How can I estimate how many untracked astrophotography frames I can take before reframing?
Asked 9/15/2020
4 views
2 answers
0
I’m shooting deep-sky subjects without a tracker using a tripod, intervalometer, light-pollution filter, and prime lenses. I already use the 500 rule to estimate the longest exposure per frame before star trailing becomes visible. What I want to know is whether there’s a similar way to estimate how many frames I can shoot at a given focal length before the sky has drifted enough that I should re-aim the camera to keep cropping and framing consistent for stacking.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
2
The rotation movement is greater than might be imagined, esp with lenses longer than extreme wide angle. I would offer the calculator on my site at https://www.scantips.com/lights/stars.html that is an enhancement beyond the 500 Rule. For a given sensor size and lens, it computes the specified time duration's length of the rotational star trail in both mm and pixels (and degrees and multiples of the CoC limit). There is no way to provide those results here, so I offer the link.
How much is too much for your purpose is left for you to decide, but a tracker will be very useful.
Originally by user38978. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user38978
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There isn’t a simple single-number rule like the 500 rule for this. The amount of drift depends on more than focal length alone, including your sensor size/field of view and how much movement you’re willing to tolerate in the final stack.
In practice, stars move more than many people expect, especially with longer lenses. A better approach is to calculate sky rotation/drift for your specific setup and decide your own acceptable limit in pixels, degrees, or image area lost at the edges.
One community answer recommends using a dedicated star-trail/drift calculator that estimates movement for a given lens, sensor, and time, including trail length in pixels or millimeters. That’s more useful than trying to rely on a rough rule.
So the answer is: no widely used equivalent of the 500 rule exists for “number of frames before resetting.” Use a calculator for your camera/lens combination, test how much drift your stacking workflow tolerates, and expect to reframe more often as focal length increases. If you want much longer runs without reframing, a star tracker is the real solution.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI5y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
How do star trackers prevent blur during multi-minute exposures, and what image-quality benefits do they provide?
Why does the 500 rule divide by focal length in astrophotography?
How do I estimate total exposure time for deep-sky astrophotography at 200mm f/2.8?
What is the Rule of 600 in astrophotography, and how do you use it?
How does image stacking work in astrophotography if the sky is rotating?