Moon Photography and S5IS

Hello all,
I am new here and have a Canon S5IS that I am still learning how to use. I am a newbie photographer and I have had my S5IS for a little over 2 years now. I have recently started an introduction to photography class non-credit at my local community college and I'm trying my hardest to learn all the in's and out's of photography and learn all that good stuff about ISO, shutter speed and how to use all the different settings on the camera for different types of shots.

I am very interested in doing some photography of the moon and wanted to know if anyone has gotten some really good shots with an S5IS of the moon and just how clear and how detailed of a shot I could expect to get with this camera.

My friend recently purchased the SX30IS and I am blown away by the shots of the last full moon she got with that camera. The detail was superb and you could actually see the craters and the lines around the moon. If I did not know for a fact that the shot came from her SX30IS I would have thought it came from one of those telescope cameras that the astronomers use.

With my reduced zoom capability on my S5IS compared to the SX30IS I don't expect to get the quality she got with her camera. I just bought a tripod this weekend and now I am hoping to try getting a good shot at our next full moon, but I am not really sure what setting to put the camera on and how to best use the zoom that I have with my S5IS.

If you have any suggestions or also photos to share of what you might have taken with your own S5IS I would really appreciate it.

Well, it's always a bright sunny day on the moon, so you're going to want to set the camera in Manual, so it doesn't expose for the dark sky around it. Try ISO 100, f/5.6 and 1/250 sec. for a start.

Just like shooting in your backyard in the afternoon. Manual all the way.
http://i226.photobucke​t.com …stringer/Moon06​-10-09.jpg

EXIF stuff:
EXIF IFD0

* Camera Make {0x010F} = Canon
* Camera Model {0x0110} = Canon EOS 40D
* Picture Orientation {0x0112} = normal (1)
* Last Modified Date/Time {0x0132} = 2009:06:11 00:58:33

EXIF Sub IFD

* Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) {0x829A} = 1/125 second ===> 0.008 second
* Lens F-Number / F-Stop {0x829D} = 71/10 ===> ƒ/7.1
* ISO Speed Ratings {0x8827} = 400
* Original Date/Time {0x9003} = 2009:06:11 00:06:11
* Shutter Speed Value (APEX) {0x9201} = 458752/65536
Shutter Speed (Exposure Time) = 1/128 second
* Aperture Value (APEX) {0x9202} = 368640/65536
Aperture = ƒ/7.03
* Flash {0x9209} = Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
* Focal Length {0x920A} = 600/1 mm ===> 600 mm

Thank you Jon for the info. I have set my Manual setting to what you suggested and will now wait until the full moon on the 19th to try some shots with those settings and the new tripod I bought.

MT Stringer that is an awesome photo. Which camera did you shoot that photo with? Your DSLR or did you use a point and shoot like my powershot?

The EXIF info says it all except for the lens used.
Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 w/2x teleconverter (600mm)

Note: Don't wait for the full moon. You'll get better results with a partial shot like mine so you can see the craters around the edge. That was the "Waning Gibbous"
Good luck

MT Stringer wrote in post #11977047
The EXIF info says it all except for the lens used.
Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 w/2x teleconverter (600mm)

Note: Don't wait for the full moon. You'll get better results with a partial shot like mine so you can see the craters around the edge. That was the "Waning Gibbous"
Good luck

Thanks, but I am a real newbie photographer so I really don't know what all that stuff means. I wasn't sure what all that was..I'm still trying to learn and decifer all of those abbreviations and what they all mean. It real confusing right now but I suppose in time I will come to understand all of it.

I was hoping for some example shots of people that just used a point and shoot like I have so I could see what was possible with my S5 IS but I do appreciate seeing the more professional shot you had with the DSLR.. Thanks so much

I will try your suggestion of not waiting for the full moon and trying to get some shots. I'm just not sure if the zoom capability on my S5 IS can get nearly as close as your camera can.

Be sure and mount it on a tripod and trigger it with a cable release for the shutter if you have one or use the self timer to trip the shutter so it will help eliminate any camera shake.
My shutter speed was 1/125 sec but I probably should have set it faster. Guess I overlooked that part. 1/250 second would have been better.
Canon 40D w/Sigma 120-300 and 2X teleconverter is what I used.

Good luck.

mpadula wrote in post #11976457
Thank you Jon for the info. I have set my Manual setting to what you suggested and will now wait until the full moon on the 19th to try some shots with those settings and the new tripod I bought.

MT Stringer that is an awesome photo. Which camera did you shoot that photo with? Your DSLR or did you use a point and shoot like my powershot?

Caught your post...I find that the craters are really well defined when side lit, and not as well defined when there is a full moon. So I like shooting the moon when it's a crescent, or half moon in the sky. Works well even with daylight shots (blue sky too.!)
Hope this helps

Here's an example with a small P&S--a Pany ZS3 with a 25-300 lens. Held it on a monopod (1 leg, not 3 like a tripod).

f/5.6, 1/800, ISO 100 or 200 should get you a good pic. I don't think you need a tripod at 1/800 if you hold your hand steady. More critical is focus as even slightly off focus will make the image soft. Choose a non-cloudy night, but just after a rain for best results. This is because the rain cleans some of the atmospheric haze.

Check out this site: http://www.adidap.com …moon-exposure-calculator/. It has a moon exposure calculator for photography.

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions!! I really appreciate it!

When I had an S5 i took some moonshots. here's a thread at the old S5 forum. Talks about camera settings and other tips from users.

http://www.h7users.com …hp?t=11514&high​light=moon

avigar wrote in post #12003059
Check out this site: http://www.adidap.com …moon-exposure-calculator/. It has a moon exposure calculator for photography.

Thanks for the link it never occurred to me that there'd be such a calculator.
I took a pic yesterday, next chance I get I'll use the calculator settings and compare.