Hoping to create stunning night sky photography, have you ever driven out beyond the city, only to be left with a pesky orange or green glow in every shot? A new filter promises to cut down the effects of light pollution and not affect your landscape color tones in the process.
The video above comes from HOYA, a large manufacturer of filters. Their products range from glass that increases optical clarity by various means to filters for infrared photography, and more. And their newest filter, the Starscape, is promising for photographers battling light pollution.
The webpage on HOYA’s site promoting their new Starscape filter does contain a before / after example. However, the video above does not. Nor does the video list the image’s shoot location, which is (after the weather) the second most important factor in star visibility. The light being cast on the trees in the video’s main image example tells me it is likely in an area with outdoor lighting, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an urban location. I’m curious to know more about this shot, as I’m sure our readers will be.
On the filter’s web page, the HOYA says:
The filter cuts off in the most natural way the transmission of light spectrum that is frequently presented in city environments and usually associated with Sodium and Mercury-vapor lights.
Color correction in post-processing can effectively cut down on light haze. But post-processing astrophotography without affecting the terrestrial portion of a photograph can become a task, requiring serious time and fluency in Photoshop. If the HOYA Starscape filter does make post-processing astrophotography from light-polluted areas much simpler, its value may be out of this world.
HOYA claims its Starscape filter also enhances star brightness and eliminates “color shift,” a chromatic aberration seen in some wide angle lenses.
To cut down the effects of light pollution, do you rely on filters, post processing, or both? Share your results and techniques in the comments below.
Lead image by author, taken with no filters. Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I will update this article if HOYA representatives reach out to provide more information on the image shown in the video.