OM SYSTEM Tutorial: Photographing the night sky with Starry Sky AF and Live Composite

Unlock the secrets to capturing stunning night sky scenes with OM SYSTEM Ambassador Matt Suess! Discover essential gear for shooting the cosmos, master computational features like Starry Sky AF and Live Composite, and learn expert settings for Milky Way and star trail photography. Whether you're an avid astrophotographer or a beginner, this tutorial is your gateway to epic outdoor photography adventures.
If you want to learn more about night sky photography from Matt Suess join him for an epic photo experience workshop in Grand Teton, Wyoming in July: www.thefotoexp...
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[@SaurabhChatterjee]

Thank you! Very helpful!

[@OMSYSTEMCameras]

Thank you for your feedback, glad you liked it!

[@FQuill-bg1ru]

Thank-you Matt! Excellent guidance to get started with Starry Sky and Live Comp. Can't wait to try it all! Love your images - some really beautiful scenes you have captured! Noted from a couple critical comments here (mostly from other camera brand-users not familiar with OM Systems) - about the monitor/lcd screen brightness: If you are using the monitor, the brightness setting can be lowered so it doesn't bother you or other photographers in the vicinity, when you're out. Its in the Menu > Tool settings.

[@OMSYSTEMCameras]

Thank you very much for your great feedback!

[@Mark-ks9jj]

Great informative short to the point video, wish Id seen this prior to 2 days ago when I went out to shoot the milky way :( as i didnt know about starry sky AF. lol..

[@randyfox5317]

Thanks for this informative video. I just purchased (yesterday!) an OM-5 and I am SO looking forward to using it for night photography. I previously had been using the em5 mkiii but it does not have Starry Sky AF, hence my desire to switch to the OM5. My biggest limitation, and it IS a biggie, is that I live in Florida where there are no real good dark sky areas but will do the best with what I have. Thanks for the info-and settings to start with. Looking forward to seeing what we can get from FL!

[@OMSYSTEMCameras]

Thats's great! Hope you enjoy it!

[@wafflesmet]

This was amazing! Thank you so much. The motivation just pumped up to a million

[@gilbertwalker6769]

Thanks, Matt! I've never used the Starry Sky AF yet. So I'm especially grateful for your clear explanation. I have used Live Composite and it's a great feature of Olympus/OM System.

[@MattSuessPhoto]

Thanks, and give that Starry Sky AF a try!

[@tim1398]

I wish OM had an option to change the EVF and LCD to *red light only* like the G9 does, it's not possible to use the camera dark adapted otherwise. It's strictly banned around fellow astronomers who are making visual observations. Yes one can get red transparency stick on films but it would be nice to not have to.

[@duyduy5917]

I like your idea

[@ykhm9778]

Pentax has that feature. I miss that too in OM-1.

[@ludovicmassuel6828]

I fully agree Tim, a Red smoothly illuminated buttons would be nice too !

[@barrosopalosantos]

Or you can use a red screen filter.

[@courtneyblack]

Excellent video and so helpful. It would be awesome to also get some advice from OM System experts on eclipse photography. Perhaps even for the OM-1 M1 and Olympus 100-400 combo. Just asking for a friend.... 😊

[@OMSYSTEMCameras]

Some tips were shared in last weeks live stream - kzbin.infoh6cVyK6Pwfw And here you can find even more tips :) learnandsupport.getolympus.com/learn-center/photography-tips/astrophotography/7-tips-for-photographing-the-eclipse

[@MDMiller60]

Learned stuff.

[@livier68]

Merci

[@hawkeyepierce4961]

Will try it on next opportunity

[@MattSuessPhoto]

Great to hear!

[@corrbox2]

Hi Matt, This is very good and interesting information. I found your presentation way to fast. Although I am familiar with some of the settigs, I do not know where to find the "composite: setting. I will just have to play with my OM1 MII further to figure everything out further. Astrophotography is not as simple as picking up the camera. 👍

[@ludovicmassuel6828]

Use the rotating back button when you are under the mode and it enable to switch between the 3 B modes : LIVEBULB / LIVETIME / LIVECOMP

[@deidreelzer-lento3177]

I was under the impression that a lower ISO will give me better color in my star trail images. At 1600 you have great color. Am I mistaken with that info?

[@daylightSWW]

Matt GREAT information. Thanks you! This will make it so much easier the next time I try and get the Northern lights. If you could only get one of those lenses, and you planned only to use it for night photography, which one would it be? Right now I only have the 60mm macro and the 12-200 f4 zoom. I shoot mostly macro.

[@MattSuessPhoto]

Glad you enjoyed the video! If I had to choose just one lens, I'd have to say the 12mm f2.0

[@michaelhall2709]

Just out of curiosity, why don’t you use Live View to monitor how the photos are being exposed? Is there a downside to this?

[@ImageMaven]

Does Starry Sky AF work with non Zuiko lenses? EG: does it work with PanaLeica lenses?

[@MarcoPi-pq5kg]

it works

[@ludovicmassuel6828]

Hi Matt, I'm a bit confused on the reality of the Starry Sky AF when you are using the LiveComp which put you directly on the 'test photo" without ability to push any other button trigerring the Starry Sky AF function, do I make a mistake ? What I'm doing tight now to bypass this problem is to shoot a first photo in M and trigger the Star Sky AF and then change to B + LiveComp without changing the focus

[@berniestang2616]

LOVE YOUR VIDEO - THANK YOU . May I kindly ask : in your star trail photos in this video , HOW did U Get the beautiful background colors ~ the beautiful greens, blue ?? Mine didnt turn out as beautiful. My ISO was 800, 50 seconds , f2.8, 7 mm . THANK U FOR ANY HELP !!!! ❤

[@ludovicmassuel6828]

The White Balance value is very important, here the advice is 4400 K which seems to me a bit too "greeny" for me, I"m using a cold blue at 2700 K but it's very difficult to tune it exactly with an OMD-EM1 Mark 3 cause the setting is only done through a white paper that you have to shoot to do the setting 🤨

[@gordon3988]

Great video Matt! Two questions..perhaps obvious to many. Would these tips also,work for a jpeg (more my own use or post on social media)? And would these work with other mft lenses (I.e Panasonic)?

[@MattSuessPhoto]

@gordon3988 Sure these settings can work on a jpeg file, but you are more limited in what you can do in post production on jpeg files. And the settings I discussed like f-stop and shutter speed and ISO will work on any lens.

[@adamabayev8721]

Mhhhhh, if only OM System would update the em1x with starry sky AF 🤔

[@helenegruber3955]

hi, thanks for the explaniation, just a question what is the tripod you are showing I do not know

[@OMSYSTEMCameras]

Hi! In the video Matt says it's a Platypod Tripod

[@kemcoan8402]

What is the best way to stop the camera from shooting star trails? Is there a button to push that stops the recording?

[@ludovicmassuel6828]

Using a Remote control (wired or not) is a must in astro pho 😉

[@leduke8989]

I had Olympus E-P7 with these lenses Olympus 14-42 EZ / Lumix 14mm F2.5 / Lumix Leica 25mm F1.4 . Can I take the night sky like your fantastic photos? If so, which lens and which function to choose on my E-P7 to start? Please help!

[@MattSuessPhoto]

Hi - you'd want a fast wide angle lens so I'd start with that 14mm and as for settings I mention all the camera settings in the video such as putting it in M mode along with the correct f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO.

[@leduke8989]

@@MattSuessPhoto Many thanks mate! Would you possibly tell me where can I upload photos so you can have a look give me some practical comments?

[@sinnersaintxxx]

Good tips, thank you. I will use some of your settings in my (newby) next shootings.

[@gvgates2010]

I am thinking of visiting Antarctica soon. What are the best weather sealed lens that I can get....cheers

[@OMSYSTEMCameras]

All our pro lens line up is weathersealed :)

[@zeroken]

still waiting any chance for ultra wide or wide angel f1.2 lens.. Now need to using panasonic 9mm f1.7

[@hasangokhansenturk2703]

with lumix 9mm lens starry function doesnt work unfortunatelly

[@zeroken]

@@hasangokhansenturk2703 ? you mean Starry AF? , It can work with my 9MM

[@SuperSpily]

Salve ma lo "Starry Sky AF" non c'è sull'Olympus OM-D E-M1 II?

[@ludovicmassuel6828]

Yes it is and also on the OM-D E-M1 Mark 3

[@federica_85]

for how many times do you leave your camera with starry sky? do you stop your camera when you want?

[@ludovicmassuel6828]

Yes when you get the result you want in the Screen or EVF. Usually a Star Trails can take between 30 Minutes and 1 hour

[@sabujames9265]

Hello Matt, what's the brand of the dinky tripod you mentioned?

[@daylightSWW]

It's a playpod

[@kevinanderson853]

For your star trails shot with the 7-14 f/2.8 lens at kzbin.info/www/bejne/goHRf2amqJhgpNE why did you go all the way up to F4.0? Just for sharpness throughout the frame with that particular lens?

[@JGushi87]

Will the wireless work with the OM-5?

[@MattSuessPhoto]

The RM-WR1 works wireless with the OM-1 cameras and comes with a cable to work wired with others like the OM-5

[@stevecain1956]

Like so many other of these tutorials, the narrator goes so fast when displaying menus, Just a tiny fraction of a second where a screen blips into view and then it’s gone. Try slowing down, 10 rewinds trying to pause at the one frame is nigh on impossible.

[@OMSYSTEMCameras]

You can change the playback speed in the settings :)

[@coffeetruckco]

Or pause 😅

[@AvrilChristensen]

I found your descriptions too fast, and I’m in the UK so where to go in the US was irrelevant. I guess I could watch it again and keep stopping the video, but my preference is to make notes as I watch, and was definitely too fast to do this.

[@MattSuessPhoto]

If you click on the gear icon below any KZbin video you can adjust the video playback speed.

[@AvrilChristensen]

Thank you, for educating me Matt, I didn't know that@@MattSuessPhoto

[@MattSuessPhoto]

@@AvrilChristensen You are welcome. I use it all the time because I find many youtube videos play too slow lol

[@AvrilChristensen]

Thank you Mr Speedy 💫@@MattSuessPhoto