Which lens for the northern lights?

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Jin

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So I am a complete amateur and bought an entry level Canon 1000D. In january I am off to norway where I hope to capture the northern lights on memory card.

I am struggling with which lens I should use for this as various guides on the internet regarding the northern lights seem to contradict one another.

Could someone please reccomend a lens for my Canon Eos 1000D.

I have the following to choose from:

  • Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS
  • Canon EF-S 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 USM
  • Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
  • Canon EF 24mm f1.4 L USM
 
To get as much as possible in, you'll want a wide lens and to grab as much of the light as possible, you'll be after a fast one, so from your list, the 24mm f/1.4 would be the one I would chose for the job, with the 17-55 f/2.8 going in a pocket in case it was wanted.
 
Jin said:
Had to be the two most expensive lenses :lol: Thanks for your help.
Well, if you wanted cheap, you chose the wrong hobby!
Anyone have any experience with: lensesforhire.co.uk?
The owner is a member here and many other members have nothing but good to say about his services.
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Last winter I took my 450D with the kit 18-55 and got some reasonable shots at 18mm, handheld though cos the bl@@dy lights appeared right at the end of a week long cruise when I'd left the tripod in my room!!

Recommend a tripod cos you're looking at long exposures, could go mega wide with a 10-22mm?

HTH
 
Some magazine article on northern light photography I read a while ago said remove any skylight/UV filter you may have on the lens. It can cause an interference pattern effect which will ruin the shots.
 
I used a 10-22 for my shots last year. The lights were a little faint, however, and I was shooting in the darkness typically at ISO 800 and 1600 for about 60 seconds at f3.5!
 
Jim i have used lensforhire and lens pimp, lens for hire seem a little dearer but there service seemed better. Not sure they will let you take the lens out of the country better ask.
 
10-22mm and whack the camera on a tripod.
 
garypm said:
Not sure they will let you take the lens out of the country better ask.
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Consider the question asked.

Yes we will. Our prices include insurance which is good for up to 60 days worldwide. It might not cover war zones or active volcanos (there's something in the small print about taking 'all reasonable precautions to avoid loss or damage'!) but Norway will be fine.
 
24mm would be my choice.
You'll need a sturdy tripod and a bit of good luck as well
 
That link that Tom put up is very interesting. I'll have a shot at the aurora this winter as it is relatively common up here (N.E. Scotland) and there are plenty of opportunities to get away from the light pollution of the towns.
Tempted by the suggestion to use an old (fast) prime lens in manual and see what that brings. I've got some PK 28's, 35's and 50's kicking around somewhere. Just need a PK - EOS adapter ring and I should be in business. (nobody had any bad experiences with using adapter rings have they e.g. getting stuck on the camera ?)
 
Hi Jin, I shot the Northern Lights in Norway this February using my 5D Mk1 on a sturdy tripod with a 17-40mm F4 lens set at the 17 end (nice and wide). Although some of the lights were bright, in general I had my camera set to anywhere between 15 and 30 seconds, ISO 800 and an aperture of F4.

A remote release is advisable, but you could use the self timer instead. Turn off the auto focus (the camera tends to have a problem seeing in the dark) and set the lens on infinity. One thing I also did was wrap my camera body in a wooly hat, as at -15 degrees C, things start to slow down a bit on the power front.

As to your question on what lens to take, I'd go for the 24mm F1.4, purely as it will give you faster shutter speeds, which is a bonus, especially if you end up on a boat like I was. Hope this helps :)
 
Im subscribing to this thread.
Keen to start learning some tips on shots (and any pics would be great)

I hope to take the missus on a trip to see the northern lights in the future.
 
Here's a post from the Aurora King. Personally, I'd take the 10-22 and the 17-55. The 17-55 would be the lens of choice unless the display was extended over a wide area of the sky, then I'd want to go wider.

You'll need a tripod and a remote release. I'd start with ISO800 and 15s exposures wide open, then chimp the results and adapt accordingly. Batteries really don't like the cold weather, so store spares somewhere warm about your person.
 
This forum is so awesome.

I made my own cable release as on the 1000D the connector is just a standard 2.5mm stereo jack so for under £3.

Currently using a budget Hama Star tripod at the moment it does a nice job of staying steady and has a variety of spirit levels which keeps everything straight.

Looking for some new batteries and strongly considering a twin pack from eBay or Amazon also purchased a rechargable handwarmer for keeping my inside jacket pocket warm for batteries and memory cards.

Also considering SanDisks Extreme III SD 4gb memory card which is apparently created for freezing and scorching climates it also boasts an apparent 30mb/s transfer time.

It is interesting to know from the experience photographers that some sort of camera tea-cosy may be worth considering. Nowhere else on the internet has anyone else suggested that though what about condensation?
 
I wouldn't worry about the cold affecting the card or the camera. And condensation will only be a problem when you come in from the cold into a warm, humid, room. Keep the camera in its bag for an hour or two and let it warm up slowly.
 
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