K20D Northern Lights

How does one set up the K20D for best capturing the northern lights?

Is this a good way to start:

1. Manual focus
2. White balance: cloudy
3. ISO 400
4. Lens wide open
5. Exposure start out with 8 seconds, adjust
6. Manual - mode, check histogram

*TRIPOD

Which lens should I take? I have only three suitable options:

A. DA 18-55WR
B. SMC-A 24mm 2.8
C. SMC 28mm 3.5


Hopefully the sky is clear tonight, so that I will be able to get some shots of this unique (in this area) phenomenon...

I am very grateful for all advice!

Bjørn

Thank you Pentaxophile! I will start off with ISO 100 like you suggest, and f5.6 - f8. Which lens would you suggest? Now, more than ever, I would have loved to have a DA12-24 in my possessions...

I seems that there is a geomagnetic storm influencing the lighting conditions in the Northern Hemisphere. Yesterday evening there were spectacular northern lights as far south as Oslo (maybe also further south), but here in Trondheim the sky was covered with impenetrable thick clouds - no sign of the northern ligths Hopefully tonight...

Thanks Gwyn for your advice! I do not have a remote, I plan to use the self-timer. Is it a good idea to set the white balance to "cloudy"?

Just checking the EXIF on some of mine I see I used quite a high ISO in the end - 800 to 1600 to get some decent photos.

I left the white balance at auto tbh.

I used my 17-70 lens but I used it zoomed in quite a bit (43mm seems to have been favourite), but then I was on a Hurtigruten ship, so I was trying to avoid too much of the superstructure getting in the photos.
Take your 18-55 and maybe the 24mm.

I would probably just try the kit lens, and maybe the 28mm as well if you've time to experiment. I would definitely shoot Raw, and sort WB out later. Maybe select 'Daylight' as a starting point.

"Much ado about nothing". There was a thick layer of clouds over Trondheim last night, no northern ligths to be seen

But thank you again for your advice!

Bjørn

What a shame Bjørn. If you keep an eye on the forecasts maybe you could head up country, and more inland one weekend for a better chance of seeing them.

http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/3 is a site I look at regularly - check out the short term forecast in the small frame for a more accurate idea of what's going on.

Looking forward to revisiting Trondheim in March.

I would shoot RAW and sort out the WB to my taste later

I always shoot RAW, but for the northern lights I shot RAW+jpeg (set to auto) so I could show some of my fellow passengers some of the photos on my netbook.

You should be keeping your eyes out for them up there in Scotland too at the moment if it is clear - they have been seen in the north of the Netherlands already. I am too far south and have way too much light pollution to see them here.

Thank you! The northern lights are visible a few times a year in the Trondheim area (the middle of Norway), so I will have more chances from here. I would also love to take the Hurtigruten up to Kirkenes (Finnmark), to see the landscapes and the northern lights, but Hurtigruten is so expensive. It is more likely that I buy myself a decent wide-angel zoom for the time beeing, and look out for the northern lights in this area. I will check out the aurora link you have supplied

I have until now shot only jpeg, but I believe that RAW+ would be a good idea the next time I have an opportunity to capture the northern lights. I also need to learn how to develop RAW.

Slightly off topic maybe, but there was made a quite remarkable "time-lapse film" of the northern lights here in Norway earlier this year. This "time-lapse film" was made from 22 000 single shots:

http://vimeo.com/21294655

Bjørn - the Hurtigruten is expensive it's true but here are some bargain trips to be had on it if you are prepared to accept a smaller cabin with bunks and maybe halfboard. My February trip was in a small outside cabin (inside are cheaper) and half board, with the full round trip from Bergen and cost me €1600 including flights, transfers and excursions. A lot of money but well worth it. I didn't mind not having lunch - breakfast and dinner were enough for me.
I am going again in March 2012 with my husband to celebrate his 64th birthday. I'd have liked to have gone earlier to experience the polar night, but accept that for him, as a first timer daylight is a good idea.

Get yourself up to Tromsø sometime and go on one of the Light hunting trips from there .


You can see my photos from my February trip here. They are low resolution on the website, so noisy, but they give you an idea. They look much better in print!

Barbara: Thank you for sharing your photos from Hurtigruta! There are some really great images of coastal Norway there

Bjørn