how to film Aurora Borealis on camcorder?

[mentalernie]

Hi,

My girlfriend and I are going to Norway to view the Northern Lights.
I own a Panasonic HC-VX1 and would really like to capture this phenomenon.
But I have no idea how to setup my camcorder.

I do have a tripod, so that should make things easier, but still have no idea how to setup my Pana.

Could you guys help me out?

Thanks,

KR

[Cornucopia]

(Assumes Video shots, not photos)

0. Do this in an area with little to NO leakage from nearby lights
1. USE A TRIPOD.
2. Adjust and then leave alone, so no motion from your interaction with the cam.
3. Set focus, MANUAL, to Infinity.
4. Zoom OUT all the way.
5. Since you are doing video, but there is little, or slow-moving, ACTION, adjust Framerate to lowest possible (24FPS?).
6. Open Iris (exposure) to As Bright As Possible, without blowing it out (too much), and without making use of "digital" brightness boost options.
7. Use least compressed/highest quality recording settings.

Do some test runs like that, a couple of minutes at a time to get a good idea of capabilities. Remember, if it is slightly dark (it probably will be), that can be adjusted on the computer afterward.

You could try some of the other cam options like AUTO1, AUTO2, SCENE mode, or MANUAL but with exposure priority, etc.

That should at least get you started.

Scott

[andkar]

I used to live in Kiruna and while I didn't handle a camcorder my tip would be to learn to use it in darkness with gloves if you aren't used to it already.

Here's my collection of lights filmed hand held by phone if you're interested in what you can expect on a good night: https://youtu.be/rJLDf_ilMWU

[Krisztián]

I'm interested in that too. I am planning to travel to Iceland. I want to record real-time videos (NOT timelapse!) of the aurora borealis. I also have a Panasonic HC-VX1 camcorder.