Can long exposure photos damage your photographic camera sensor? For that matter, can long exposure star trails photography ruin your sensor? These are questions that never seem to disappear. I'll talk over these and more.

This photo of a defunct airplane has 33-minute star trails "stacked" and a full moon peaking over the propeller.
This photo of a defunct airplane has 33-minute star trails "stacked" and a full moon peaking over the propeller.

"My friend says that doing star trails tin can impairment your camera sensor. Is that true?"

This is an old 1930s Ford fuel truck that appeared in an Indiana Jones movie. Pentax K-1. The total exposure was 60 minutes "stacked
This is an old 1930s Ford fuel truck that appeared in an Indiana Jones movie. Pentax K-one. The total exposure was hour "stacked."

Photography forums and Facebook groups are filled with people saying this, then asking if it's true. I have seen people proverb this for over 10 years. Information technology never seems to become away.

I searched around the interwebz for any article that stated that long exposure photos or long exposure star trails photos ruined their sensor. So far, I haven't plant a unmarried 1.

If anything, taking lots of long exposure photos creates less mechanical stress on the moving parts of a camera, particularly with DSLRs with flapping mirrors.

Sports and wedding ceremony photographers might take i or two thousand photos in a day. This is far more a night photographer might typically practice. Despite this, not too many people enquire, "Hey, practice lots of really short exposures ruin my photographic camera?"

"I heard that long exposure photos can burn out a sensor. Can this happen?"

At least this question is a piffling more specific. Answering this really depends on the temperature, amid other factors.

Regardless, to this date, I have never heard of a single person "burning out their sensor" from long exposure photography of any kind, solar day or night.

And I'm not entirely sure what "called-for out their sensor" means. That'south different from "called-for your sensor," which is what exposures to lasers might exist able to exercise, giving you lot stuck pixels.

Only that's not the question, is it? These questions don't inquire, "Hey, can a blast from full-bodied beams of calorie-free heat upwardly sensitive surfaces (similar the eye'south retina) and cause damage?" And past the way, that answer appears to be yes. The International Laser Display Association was concerned plenty to write an article alert about this. And closer to home, Photofocus has also discussed this.

"Someone in my camera social club says that photographing actually long star trails can overheat my sensor. Will this damage it?"

Boeing 747 Space Shuttle Transport Carrier. Yes, this is the airplane that carried the space shuttle. Nikon D7000 APS-C camera. The star trails are "stacked", and are 2 hours and 21 minutes total. No damaged camera here.
Boeing 747 Space Shuttle Ship Carrier. Aye, this is the airplane that carried the space shuttle. Nikon D7000 APS-C photographic camera. The star trails are "stacked," and are 2 hours and 21 minutes total. No damaged camera hither.

Stars, and even the moon, aren't exactly a source of full-bodied beams of light that heat up sensitive surfaces concluding I checked.

That leaves mostly ambience temperatures. And so sure, ambient temperatures can brand your sensor to rut upwards during long exposures. This might be especially true with older cameras since they frequently do not have robust estrus sinks.

But no, photographing actually long star trails volition non damage your sensor from overheating.

However, you still need to be concerned about your sensor becoming hotter. This is considering the heat can create excess noise. This blazon of noise causes splotches of color to appear throughout the entire image. Nevertheless, we tin can easily address this. Yes, fifty-fifty with long exposures totaling over an hour. Or two. Or three. How? By trying to stop your sensor from getting too hot in the beginning place.

This is a special photo. This is the first star trails photo that I ever took, way back in August 2010. I had never really tried night photography, and wouldn't get serious about it until a few years later. But this was the very beginning. Single exposure, 35 minutes 25 seconds f/8 ISO 2125. I'm not sure how I got such an unusual ISO, but that is how the computer keeps reading it.
This is a special photo. This is the start star trails photo that I ever took, way back in fourteen August 2010. I had never really tried night photography, and wouldn't get serious about it until a few years afterward. But this was the very beginning. Single exposure, 35 minutes 25 seconds f/8 ISO 2125. I'm not sure how I got such an unusual ISO, simply that is how the calculator keeps reading information technology.

"How do I reduce the estrus while photographing long exposure images?"

  • Shorten your exposure time and take numerous photos in succession. Subsequently, you may easily "stack" your photos using StarStax or Photoshop. Easy! Oh, and yes, you tin "stack" photos whether doing star trails or long exposures of clouds or water.
  • If you have a moving or articulating LED monitor, motion it away from the body so less rut is trapped.
  • Have someone install a heat sink in your camera, keeping your sensor cooler.
  • Hold a fan or mount i on a tripod. Uh, preferably some other tripod, non the ane your camera is using!
  • Photograph when it's common cold. Alaska is sounding better and better!

Last thoughts

You don't need to worry about damaging the sensor during long exposure photos. Hundreds of thousands of people employ long exposure to create photos all the time. It's more prudent to call back almost things like long exposure noise, steadying your camera or battery life. Just the skilful news is that all of these are easily addressed.