My First Star-Trails

At last, found a way of extending time exposures beyond the standard 30 seconds, which is the longest an electronic shutter can stay open for.

I'd bought this Hahnel 'Pro Remote Control' device for my film camera, a long time ago, when they stopped making shutter releases that you could fit one of those cheap screw-in metal release cables, with the lockable collar, for long exposures on 'bulb'.

It never worked, with any SLR/DSLR I ever tried it with and so pretty well gave up on it. I was then re-programming my newest D7000's custom modes and thought I'd try it, especially as it was a clear night, earlier and I could try some star-trails, which I've always longed to do.

Well, firstly, the D7000 was out, as it doesn't have a coaxial socket on the front and that is where the Hahnel fits into it and so controls the camera. But, my older FX D700 does and soon I had it all set up - all in the exotic location of the communal washing lines area at my block of flats!!

I used to think that I'd need to stand behind the camera for however long the exposure was for, either holding down the button on the remote control unit or at least being in the vicinity, in reach of the signal. But no, I just had to hold the button down for over 10 seconds and it locked the shutter open. I then went indoors and even came back out and put the washing out (very early, admittedly), so I could keep an eye on both equipment and if it was still working.

The exposure here was the longest that the light conditions allowed, about 1/4 hour. Street lamps glow to the right and a bus depot's security lights glow white to the left. I used my Nikkor 17-35mm f2.8 lens at its widest, at f10.

I had tried a much longer exposure at that aperture and iso and it burned out and wider f-stops and higher iso's before that. all burning out. This surprised me, somewhat and with each exposure taking up to 15 minutes just for the camera to finish writing to the CF card. This was because they were TIFFs but also I have both my DSLRs set to 'Long Exposure Noise Reduction', which inputs some magic something, comparing two images and then fusing them together, or something technical like that. Or so Nikon say!

The colours were accentuated by me darkening the image quite a lot, adding a spot of contrast to set off the trails and a bit of extra sharpening, to make them more clearly defined. The chimneys are of a row of Almhouses for the elderly, over the wall and beyond the rotary washing lines. The elegant crescent moon comes out as an elongated blob, just over the roofline, on the left.

I now look forward to doing more of such - though they really sap camera battery juice - about a third of a whole charge, so an extra one essential.