The Official Shoot the Moon Thread

Jupiter is next to the moon at the moment. I took this picture from my doorstep this morning and dragged Jupiter closer to the moon in Photoshop to get it in frame and show the scale ... as it wasn't quite this close. The top image is a 100% crop. taken with three shots ... The Moon, Jupiter and the Jovian moons required three different exposures. I tried to combine some images because the heat in the air was causing the moon to shimmer.... but each shot was so radically different to the next that I ended up just using a single image of the moon.

I used the following mounted to a Manfrotto Tripod and used the 10 second self timer (for a change) to reduce camera shake.

Canon EOS M6 mirrorless camera with APS-C sensor (1.61x crop factor).
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM II lens at 400mm
Canon EF 2x III Extender
Canon EF 12 TeleExtender
Canon EF 1.4x III Extender.

Surprisingly the Autofocus worked fine with this massive combo... and I used the moon for focus before snapping Jupiter. I blended 4 shots of Jupiter in Photoshop to reduce noise and enhance the cloud bands. There's a bit of heat in the air so the getting a sharp result was tough. Canon doesn't want us to stack extenders and so I had to use the EF 12 Tele-Extender between them to be able to stack the 2x and 1.4x extenders together.

I really need to buy a telescope with an EQ mount and Auto-guide for this sort of thing.

A comparison of what to expect with these Extenders on an APS-C camera (I was using an early EOS-M Mk1 camera at the time). The use of two Mk III Extenders requires a spacer to allow them to fit together. I chose the Canon EF 12 TeleExtender but the cheaper 3rd Party versions work just as well since they're essentially empty tubes.

Hi Tomi, I haven't used the Mk II Extenders but they are reputed to be slightly softer, which is why Canon redesigned them for the Mk III release. The newer 1.4x and 2x Mk III Extenders are touted by Canon to be sharper and sport the new Super Spectra nano-Coatings and Fluorine coatings to improve image quality and reduce ghosting and flares. There's also physical changes such as a whiter finish to match the newest White L-series lenses and a more rigid/solid construction. The same applies to the differences between the older Mk 1 version of the 100-400mmL lens and the newer version (which improves on sharpness). Based on some not-too-hot reviews of the Mk II Extenders, I held off buying any at all because I was assured that they would "soften" my images and reduce image quality. But after speaking to several owners (here!) and also to Canon directly, I bought the EF 1.4x III Extender... and was suitably impressed by my own tests to immediately purchase the EF 2x III Extender. I feel they're worth it although on a DSLR the AF speeds are cut down by the microprocessor in the Extenders to ensure more accuracy (according to Canon). However, if you need an increase in magnification, I believe they can be very useful. I bought them for Astro use to fill in for me until I could get a really decent telescope. I've since been using them for Surfing and Nature shots.

In relation to justifying the price, I think you'd feel bad buying yet another set of Extenders... but yes, there's a difference in image quality and the new built-in microprocessors on the new Mk III Extenders are said to make a considerable difference. I imaging that using them on older lenses won't make much difference but if you shoot with any of the newer lenses (including the EF 100-400mmL II) then you ought to notice improvements.

[ABOVE]: Taken with the EOS 6D + 100-400mmL II + EF 1.4x III - slightly cropped.

A partial moon was rising and I caught the distortion from the horizon as it crept up over Sydney's western suburbs. Photographed from a lookout at the base of the Sydney Blue Mountains almost exactly a year ago. One of first times I used the Extenders.