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How to Photograph the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)

17 May

The post How to Photograph the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Christian Hoiberg.

Want to know how to photograph the northern lights?

In this article, I’m going to share plenty of northern lights photography tips and tricks – so that you can capture stunning aurora shots of your own.

This advice comes from lots of experience; I’ve had the pleasure of watching and photographing the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, for years (and I still find myself shouting in awe when I see them elegantly dancing in the sky!).

So if you’re ready to become an expert, then let’s get started.

How to see the northern lights

The first step in photographing the northern lights is, obviously, finding them. It’s simply not possible to see the aurora whenever and wherever you want – you must be in the right region and follow a few simple steps, as I discuss below:

1. Be in the Northern Hemisphere

The northern lights aren’t visible all over the world. As the name indicates, they are a phenomenon visible in the Northern Hemisphere.

Places such as northern Norway, Iceland, and Alaska are typical areas you can witness the northern lights.

While you generally want to be north of the Arctic Circle (or close to it), you can witness the lights further south during extreme solar storms. But this is not as common and the display is rarely as impressive compared to “northern” northern lights.

When planning your trip to the north, you’ll need to bear one more fact in mind:

The northern lights season lasts from late fall to early spring. After all, northern lights are only visible in the night sky, and in the Arctic, the sun doesn’t set during the summer months – so there’s no darkness and no northern lights.

2. Get away from light pollution

It’s nearly impossible to see the northern lights from the downtown of a large city. You might catch a glimpse if the northern lights are strong, but the display won’t be nearly as impressive as if you leave the city lights behind.

To increase your chances of capturing the northern lights, you should get away from light pollution and find a location where you can clearly see the stars.

There are a few different tools you can use to find areas with minimal light pollution. Dark Sky is a great website for this purpose; it shows a detailed map of light pollution.

3. Look for clear skies (and a high Kp-index)

In order to see the northern lights, you need to see the stars – so cloudy nights aren’t good for aurora borealis photography. If the sky is cloudy, you might as well enjoy the comfort of a warm cabin.

Fortunately, when you’re north of the Arctic Circle, clear nights typically mean you will get a glimpse of the northern lights. The display might not always be strong, but chances are high that you’ll at least get a nice arch across the horizon.

Keep in mind that weather conditions change quickly in the Northern Hemisphere. Just because it’s cloudy one moment doesn’t mean it’ll be cloudy in an hour, so you should keep a close eye on the forecast and stick your head outside from time to time.

Also, a quick tip: To predict the aurora display strength, refer to the Kp-index. Note that the higher the Kp-index, the stronger the display. (There are other factors involved in predicting the northern lights, but the Kp-index is the easiest and most convenient.)

How to photograph the northern lights

Once you’ve found the northern lights, how do you actually photograph them? It’s easy to get overly excited and forget about the technicalities – after all, the northern lights are stunningly beautiful – but I urge you to study the next few steps so that you’re as prepared as possible when the sky explodes.

1. Use a tripod and a remote shutter release

Photographing at night means that you’re working with long exposures (i.e., slow shutter speeds). It’s therefore essential that you mount the camera on a tripod. This will make sure that your camera stays still for the duration of the exposure.

You should also consider using a remote shutter release when you’re photographing the northern lights. This removes any chance of the vibrations caused when you press the shutter.

An alternative is to use the camera’s self-timer – but sometimes you want to capture the image at an exact moment with no delay, which is why I highly recommend a remote release.

2. Use a wide-angle lens with a large aperture

I generally encourage photographers to experiment with different focal lengths, but there’s no getting around it: an ultra-wide-angle lens is ideal for photographing the northern lights.

A wide-angle lens allows you to capture both the landscape and the sky in one shot. That way, you can incorporate the northern lights into a good composition.

Also, when you first experience the northern lights, you’ll realize that they can fill up the entire sky. It’s impossible to capture all this beauty with a narrow focal length lens (in fact, even wide-angle glass isn’t always enough!).

It’s also important to use the widest possible aperture. A wide aperture means more light reaches the sensor, allowing for a brighter exposure.

For that reason, apertures such as f/2 and f/2.8 work well for night photos. You can get away with f/4 if your lens doesn’t open to f/2.8 – but you’ll need to increase the ISO or extend the shutter speed to pull it off, neither of which are great for northern lights photography.

3. Adjust the shutter speed and ISO according to the northern lights

Guides such as the 500 rule or the NPF rule are great indicators of the shutter speed you should use for night photography – but these do not work for northern lights.

Why?

Because the best shutter speed completely depends on how active the northern lights are. I’ve experienced extreme displays where I’m using a 1/2s shutter speed and an ISO of 200, yet I’m still overexposing the sky!

Therefore, you need to adapt the shutter speed to the situation and make changes throughout the night. I typically use a shutter speed between 4 and 20 seconds.

Now, a fast-moving northern lights display requires a faster shutter speed. The bright light moving across the sky will quickly get overexposed. But when the display is slower, you get away with a longer shutter speed.

The ISO also depends on how bright the night sky is. I typically use a value between ISO 1600 and ISO 6400. That said, on rare occasions, I go all the way down to ISO 200.

I’ll admit that it does require some experience to get your settings right from the very beginning. But keep an eye on the image preview between every few shots, and you’ll learn exactly what to adjust for great results.

the aurora borealis over a mountain how to photograph the northern lights

4. Use a cold white balance (3000-4000K)

I know that the white balance technically doesn’t matter if you’re shooting in RAW, but I’m someone who prefers to make the photo look as good as possible in-camera.

So when photographing the northern lights, avoid using Auto White Balance or preset modes. While these often do a great job during the day, they’re less consistent at night. You might get some okay results with Auto White Balance, but it won’t always work.

I recommend that you set the white balance manually – use Kelvin mode and chose a value somewhere between 3000K and 4000K. This will produce a colder and more natural-looking sky.

(Using values above 4000K makes the green in the northern lights look muddy and strange, which is something you want to avoid.)

purple and green aurora borealis how to photograph the northern lights

5. Bring something warm to drink!

The winter nights in the Northern Hemisphere can be quite cold and miserable. It’s essential that you stay warm when you’re outside waiting for the northern lights. Good clothes (and several layers) help a lot, but it’s also nice to bring a thermos with a warm drink.

Once you get too cold, it’s hard to stay motivated. Especially if you’re planning to shoot for a while or make a timelapse.

How to photograph the northern lights: conclusion

Now that you’ve finished this article, you should be well-equipped to photograph the northern lights.

That said, if you want to learn more about northern lights photography – so you can start creating images like those in this article, fast – I highly recommend my course, Northern Lights Photography Made Easy. I teach all the essentials of capturing and processing stunning images of the night sky’s most amazing feature. So check out the course here!

The post How to Photograph the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Christian Hoiberg.

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Aurora Aperture unveils new rear mount filter system for Canon, Nikon, Sigma & Sony ultra wide-angle lenses

16 May

Aurora Aperture Inc. has announced a next-generation rear mount filter system for wide-angle lenses. The new filter system is designed to allow for the use of filters with many popular ultra wide-angle lenses, including those which do not include a front filter thread.

In 2017, Aurora Aperture released a rear mount filter system for the Canon EF 11-24mm F4L USM lens. The newly-announced next-generation system works with the 11-24mm lens, plus the Canon EF 8-15mm F4L Fisheye USM, EF 14mm F2.8L USM (versions I and II), EF 15mm F2.8 Fisheye, EF 16-35mm F2.8L USM (versions II and III are not supported), EF 17-35mm F2.8L USM and EF 17-40mm F4L USM. In addition to Canon lenses, Aurora Aperture’s new filter system is also compatible with the Nikon Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm F2.8G ED, Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM Art (Canon EF, Sony E and L mount versions), Sigma’s 14mm F1.8 DG HSM Art for Canon EF mount and the Sony FE 12-24mm F4 G lens.

Not only is Aurora’s latest rear mount filter system compatible with a wider array of lenses, but it also includes other new features. The new rear mount filter system utilizes a magnetic quick-release structure, allowing for easier installation and removal from the lens. In addition, there are a variety of new filters available for the system, including graduated neutral density filters and light pollution reduction filters.

Neutral density – Aurora Aperture refers to them as PowerND – filters are available in 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 stop variants. Graduated neutral density (GND) filters are available in 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 stop densities. Each GND filter features a soft transition at 60 percent of the image frame height. Finally, the new PowerDusk filter is designed to filter out artificial lighting and reduce visible light pollution in urban areas, which Aurora Aperture states will allow for better astrophotography and even improved nighttime street photography. For specific information on how the PowerDusk filter reduces the light which hits your image sensor at different wavelengths, click here.

Image credit: Aurora Aperture

In order to utilize the magnetic filters on the rear of your wide-angle lens, you must first install the new rear mount filter system. The installation process will vary depending on the lens in question, but it ranges from using specialty adhesive to replacing existing gel filter holders. Once the filter holder adapter has been installed, using and changing filters is as placing a small glass filter into the magnetic filter holder.

The Aurora Aperture next generation rear mount filters will be available through a Kickstarter campaign starting this month and general availability is expected in September. The price of lens adapters range from $ 35 to $ 41 USD and filter prices range from $ 43 to $ 113. Stay tuned to Kickstarter and to Aurora Aperture’s website for additional information and availability.

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Laowa 15mm F2 Zero-D sample gallery: aurora borealis and architecture

15 Dec

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The Laowa 15mm F2 Zero-D from Venus Optics is a fast, wide prime lens for full frame mirrorless cameras, available in RF-mount, E-mount, and Z-mount. Like Lawoa’s other ‘Zero-D’ lenses it’s designed to have extremely limited distortion despite the short focal length.

We’ve included a number of images representing two common use cases for this type of lens: astrophotography and architectural photography. Overall, it provides excellent results and delivers on its promise of minimal distortion. Not surprisingly, there’s some vignetting wide open, but it clears up pretty quickly when stopped down and – if desired – is corrected quite well using the lens profile in Adobe Camera Raw.

To illustrate the point, here’s an uncorrected sequence of dark sky photos shot at F2, F2.8, F4 and F5.6. The original Raw files for these images can be downloaded from the sample gallery if you want to make your own comparisons. Click through to the gallery to see all the images.


F2.0	F2.8	F4	F5.6

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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8 Lightroom Controls for Aurora Editing

02 Feb

The post 8 Lightroom Controls for Aurora Editing appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ian Johnson.

One of the most amazing phenomena of the night sky is the Aurora Borealis (or, “the Northern Lights”). For as long as humans have existed the dancing, brilliant curtains of light have dazzled the viewers below. For some, the opportunity to see the Aurora is a bucket list item, and the opportunity to view and photograph the Northern Lights draws thousands of people to polar regions every year.

Aurora, Editing, Lightroom, Aurora Borealis, Northern Lights

In the images above, I minimally edited the Aurora and was sure not to over-enhance it. Understanding how the Lightroom slider controls impact your Aurora shots can help you achieve natural and beautiful edits of the Aurora Borealis.

Advancement of digital cameras and photo editing software has created an incredible opportunity to edit your shots after a night out under the stars and Lights. The advent of post-processing technology has, in my opinion, resulted in many Aurora photographs which are over-processed to bring out rich saturation and contrast that did not exist in the original scene. Because many of the middle tones (colors) of the Aurora are so pure and contrast so highly with the sky, it is easy to eject the equivalence of pixel-steroids into your image giving them a false look.

It is my goal when editing Aurora shots to enhance but not over-enhance. Understanding how each of the basic Lightroom editing tools impacts an Aurora image can help you tell the story of your night out by making your image look like they did when you saw them.

Lightroom basic sliders

To illustrate how the Lightroom basic sliders (contrast, clarity, dehaze, tint, saturation, vibrance, shadows, highlights) affect an Aurora image it is easiest to look at how extreme values for each setting impact the image. For each slider type, I will walk you through how the slider impacts any image (i.e., the definition of the slider). I will apply it at extremes to the same Aurora image to show a before (no edits) and after (extreme applied) comparison.

1. Contrast

Contrast is a very useful slider and a fundamental one for editing. By definition, the contrast tool darkens the darkest mid-tones in the image and lightens the lightest mid-tones. In an Aurora image, many of your mid-tones are going to be in the Aurora itself. So, you can see as you slide the contrast to 100% that the colors in the Aurora darken giving the image a more saturated look.

Extending the contrast to +100 increased the saturation in the Aurora and the foreground shadows became much deeper. Boosting contrast and adding saturation or vibrancy can have a compounding effect and lead to an image that appears over-processed.

2. Clarity

The clarity slide adds contrast in the mid-tones without adding much noise. The tool is often used to bring out texture and details. Again, Aurora colors fall into the mid-tones of your image, so a clarity boost impacts them strongly. Boosting clarity to +100 creates definition in the banding of this Aurora shot because there are vertical dark lines of the sky in the Aurora. You may like the clarity slider for Aurora shots because it doesn’t add as much contrast as the contrast slider does and can make stars in the image pop and seem crisper.

Adding +100 clarity increases the banding in the Aurora and you can see the stars stand out more. It did not add any saturation or other artifacts to the image.

3. Dehazing

Similar to clarity, the Dehaze slider increases midrange contrast and shadows giving the images a slightly dark and more saturated look. However, the Dehaze slider was built to remove fog from a scene. When you apply its technology to an Aurora shot, it adds a lot of contrast and saturation to the image. This is a slider to use gently (if at all) for Aurora image editing.

In comparison to Clarity, the Dehaze slider adds a lot of contrast and saturation to the Aurora image if it is boosted to +100. The Dehaze slider can be useful but use it sparingly (if at all) for editing your Aurora images.

4. Saturation

The saturation slider globally (for the whole image) deepens, intensifies, and brightens the color. In an Aurora image, you will find it is very, very easy to overdo the Saturation of an image. So, use Saturation sparingly. When slid to +100, it turns the Aurora to an almost neon appearance. At -100, it strips all color from the image. There are times when bringing the saturation out of your Aurora image by -5 or -10 can help improve the appearance of the image and make it easier for the eye to comprehend.

Bringing all of the saturation out of an image renders it to black and white

Over-saturating your Aurora image gives it a fake, neon look

5. Vibrance

Vibrance is the “less aggressive” form of saturation. It’s a smart tool that increases saturation and tones in more muted colors. In Aurora shots, the Vibrancy slider focuses on the Aurora and provides a more realistic enhancement of the colors. You can see in the examples below there is still danger in over-using it. A vibrancy value of +100 creates neon colors similar to overusing saturation. However, at -100 you can see there is a distinct difference from -100 Saturation. The -100 Vibrance does not remove all color from the Aurora. You may find it a powerful technique to decrease your saturation slightly before increasing vibrance.

You may find Vibrance to be the most useful for natural Aurora image editing. However, boosting it too much will still result in a highly over-processed image

In contrast to Saturation, you can remove all of the vibrancy and still have some color left in the image

6. Shadows

The Shadow slider increases luminosity in the darkest parts of the image. With a picture of the Aurora, you have a distinct advantage in that the Lightroom program interprets almost any part of the image that is not Aurora to be a shadow. So, you have the power to lift or darken your foreground very easily. You can see in the +100 shadow example below, details were brought out of the shadows in the silhouettes of the trees.

There is a very clear definition in an Aurora image between the highlights and the shadows. Increasing the Shadows will raise the luminosity of any part of the image not covered in Aurora

7. Highlights

The Highlights slider increases luminosity of the brightest parts of the image. As I describe above, Lightroom interprets any part of the image with the Aurora to be a highlight. That means an increase in the highlights to +100 effectively increases the exposure of the Aurora. If you over-expose an Aurora image in the field, decreasing the highlights can help you reclaim lost detail.

There is a very clear delineation between shadows and highlights in an Aurora image. Increasing the highlights to +100 only impacts the brightness of the Aurora. In this image, it gives the Aurora an overexposed feeling

8. Tint

The Tint slider is a meant to be used for color correction in correspondence with the temperature slider. You can use the tint slider to neutralize the snow which tends to turn green during intense Aurora outbursts. Use a Graduated Filter, coupled with increased pink tints and decreased saturation, to return your snow closer to white. Often, this helps your eye focus on the Aurora and can restore balance to the shot.

Using tint to do color control on an Aurora image is a bit more advanced, but you will find that you can control the color of the snow by combining the Tint and Saturation slider controls

Putting it all together for a final edit

Now that you know how each slider impacts your overall image, its time to combine each in moderation to achieve a final edit. In the edit below I wanted to make sure the banding in the Aurora was enhanced along with the purples of the “sun-kissed” Aurora. My final edit brings out features of the image without over-enhancing it.

Using the controls described in this article, I edited the Aurora image to give it a natural look and enhance the features I liked most about it such as the purple colors and banding

I want you to experiment with editing aurora images. Please feel free to download and edit this high resolution image of the Northern Lights. If you can, share your edit so I can see! Like I always say, “Pixels are cheap” so I hope you make lots of pixels making Aurora images and have fun editing them!

The post 8 Lightroom Controls for Aurora Editing appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ian Johnson.

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Review: Color night vision with the SiOnyx Aurora

25 Nov

As someone who frequently photographs the night sky and nocturnal landscapes, I was intrigued by the recently announced SiOnyx Aurora IR Night Vision Camera. The Aurora is a compact camera designed to shoot stills and video in color under low light conditions, in addition to providing night vision capability.

The camera is marketed for outdoor enthusiasts (e.g., boaters, fishermen, hunters, hikers) who need to see in the dark and might want to capture their nocturnal activities. At a retail price of $ 799 it’s more than an impulse buy, but it promises some impressive capabilities. Being an aurora photographer, I was interested in its performance capturing the Northern Lights so I took the Aurora to Yellowknife, Canada.

Key specifications

‘Ultra-low-light’ 1″-type CMOS sensor
1280×720 resolution (stills and video)
16mm (47mm equiv) lens
Three shooting modes: Night (F1.4), Twilight (F2.0), and Day (F5.6)
Image stabilization
Video frame rates from 7.5 to 60 fps
OLED viewfinder
IP67 water resistant

Night Vision

The SiOnyx Aurora features a one-inch-type ultra low light CMOS sensor—sensitive to both visible and infrared light —capable of capturing stills and video in either monochrome or color, though it’s limited to shooting stills and video at 1280×720 resolution.

This resolution may seem low by today’s standards but it makes sense for a night vision camera. In everyday photography pixel size has very little effect on image quality, other than that small pixels give more detail. However, the tiny advantage that large pixels can have can become significant in extreme low-light situations, which means a night vision camera is one of the few instances where bigger pixels offer a recognizable benefit.

The SiOnyx Aurora features a 1″-type ultra low light CMOS sensor sensitive to both visible and infrared light. It also includes effective image stabilization for handheld use in dark conditions.

Resolution and pixel size aside, as soon as I picked up the Aurora it became evident that its compact size and light weight were going to put this camera in its own category. The water-resistant Aurora is 11.7 cm (4.6″) long and weighs only 227 g (8 oz) so it fits easily in a jacket pocket. Its portability and the fact that a tripod is not required to shoot at night means that the Aurora can always be within reach and ready to shoot.

The Aurora has three shooting modes for daytime (F5.6), twilight (F2.0), and nighttime (F1.4) scenes. The daytime setting performs as expected but the twilight mode performs well only for a short window of time. My impression was that I needed to change the dial to the night setting long before twilight was over. When you rotate the dial from Twilight to Night, the infrared filter is removed from the optical path. The Night scene mode is the most useful (and fun) since at that setting the camera captures light at wavelengths way beyond what the human eye can see. Specifically, its wavelength range goes from blue (400 nm) to infrared (1,100 nm). In comparison, the human eye can see from blue (400 nm) to red (700 nm).

All videos below are straight-out-of-camera and were shot handheld.

Comparison of the Twilight and Night scene modes shot two hours after sunset. It was dark enough that I needed my smartphone LED light to safely walk around. Download original

Scenes shot in Twilight and Night modes two hours after sunset. Download original

The Night scene mode has three color settings collectively referred to as ‘Night Glow’: Grayscale and Green, both useful when there’s almost no artificial light and barely any natural light, and Night Color, beneficial when viewing colors is important, as in the case of the Northern Lights.

Scenes shot in Grayscale Night mode. The armadillo was shot near a street lamp. The scene in the park was very dark to the human eye since those trees blocked most of the artificial light. The third scene was shot under moonlight and some street lighting. Download original

Point, Focus, and Shoot in the Dark

The benefits of the Aurora for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor enthusiasts is very apparent, but I wanted to see how useful it would be to capture video of the Northern Lights. Since most of the time the Northern Lights move slowly, time-lapse photography with exposures of several seconds is the perfect technique to capture them. That way, we get to capture more light with long exposures and we get to compress (or speed up) time by playing the frames at a higher rate than those at which they were taken.

During a substorm the lower end of an aurora curtain can move at speeds exceeding 5 km/s and look motion-blurred in time-lapse sequences. The higher frame rate of video works better to capture the substorm motion…

Nevertheless, time-lapse photography might not be the best technique to capture a substorm: the sudden brightening and increased movement of auroral arcs that can last for tens of minutes. During a substorm the lower end of an aurora curtain can move at speeds exceeding 5 km/s and look motion-blurred in time-lapse sequences. The higher frame rate of video works better to capture the substorm motion, but the shorter exposure for each frame results in lower signal-to-noise ratios and lower image quality.

I set the camera to the Night Color mode, the frame rate to 30p, and set focus to infinity. Once a substorm started all I had to do was to take the camera out of my pocket, turn it on, and press record. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) shows you exactly what you are capturing so it is very easy to point, shoot, and follow your subject.

Handheld video showing strong green and red auroral emission during a substorm on the moonless night of 9 September 2018. The foreground in all of these auroras videos was extremely dark and the use of flashlight to safely walk around was imperative. Download original

As expected, the SiOnyx Aurora works best when the Northern Lights are at its brightest, and you can see how the video gets noisier when the lighting conditions are darker (0:20 and 1:08 marks on the video above). Also, the Auto White Balance appears to shift during faint periods (1:33 mark). Overall, the camera captured the colors and rapid motion of the substorm well.

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The images above are video frames taken from the SiOnyx Aurora camera. Both video and still images from the camera have a resolution of 1280×720.

A few nights later I shot a brighter auroral substorm from the side of a road. The infrared light reflected by nearby trees at the beginning of the video below indicates that the ambient light at that location was also brighter. Note that the infrared light detected by the camera comes from objects reflecting it and not emitting it. In other words, the camera does not detect thermal emission (light emitted due to the temperature of matter).

This brighter auroral substorm resulted in a video with lower noise. Notice the infrared light reflected by vegetation and the very fast motion of the aurora around 0:25. Download original

The SiOnyx Aurora outputs JPEG stills and MOV (H.264) video files with audio. Unless otherwise noted, images in this articles are frames from videos files. To compare the quality of a JPEG with the quality of a video frame, I shot a still in Color Night mode (F1.4) with an exposure of 1/30 sec at ISO 20,000 and compared it with a frame of a video of the same scene shot in Color Night mode (F1.4) at 30p. I can only assume that the chosen ISO (the Aurora always operates in Auto ISO) was 20,000 as well.

The video frame looks cleaner and the edges look slightly sharper but the shadows are clipped. This could be the result of further image processing and video compression. One definite advantage of shooting stills is the ability of taking exposures as long as 1.5 seconds.

Comparison of a still image with an exposure of 1/30 sec at ISO 20,000 and a frame from a video shot at 30p. Both were shot in Color Night mode (F1.4). The foreground tree was illuminated by a street lamp.

To see how the SiOnyx Aurora compares to another camera that performs well in low light conditions, I shot two scenes with the Aurora (set to Color Night mode) and with the Nikon D5 with a Nikkor 50mm F1.4G. Both image sets were shot with the same exposure parameters.


Still image shot with the SiOnyx Aurora: 1/30 sec, F1.4, ISO 20,000	Still image shot with a Nikon D5 and a Nikkor 50mm F1.4G: 1/30 sec, F1.4, ISO 20,000. Sampled down to 1280 px wide.

Still image shot with the SiOnyx Aurora: 1/15 sec, F1.4, ISO 102,400	Still image shot with a Nikon D5 and a Nikkor 50mm F1.4G: 1/15 sec, F1.4, ISO 102,400. Sampled down to 1280 px wide.

Not surprisingly, given its relatively low resolution, the images from the SiOnyx camera are not as sharp and clean as those shot with the Nikon D5, but they do show more vegetation due its extended range into the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The second scene was too dark for the unaided eye to clearly perceive and, while I was able to easily focus using the Aurora EVF, it was impossible for me to focus using the D5 viewfinder or Live View mode. It is evident that the advantages of the Aurora are its infrared sensitivity, bright EVF, ease of use, compactness, and light weight.

The Aurora sports a fixed 16mm lens (47mm equivalent in full frame terms) which provides a diagonal FOV of 48 degrees. Although, I wished I had a wider FOV to capture the auroral displays, I think the fixed 48-degree FOV is a good compromise for most uses. Lens focus is manual only, but I was surprised how easy it was for me to focus in the dark thanks to the bright OLED EVF. Additionally, the camera features focus peaking, which displays a red highlight on in?focus edges.

Features Galore

The Aurora is packed with shooting features including shutter speeds from 1.5 sec to 1/8,000 sec, burst mode (2.5, 5, or 10p), HDR, self-timer (2, 5, or 12 sec), panorama (up to 180 degrees in landscape or portrait mode), and time-lapse. Video frame rates range from 7.5 to 120p. The Aurora also features Electronic Image Stabilization and remote operation using the SiOnyx mobile app (iOS and Android).

Lens focus is manual only, but I was surprised how easy it was for me to focus in the dark thanks to the bright OLED EVF.

Its EVF displays shooting parameters and modes, current time, compass direction, GPS coordinates, and optionally, focus peaking, grid (to aid in image composition), and pitch & roll (to aid in keeping the camera level in two axes).

The EVF has the option to turn itself on only when you move your face close the eyepiece. Although this definitely helps to save power (from a standard Fujifilm-style NP-50 lithium ion battery) I thought that battery life was very limited. Fortunately, the Aurora can draw power from an external source via USB. (NB: For this to work you still need a battery inside the camera). This is very helpful, for example, when taking long time-lapse sequences.

The SiOnyx app lets you connect remotely to the Aurora via Wi-Fi to: browse and delete content in the microSD card, change settings, and shoot stills and video.

Final Thoughts

Not only can the Aurora capture video and stills at night, but the list of uses (thanks to its bright EVF) in wildlife watching, hunting, boating, fishing, and other nocturnal outdoor activities is long.

I think it’s important to stress what the camera is not for. It’s neither designed for capturing high-resolution images for prints or HD monitors nor for shooting video for professional productions. Hence, it is not in the same category as low-light mirrorless cameras or DSLRs. The camera is very useful as a device to do tasks in the dark—especially when safety might be an issue—and to capture outdoor activities and the natural world at night in a fun and easy way.

Video frame of Northern Lights tour participants warming up and waiting for the natural spectacle to begin.

I benefit tremendously from using high-end DSLRs to take long exposures and time-lapse sequences of natural phenomena. I don’t see the SiOnyx Aurora as a substitute to my equipment but as a complement instead.

I’ll let my high-end DSLRs do what they do best—capture time-lapse sequences for my science films—and use the Aurora to capture nocturnal videos that allow me to demonstrate phenomena in my science lectures (e.g., how fast can the Northern Lights appear to move). As a science communicator, handheld videos shot in real time, especially with audio, help me bring audiences closer to the natural phenomena I present and, as a photographer, the fact that I can take this camera out of my pocket and be ready to shoot in seconds is a big plus.

As a science communicator, handheld videos shot in real time, especially with audio, help me bring audiences closer to the natural phenomena I present…

Does the SiOnyx Aurora let me see things in the dark that I can’t see with the unaided eye? Absolutely: the infrared sensitivity makes a big difference and, hence, my stress on the night vision capability of this device. The fact that you can also capture what you see is a plus. For me it was capturing Northern Lights, but I’m also looking forward to capturing surface lava flows in Hawaii, bioluminescence in Puerto Rico, as well as other phenomena around the world.

What we like:

Pocketable, always with you size
Easy to operate in the dark
High enough image quality for instructional use or social media
Image stabilization

What we’d like to see improved:

A dial less prone to accidentally turning off the camera
Ability to set white balance manually
Video metadata saved to XMP file (GPS coordinates, direction, etc.)
A hot shoe (for accessory lights)
A lens cap

José Francisco Salgado, PhD is an Emmy-nominated astronomer, science photographer, public speaker, and tour operator who creates multimedia works that communicate science in engaging ways. His Science & Symphony films through KV 265 have been presented in more than 350 concerts and lectures in 18 countries.

José Francisco is a seasoned night sky and aurora photographer and filmmaker. If you would like to view, photograph, and learn about the Northern Lights please inquire about his Borealis Science & Photo Tours in Yellowknife, Canada.

You can follow him on: Flickr, Instagram, 500px, Facebook, and Twitter

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Skylum software launches Aurora HDR 2019

13 Sep

A screen shot of Aurora HDR 2019.

In May Skylum Software set up the ‘Skylum AI’ artificial intelligence lab. Now we are seeing the first product results coming out of the new lab. Today Skylum has announced the latest version of its high dynamic range editing software, Aurora HDR 2019, which comes with a new AI-powered Quantum HDR Engine.

The new HDR engine is the core element of this new update and provides AI-powered tone mapping technology that analyzes your images for optimized merging. The Quantum engine was fine-tuned by testing it against thousands of images in order to ensure natural-looking results. Skylum says the new software can be used to reduce highlight and channel clipping, loss of contrast, noise and ghosting artifacts and works with both single images and bracketed shots.

Before and after processing in Aurora HDR 2019.

Other new features include Smart Structure technology, which Skylum says can bring out detail without creating artifacts. There’s also a new LUT mapping tool with instant preview for color-grading your images. Aurora ‘HDR Looks’ replaces what was called ‘Presets’. And the company has also commissioned a number of professional photographers to develop their own Aurora HDR Looks.

Aurora HDR 2019 is available for pre-order from today and costs $ 89 for a new purchase and $ 49 for an upgrade. When released on October 4th, prices will increase to $ 99 and $ 59 respectively. More information is available on the Skylum website.

Press Release:

Aurora HDR 2019 introduces AI-powered Quantum HDR Engine

Aurora HDR 2019 has Skylum’s new AI-powered Quantum HDR Engine with new tone mapping technology to create the most realistic, immersive high dynamic range photographs possible. Pre-orders for the Aurora HDR 2019 start September 12th.

Bellevue, WA – September 12, 2018 — Skylum Software is excited to open pre-orders for the fourth major version of its award-winning HDR program Aurora HDR — the most sophisticated version since being released in 2015. New users can purchase the new version for $ 89 and current users of Aurora HDR may upgrade for a limited time at a special price of $ 49 at skylum.com/aurorahdr.

Skylum’s ultimate goal is to give photographers an easy-to-use yet powerful tool to create vivid, captivating, and incredibly dynamic images. The company is to deliver on that goal with the all-new Aurora HDR — an impressive HDR photo editing tool that blends power and intelligent technology with intuition and a seamless workflow.

With a press of the button, you get amazing images that look as natural as they did when you pressed the shutter. To achieve your own creative vision, Aurora HDR’s many powerful filters, tools, and Aurora HDR Looks are also on hand for you to utilize. It’s a capable HDR editing software designed not only for professional, experienced and beginner photographers, but also as a solution for real estate marketing.

At the core of this update is Skylum’s revolutionary Quantum HDR Engine^TM, an AI-powered tone mapping technology that’s been three years in the making within Skylum’s AI lab. Now, when creating an HDR image using multiple bracketed shots, Quantum HDR Engine meticulously analyzes the photos and intelligently merges them. Not only does it minimize the major issues that other HDR merging tools have, but it also generates stunning results, producing images that are dynamic yet natural-looking.

Specifically, whether you’re working with bracketed shots or a single image, the Quantum HDR Engine reduces burned colors, loss of contrast, and noise, as well as mitigates unnatural lighting caused by halos and unstable deghosting. To do this, Skylum developers tested thousands of bracketed shots through a neural network and took those findings to develop the technology needed to create incredible HDR photographs. The result is an editing software with a solid performance for even the highest end architecture and real estate photography projects.

“We are incredibly excited to get Aurora HDR 2019 into the hands of photographers from around the world. The results are so accurate and natural that the final images appear as though you’re looking at the scene with your own two eyes. Simply put, it’s HDR finally done right.” — Dima Sytnyk, CTO and co-founder of Skylum.

A new HDR Smart Structure technology gives you the precise amount of details, structure, and sharpness in an image without creating excess artifacts that can make an HDR image look over-the-top. This allows Aurora HDR to produce images with the incredible details and realism favored by architecture and real estate photographers.

To deliver creative color toning, perfect black and white conversions, and digital film looks in seconds, Aurora HDR 2019 also boasts new LUT mapping integration with instant preview. Utilizing the same tools used in motion pictures, you can now stylize your images through color grading, giving your images the perfect look and toning to bring out the awe in each and every one of your photos.

To give that perfect finishing touch to an image, or to create a signature look you’re going for, the new Aurora HDR 2019 introduces Aurora HDR Looks to replace Presets as well as offer more selective aesthetic choices and more refined toning. Aurora HDR Looks can also include textures and masks, making for an almost infinite number of HDR editing possibilities.

World renowned photographers have created their signature Aurora HDR Look packs exclusively for Aurora HDR 2019, among which are Aurora HDR Looks for Real Estate by Randy Van Duinen, and signature Aurora HDR Looks from Trey Ratcliff, co-developer of Aurora HDR 2019, and Serge Ramelli.

All in all, Aurora HDR 2019 is designed to create the natural-looking HDR images without the need for a complicated workflow. Whether you’re working with a single exposure or twelve bracketed shots, Aurora HDR 2019 gets it done.

Aurora HDR 2019 is available for pre-order starting September 12th. Pre-orders include bonus downloadable content and costs $ 89 for a new purchase and $ 49 for an upgrade. When released on October 4st, the price will jump to $ 99 new and $ 59 for an upgrade.

The bonus pack includes:

Video tutorial “Getting the Most from Aurora HDR 2019” by Trey Ratcliff
The Landscape Photography Handbook by David Johnston
Exclusive interior Aurora Looks by Richard Harrington
Burning Mood LUTs by Richard Harrington
3-month 500px Pro membership
$ 300 OFF a multi-day Iceland Photo Tour

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SiOnyx Aurora camera shoots color video even by moonlight

27 Jul

US-based night vision tech company SiOnyx has introduced an action cam that it claims can shoot color footage and stills in the dark as well as in normal daylight conditions. The Aurora uses infrared technology and a specially developed sensor with large pixels to shoot in conditions as dim as 0.001lux.

SiOnxy says the camera’s performance compares to night vision optics that cost ‘tens of thousands of dollars’ and that this is the first time such night-vision capabilities have been available to the consumer.

The Aurora uses a 1in sensor with 0.9 million large pixels that are created using what the company describes as a proprietary laser process. The process creates ‘the ultimate light-trapping pixels’ that have increased quantum efficiency and so avoid excessive noise and restricted dynamic range while producing images 10x brighter than a standard CMOS sensor. The sensor design is based on military-grade IR sensors that the company usually makes only for the defence market.

The Aurora can produce viewable images even in what would appear to the human eye to be darkness

The pixels have extended sensitivity to light between 850 and 940nm in the near-infrared area of the spectrum, and a maximum ANSI of 820,000 – and so can produce viewable images even in what would appear to the human eye to be darkness. The camera can also shoot still images (albeit it obviously at a very low resolution), as well as timelapse sequences and 720p video.

The camera is also fitted with GPS, an accelerometer and a compass for adventurers, and can be used underwater for 30 minutes to a depth of 3ft.

The Aurora will cost $ 799. For more information see the SiOnxy website.

Press release

SiOnyx Announces World’s First Day/Night Action Camera For Consumer Market, Turns Night Into Full-Color Daylight

Aurora Features OLED Display, Ip67-Grade Waterproofing and AR-Compatibility; Compass, GPS & WiFi Built-In With iOS and Android Apps, Retails at $ 799

SiOnyxTM (Beverly, MA), a leader in infrared imaging technology – today announced the official launch for the SiOnyx AuroraTM, the only HD action video camera with true day and night color imaging. SiOnyx Aurora is just under 8 ounces and sized to fit comfortably in one hand for easy operation.

Available in August direct from SiOnyx at sionyx.com at a retail price of $ 799, Aurora is based on the SiOnyx Ultra Low Light technology that is protected by more than 40 patents and until now was only available in the highest-end night vision optics costing tens of thousands of dollars. This identical technology has now been cost-reduced for use in Aurora and other upcoming devices from SiOnyx and its partners.

SiOnyx has developed a new semiconductor process that dramatically enhances the infrared sensitivity of silicon-based imaging. Its ultra low-light technology enables richly-defined color images and video during the day and twilight, combined with unmatched high-resolution viewing in near total darkness. Sample videos as well as images may be found at www.sionyx.com

Through the free companion apps on iOSTM and Android®, you can review your experiences in real-time or control the Aurora directly from your phone. Designed for an active outdoor lifestyle, Aurora is also fully certified with an IP67 waterproof rating.

Aurora offers transformative night video for a wide range of uses including boating, hunting, fishing, nature watching, emergency response and other activities where clear night-vision is of importance. A removable neck strap allows you to keep it accessible on any adventure. Aurora uses GPS combined with an accelerometer and compass to accurately guide your way, day or night.

“Outdoor enthusiasts play day and night; capturing those adventures doesn’t need to stop when the sun goes down,” said Stephen Saylor, President and CEO of SiOnyx. “Aurora’s unique Ultra Low Light technology enables night video that people will swear was taken in full daylight.”

About SiOnyx:

Founded in 2006 by Professor Eric Mazur and Dr. James Carey of Harvard University, SiOnyxTM has commercialized a patented semiconductor process that dramatically enhances the sensitivity of silicon-based photonics. SiOnyx’s platform represents a significant breakthrough in the development of smaller, lower cost, high-performing photonic devices in applications ranging from simple light detection to advanced digital imaging and more. The company markets its low-light technology under the XQETM family of CMOS images sensors and has also entered the consumer electronics market with the launch of the Aurora day/night action camera.

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Aurora Aperture doubles up on its new PowerXND Mark II VND filters

14 Jun

Back in 2016, Aurora Aperture took its first foray into the photography filter world with the launch of its PowerXND 2000 variable neutral density (ND) filter. Now, it’s back at it again on Kickstarter with the launch of a pair of updated PowerXND Mark II filters.

Unlike its first filter, the PowerXND Mark II comes in two varieties: the PowerXND-II 128, which covers one to seven stops of light, and the PowerXND-II 2000, which covers from five to eleven stops of light.

By splitting the coverage into two filters, you now have the entire range from one stop of light reduction, all the way up to eleven stops, with a bit of overlap in-between.

Profiles of the new (left) and original (right) filters.

At the request of users, Aurora Aperture has added more aggressive knurling to the rings, direct reading scales and hard stops to its PowerXND Mark II filters, both of which should help dial in the proper exposure every time. Despite the changes in design, the PowerXND Mark II filters still measure in at just 6mm deep.

4K video screen shot

The filters are constructed of Schott B270 glass and a polarization film from Nitto Denko, which are combined with a proprietary polishing process. Aurora Aperture also adds ‘multilayer nano coatings’ on the elements to protect the elements from debris and reduce color shifting. The frames are CNC-milled from ‘aerospace grade aluminum’ and anodized black for corrosion protection.

Filters can be purchased for the following filter thread sizes: 37mm, 39mm, 40.5mm, 43mm, 46mm, 49mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, 67mm, 72mm, 77mm, 82mm, 86mm, 95mm, 105mm and 150mm.

The Kickstarter has already surpassed its $ 15,000 goal. Pledges start at $ 45, which will get you one small (37-46mm) 128 or 2000 filter and go up incrementally from there depending on the size and quantity of filters you need. Aurora Aperture expects the first filters to ship by September 2018.

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SiOnyx Aurora action cam with color night vision blasts past Kickstarter funding goal

01 May

Kickstarter’s latest major funding success is a campaign for SiOnyx’s Aurora, an action cam said to be the first ever day/night camera of its kind offering “true night vision.” SiOnyx packed a 1-inch sensor into Aurora for low-light capabilities, using it to offer both night vision and color night vision recording options for twilight and night time settings.

Aurora records low-light scenes at 10x the brightness compared to standard CMOS sensors, according to SiOnyx, which claims there are no competing products with Aurora’s level of performance at a sub-$ 800 price point. SiOnyx provides multiple examples of Aurora in action on its YouTube channel, including the video below:

Aurora features a manual Day/Twilight/Night mode selector, as well as time lapse, still picture, and video recording options. The camera has an IP67 waterproof rating for submersion to depths down to 3ft / 1m for up to 30 minutes at a time.

Joining the large 1-inch sensor is an F1.4, 2.0, 5.6 selectable 16mm lens, 8 fps to 60 fps recording, 4x digital zoom, integrated compass/accelerometer/GPS, stereo audio, color/monochrome display, WiFi, a 32GB microSD card for storage and support for both iOS and Android.

SiOnyx has exceeded its $ 50,000 Kickstarter funding goal, so far raising about $ 200,000 with 24 days remaining in the campaign. The company is offering an Aurora Early Bird unit for backers who pledge at least $ 559 USD with shipping expected to start in July 2018, assuming everything goes according to plan. Aurora will have a $ 799 USD MSRP.

Via: PhotographyBLOG

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Video: 360° 8K timelapse of the aurora borealis during a lunar eclipse

15 Mar

Photographer William Briscoe captured this spectacular 360° 8K timelapse on January 31st near Fairbanks, Alaska. He shared the video on his YouTube channel and Facebook page a few weeks ago, alongside this description:

Here is a 360 video of the Lunar Eclipse, Alaska style, which I filmed on January 31st near Fairbanks. Lady Aurora, being the Diva she is, just couldn’t let the moon have all the attention that night, so she made a nice showing as well.

If you have VR glasses of some sort, by all means slap them on! If not, simply drag the video around until you spot the moon, then watch as it disappears and becomes a black disk by about 30 seconds in, allowing the aurora to cover it entirely for the duration of the eclipse.

The full video is only a minute and ten seconds long, but that doesn’t mean it was easy to shoot. Responding to a comment on YouTube, Briscoe revealed that it was -31°F (-35°C) out that night, so just getting his 360° rig (a custom-built array of numerous 35mm DSLRs) to work was a challenge.

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