Photopills is awesome. Sometimes when we are using AR, others thought actually we photograph them and asked to delete their photo. Ha ha... Air pollution is new one. I never heard before. As usual wonderful video.
Haha! That’s funny!! Just say you’re taking a selfie!!! 😆👍 Air quality is a big one where we live here; when we get a sandstorm, there’s no chance of seeing any stars!!
My favorite, Photopills, I recommand it for all photographers to prepare the nights and also the location... The other ones for weather and light pollution are mainly useful for our colleagues from England... (joke from a French guy leaving in South of France...)
Haha! Thanks Patrick!! You guys definitely have some great weather and air quality down in the south of France!! 😁👍 I always recommend PhotoPills to anyone who I speak to...I wish I was on some kind of commission!! 😆
It's annoying when the weather doesn't play fair!! We've had a few trips to the desert where the forecast was great but then the air quality was bad...astrophotography definitely tests my patience...😆 Thanks for watching. 😁👍
Excellent post and good contingency info - impressive to see AR constellations indoors. Does Plume report issues with pollen clouds and local controlled tree burns/forest fires - problem sometimes in my area? TV weather forecasters sometimes show these pollutants in their radar maps, but not always.
Thanks Paul...that’s a good question...🤔 It might be worth cross testing it with the weather forecasts in your area so when you know there are pollen clouds and tree burns, check to see what the app says. 👍 Thanks for watching!
Recently bought Photo Pills (begrudgingly when there are so many other great apps out there for free) and it's very good to be fair. Quite a complex/confusing interface though which needs work though imo.
Hi Clark, Once you get used to it, it’s not too bad...but yep, you’re right, lots of free stuff out there. I’ve found that this almost brings together a lot of the free apps all in one app...with no adverts. Thanks for watching. 👍
Thanks for all your high-quality videos. I used your info on the A7iii internal intervalometer to shoot an 850 image Milky Way timelapse last night that I just finished editing and compiled with techniques learned from your Timelapse video. I just posted it on my channel if you want to see what your teaching helped create. This is really a great group of apps for astrophotography, I hadn't heard a Plume or Clear Outside. I will check them out for sure. Keep the great content coming!
Sorry for the slow reply, your comment got lost in the pile and I’ve only just found it with a new app I’m trying out! 🤦🏻♂️ That’s awesome!! Great to hear these apps and my tutorials have helped...I’ll be sure to check out your timelapse!! 850 images, that must have taken a while!! 😁👍
Great video! I just started getting into astrophotography with the sky watcher heritage 130p. Trying to find the planets, lol. Want to get a second hand DSLR camera when I can get a good deal. Maybe hook up my telescope to a webcam.
Thanks Tom! It's fun isn't it...I go shooting with a group of guys and girls who have huge telescope setups...its amazing what they can capture and what is out there. 😁👍
That is a good question... with astrophotography, I look for 0% on every level... this is when you will get perfectly clear skies... a bit of high cloud is ok if it is clearing down the time line... but if it is going the other way and clouding up... it is useful for those night where you think it is good, but as soon as you're out there, the cloud covers the whole sky... so those nights that you want to stay at home, but are tempted by a clear sunset... I hope that helps Thanks for watching 😁👍
Hi Raphael, Most definitely! I’ve heard good things about planItPro, I’ll have to check it out! Another one I’ve just been shown is LExp - long exposure calc it’s another paid app but it has an amazing number of different techniques and calculators built in...I think there’s a light version to try as well. 👍
Great tips as always, Mike. I am really looking forward to getting my first Milky Way shot. I have the planning down, but can't get all of the stars to align (pun intended) as far as weather cooperating. I am trying to remain patient. Hopefully I will get my chance soon. I like the haircut. I was going to say that nobody wants to take photography advice from a long haired hippie, then I realized I have a Peter McKinnon video in my watch later folder. Looking good, brother.
Hahaha!! Yep, I didn’t want to let it get too shabby!! You’re right though, it’s a game of patience...and that’s great that you’ve done all the planning so when the conditions are right you can just get out and shoot! 😁 Thanks for watching dude! 👍
Is there an app that helps me capture images like Beth Moon from Nat Geo? You know with automatic clone stamps and heavy manipulation with total disregard to ethics, integrity and basic humanity. Oh and has to be free. Thanks.
You have a few options, but they are mostly made for DSLRs and scopes. There is the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini but that would be a bit of overkill, and then theres the Move Shoot Move one which is as small as they get. It is made for APS-c cameras so it would easily accommodate a phone with a phone holder/adapter. www.moveshootmove.com/ Thanks for watching. 👍
Hi mike, I have a simple question about the app”clear outside” When you are going to photo milky way, what is the figure of “High Cloud” can be acceptable in order to get a nice milky way. Cheers
Hi Akkarpark, It all depends on what type of cloud it is...if its the hazy thin cloud, it can ruin your shot if it is at 10% but sitting over the core of the milkyway, whereas if its more dense cloud, you can sometimes get up to 20% and still get away with it. I've found with astro it's luck of the draw...I've been out in the uk with really bad forecasts and got lucky but other times I've been out and the cloud has come rolling in and ruined the nights shoot...the more you go out, the more you'll get used to the local conditions and start to see a pattern of what works and what doesn't. I hope that helps. 👍
Hi Mike, In the “Clear Outside” app. There is any figure that tell us the possibility of lens foggy and how to read ?. Using the lens heater at night while the camera is on the rotator is not so fun imo. Cheers
Not really...knowing the dew point helps give you an idea if the lens might fog up. My friends who are proper astrophotographers with huge telescopes have a device called a dew master from Pegasus Astro. It tells them when the dew point has been reached and turns on the heaters automatically...but that is another piece of kit to carry and attach to your camera and lens.
Mike Smith thanks Mike. That kit gonna be over invested for general astro photographer . But it s good to have though. Do you know what figure of dew point represents the possibility of foggy lens ? Just approximately. Cheers
I'm good thanks Flynn, how are you? Here's a couple of videos I did on mobile phone apps: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tqOuXu3dVEs.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mH3OMEjV0xQ.html&t Thanks for watching 😁👍
Hello I’ve just watched your video and I noticed that on accuweather you had the location as Betws-y-coed. This is where I am due to go this Friday and Saturday for stargazing. I’ve since found out that it’s a bortle 3 or 4. Does this mean I won’t see much in the sky? Have you been to this location and is it a good location to see the stars. There is 8% cloud cover on the night I’m going do you think I’ll be able to see the Milky Way from there? Thanks.
Ah, I miss Betws...such an awesome place! It is a bortle 3-4 location but you will still be able to see some stars. You will have to travel out of the town but if you go to the Glyders it's much darker there, also around Snowdonia is pretty good as well as Beddgelert. Porthmadog will give you some light pollution on the horizon to the west and Bangor to the north, but if you get to a good location looking in the other directions, you can get some good starry skies. Alyn Wallace did a video a while back on shooting the stars from Snowdonia... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TGKM0IFb7ZY.html Might give you some idea of what you might see. Good luck with the cloud cover. 👍
Yes, Stellarium is a great app isn’t it, had it on my laptop for years. I was actually just using today for some research on my next set of Astrophotography tutorials. 😁👍
I'm not sure...I just use photopills and haven't had the chance to find a free alternative...maybe I'll do some research and do a video on alternatives next year...🤔
