The colorful northern lights dance dramatically in the night sky. Their intensity keeps changing continuously. For long periods of time, faint green arches stand motionless in the sky, while rapid bursts of motion and color changes, including pink and red, create a spectacular light show for a few minutes.
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In Current issue of C’t Photography 06/2024 Learn how to capture the moving northern lights and make them visible. To capture this fascinating natural scene on a camera’s sensor, photographers can use various recording techniques. For example, the photos also capture particularly weak northern lights that are barely visible to the naked eye. On the other hand, real-time videos give the most realistic effect in terms of color, brightness, and motion. Slow changes in high image quality can be visualized as time passes. They are made up of many different photographs which are then processed into an instant movie.
Tools and Tips
For photographs with long exposure times, the camera must be steady; The photographer needs a tripod and the correct angle of view. A shorter exposure time is required for the video to play smoothly. However, photographers require higher ISO values, which causes image noise and thus limits image quality. A fast wide-angle lens with an open aperture f/1.4 to f/2.8 helps capture weak light. Moonlight also makes night photography easier. This allows a lower ISO value to be selected, which reduces noise.
Author and Northern Lights hunter Katja Seidel also shows the software she uses to create her time-lapse videos and gives lots of tips on settings and successful image editing. In the online bonus material you will also find the first part of his video workshop on Northern Lights travel with many explanations about the phenomenon and beautiful image and video examples.
Other topics of the magazine:
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Seeing the dancing, colorful northern lights with your own eyes is one of the most impressive natural experiences. Photos often give the wrong impression. We’ll show you how to capture the moving northern lights in real-time video and make them visible through time-lapse.
Used markets for cameras and accessories: The used camera market is growing rapidly. More and more photographers are buying used equipment to save costs and still use high quality equipment. From SLRs to mirrorless system cameras, lenses and other important accessories, everything can be found here. Buying used cameras saves resources and budget and is suitable for everyone from beginners to collectors. Buyers will get many offers. Professional dealers and specialized online platforms provide protection to buyers through inspections and warranties.
Volunteering in Sports Photography: Brothers Tim and Max Senges have been involved since 2023 in Team Rinkeby Rhineruhr, a racing bike charity organization that supports seriously ill children. As amateur photographers and filmmakers, they capture the team’s special moments – next to the racetrack or in the saddle. They offer tips on sports photography and emphasize the importance of preparation, technical knowledge and spontaneity. In his photographs he captures both the pace of the game and the emotions of the individual participants.
Photo calendar in test: Some people find it difficult to choose the right photo calendar: high gloss or matte, large or small, digital print or open on photo paper. In the test, c’t Photography compares seven providers with different formats and styles and checks the quality, workmanship and image impact. For example, one DIN A2 wall calendar impresses with its presentation area, while another impresses with bright colors or fine details. Craft calendars offer a lot of scope to DIY artists or allow different papers for pictures. The report helps you find the right calendar for your photos. Readers learn what they need to pay attention to in order to present their images in the best possible way.
Full format camera Canon EOS R5 II in test: Canon launches the second generation of EOS R5 full-frame mirrorless cameras. The updated model retains the 45-megapixel resolution, but uses a new stacked sensor. It enables a continuous shooting rate of 30 frames per second and up to 90 continuous RAW with an electronic shutter. The large, high-resolution OLED viewfinder also shows the eye’s direction of view and allows focusing via eye control. New is a pre-shooting function, which records images into a buffer loop before being released. Image quality is at the highest level and subject detection works reliably, but some subjects require an additional learning cycle.
Contents of C’T Photography issue 06/2024
you will receive Current issue of C’t Photography (6/2024) for 12.90 euros in the Heise Shop. There you will also see a complete overview of the content and information about the particular online additional content we offer through a clearly designed user interface, as well as preview images and editorials. The version for ePaper and Amazon Kindle costs 12.49 euros.
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(CBR)
