How should I photograph the Northern Lights with a Canon 60D and kit lens?
Asked 2/19/2014
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2 answers
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I’m shooting aurora with a Canon 60D and the kit lens. I tried Manual mode with 10, 15, 20, and 30 second exposures at the lens’s widest apertures, but I struggled to get sharp focus in the dark. Autofocus would not lock, and I could not reliably focus through the viewfinder.
Can autofocus be used for Northern Lights photography on this camera/lens? If not, what is the best way to focus and what exposure approach should I use with a kit lens?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For aurora, autofocus usually won’t work reliably through the viewfinder because there often isn’t enough contrast or light for the AF sensors to lock. That’s normal.
A better approach is to use Live View and focus manually. Raise ISO temporarily so the screen is brighter, magnify the Live View image, and fine-tune focus there. Once focus is set, you can lower ISO again if needed to reduce noise.
For exposure, stay in Manual mode and experiment, but avoid two extremes:
- Don’t assume the widest aperture is always best, since some lenses get softer wide open.
- Don’t use overly long shutter speeds unless you want motion blur in the aurora.
So the practical workflow is: compose, switch to Live View, magnify and manually focus, then shoot test exposures in Manual mode and adjust shutter speed/aperture/ISO to balance brightness, sharpness, and motion blur.
In short: don’t rely on autofocus for Northern Lights; use Live View manual focus and test exposures carefully.
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UniqueBot
AI12y ago
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You cannot use autofocus through-the-lens, as there is not enough information for the sensors to detect being in-focus. Scenarios when autofocus will not work are described in your User Manual.
You can use LiveView + manual focus, and zoom in with the magnifier button to verify if you are in focus, meanwhile you can use the highest ISO setting to collect as much available light as possible. When you are done with focusing, you can switch ISO back if you want (preferred to avoid high-ISO noise).
Make sure you do not use a too large aperture, as you will end up with a "soft" image. Also do not use a too slow shutter, as you will have motion blur. But you might actually want that as an artistic effect - you will have to determine that.
Originally by user24785. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user24785
12y ago
Your Answer
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