Night sky pics - Help please

[WhiteD3]

I'm off on a GCLRO trip in the morning to Sundown NP and plan on having a go at long exposure star shots (depending on sobriety or lack there of). I've tried before but was disappointed in the results.

So some hints please? :D:D:D

Two types of shots planned:
1) Stars + bush in foreground
2) Stars + camp in foreground (which will no doubt include the camp fire)

Exposure time, fstop, ISO, FL (I have a 10-20mm and 18-200mm), focus = infinity?

Cheers.

[slt]

1) Tripod & remote control, essential
2) 30 sec exposure, any longer and you'll start to see trails
3) wide open aperture, you'll probably want to use the 10-20 at the wide end
4) need to experiment with ISO, but 1600 is a good start
5) Try to focus at some distant bright light (at 10mm it doesn't have to be all that distant as you'll get plenty of DoF, even wide open) then leave it set at that focus and compose your image. Simply setting it to 'infinity' may not give you a perfect focus. On that note, you'll want to turn the AF off.

You'll over expose any fire (or bright light). Have a look at my pics from last year. All with the kind of settings above. The first lot had a full moon, the second a dark night:

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/camera-corner/89519-puma-goes-camping.html#post1086481
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/camera-corner/89519-puma-goes-camping.html#post1159139

[Mick-Kelly]

ISO 800, four to five minute exposures, tripod and remote will give you nice star trails.

[Chucaro]

Just in case that you or other members find this handy here is a
Moon Exposure Calculator (http://www.adidap.com/2006/12/06/moon-exposure-calculator/)

Cheers and have fun