Can I capture the Milky Way with a Canon 60D and a Tokina 11-16mm for a night-sky timelapse?
Asked 8/1/2012
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I want to shoot a night-sky timelapse, including the Milky Way, with a Canon 60D. I’m considering a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, and I may also use a faster lens like a 20mm f/1.8. My site is only about 217 m / 712 ft above sea level, so I’m wondering how much that matters.
My planned settings are RAW, 30-second exposures, a 3-second interval between shots, and ISO 1600. Will this setup work for capturing the Milky Way, and are these settings reasonable? Any suggestions on lens choice or camera settings would help.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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Aperture: Use the maximum aperture (F1.8 if possible)
Shutter Speed: Use the 600/(focal length * crop Factor)rule so as to not see star trails (Refer here in section 3. Camera settings).
ISO: Highest possible for your camera that you find acceptable.
Milky Way? You can use the application: Stellarium to find out if you are in the right time / place to view the milky way.
Also you can use the Magic Lantern firmware to setup timelapse photography. I've used MagicLantern before but I did not test that feature.
I did do a capture of the arm of the Milky Way while I was in Chile. 
Originally by user6212. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user6212
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—your elevation is not the deciding factor. You can capture the Milky Way with a Canon 60D if you have dark skies, the Milky Way is visible at your location and time, and you use a fast wide lens.
Suggested approach:
- Use the widest, fastest lens available.
- Shoot at the lens’s maximum aperture if image quality is acceptable.
- Set shutter speed using the 600 rule: 600 / (focal length × crop factor) to limit star trailing. On a Canon APS-C body, use a 1.6 crop factor.
- Use the highest ISO your camera can handle while keeping noise acceptable.
- Shoot RAW.
A 30-second exposure may be too long for some focal lengths on a crop-sensor camera if you want to avoid noticeable trails, so calculate it from the focal length you use.
To check whether the Milky Way will be visible from your location, use a sky-planning app such as Stellarium. For timelapse shooting, Magic Lantern can help automate interval shooting if supported on your camera.
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