Time-lapse Milky Way movie shot with 7D

Lajos Hajdu · Aug 31, 2011

Last Sunday I drove out to the plains of Hungary (an area with relatively little light pollution) to shoot photos for a time-lapse movie of the stars moving. I intended to make a longer movie but the battery gave up after slightly more than three hours of continuous 30-second exposures. The movement is not very smooth at 15 fps, but I didn't want to decrease the already short movie duration.

Watch it in HD and full screen.

http://vimeo.com/28354849

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R Davidson · Aug 31, 2011

I like it.

ppage · Aug 31, 2011

Wow! That's very nicely done technically, and it's also enjoyable and relaxing to watch.

Are those occasional bright streaks jet planes or meteorites?

Peter

Lajos Hajdu · Aug 31, 2011

...but my video editing skills are so close to non-existent that I couldn't even make the music fade out at the end.

The bright steaks are most probably simple airplanes.

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Sidekicker · Aug 31, 2011

Very nice! What was your camera settings and how did you process each image?

The end result is something I could watch over and over again. Thanks!

Nickdj · Aug 31, 2011

Wow, very well done! How is that 11-16mm Tokina lens?

cheers

Nick
http://www.skeyesphoto.com

Lajos Hajdu · Aug 31, 2011

Thanks! f2.8, ISO 3200. Batch processed in DPP (lights up, darks slightly down, some noise removal).
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Lajos Hajdu · Aug 31, 2011

The lens is a bit soft at f2.8 but sharp thereafter. But its AF is very flaky with the 7D; I use manual focusing instead.
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barbossa3127 · Aug 31, 2011

I thoroughly enjoyed it.....nicely done. I wish that I could find a place within a couple of hours from me with little to no light pollution, but there aren't many options here.
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Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.

-John Wayne as Sgt. Stryker in Sands Of Iwo Jima

timmer350 · Aug 31, 2011

Very nice.

Did you manually take the photos? Or had some automated way of doing it?

Tim

Lajos Hajdu said:
Last Sunday I drove out to the plains of Hungary (an area with relatively little light pollution) to shoot photos for a time-lapse movie of the stars moving. I intended to make a longer movie but the battery gave up after slightly more than three hours of continuous 30-second exposures. The movement is not very smooth at 15 fps, but I didn't want to decrease the already short movie duration.

Watch it in HD and full screen.

http://vimeo.com/28354849

--
http://www.pbase.com/laja30/inbox

--
Gone birding... http://picasaweb.google.com/timothyboucherbirder

dopravopat · Aug 31, 2011

Too bad the battery died. It would be great to have it from sunset to sunrise.

15 fps was fine, the stars were moving nicely slow.
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Erik

Lajos Hajdu · Aug 31, 2011

Thanks! I used a simple cable-based remote switch to make the camera take the photos by itself. Meanwhile, I sat in my car in the dark and tried to sleep...
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PhoenixImagine · Aug 31, 2011

Awesome!

senseii_one · Aug 31, 2011

It is noisy. Next time try using 1600 ISO or less @ 2.8. You'll get deeper blacks and richer detail than what you have here.

Also, check this link. This person states how he achieved the looks.

http://vimeo.com/24551969

rwbaron · Aug 31, 2011

Very nicely done and a great result.

George Winston's "Thanksgiving" works well.

Bob
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Lajos Hajdu · Aug 31, 2011

... and actually I got the inspiration from his videos. I'm also aware that his videos are much more professional than mine. I don't think that we have as black skies here in Hungary as at the places that he uses (central Nevada, in your example).
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Lajos Hajdu · Aug 31, 2011

...if I used less than ISO1600 as you advice, the Milky Way would hardly be visible.
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kolas · Sep 1, 2011

Well done!

Maybe - just an instant idea - you could find (or make or ask someone to make) an adaptor that would enable you to power the camera from the car battery. That should have enough capacity for a dusk-to-dawn movie.

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Marek
http://galerie.kolas.cz/

Lajos Hajdu · Sep 1, 2011

Thanks! I could also simply get two more batteries and quickly swap them after three hours.

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nick101 · Sep 1, 2011

Very nice; it's a long time since I was last in Hungary (1996), and I never got to the plains after dark - now I'm sorry I didn't.

You could get a battery grip - holds 2 batteries, with all that means in terms of extra life. Some of the non-Canon inexpensive ones are pretty good

Time-lapse Milky Way movie shot with 7D

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