First Moon shot

[painter24]

I've been eagre to get a shot of the moon for a couple of weeks now, but either the weather was overcast, or the moon wasn't in view. So, today's been perfect, a crisp clear, Autumn sky.

40D, 100-400mm @ 400mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/320
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/3385/20071123mg2786webcl6.jpg

Some contrast work and sharpening, plus cropping in Lightroom, and resized in PSE 5.
C&C most welcomed.

Thanks for looking
Lyndon

[R Hardman]

And you got a crisp clear shot of the Moon. Well done.

[Mike-DT6]

That's a great photo! Nice detail and everything :-D

I'm trying to work out how to photograph the moon properly, which I failed at earlier on. I zoomed in as far as I could (200mm) and set the camera (which was on Manual) according to the meter reading. I tried at ISO 100, but it was off the bottom of the scale and I eventually ended up at ISO 800, f/4 and 1/100th second with the meter reading just on the low side of the centre. I got a lovely photo of a bright white dot on a black background with absolutely no detail whatsoever!

What did I do wrong? Should I be reading the meter, then ignoring what it says and deliberately underexposing or something? I've seen some really nice moon shots on here, but mine was a complete failure! :lol:

Mike

[lowcrust]

Yeah you need to underexpose it heavily. Trial and error works rather well, of course!

[painter24]

This is how i took this photo. I used Live View, and manually focused on the Moon, set the ISO to 100, the Moon was getting lots of light reflection from the Sun and was very luminescent, hence the low ISO setting. I used AV mode set at f/5.6, used Timer Drive mode @ 2secs, and took a few shots in this manner with the camera mounted on a tripod.

In your case, it maybe asking a bit much of your 200mm lens, to obtain pics such as this, eg, here's the original from which the one above is a crop:

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/979/20071123mg2785uncroppedma6.jpg

[mdrtoys]

Did you sharpen your pic at all? Great shot too...


As for exposure on the moon, it's redirecting sun light so if you use proper exposure it'll be blown out. Always underexpose to bring out the detail

[Mike-DT6]

Thanks very much for the details Painter24 :-D I'll have another go tomorrow night. I realize I'm a bit limited with focal length, but I thought I might get something half-decent by cropping. If I got something 1/3 of the diameter of your final image I'd be happy.

Did you take numerous shots because of the changing light conditions, so that you had a choice, or did you combine the shots at the post processing stage?

Lowcrust, I've got the error side of things to a very high standard. Next I'll be working on the trial bit. :lol:

Mike

[mdrtoys]

Oh, wait till you get a shadowed mooon. There's nothing cooler than getting a nice shadow showing the curvature of the moon.

Also, invest in teleconverters...my moon shots are always 1.4X and 2X stacked on a 100-400. Have to wait for ever to keep from any camera shake but it's worth it.

[Mike-DT6]

Thanks Mdrtoys. The exposure thing is one important thing I've learned tonight! :-D I've got a 1.4 teleconverter on my wish list!

Mike

[painter24]

Did you sharpen your pic at all? Great shot too...


As for exposure on the moon, it's redirecting sun light so if you use proper exposure it'll be blown out. Always underexpose to bring out the detail

Hi mdrtoys,

yes, there's sharpening on the crop for sure, done in Lighroom (shot as RAW), along with some contrast work due to the Moon being bathed in sunlight from the other side of the world, and that's it really. I used spot metering from the brightest spot of the Moon

[Patrick Turner]

The moon at my house tonight, Puntarenas, CR. A little bit different perspective. 30D with 70-200L IS. Not as close as a 400!

[Patrick Turner]

Last full moon from Granada, Nicaragua. Same lens and camera (30D with 70-200L IS)

[Mike-DT6]

Nice shot Patrick. I've just got my 70-200mm L, so it looks as if I'm in with a chance of getting something half decent!

Mike

:-)

[Mike-DT6]

This is how i took this photo. I used Live View, and manually focused on the Moon, set the ISO to 100, the Moon was getting lots of light reflection from the Sun and was very luminescent, hence the low ISO setting. I used AV mode set at f/5.6, used Timer Drive mode @ 2secs, and took a few shots in this manner with the camera mounted on a tripod.


Just a quick question. If you have it set to Av at ISO 100, how do you stop the camera trying to set a really long exposure time, rather than the 1/320th that you used?

I haven't used Av yet, so I might be getting confused, but I thought that Av prioritized the aperture and let the camera set the shutter speed. In my case I presume I would have ended up with a really long shutter speed because the meter forced me up to ISO 800 and 1/100th before I learned here that you have to underexpose!

Mike

:-D

[loip]

Stunning photo, makes me want to try it one day.

[painter24]

Just a quick question. If you have it set to Av at ISO 100, how do you stop the camera trying to set a really long exposure time, rather than the 1/320th that you used?

I haven't used Av yet, so I might be getting confused, but I thought that Av prioritized the aperture and let the camera set the shutter speed. In my case I presume I would have ended up with a really long shutter speed because the meter forced me up to ISO 800 and 1/100th before I learned here that you have to underexpose!

Mike

:-D

Hi again Mike, with regard to the shutter speed, the camera set the shutter speed at 1/320, as there was a lot of relected sunlight coming off the moon. It was really really bright lastnight, and i spot metered form one of the brightest areas on the moon.

[aflues]

well done.

[aflues]

well done.

[Tareq]

really the moon making people sharing the same thing, i shooted the moon today as well with my 70-200 on MKIIN during the soccer match today evening, but was not close enough ofcourse and not so crisp [no tripod no cable release or MLU].

[fishhawk]

Okay, I just went outside to take pics. of moon, and it looks more like the sun. You did a fantastic job with you're pictures

[Mike-DT6]

Hi again Mike, with regard to the shutter speed, the camera set the shutter speed at 1/320, as there was a lot of relected sunlight coming off the moon. It was really really bright lastnight, and i spot metered form one of the brightest areas on the moon.

Thanks again for the details :-D I think my problem must have been due to the focal length of my lens (smaller moon image relative to the size of the frame), combined with me metering in the wrong mode! I don't think I was spot-metering! :lol:

Mike

[Mike-DT6]

Okay, I just went outside to take pics. of moon, and it looks more like the sun.

Haha! My problem exactly! I've learnt how to do it from this thread now though!

Mike

:-D

[mdrtoys]

I actually think a full moon is kind of like a cloudless sky, kind of boring.

I like shadows on the moon like these, the curvature just gives it the 3D feel (please forgive me for hijaking your thread :o)

1


http://www.mrigsby.smugmug.com/photos/166762164-M.jpg

2

http://www.mrigsby.smugmug.com/photos/165606126-M.jpg

[Mike-DT6]

Good shots. I really like that second one.

Mike

[painter24]

No problem mdrtoys, I like the second shot too :D

[dzs1945]

Was that taken from the upstairs or the downstairs?

[Digz]

Some good shots here.

The best method for shooting the moon is to:

Set metering to spot metering - the moon is a very luminous object and the dark sky will fool the meter into overexposing.

Set camera to manual and dial in 1/250 @ f/8 - this is a good starting point at ISO100 or 200 for exposing the moon correctly. Many people dont realise that the moon is a fast moving object and a fast shutter speed is needed to prevent motion blur. Also using f/8 ensures that you are using the 'sweet spot' of the lens.

Use a tripod and timer and possibly MLU - apart from motion blur the other big problem is shake from the camera so make sure everything is very sturdy.

Im waiting for a clear night at the moment as it is a full moon but it dosent look hopefull :-(

[johnkermit1]

great shot....mine have been outta focus, or too dark, too bright..i got a lot of advice from other members of the forum, but the sky has been littered with clouds and other misc. man-made smokes. . .
i cant wait to take more shots!

[Nighthound]

Outstanding shot Lyndon. Looks to me like you're a natural at this. The full Moon presents the most difficult exposure of all phases, IMO. Regardless of the phase, shooting in manual at 100 or 200 ISO and bracketing exposures will all but guarantee keepers. I find when shooting at a low focal length that focusing on a bright star is a quick and accurate way to reach infinity.

Lots of great shots in this thread, great work everyone. Nice to see so much enthusiasm for Lunar imaging. I haven't done it in a while, been so fixated on deep-sky.

If you're bored and want to browse my shots, here's a couple pages. These are digital taken through various telescopes.

http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Lunar%20Photography/

NH

[Tareq]

Outstanding shot Lyndon. Looks to me like you're a natural at this. The full Moon presents the most difficult exposure of all phases, IMO. Regardless of the phase, shooting in manual at 100 or 200 ISO and bracketing exposures will all but guarantee keepers. I find when shooting at a low focal length that focusing on a bright star is a quick and accurate way to reach infinity.

Lots of great shots in this thread, great work everyone. Nice to see so much enthusiasm for Lunar imaging. I haven't done it in a while, been so fixated on deep-sky.

If you're bored and want to browse my shots, here's a couple pages. These are digital taken through various telescopes.

http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Lunar%20Photography/

NH

What telescopes did you use?

[Nighthound]

Meade AR5
10" Meade LX200
10" Meade LX200R
Takahashi Sky 90 II

[Mike-DT6]

Some lovely moon photos there Nighthound.

Mike

:-)

[painter24]

Outstanding shot Lyndon. Looks to me like you're a natural at this. The full Moon presents the most difficult exposure of all phases, IMO. Regardless of the phase, shooting in manual at 100 or 200 ISO and bracketing exposures will all but guarantee keepers. I find when shooting at a low focal length that focusing on a bright star is a quick and accurate way to reach infinity.

Lots of great shots in this thread, great work everyone. Nice to see so much enthusiasm for Lunar imaging. I haven't done it in a while, been so fixated on deep-sky.

If you're bored and want to browse my shots, here's a couple pages. These are digital taken through various telescopes.

http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Lunar%20Photography/

NH

Thanks Nightbound. Your Photobucket gallery is simply amazing. I'd love to do the kind of work your doing there. I've toyed with the idea of setting up for this, but i live 6 miles from Liverpool city centre, and the light pollution is simply too bad:rolleyes:.

[Borderfox]

Lovely shot, I took one using spot metering on the moon and worked out great..

[Nighthound]

Thanks Mike and Painter.

Painter, I travel to a dark site for all shooting these days. In the past few years the large chain stores/fuel stations, etc. have pushed their quest to eliminate darkness closer to my home. It's a shame that so many of the kids today will rarely experience the night sky in all its glory. I can still make it to decent skies in a 20-40 minute drive, but before long moving to a more remote location will be necessary.

NH

[Mike-DT6]

You have just reminded me how lucky I am because there isn't any light pollution where I live. In fact we haven't even got any street lights!

Mike

:-)

[andrewhuxman]

Some awesome moon shots here. My question is whats a good setup to purchase for shooting the moon through a telescope with a camera mounted to it.

[Soc]

How do you make the crop look so clear. When ever I try to crop in on something, it comes on blurry, I have cs3

[andrewhuxman]

How do you make the crop look so clear. When ever I try to crop in on something, it comes on blurry, I have cs3

If this is directed at me, I have CS3 also and for any noise removal that is necessary I use Noise Ninja. What kind of glass do you have? In my opinion that has alot to do with it. from the start.

[Soc]

If this is directed at me, I have CS3 also and for any noise removal that is necessary I use Noise Ninja. What kind of glass do you have? In my opinion that has alot to do with it. from the start.
1. Is noise ninja a program download or something?
2. What do you mean by "glass"? lens?

[andrewhuxman]

Yes on both of those questions.

[Soc]

Ok, I have a lumix DMC FZ30, and it doesnt have detachable lens, just apadters, or extensions.

[andrewhuxman]

Ok , well you might have reached your cameras limits as far as that goes.when you use the optical zoom Im sure that your also losing IQ (image quality) so thats what I would think is your reason for your image questions. Thats just my opinion though I could be wrong.

[Soc]

Do you wouldnt recommend getting any of the other attachments? like the telephoto lens or anyting else like that