Sony A7s video at night...

[Stuart Richardson]

So, we had a pretty big aurora the other day, so I used it as a chance to try out the A7s's video at night. I am very much a novice when it comes to video, so please ignore the poor editing and all else. I did not use any picture profiles or do any grading. This is just out of the camera. I worked in Resolve, but only have lite, so I did not do any noise reduction etc. The color was close-enough for me to be satisfied with it. The video was just for my friends, so I did not take it too seriously!
The performance is pretty stunning though. This is what a big aurora actually looks like, but it is rare to see it so large. Most photos of the aurora you see are long-exposures, so you are seeing far brighter and more dramatic views than you do with your eyes. In this case, however, the view is quite similar to how we saw it...the combination of 25fps and a large and active aurora also allows you to see the true motion, which is something the photos don't always do justice to.

I think the ISO was around 64,000-80,000. It starts off darker, before getting more active.

https://vimeo.com/122705496

 

[Vivek]

This is what a big aurora actually looks like, but it is rare to see it so large. Most photos of the aurora you see are long-exposures, so you are seeing far brighter and more dramatic views than you do with your eyes. In this case, however, the view is quite similar to how we saw it...the combination of 25fps and a large and active aurora also allows you to see the true motion, which is something the photos don't always do justice to.

Thanks for sharing, Stuart! :thumbs:

I can never get tired of seeing Aurora images (now even videos!). To me they are the single most fascinating nature displays though I have never seen one (only hints of it) in my life. Hopefully, I will brave the cold and get to see one for real.

 

[Slingers]

Thanks for the video.

Here is a website for aurora forecasting, if anyone is interested.

Northern Hemisphere
Europe Aurora Forecast
North America http://www.aurora-service.org/aurora-forecast/
Southern Hemisphere
Aurora Australis Forecast

 

[Stuart Richardson]

Thanks guys.
Vivek -- I highly recommend seeing one at some point if you get the chance! They are more interesting in person than they are in pictures...primarily for the motion and for the simple joy of seeing the night sky that you tend to know as black be transformed into different colors. Iceland is a good place to place them, but so is anywhere in mid to northern Scandinavia, Canada, Alaska, Russia etc. All you need is latitude, clear skies and to be a bit away from city lights.

If you are interested in forecasting for Iceland, the meteorological office has the best local forecasting, as it includes cloud cover maps. Aurora forecast for Iceland | Aurora forecasts | Weather forecasts | Weather | Icelandic Meteorological office

 

[jfirneno]

Remarkable. Thanks for the link.

 

[Malina DZ]

Thank you for sharing Stuart! Very fascinating to see a "live" aurora. I enjoyed your raw footage a lot. What was the Kp index for these, and how many minutes does a fully charged battery last in a7s while recording footage in your weather conditions?

 

[Stuart Richardson]

I was not checking at the time, but I am signed up for the NOAA space weather emails, and they had been popping in all day. At that time of night, the emails were for Kp 6,7, and 8.
Regarding the battery time, I am not exactly sure. I have only had the camera a few weeks, and I have not run out yet during a shoot. I would guess it would last a bit over an hour if you were filming continuously. Perhaps more. I am used to the battery in the Leica S though, which lasts pretty much the whole day, so the one in the Sony seems pretty miserly. So I just bought an extra battery in addition to the second it came with...problem solved! It was not that cold at the time. Perhaps 4 or 5 degrees C?