Can I photograph the ISS with a Nikon D3300 and 18–55mm lens, and what settings should I use?
Asked 12/11/2015
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I have a Nikon D3300 with the 18–55mm kit lens and a tripod. Since the ISS is visible to the naked eye, I’m wondering if I can photograph it clearly with this setup.
What camera settings should I use to photograph the ISS? Can the 18–55mm lens capture a clear image of the station itself, or do I need a different lens or a telescope?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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The ISS is rather small. Glance at this photo from Astronomy Picture of the Day which has the space station in front of the moon. A small crop of it shows that it's really not much bigger than the craters when seen from Earth
This type of photograph will require a telescope. The moon is 1/2° across and even those huge 600mm lenses for a dSLR when mounted on a DX format sensor still have 2 1/2° field of view.
This type of photograph requires a telescope and precise timing. Its doable, as can be seen.
The other approach is that of a star trail. The ISS (and other satellites) move at a very good clip across the sky - much more than the 1° every 4 minutes that stars do from the rotation of the Earth. The picture below, from Wikipedia, is a 2 minute exposure.
You add the ISS, and you get something more like...
From How do I set the focus in long exposure night sky shots?
Ok, so thats not a star trail, but that is the ISS, and that is how it would look (in a stacked photograph) of a star trail too.
The point that is being made here is that the ISS is just another 'star'. A bit brighter than other satellites, but comparable.
As with other star trails, a normal or wide lens will work quite nicely. Just know where and when to point your camera, and photograph it.
For that (which I would argue is the trickiest part), you should go to http://spotthestation.nasa.gov and sign up for alerts.
Originally by user13451. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user13451
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes, you can photograph the ISS, but with an 18–55mm lens you should expect it to appear as a bright moving streak or dot, not a detailed image of the station.
For a clear, recognizable shape of the ISS itself, you generally need much more magnification than a kit lens provides—typically a telescope or very long focal length—and precise timing.
With your current setup, the most practical approach is a tripod-mounted long exposure that records the ISS crossing the sky. Community examples mention exposures like 60 seconds at ISO 125 and f/2.8, or around 2 minutes for a longer trail. Your exact settings will depend on sky brightness and light pollution, so test and adjust.
A good starting point is:
- tripod-mounted camera
- manual exposure
- wide end of your lens
- low ISO
- long shutter speed
- focus manually at infinity
You can also practice by photographing the moon or night sky first. Another key point: the ISS is only visible when it is sunlit while your sky is dark, so check pass predictions before shooting.
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