Monday, February 11, 2019

A cloud break 30 mins to Moonset

Stepped out into the verandah last night for some fresh air before bed and saw the moon to the south and the sky rather clear in some patches. I decided to test the Sigma Art 135/1.8 on the Star Adventurer with the 6D. The lens is rather hefty, and I wasn't sure whether it was safe to have it on the tracker. Since the lens is not equipped with a tripod collar, I assumed it's foolhardy to even try shoot it using the Sony A7S which is a much daintier body (and mount) compared to the 6D.

It shot quite OK though the Marsace XB-1 ballhead seemed a bit stickier than usual which I attribute to the weight of the 6D+Sigma 135 exerting full force on it. I managed to complete the session without any untoward incidence.


The new moon at 1sec exposure, Sigma Art 135/1.8 @1.8

Orion playing hide and seek behind some branches and clouds.

The Seven Sisters, Pleaides, single shot.

A constellation directly overhead, single shot.

Cassiopea, 2 shot stacked.

Could be Pollux and Castor, 2 shot stack.

Not sure what these stars were, 6 shot stack, they were directly overhead, 30secs exposure @1.8.

I also tested the Panasonic LX100 at 60secs exposure.  Teh Panasonic is a much lighter camera, though focussing is rather fiddly. Took a few wide field exposures of Orion (which included Sirius) however wasn't confident of how pin point the focussing was. They always looked sharp on the LCD screen until you put it on a larger laptop display during pp.

When it was finally done and over with, I ended up sleeping around 1am instead ... gotta grab the clear sky as it presents itself to you.

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