Lens for Aurora trip

mel.b

I'm off to Abisko in Sweden and the Lofoten Islands in Norway at the end of Feb next yr to hopefully see the Aurora. I have a Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4 lens and i'm wondering if this lens will be ok/wide enough or should i be looking at buying something else?

pixbyjohn

Aurora at Seafront, Reykjavik, Iceland. October 2015 by Pixbyjohn, on Flickr
Taken with a Full Frame Nikon D810 and a 17-35 f2.8 lens

I would think your lens should be ok.

ED E

1. Good gloves that area easy to pop on and off
2. Tripod
3. Remote trigger isnt a bad idea
4. Thermos
5. Glass.....


What's your body? The trick is getting enough light without going for a long exposure. The "dancing" of the aurora can make it very very soft if you go over say 1/20 IIRC. John went longer but I had messy results that way. At 27mm equivalent you'll be wide enough to get a lot in but a couple Fstops lower could make things easier. A wide prime would be nice but depends on how much you care to spend.


Use this to get predictions:
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-30-minute-forecast
You kind of need to be ready to go at the drop of a hat as light doesnt take that long to get from the sun to the earth (~500 sec) so the time between a coronal ejection happening and the aurora appearing is quite low.

Scouting is important as you need to avoid light pollution as much as possible. Lakes are typically popular.

mel.b

Thanks - would love it if i got a photo like that!

Yes, gloves and tripod are on the shopping list, wireless intervalometer has been ordered and i picked up a thermos recently in Lidl for the trip! I'e ordered extra batteries and need to find somewhere that sells those little handwarmers that you pop to make them start working as well for the batteries (and my hands!).

Camera body is a Canon Sl2 / 200d which is on its way to my parents in Australia and i will have it in Dec when my they come to visit, so plenty of time to practice with it. Previously had a Canon Xti so shouldn't be too different hopefully. Ordered it to be sent to Australia as where i ordered it from only ship to Aus/Nz and it worked out at about €400 which is great value.

I have a tour booked with lights over lapland in Abisko and then another night booked at the miuntain station in Abisko. At the lofoten islands i'll have a car so will be able to scout during the day as i tour around and then in the evening park up somewhere if the forecast is good. I'll be packing my sleeping bag as well! I'm staying near the beaches on the west coast of Lofoten so should be good locations.

Wish i had been there the past week though as there has been some great shows...fingers crossed though for late Feb/early march - that's part of their magic, you just never know.

kc56

Batteries don't last long in the cold. Have a spare or two in a warm pocket. Once the battery warms up, it can be used again.

Depending on the strength of the aurora, you can expect to use shutter speeds from 10 to 30 seconds with ISO from 800 to 3200. Some aurora can be very faint. Wide angle is best - 14-17mm on full frame , 10mm on crop sensor.

Be sure to warp the camera in a bag or something when finished and allow it to warm up slowly to avoid condensation.

CabanSail

When the cold camera and lenses move into warm humid air there will be condensation. It is a good idea to either leave the camera and lenses in a cold place if it's secure and just bring the memory cards and batteries inside. Otherwise take out the batteries and memory cards then put all the gear into sealed (zip lock) bags and then bring those inside. That will seal in dry air while the camera warms up to room temperature and it avoids the condensation.

John mac

and some of those hand warmer things.
for long exposures you can put a couple around the lens to keep from icing .

that lens should be fine .