Lens limitation, or camera?

[RinkRat]

Is this about as good as it gets for moon shots with this setup?

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze75feo/Moon.jpg

[robertwgross]

It's hard to tell what you are trying to do. Apparently you have some kind of vegetation in the foreground, and the moon in the background. Without knowing the distance to the vegetation, we are just guessing. As you saw, the highest f/numbers are best, because that gives you the deepest depth of field. However, the distance from the vegetation to the moon is stretching hell out of any depth of field. Since the highest f/numbers will work best, then having a super fast (e.g. f/2) lens isn't going to do much better.

However, consider using a longer lens, and being farther away from the vegetation. Chances are, your autofocus system will try to get the perfect focus on the vegetation. Try that, and then try manually setting the perfect focus slightly behind the vegetation.

You are already dealing with fast enough shutter speeds that the movement of the moon is probably not an issue. You might play games with the ISO in order to keep the f/number up pretty high.

---Bob Gross---

[tim]

Most of those shots look underexposed to me. I would put the camera onto F16, mirror lock up, shutter release cable, manual focus with a 300mm lens or longer, then take photos until the histogram shows that you're getting a proper exposure.

[robertwgross]

He may not have mirror lock-up on that Digital Rebel.

---Bob Gross---

[tim]

We should point out for RinkRat that the firmware hack adds mirror lockup, though how much difference it makes I don't know. I use it myself, and did on my hacked DRebel.

[RinkRat]

It's hard to tell what you are trying to do. Apparently you have some kind of vegetation in the foreground, and the moon in the background. Without knowing the distance to the vegetation, we are just guessing. As you saw, the highest f/numbers are best, because that gives you the deepest depth of field. However, the distance from the vegetation to the moon is stretching hell out of any depth of field. Since the highest f/numbers will work best, then having a super fast (e.g. f/2) lens isn't going to do much better.

However, consider using a longer lens, and being farther away from the vegetation. Chances are, your autofocus system will try to get the perfect focus on the vegetation. Try that, and then try manually setting the perfect focus slightly behind the vegetation.

You are already dealing with fast enough shutter speeds that the movement of the moon is probably not an issue. You might play games with the ISO in order to keep the f/number up pretty high.

---Bob Gross---

Sorry, I was just experimenting with taking pictures of the Moon.

These seemed to be the best I could do. I was just wondering, since the 80-200II 4.5-5.6 was the longest lens I had, and I had the DRebel, would that be about as good as it gets?

The tree limbs were unavoidable, since I was shooting from my bedroom window. I tried to focus on the moon. I used a tripod & remote.

I do have a hacked Rebel, but I forgot to set MLU.

thanks

[robertwgross]

We should point out for RinkRat that the firmware hack adds mirror lockup, though how much difference it makes I don't know.

I don't know either, but I would guess just about Zero.

That is not the range of shutter speeds where mirror lock-up has any detectable effect.

It varies from camera to camera, but it is generally only from about 1/4 sec to 1/30 sec, and typically narrower than that. If the shutter is slower than this, then the mirror slap hits, but it is significantly less time than the shutter, so it doesn't matter. If the shutter is faster than this, then the mirror slap hits too early or too late, so it doesn't count.

Hmmm, is it too early or too late, as compared to the shutter?

---Bob Gross---

[robertwgross]

The tree limbs were unavoidable, since I was shooting from my bedroom window. I tried to focus on the moon.

Focus manually, or autofocus?

With the tree limb there, I would have guessed that you were trying to get the tree limb in. Manual focus at infinity might be better.

---Bob Gross---

[12345Michael54321]

The tree limbs were unavoidable, since I was shooting from my bedroom window.
That's going to limit image quality, in and of itself. Well, assuming your bedroom is warmer than the outside air. (If you were shooting through a closed window, that's even worse than shooting through an open window.)

There's a reason why observatories aren't heated, and are often opened to the outside air hours before any serious viewing/imaging is done. Air currents impair seeing.

Take the camera outside, mount it on a tripod (well, unless you're shooting at something shorter than 1/(2 x focal length), and try a few moon shots. That'll give you a much better idea of what your lens can do.

That aside, it's been my experience that moon photos typically benefit greatly from tweaking in Photoshop (or related software). Perhaps because they tend to have great detail and high contrast, they're pretty much a dream to enhance.

[Vega$50]

With using a cable release and tripod you can get some great shots of the moon with the 300D..

http://sfphotography.smugmug.com/photos/16349432-L.jpg

Taken with a Canon 100-300mm f/14 iso-100 at around 200mm

Tweaked a little in C1 and some USM applied....

It takes a little practice, but can be done...

[Bodog]

Appears to me the focus was on the brush in the forground...

[RinkRat]

Focus manually, or autofocus?

With the tree limb there, I would have guessed that you were trying to get the tree limb in. Manual focus at infinity might be better.

---Bob Gross---

*Cough* autofocus *cough* :)

Thank you everyone for the help.

I'll try & brave the elements next time & try from my backyard.
-Manual Focus
-Tree Free
-cable release
-MLU

Thanks again

[robertwgross]

The tree limb, with backlighting, probably has more contrast than the Moon's surface. Since those two items are pretty close together, the autofocus system will have to decide which one is really the subject to focus on, and it is likely to pick the tree limb.

You can fool around with it and find which way works best: manual focus on the Moon, or autofocus with one particular focus point on the Moon. Letting the autofocus guess is the least likely to work.

---Bob Gross---