Quote:
Originally Posted by glatt
Well my original question was exposure, but then I answered it myself. The answer is that everyone uses different exposures and they all seem to work.
So now I've moved on to composition. This is gonna be 110 miles away, so I want to zoom way in, but not sure just exactly how far to zoom in. And I only get one try, so I have to get it right.
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Ok, a couple more questions.
How confident are you at your ability to align your camera at the launch point / point over the horizon where the rocket will initially appear?
At 110 miles away, I sincerely doubt that even at maximum zoom the rocket will fly out of your frame, assuming it was in the frame to begin with. However! Having said that,
here's a link to a table and some formulae that will let you calculate just how much sky you will be able to see with your camera, assuming you know some of its physical characteristics like maximum zoom focal length, sensor size, etc.
As for exposure, I've found the greatest success for nightime long exposure shots to set the iso/sensitivity to the minimum, including activating any neutral density filters if available, and cranking the shutter speed to the slowest possible value (15 seconds on one camera I used to take almost all my pictures with), and the smallest possible aperture, since you're not interested in any kind of shallow depth of field and it will further reduce the amount of light getting into the camera.
This combo will produce the trails effect you're talking about. There will be plenty of light coming in from the source, a pinpoint of light against the relative dark, and since it's moving, you'll get a streak. Maximizing the exposure will also give the longest streak, since the sensor will be exposed to the maximum distance the subject will travel.
If you're uncertain about aligning the camera, you still have all the same issues, but by widening your field of view, you only increase your chances of catching the launch outside the center of the frame. I think if you do know where to aim the camera, you'll probably be happy with the maximum zoom.