Panorama of 6 (3x2): Lumix S9/Konica Hexanon 40 mm f1.8/6 seconds/ ISO 3200

Hi all, I’m looking for some advice on focusing when shooting astrophotography landscapes. I’m a professional portrait and elopement photographer so I’m comfortable with all aspects of cameras as well as photoshop/ Lightroom etc, but newer in the past couple years to astrophotography since relocating back up to the northern ish part of Canada.

I am using mainly my Canon 5D Mark IV with just a 24-105 kit lens for astrophotography since I like to go wide and capture landscapes, but I find even focusing to infinity my results are often a bit soft in focus, I’ve recently learned more about stacking images rather than just using one image for a final shot and stacking foreground and backgrounds separately but I’m not confident that would solve soft focus. I have also tried the Canon Connect remote shooting app but especially in the winter it’s too hard to keep taking my gloves off and makes it so I can’t use my phone, and I still find the focus isn’t right.

Anyway any advice would be great! For reference this image is from the northern lights back in May and it’s a single image not a series of stacked images.

This is a simple question.

Does anyone know whether the Nisi Wizard Camera Position Ring will fit the Viltrox 16mm when fitted to a Sony A7II?

If it doesn't fit, I'd need to find another solution.

Thanks

Single exposure of some amazing structure in the Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin, USA. From my Sony a7RV paired with a Sigma 14mm 1.8

FUJIFILM X-T100 Rokinon lens 12MM F2.0 CS

Sony ZV-E10i; Samyang 135mm at F/2.8; ISO800; Mount: Star Adventurer 2i; Exposure time: 35 minutes at Bortle 4; Gurgulyat/Bulgaria

FUJIFILM X-T100 Rokinon lens 12MM F2.0 CS

Sadly, I wasn’t able to catch the Northern Lights a month ago but I’m no stranger to witnessing the aurora. The photo above back in 2022 was my first time photographing and seeing them with my naked eyes and it could still be the best memory I’ve had so far with the Northern Lights. It might even beat my time witnessing them in Monument Valley in Arizona this past May which is saying a lot!

When I visited Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP) in March 2022 it was still early in the solar cycle when the Northern Lights were not at their peak yet. With that being said I visited Michigan in March around spring since the aurora tend to happen around the beginning of seasons.

The Michigan UP is also great for viewing the aurora in the U.S. because of its latitude. It’s also very dark with little light pollution and Lake Superior gives you a flat horizon for viewing the Northern Lights. There was no guarantee that I would see them, however, especially since the weather in the Michigan UP was still very much in winter….

What strikes me the most about this trip was how it felt like a real Northern Light chase. When I visited Monument Valley in Arizona in May 2024 the aurora unexpectedly came to me rather than the other way around. The weather in the Michigan was so bad you would think you were in Antarctica. It was mostly cloudy and very cold. I almost gave up on catching the Northern Lights.

The night before heading back to New York I witnessed the Northern Lights at Whitefish Point facing north over Lake Superior. They say the first time you experience the Northern Lights you will never forget. Guess what? They were totally right!

📷: Sony A7C + Samyang AF 24mm f/1.8 ⏱️: 4” exposure | f/1.8 | ISO 6400

Early morning in the International Car Forest of the Last Church in Goldfield, Nevada. Two exposures blended - one for the Milky Way and another for the foreground.

Canon 5dMkIII, 16mm, 30s, f/2.8, ISO 1600

Wow! The last time I have a seen a naked eye comet was in 2020 during the peak of the pandemic when I witnessed Comet NEOWISE. It was a life changing experience that I will never forget.

Rare events like these are what astrophotography and astronomy are all about. They are moments that the general public can experience that make you truly appreciate the wonders of the night sky.

Sadly, I didn’t get to see Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS during its peak brightness but it was still a great experience even if I needed to do some last minute planning that could’ve been executed better.

I’ve been currently living in southwestern Pennsylvania due to my travel job and have been exploring all the different outdoor activities that the state offers. I decided on visiting Mt. Davis which is the highest point in PA since it had an overlook facing west toward Long Point Lake where the comet was going to appear. It helps that it had darker skies for better visibility of the comet. I wished the trees were not in the way of the lake but I’m just happy I got to experience this amazing comet.

📷: Fujifilm X-T5 + Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 ⏱️: 8” exposure | f/1.2 | ISO 1250 👨‍💻: Used DxO PureRAW 3 to reduce noise in exposure

I can’t get enough of this comet. It’s so beautiful.

Sky: two panel mosaic of 10 x 90 seconds / 1600 iso / f2.0

Landscape: 5 seconds / 1600 iso / f2.0

Nikon D5600, Sigma Art 18-35mm, SWSA 2i

Taken in Southern CA in Bortle 2. Hope you enjoy!