Michael Palozzola 
, Dec 15, 2009; 12:18 p.m.
OK soooo here is the deal. Ive been working on some meteor photography the last few months as the different showers have come through and I have been having a few problems.
Im shooting:
Nikon D200 - w/ either -
Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 - fisheye
Nikkor 35mm f/1.8
I also have access to
Nikkor micro-60mm f/2.8
Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 (I personally dont like this lens at all)
Nikkor 70-300mm
I shot in aug then in nov then on sun night... The first two times I went out I shot with the 10-17mm exclusively, but this time I had the 35mm with me, so I tried that as well.. I liked the color of the sky much better in the f/1.8 pictures but the lens was WAY too tight I could barely get orion in frame never the less more of the sky.
And using the 10-17 I had plenty of the sky in frame and often meteors would streak across the frame but I found they almost never showed up in the picture, I tried all different settings and exposure lengths. I tried everything from ISO 100-1250, with shutter speeds from 30" - 5min, and apertures from f/1.8-8. None of them seemed to show the meteors. I also tried closing the shutter immediately after a meteor streaked across the frame.
Also with both the Nikkor and the Tokina I was having a bit of a problem getting the lens to focus to infinity. I started focusing them manually and was still haveing a problem getting pin-point focus especially on the 35mm f/1.8. The manual focus issue COULD just be from bad eyes but i felt that the focus ring wasn't adjusting as it should of been.
Can anyone with some good experience shooting meteors tell me what they use for setting, and maybe show me a few results from those settings? I appreciate any help in this matter.
-Michael Palozzola
Kerry Grim 
, Dec 15, 2009; 12:32 p.m.
J. Harrington. Good tips, but I would add to it...if living in Pennsylvania, the sky will always be cloudy and or extremely hazy! And, I do mean always! At least where I live.
Michael Palozzola , Dec 16, 2009; 12:34 p.m.
I tried most of the stuff said on that site and none of it seemed to work
Leo Stachowicz , Dec 17, 2009; 12:18 p.m.
Where to start...
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Firstly, the kind of shot you are trying to get should determine the lens you use. You'll catch more meteors in the field of view of a wide angle lens than a normal angle, but the streaks left by meteors will usually be much shorter, and not too impressive. Faster lenses will also help you catch more.
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Keep in mind that where you point your camera is also important. Meteors that appear close to the radiant are always short, whilst meteors that appear far from the radiant can be much longer. There is a direct relationship between the two. So wider angle lenses are best used pointing far from the radiant, and vice versa.
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Whichever lens you choose, the exposure/settings should be determined by the following IMHO:
1. Use the widest lens aperture you are happy with. You may want to stop down a little if you don't like distorted stars.
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2. Depending on your camera, pick a high ISO like 800 or 1600. The D200 should be fine at 1600 I think.
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3. Take a few test shots before you start, at different exposure times (10, 15, and 20 seconds - short exposures are better since they avoid many problems like amp-glow and star-trailing), and examine your results. You want the background sky to be slightly light, but not so much that you will lose contrast between the background and any meteors you catch. The background can be brought down to much more natural looking levels in post processing.
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4. If your background is still too washed out, and your exposure is shorter than you'd like, drop down the ISO a notch and try again till you get the right exposure.
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To focus, I'd suggest connecting the camera to a laptop and checking your focus at 100% zoom.
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By far the best way to catch meteors is to use multiple cameras, although you may still get lucky and catch something with only one, but it can be frustrating as you found out!
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You can find some meteor photos that I took here:
http://www.btinternet.com/~l.stachowicz/pics/astro.htm
J. Harrington USA (Massachusetts) 
, Dec 18, 2009; 09:18 a.m.
The photo linked to below demonstrates what Leo means by:
"Meteors that appear close to the radiant are always short, whilst meteors that appear far from the radiant can be much longer."
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091218.html
Mike, in my opinion, the most important factors to capturing a meteor with a camera are:
- shoot when there is a meteor shower and after midnight
- shoot with a wide, fast lens, 1 stop short of wide open
- shoot in a VERY dark area (far away from city lights) on a moonless night
- shoot lots of photos, 30 sec or more
- use a moderately fast ISO ~400 or more
- have patience!
Michael Palozzola , Dec 18, 2009; 10:50 a.m.
- shoot when there is a meteor shower and after midnight -DIDIT
- shoot with a wide, fast lens, 1 stop short of wide open -DIDIT
- shoot in a VERY dark area (far away from city lights) on a moonless night -DIDIT
- shoot lots of photos, 30 sec or more -DIDIT
- use a moderately fast ISO ~400 or more -DIDIT
- have patience! -KINDA DO
My issue I was having was Meteors were streaking by IN FRAME but not showing up on camera. I know where i was aiming. I had marker stars I was using and watching between them ... I was getting meteors ... But none were showing up.....
Are there any Ultra Wide Lenses out there like 10-20mm that are very fast f/1.2-2.8 from any off brands like Sigma or something?
Leo Stachowicz , Dec 18, 2009; 11:28 a.m.
"I was getting meteors ... But none were showing up....."
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That's where the patience and persistence comes in. You need a bit of luck too. Most meteors are not that bright, and it takes a very bright one to make a strong image on film.
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Whilst J. Harrington's advice is good, the best way of increasing your chances is having multiple cameras running. Small focal lengths help, since they can be faster, eg. 50mm 1.8
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This is how the pros do it:
http://www.robertreeves.com/cluster.htm
(link)
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"Are there any Ultra Wide Lenses out there like 10-20mm that are very fast f/1.2-2.8 from any off brands like Sigma or something?"
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There's the Sigma 30mm 1.8, but that's about as wide and fast as you'll get on a budget.
J. Harrington USA (Massachusetts) , Dec 18, 2009; 11:29 a.m.
The only decent meter photo I captured was made using a Sigma 20MM 1.8, shot at F2. I sold that lens as I was not happy with its sharpness. Star flare was also an issue with the Sigma for me, as is evident in the photo.
Tokina makes a 2.8 ultra-wide I believe. (don't let lens purchases lock you into cropped sensor bodies)
I've spend no more than a couple of hours attempting meteor photography and on no more than 2 or 3 nights. Luck plays a big factor in it.
Don't even bother with the lenses slower than 2.8, IMO.
Leo Stachowicz , Dec 18, 2009; 12:20 p.m.
Good point. I forgot about the 20mm 1.8!
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I've been using a Nikkor 28/2.0 AIS, and it's not too bad close to wide open on a crop sensor. I prefer the Canon Ls though (one of the main reasons I made the switch to Canon some years back), despite their high price tags.
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Michael - One thing you may find helps, if you find a darker-sky site (I don't know how good the sky quality is where you have been shooting previously) , where you can use 1600 ISO, the meteors will be much more obvious in terms of brightness. Ultimately though, a bit of luck goes a long way, and you make your own luck by being out there during meteor shower peaks, and having more cameras.
