Last time, I wrote about the sharpness of the lens, so this time I will write about the soft filter.
content
Starry sky photography that can be taken easily
How to make the constellations stand out
3 filters used this time
Camera and lens used for testing
Comparison test result, focal length 35mm
Lens used for telephoto test
Test results at 180mm f2.8
summary
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Starry sky photography that can be taken easily
Recent lenses are very sharp, the camera has high pixels, and the sensor is low-passless, so the finish is sharp anyway. But it's dull. I wrote such a thing last time.
The progress of cameras seems to be endless, and there is very little high-sensitivity noise, and it has become possible to take beautiful pictures even with ultra-high sensitivity that was not thought before.
Recently (2017), there are some high-sensitivity cameras that allow you to see the starry sky and the horizon with the LCD viewfinder, even at night when the moon is not rising.
Although there are further restrictions, it is surprising that some models have made it possible by moving the image sensor in the camera to the automatic tracking function of the equatorial mount.
In the future, even higher-performance cameras that are unthinkable now will appear.
Winter triangle
Now, with such a tripod, you can easily take pictures of a beautiful starry sky. I feel very grateful that the mysterious appearance of the universe can be easily photographed, shown to people, and conveyed.
In fact, when you take a picture of the starry sky with a camera, you can see a surprising number of stars, even dark stars that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
However, because there are so many stars in the picture, the shape of the constellations becomes very difficult to understand, which is quite different from what it looks like.
This is especially true when shooting with modern cameras and lenses, and every star, from bright to dark, appears as very small dots.
Therefore, it is very difficult to tell which star forms the constellation with bright stars.
How to make the constellations stand out
Another way to make the constellations stand out is to shift the focus slightly.
With that method, bright stars will appear, but in so-called out-of-focus photography, dark stars will disappear, ruining the high-pixel camera and high-resolution lens.
The helpers that come out there are soft filters and cross filters.
This time, I actually took a picture of the starry sky and compared which filter is better for making the constellations stand out in the starry sky photograph.
3 filters used this time
The filter I had, which seems to be suitable for highlighting bright stars, is
There are three types of filters,
PRO SOFTON-A (W) 77mm,
SOFTON SPEC [B] 77mm,
R-CROSS SCREEN 77mm,
All manufactured by Kenko Tokina.
I compared the effects not only with one filter but also with combinations.
3 filters used this time
From left to right, Pro Softon A, Softon Spec B, R Cross Screen Filter.
Where you are worried about the difference between Pro Softon A and Softon B as the same soft filter,
It can be seen that Softon A has a finer pattern on the filter surface than B type.
The professional type is only named professional, and it has a high quality coating on both sides, so it seems to be advantageous when used in layers.
On the other hand, those who are not professional type are uncoated.
However, if you dare to attach a filter to blur it, or if you have ghosts and flares, it may give you a picture that is closer to the image you were aiming for.
Finally, the R cross screen filter has fine vertical and horizontal scratch-like stripes all over the filter. It has a rotation mechanism, and it is a mechanism that can freely adjust the appearance of the cloth 360 degrees, and it is quite thick.
Camera and lens used for testing
The camera was Nikon D800E, the lens was Nikon AF24-70mmf2.8G, the focal length was set to 35mm, each was open, and ISO400 was used for 3 minutes of exposure for comparison. Finally, I compared the shots with the Nikon AF180mm f2.8D telephoto.
Nikon standard large aperture zoom one generation ago AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 G
Above is the standard zoom lens used for this test.
Since the star image will flow in the fixed shooting with an exposure of 3 minutes, it was shot by tracking with an equatorial mount.
The equatorial mount I used was a Vixen Super Polaris equatorial mount that I bought about 30 years ago when the manager was in elementary school.
Compared to the products made in Japan, which was commonplace at the time, and the products made in China in this class these days, the accuracy is extremely high.
Even now, I haven't been afraid, and I can use it for a long time without any trouble. It is possible to make fine adjustments such as the bite of the gear, and there is no use of plastic etc. in the important place, and considering the price, it is now surprisingly solid.
Aside from the details, I would like to write about the tracking shooting using the equatorial mount again.
Comparison test result, focal length 35mm
Since I am in Africa for this test shoot, I chose the most lively place in the southern sky, where there are plenty of bright stars around the Southern Cross (to be exact, the constellation of Southern 10 o'clock).
The Carina Nebula is located to the right of the center and the Southern Cross, and is the second busiest and most beautiful area after Orion.
Below is the photo I tested this time.
First of all, from the photo without the filter.
No filter used
In the Milky Way, you can see the Southern Cross on the left side of the center.
It's a very famous constellation, but it's hard to find at first glance, although you can see it if you look closely.
The bright and dark stars are reproduced as small dots, although some differences can be seen, making it difficult to understand the shape of the constellations.
Since the star image is condensed into smaller dots, the color of the star is also overexposed, making it difficult to understand.
Using R-CROSS SCREEN filter
This time, I used the R-CROSS SCREEN filter.
Because it's just a cross screen, a cross occurs on the stars.
A cross of the size according to the brightness of the star is generated.
However, the bright stars are still small and only the cross is emphasized, which makes me feel something unnatural.
SOFTON SPEC [B] filter used
If you use a soft filter, the brighter the stars, the bigger the image, and the brighter stars that form the constellation will appear larger, so the shape of the constellation will come to the fore.
Hot blue stars, cold orange stars, and stars in between, the colors of the stars also emerge more clearly. However, the dark stars were blurred and disappeared.
PRO SOFTON-A (W) filter used
Compared to the SOFTON SPEC [B] filter, there is not much difference at first glance, but bright stars appear larger. If you look closer, you can see even darker stars without being crushed with the core remaining. Compared to the above SOFT ON SPEC [B] G, it feels more blurred while leaving the core. I think this is much better for starry sky photography.
SOFTON SPEC [B] + R-CROSS SCREEN filter used
The two filters are combined for shooting, and the effects of each are combined to express the brilliance of the stars.
PRO SOFTON-A (W) + R-CROSS SCREEN filter used
Equal to the above, the good points of the two filters are combined to more effectively express the expression of the starry sky.
Compared to SOFTON SPEC [B] G, the cross is a little longer because the core of the star remains.
It feels like the starry sky you envision with your head, and you can feel the brilliance of the stars.
PRO SOFTON-A (W) ＋ SOFTON SPEC [B] ＋ R-CROSS SCREEN Filter used
Furthermore, this time I tried stacking three filters.
The effect of the combination of the above two photos will be even stronger, and the atmosphere will be more fantastic.
It's a little overkill and it feels blurry, but it's not bad. As the softness increased, the effect of the cross filter decreased.
If you stack three filters, it will be very thick, so you need to be careful because the wide-angle lens will blur the periphery.
I made a GIF image so that the changes are easy to understand.
The slight change in the color of the photo is due to the change in the sky during shooting.
Some thin clouds passed during the shooting.
Lens used for telephoto test
This time, I changed the lens and shot the Southern Cross with a 180mm telephoto lens. The exposure was open f2.8 and the exposure time was the same 3 minutes.
AF Nikkor 180mm f2.8, which is no longer the current lens
The top is the 180mm lens used for the test, and although some chromatic aberration remains near the maximum aperture, it is inferior to the recent 70-200mm f2.8 class, but it is a good lens. It's an old design lens, but it was on sale until a while ago.
Of course, it was used, but when the manager was wandering around Nakano, he bought it on impulse because of the low price.
Test results at 180mm f2.8
I compared only the one without the filter and the one with the combination of R-CROSS SCREE and PRO SOFTON-A. Each exposure is open in 3 minutes.
No filter used
As you can see, there is a large Southern Cross in the center of the screen.
Although it looks bright to the naked eye, it is a star at 10 o'clock in the south, but it is difficult to understand because it is swayed by countless faint stars.
The higher the performance and sharper the lens, the closer the bright star will be to a point image, and the more it will be swayed into the faint stars. The closer it is to the point image, the less you can see the color of the stars.
Below is a picture of the exact same area with a filter attached.
PRO SOFTON-A (W) + R-CROSS SCREEN filter used
Just by installing a cross filter and PRO SOFTON-A (W) under the same camera and lens, and under the same shooting conditions, the constellations stand out and look good.
The brilliance of the stars and the beauty were expressed.
Needless to look for it, the appearance of the Southern Cross caught my eye, and it is a finish that I can not think that it was taken under the same conditions as the photograph without a filter.
Even the subtle differences in the colors of the stars have become easier to understand.
Compared to photographs taken with a standard focal length of 35mm, at a telephoto of 180mm, the effect of the filter was greater even though the same filter was used.
The effect of the soft filter and cross filter seems to be magnified and increased as the focal length becomes longer.
I also made a GIF image to make it easier to understand the effect of the filter.
Made the changes into GIF images to make them easier to understand
summary
Compared to this time, the manager's favorite filter for taking Hoshino photos was the combination of PRO SOFTON-A (W) and R-CROSS SCREEN filter.
The brightness and brilliance of the stars can be expressed more beautifully, and even dark stars can be captured without being crushed.
However, since shooting is performed in combination with a filter, there is a drawback that vignetting occurs with a wide-angle lens.
I used 35mm this time because I didn't get vignetting by stacking 3 sheets.
I thought it would be great if a filter with the same effect as a combination of these two lenses could be produced so that the lens would not be injured even at a wider angle.
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Until the end Thank you for reading.
Why don't you take a picture of Hoshino using a soft filter or a cross filter?
In addition, Kenko Kinner has released a filter that can be used for many types of Hoshino photographs, so it seems to be fun to try various things.
Personally, I would like to take a picture of the starry sky with a snow cloth or a sunny cross filter.
A photo of the starry sky that anyone can easily take with a tripod and a digital camera.
If you haven't shot it yet, why not give it a try?
Through the lens, you may be interested in the starry sky and the universe.
To play the video, please visit the post-publication site
Thank you for reading the article to the end.
If you are interested, please also watch the video on the right.
This is a 12-minute video of the starry sky, nebulae, and star clusters taken in Kenya to make the people of Kenya interested in the world of stars.
The explanation will be in English.
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