Max exposer time on the nikon D60 for night time shooting?

Question

I have the Nikon D60 and was wondering what the max exposer I could take. I would like to take something about 15 minutes long. I am at Yosemite and it is very clear and i am hoping to catch a "moonbow". I have the tripod and everything. Just wondering. If you have any tips thanks.

Answer 1

To add to what Sam said, be aware that digital cameras are not the best for this type of long exposure. You will have some fairly serious, ugly digital noise with long time exposures such as this. The sensor heats up and that creates the problem. I know the Canons have a long time noise reduction function. What this does is take a second, identical timed photo after your first photo, except it does it only for noise mapping. After the second photo is taken, it subtracts the noise obtained in the second photo from the first photo. So in other words, if you take a 15 minute exposure, you will have to wait another 15 minutes for the noise reduction photo to be taken afterward. I am pretty sure Nikon has this feature too, though it can be disabled. Best not to though. Just be expecting it.

steve

Answer 2

If you set the camera to "M" mode and then use "bulb" for the shutter time, you can hold the shutter open for as much as 30 minutes.  You will need to stabilize the camera and a tripod is best.  You may not have one, since you are on vacation, so try to use a stable rock if you don't have a tripod.  You can't hold the shutter open without shaking the camera, so you should have a remote shutter release to do this for you.  The shutter will open when you press the remote control and then it will close when you press the remote control again or at 30 minutes, whichever comes first.

Bear in mind that, at 15 minutes, you are going to see star "trails" due to the rotation of the Earth.  You should also be sure that you are using a fully-charged battery or the camera may shut down before your exposure is through.  I am sorry that I don't know how many 15 minute exposures you can get out of a fully charged battery, but just keep an eye on your battery monitor before each shot.