Finally I got to test my new Nikon 14-24mm lens. Yes, its a Nikon on my Canon 5D MKII. I have been unpleased with the results from my Canon 16-35mm f2.8 when shooting Aurora at large aperture. It is simple not sharp enough outside of the center frame. But I am very pleased with the results from the Nikon, it is simply much better than any of the Canon wide angles even the fixed focal length ones. Being able to shoot sharp images at f2.8 means that I dont have to crank up the ISO as high as I would on my old 16-35mm. The extra 2mm of the Nikon is also helpful when shooting Aurora.
I was also experimenting with a new technique when exposing Aurora shots, the so called Magic Cloth technique. Usually when I shoot landscapes I use GND filters to help bringing out details in the foreground. Doing this with Aurora shots would mean I would have to squeeze the ISO much higher up, I tried that with mixed results.
For this shot I covered the upper half of the image for half the exposure. The upper half is exposed for 30 seconds (the max for Aurora shots) but the foreground is exposed for 60 seconds. It worked brilliantly. No reduced image quality due to high ISO or poor quality resin infront of my glass.
Disqualification Details
You must retain your original, unedited file (exactly as recorded by your camera), and provide it to the Site Council along with a list of your editing steps within 48 hours of any validation request. Files that have been saved or altered with any editing or transfer software are NOT originals.
Statistics
Views since voting: 4526 Views during voting: 310 Comments: 25 Favorites: 20 (view)
So sorry about the DQ of this beautiful image. I have learned quite a lot from your Photographer's Comments. Thank you for sharing all that information. You may not have a virtual ribbon, but you do have a wonderful real photograph. Congratulations.
Stunning image. I am blown away by its sharpness and clarity. You say that you shot this at f/2.8. The image looks sharp all the way from the foreground to the background. Did you expose for the mountains and the foreground at a much higher f number like f/16 or so and combined multiple images together or was the whole scene exposed at f/2.8 once? I know this is shot at wide angle but still at f/2.8, it looks crazy sharp throughout. Another question ... did you have to use an adapter to fit the Nikon lens to your 5D Mark II? If so, what is it? Well done, blue in my book and should have scored in the high 7's or even into 8's. I guess a lot of people may have thought that they have seen too much of the Aurora, however that doesn't take anything away from the greatness of this image. Wish you much success with your new lens.
Congratulations on your ribbon, a wonderful image, indeed I was fortunate enough to see this displayed on the wall of a shop in Reykjavik so it has even more sentiment for me. Thank you also for the write up about the technique (fascinating and informative) but also using the Nikon lens on a Canon 5D, I just hadn't even thought about this but I will certainly consider it myself. Thanbks again and well done.
Man , how do you get these amazing shots, probably have something to do with where you live, it really helps, none the less, well done. possibly a ribbon. 10
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
Photographer found comment helpful.
