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Samsung NX300/NX300M workaround for auto focus in low light

Started Jun 17, 2015 | Discussions thread
AxelHawk Regular Member • Posts: 217
Re: Samsung NX300/NX300M workaround for auto focus in low light
1

ChilleeX wrote:

Hi,

last christmas I got my Samsung NX300M, since I wanted to learn more about photography and I wanted to be able to take some nice pictures while I was abroad studying in Australia.

So far I am really happy with this camera, however I also noticed the auto focus issues in low light and as it seems it is not just me having those issues. Consequently, I was wondering, if anybody discovered a workaround except from switching to manual focus?

I am asking, since so far it was impossible for me to take a picture of the stars. With the manual focus I see just nothing on the screen when it so dark. Also moving the manual focus till the end for endless focus does not work, since the correct endless focus is somewhere short before the end.

Thanks for any help in advance!

Best regards

ChilleeX

Hi, I've began to take photos of the stars with my NX300M with some success. To this, manual focus is way better. I use theses configurations: focus peaking: off, focus assist: 8x. Center the brightest star in the sky in the LCD and turn the focus ring until it is just a spot. The smaller, the better.

Some tips: use fast lens. Watch for chromatic aberration, it makes ugly photos. If you don't want star trails, keep your shutter time low (I use less than "300/lens focal length" seconds, but it can still leave some trail). Noise are very low with ISO 400, but it's ok to use it at 1600. Light pollution is always worst than we think. Read something about stacking (deep sky stacking is great), you will thank me later.

Sorry for my poor english.

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