photo of moon problems

I have had a 350d for a few months and i recently had the chance to take a few snaps of the moon .I took a couple and when i got home and downloaded them, it was like we had two moons i had 2 round shapes.Where have i gone wrong please help.My lens i was using was a canon 70-300 f4-5.6 is usm

Can you post a sample shot and include your camera settings?

did you have a filter on the lens - I have seen people report problems with double images with low light shots like candles

but i bet you dont have this problem on your moonshot,
zoom in fully
http://moon.google.com​/?

I'm guessing you let the camera meter and used a slow shutter speed. You really don't need to - it's always a sunny day on the moon, so f/11-16 at 1/ISO will do just fine.

i did have a lens filter on but i have taken it off now and took another shot i get one moon but its not clear its just like a ball of clowd.Originaly i was using a slow shutter speed as well so i took your advise and shot another as you said , i just cant master getting a good shot of a clear moon its always the same Crap and like a ball of fluf.I thought i might be moving the camera but i used a good quality tripod and a remote wire.i even bought a new lens with image stbilisation to see if this with help but no .i will try and upload some picture tomorrow to show you.

You need a fast shutter speed as the moon moves across the sky rather quickly. Try ISO 200-400, f/8, 1/1000.

With all due respect to oakmeadows...

It's really annoying to try to guess the problem with a photo from your descriptions and a game of 20 questions. You'll get a better, faster answer if you upload one of the images and provide all pertinent data - shutter, aperture, ISO, focal length, tripod...

Until then, we're just guessing.

etaf wrote:
did you have a filter on the lens - I have seen people report problems with double images with low light shots like candles

but i bet you dont have this problem on your moonshot,
zoom in fully
http://moon.google.com​/?

I would agree. I took some the other night and had the same problem. Took the filter off and it went away, and as mentioned you need to shoot it quick or else the lighter parts of the moon will overexpose the darker parts of it.

The best one that came out for me was at 1/800, f8, ISO 200. Granted it's not a "great" shot but my lens is pretty weak especially at 300mm.

Check the instruction manual on the IS lens. Some of them advise turning the IS off when using a tripod.

Jon's exposure recommendation is on the money. Sunny 16 will give you a "correct" exposure, but the moon is mostly dark grey, so opening up a stop will bring out more detail without blowing out any of the lighter areas.

No need to go overboard with shutter speed. With a 400mm lens on a 1.6 crop, 6.3 megapixel camera, it takes 1/4 second for the moon to move 1 pixel!

You can keep your ISO at 100, set your aperture at the lens' sweet spot (usually around f/8 ) and 1/200 shutter will give you a nice, bright moon. As mentioned, this would be a good time NOT to use a UV filter.

Now all you have to do is focus.

http://img.photobucket​.com …v112/airwolf/IM​G_2310.jpg


File: - C:\photos\IMG_2310.JPG

Make - Canon
Model - Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL
Orientation - Top left
XResolution - 72
YResolution - 72
ResolutionUnit - Inch
DateTime - 2005:10:20 00:02:55
YCbCrPositioning - Co-Sited
ExifOffset - 196
ExposureTime - 1/8 seconds
FNumber - 5.60
ExposureProgram - Normal program
ISOSpeedRatings - 400
ExifVersion - 0221
DateTimeOriginal - 2005:10:20 00:02:55
DateTimeDigitized - 2005:10:20 00:02:55
ComponentsConfiguratio​n - YCbCr
ShutterSpeedValue - 1/8 seconds
ApertureValue - F 5.60
ExposureBiasValue - 0.00
MeteringMode - Multi-segment
Flash - Not fired, compulsory flash mode
FocalLength - 300 mm
UserComment -
FlashPixVersion - 0100
ColorSpace - sRGB
ExifImageWidth - 3456
ExifImageHeight - 2304
InteroperabilityOffset - 9230
FocalPlaneXResolution - 3954.23
FocalPlaneYResolution - 3958.76
FocalPlaneResolutionUn​it - Inch
CustomRendered - Normal process
ExposureMode - Auto
WhiteBalance - Auto
SceneCaptureType - Standard

Maker Note (Vendor): -
Macro mode - Normal
Self timer - Off
Quality - Fine
Flash mode - Not fired
Sequence mode - Continous
Focus mode - MF
Image size - Large
Easy shooting mode - Manual
Digital zoom - None
Contrast - High , +1
Saturation - High , +1
Sharpness - High , +1
ISO Value - 32767 (other)
Metering mode - Evaluative
Focus type - Auto
AF point selected -
Exposure mode - Program
Focal length - 70 - 300 mm (1 mm)
Flash activity - Not fired
Flash details -
Focus mode 2 - 8
White Balance - Auto
Sequence number - 0
Flash bias - 0.00 EV
Subject Distance - 0
Image Type - Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL
Firmware Version - Firmware 1.0.2
Owner Name - oak meadows
Camera Serial Number - 600000000

Wayyyyyy too long shutter speed. Even tho the exif info isn't there, your sample is usually what it looks like with too long shutter speed with the current aperature settings. Try a much faster shutter speed, as like what the others recommended, you should be happier with the results.

-Tony

ps - when shooting the moon or other astral (sp?) bodies, you need to go manual all the way.

Thanks for the image and info, oakmeadows. It makes for a much easier diagnosis.
I agree with Tancor. Try the settings recommended above in manual mode, without the UV filter, and I think you'll see a big improvement.

As a general rule, if your subject is small and bright against a dark background, any auto exposure mode will tend to overexpose it horrendously.

W-a-a-a-y-y-y overexposed. At ISO 400 f/5.6 you should have a shutter speed of about 1/2000 sec, not 1/8. If you have to go manual to do it, then use M mode, but whatever you do, when trying to shoot a bright subject in dark surroundings, don't believe your auto-exposure readings.