90 minute star trails

[mackay123]

Click here for the higher resolution version!

Shooting data: canon 5d2, nikkor 14-24 @ 18mm, f4(ish?), iso 500, 180 x 30sec, tripod and cable release, startrails.exe

hi all
last night I got some more star trails, this time 90 minutes worth.
I was feeling very brave for this one and after setting up the camera i drove the ten miles home and came back 3 hours later....................it was a very uncomfortable 3 hours!..........but i suppose you don't get too many thieves wandering the countryside in the pitch darkness looking for cameras to steal and when i went back it was all still there, unfortunately the front element was covered in ice (but it only started frosting up after about 90 minutes, so there was still plenty of shots to make some decent trails)
thanks for looking, C&C most welcome

[Blueripper]

Quality shot Steve, the North star is positioned so well in relation to the tree, to be honest, its the best star trail shot i've seen, massive congrats!
Also another 10 out of 10 for the bravery of leaving your set up on its own for 3 hours

[AlessandroCarboni]

Congrats Steve for the beautiful photo and for the brave!!
Ale

[mcdesign]

Fabulous Steve, I will take note of your settings as I hope to have a go soon.

[eagles1961]

you are surely a brave and excellent photographer..fantastic picture Steve and an amazing idea

[F.A.E.]

Excellent star trails - a really amazing shot, Steve!

[SteB]

Fabulous shot Steve - a really amazing bit of work. The planning and execution of the shot are perfect - I agree with Paul that I have never seen a better star trail image. In fact, I'm gobsmacked, to use a technical term. You are a much braver person than I am to leave your camera there. Anyway a big congrats, and my apologies for not commenting last night, as I admit I didn't check the landscape section in the evening.

[hauti]

So perfect !
everything is precise from the setting plan exposition and so on ...
love the center placed star
gr8 work !

[kliton77]

wow ..as a tornado with the stars..i like the tree silhouette ..it completes the picture very very nice cong

[William]

Wow, Steve, this is sublime and as mentioned the centered star is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And here is me offering a big congrats on the camera not being stolen. I wouldn't have been able to sleep one minute and from the sound of it, I don't think you did either

[O.K.]

Hi Steve!

I agree with everyone. Excellent star trails and perfect composition.
Polaris at perfect place.

Great work.

Orhan

[oBSidian]

beautiful!!!

And very brave indeed - good thing it wasn't yesterday otherwise your camera would have been soaked!!

[mackay123]

many, many thanks all!, i'm really glad you like this one because it really did take some planning and a lot of effort!.......but to be honest i don't think i should be leaving my gear out on it's own very often, as i'm sure if i keep doing it it will all end in tears! (mine )
the night before this shot there was quite a heavy frost (-4 or -5), i set the camera up in the garden and fell asleep!, i woke up at 5am and rushed out to retrieve my camera, i had the forethought of wrapping a T-shirt around the body but had never intended to fall asleep!
the 5d2 was protected by the shirt but the lens was covered in frost, to the point where i couldn't initially turn the zooming ring, i have been dubious about the weather sealing on this lens because the bulbous front element moves in and out as you zoom (and the fact that i'm using it on a canon body with an adapter will make things totally unsealed at that end), but this lens is proving to be a bit good!, i've had it out in light rain (clingfilm around the adapter end), snow and the frosty night mentioned above and all is very well, in contrast i got my old nikkor 18-70 very wet just once and it was ruined, it got a lot of moisture inside that kept steaming up from time to time and after a while some mould started growing (i sold it on ebay for £50)

thanks again all!, much appreciated!

[hauti]

So you are the brave one or you earn a lot of money
at this time i wouldt do this kind of crazy stuff
regards
Adam

[mackay123]

neither brave nor earn much money (certainly 0% from photography)......probably just a bit stupid!
seriously though i think all this fancy kit we all lust over needs to be used (and sometimes abused), plus my stuff is insured (to an extent at least )
cheers