Question about stacking photos from a cheap tripod in my backyard

I tried stacking 50 shots of the Orion Nebula from my basic camera tripod, which wobbled a bit, and the final image had these weird, elongated stars instead of being sharp.

3 comments

3 Comments

faithbarnes2mo ago

Honestly, christophermorgan is right about the wobble ruining it. Tbh I tried something similar with my old tripod on the deck and got those same stretched-out star trails. Ngl I ended up just taking like five really short shots and that worked a bit better for a quick backyard look.

christophermorgan2mo ago

Forget stacking that many shots with a wobbly tripod. The small movements between each frame will always smear the stars out. You need a solid base or far fewer exposures to even have a chance.

kelly_henderson832mo ago

Yeah, read somewhere that even a tiny breeze can shake a cheap tripod enough to blur the stars.