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Cheat Sheet: Milky Way Photography

This document provides guidance for astrophotography settings. It recommends using a wide aperture of at least f/3.5. For light sensitivity, it suggests starting at ISO 3200, between ISO 1600-6400 for most astrophotography. To determine shutter speed, it introduces the "500 rule" - divide 500 by the focal length of the lens to calculate shutter speed in seconds. It also notes to account for crop sensor factors and try the "600 rule" if the 500 rule doesn't work. Tips are to use live view for composition and shoot in raw format.

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Marko Buntic
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960 views1 page

Cheat Sheet: Milky Way Photography

This document provides guidance for astrophotography settings. It recommends using a wide aperture of at least f/3.5. For light sensitivity, it suggests starting at ISO 3200, between ISO 1600-6400 for most astrophotography. To determine shutter speed, it introduces the "500 rule" - divide 500 by the focal length of the lens to calculate shutter speed in seconds. It also notes to account for crop sensor factors and try the "600 rule" if the 500 rule doesn't work. Tips are to use live view for composition and shoot in raw format.

Uploaded by

Marko Buntic
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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APERTURE

milky way
photography f/2.8 f/4
Wide Aperture (more light)
f/5.6 f/8

Shoot wide - your aperture will want to be wide. At least f/3.5


f/11 f/14
Narrow Aperture (less light)
f/22

CHEAT SHEET and wider in most cases.

iso
100 . .. 200 . .. 400 . . . 640 . . . 800 . . . 1600 . . . 3200

Lower LIGHT SENSITIVITY Higher

Start at ISO 3200 - most astrophotography is done between


ISO 1600 and ISO 6400.

shutter speed

1/1000”
1/100”

1/125”

1/250”

1/320”

1/500”
1/25”

1/30”

1/50”
10”
30”

15”

2”

1”
Tripod Freeze
Blur Motion Handheld Ok
Recommended Motion

Setting the correct shutter speed is one of the toughest things


to do in astrophotography, but there’s an easy way to igure it
out and it’s called The 500 Rule.

the
500 rule
Divide 500 by the focal length of the lens that you’re using.
So, if you have a 24mm lens on a full As an example, using the same
frame camera, you will set your shutter 24mm lens on a Nikon crop, you’d
speed to 20s (500/24=20.83). end up with an efective focal length
of 36mm (24x1.5=36).

If you’re working with a crop-sensor


camera be sure to account for the crop Applying the 500 rule will
factor (typically 1.5 for Nikon and Sony, yield a shutter speed of 13sec.
1.6 for Canon). (500/36=13.89).

IF THIS DOESN’T WORK, REPLACE 500 WITH 600 IN THE


CALCULATION (WHICH IS ‘‘THE 600 RULE’’).

TIP: TIP:
Use live view - this makes it a
Shoot raw - you will need to do
lot easier to compose your shot
some post-processing so make
as often you won’t be able to
sure you get as much image
see anything through the
info as possible by shooting raw.
viewinder.

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