings which includes disabling the half shutter press can I still use my remote control RM-WR1 to fire the shutter. Colin

[@leehoyphotography]

Yes you sure can Colin! Thanks for watching!

[@berniestang2616]

Excellent video !!!

[@leehoyphotography]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@lindatrummer-napolitano2213]

Thank you Lee. I am going to try this technique. Does this work with Live Composite?

[@leehoyphotography]

Yes Linda, it sure does!

[@keithmoorechannel]

I use the speed setting (vs accuracy) for hand-held shots when I don’t have a tripod nearby. I think that was why OM included the option.

[@leehoyphotography]

I never do night sky handheld, just don't like the risk.

[@guykerr8111]

This will help, thanks. My understanding problem revolves around the 3rd focus option under AF Operation. It says "AF On Start/Stop" - do I have to push AF to stop when focus is acquired or does it stop automatically. OM-1. Thanks.

[@leehoyphotography]

No, you press once and let it acquire focus and then you are ready to shoot. You would only press the AF-On button if, for some reason, you wanted to stop Starry Sky AF. Like say you decided to zoom in or out, change position, etc. Thanks for watching!

[@guykerr8111]

@@leehoyphotography Once again.....thank you!

[@ImageMaven]

Thanks Lee! Curious why you’re concerned with C-AF settings? Wouldn’t S-AF be better? Also do all Olympus lenses work with Starry Sky on the OM-1?

[@leehoyphotography]

Because I had a brain fart and shouldn't have been concerned with it at all! I was doing too much in too little time! Good catch! I should have said I put it in as a test and you passed! Hahaha!

[@ArtieTurner]

Thanks for this video Lee. I just wanted to see if you'd changed your mind on Panasonic lenses with OM system starry sky AF. Multiple sources on various media are claiming that the Panasonic Leica 9mm f1.7 works great with OM bodies with starry sky AF.

[@shaunjackson2233]

The starry sky AF does work with my Panasonic 9mm f1.7

[@ArtieTurner]

Do raw files shot on Om 1x have distortion corrected in camera or do you correct with lens profile in post?

[@leehoyphotography]

@@shaunjackson2233 That is great info to know! Glad to hear it and if people ask I will now be able to let them know it does!

[@leehoyphotography]

@@ArtieTurner I correct in post!

[@guykerr8111]

@@shaunjackson2233 any thoughts on why mine doesn't?

[@sepponevalainen4309]

Great video! Just want to know hoe´w to set ISo and shutter speed?

[@leehoyphotography]

I'll do a video on Night Sky settings at some point!

[@johnepperson3669]

Hello Lee, I liked this video. I’m going to try shooting the Aurora. Can I use these settings. Also Do I do anything different when using a cable release?

[@leehoyphotography]

Generally with Aurora you want sometime like ISO 2000, Shutter speed of 2.5 to 5", and F stop wide open!

[@serdj_50618-P]

Thank you for sharing this information. unfortunately my Olympus E-M5III camera (3 years old) does not have "Starry Sky AF Setting" option. Please advise, if you know, how to get this for my camera.

[@leehoyphotography]

You are correct, there is no way to add it to the camera.

[@RyCha99]

Thanks Lee, this video made me an instant subscriber. I really want to buy the 7-14 f/2.8 and I was wondering if the ND feature on the OM-1 Mark II can replace the need for physical ND filters, or is it not quite the same? Thanks!!

[@leehoyphotography]

The 7-14mm F2.8 has been my go to night sky lens and some landscape. The new Live GND in the OM-1 Mark II has let me use it again even more! The live ND truly does replace physical filters, unless you are also using another computational feature that doesn't overlap!

[@RogerCPhoto1]

Lee, early morning June 4th, six planets are lined up, and are able to be viewed before sunrise. Maybe you will see this before morning. Might still be the case for a few mornings.

[@leehoyphotography]

Yep, and I was arriving late from the El Paso airport home and then had to drive to Austin this morning! No luck this time! Thanks for thinking of me though!

[@Sickonomen]

Hi, thanks for a great video, can't wait to put in practice. I'm waiting for my OM-1 with an M. Zuiko 17mm f/1.2 pro lens. I've been using Olympus om-d e-m10 mark IV with an Panasonic summilux 15mm f/1.7 lens for a while now and got som decent photographs of the milkyway or other starry nights. How do you think my new set will, fare compared to the old one? Thanks again 😊

[@leehoyphotography]

I don't have the 17mm F1.2 and I have thought about it many times for nigth sky panos. I like a bit wider for most night sky images, but you can always do multi-shot panos for night skies with that lens! I think you are going to find the Higher ISO to be much better with the OM-1! I like using WB 3800 for night sky and occasionally have to make minor adjustments. I would use 1.8 or 2.0 with that lens and I would do image stacking with StarryLandscapeStacker! And you will be blown away!

[@Sickonomen]

@@leehoyphotography thank you for the answer 😊 I will try it as soon as I get it.

[@leehoyphotography]

@@Sickonomen Yes, if you post on social media PLEASE tag me so I can see your images. Lee Hoy on FB or leehoyphotography on Instagram!

[@Sickonomen]

@@leehoyphotography will do. It's gonna take a while though, since the camera isn't delivered yet.

[@MDMiller60]

learned a couple of things.

[@leehoyphotography]

Glad to hear it sir! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@craigroberts5272]

Hi Lee. I have recently begun night-sky photography with an OM Systems OM-5. Your tips are very useful, thank you. However, my issue is with using the 2 second self timer (custom mode). The PDF manual is not really clear, but it seems in practise that I have to select the timer value before every shot. Intuitively, I expected the setting to stay on until it is turned off. Am I doing something wrong, or is there a way to keep the 2 second timer value active for each shot until I am finished for the night?

[@leehoyphotography]

You should not have to do that, make sure there isn't another setting causing the conflict! Once you select a drive mode, it should stay!

[@craigroberts5272]

Thanks Lee. Your comment regarding having the focus beep turned on is pertinent. I think that the problem that I was having was related to pressing the shutter button before Starry Sky AF had completed focusing. I was out with the Aurora last Friday night and I made sure that the focus was completed before pressing the shutter and the timer worked flawlessly for each shot.

[@ImageMaven]

Hi Lee, I’m getting conflicting info about using Pana Leica lenses with OM1 for Starry Sky. Some people say only M Zuiko lenses work and others say Panasonic lenses also work. Sadly I don’t have any Zuiko lenses to test with. Can you solve this mystery? Thank you.

[@leehoyphotography]

Yes, it should work just fine with the faster wide angle lenses (only thing that doesn't work is dual-sync IS).

[@ivan7453]

Hi Lee. If for some crazy reason I did not want to use back button focus, could I initiate the squence using my OM remote shutter?

[@leehoyphotography]

I don't believe the OM Remote Shutter will initiate AF as it would be much more difficult to get it right; however, you can AF using the OI Share App and a smartphone!

[@steveh1792]

@@leehoyphotography It (and another wireless remote release) seem to work perfectly on my OM-5 (just checked). Now, if the first snow will just hold off a bit longer...

[@sherbiseerattan3901]

I just watched your video . I set it up as you explained . I could not get the sound of the beep which tells You it’s focusing . Can’t figure it out . I was using my om 1 set up the starry sky menu like you said . It did not work . Meena was the 12 - 40 wide angle lens

[@leehoyphotography]

Sheri, send me a smartphone image of the back of your camera with that menu item showing and also one of the Starry Sky AF settings! Send to my Lee Hoy FB page message! and reply here when you do!

[@guykerr8111]

Found out the other night that really bright aurora will mean one has to carefully pick the correct part of the sky to see stars for Starry AF.

[@leehoyphotography]

That is for sure! You have to find a strong star in a darker area! I sometimes focus on a star behind me, off to the side, etc!

[@berniestang2616]

CURIOUS ON THAT LENS COLLAR !!!!!!

[@leehoyphotography]

It is the Atoll-D (with the extender plate). The affiliate link is in the video description!

[@berniestang2616]

@@leehoyphotography Thank u

[@jeffreyferguson9174]

What ISO should we be using? And how to determine length of time shutter is open?

[@michaelhall2709]

Those are going to depend on your aperture and other factors, so the best thing to do is experiment. Generally, you can start with an ISO of 1600 or 3200 and work up from there if necessary. As to your length of exposure, if you leave your shutter open too long the stars will start to streak due to the earth’s rotation, so that will be a limiting factor as well. You can use Live Time to watch your image build up on your LCD screen in real time, and use Live Composite if the streaks are what you’re going for. There are many videos on KZbin demonstrating how to do night sky photography with Olympus and non-Olympus cameras, so good luck.

[@donaldnelson5647]

Speed for comets/UFOs? Lol

[@leehoyphotography]

Hahaha, LOVE it!