nikonuser123

2 hours ago, 900SL said:

Are you trying to shoot wide angle Milky way or sky?

If so then your exposure depends on light pollution level, moonlight, etc, also if you are not tracking, the '300 rule' on a cropped sensor

For a dark sky site with no moon (say bortle 2-3) you can shoot for 300/14 seconds or around 20 secs to avoid star trails.

ISO should be around 3200 at f2.8 but you will get a noisy image with the D5100 at that ISO

If you are in light polluted area the image will 'white out' at those settings due to sky glow from light pollution.

Shoot in RAW, use a tripod, cover the viewfinder eyepiece (or backlight will affect the exposure on long exposure)

Check the Exif data to see if the aperture is correctly set at f2.8

Go and watch a few youtube vids on DSLR astro milky way

 

 

 

Okay thank you very much 

20 hours ago, happy-kat said:

Is this to create a single image or do you intend capturing quite a few and then stacking them, and did you test this when outside pointing at the night sky?

Just a single image, yes I did but there was some light pollution so this may be my issue why the settings were not correct.

16 hours ago, 900SL said:

Do you know how to use the Nikon? Is the Samyang manual focus? I the Nikon set to manual or aperture priority? What are you photographing? Do you know how to use the camera and lens in full manual mode?  Do you know how to look at the histogram for an exposure? 

I'm not a mind reader..

 

 

Sorry. I know how to use the nikon camera I have been using it for about 5 years. As I previously stated I have just purchased this lens and am very new to it so not comfortable or confident with this lens. It was set to manual, as the samyang lens is a manual lens. Thanks 

19 hours ago, davew said:

As a first step, and when the Moon has gone down a bit, I would use your setup on a static tripod and aim for somewhere round Orion as you can use Sirius to aid focus. I would try to use around a 20 second exposure at f2.8 and if it's a dark place use ISO 800 and if it's fairly bright with light pollution then around ISO200. I'd then alter settings from that base.

Make sure you focus correctly or any settings will be fairly useless otherwise. Use the self timer or a remote to avoid shacking the camera and switch off noise reduction in the menu.

Try to give more information with your next questions as I don't know what hemisphere you're in, imaging from the middle of a city or countryside or if you even use a tripod. Good luck and once you can take one single image well then you can set about getting fancy and trying stacking, tracking etc.

Dave.

Thank you this is very helpful. Yes I use a tripod and I am in the new forest but also near some docks so there is bit of light pollution but nothing like a city. 

4 hours ago, Cornelius Varley said:

What other camera settings (iso, shutter speed) were used ?

I kept changing the iso I tried 3200,1000,800. I used aperture 2.8 and shutter I used 15 and 30 seconds 

I have a nikon d5100 and I have just purchased the samyang 14mm f/2.8. when I try to capture an image with these the product image is very bright and not the correct aperture of 2.8 that I set it to. Can anyone recommend settings for me to try and capture the night sky with this camera and this lens?