Perseids Meteor Shower

[photosbyjd2]

anyone ever shot a meteor shower? best settings? i figured a slow shutter speed , but shoot wide open on apature? or closed so more is in focus?

[pathfinder]

I have a couple frames of shooting stars, not the Perseids, but the exposures should work similar.

ISO 800, 58 seconds, 20mm f 5.6 I suspect ( the lens is a manual Zeiss, and the exif data for focal length and aperture are not correct) If you do not want star movement, the longest shutter speed with a fixed camera at 28mm is about 30 seconds or so. I got away with 1 minute because the 20mm Distagon is a bit wider. Use a high ISO.

This was shot shortly before dawn, and exposure at midnight might require an ISO of 1600.
http://pathfinder.smugmug.com/Travel/Wild-Utah-N-Mexico-and-Arizona/meteor-and-stars-Red-Canyon/736799211_c2Wse-XL.jpg

Use a very wide angle, like a 15mm if you have it on a full frame body. And be in a really dark place, far from the lights of town.

[kdog]

Gorgeous, Jim. Is that Monument Valley?

[pathfinder]

No, that was near Hondoo Arch south of I-70 in Utah, in Red Canyon.

You can see this from the campground there.

[kdog]

I created a thread for last night's Perseids display here. http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=175210