which lens for moon photography?

Hi.. I have recently started photographing the stars and moon.. I have a EOS 400d Canon with the standard 18-55 mm lens. It gets good images of the moon but they're quite small..

I want to be able to get bigger and more detailed shots. I think I need a telephoto or zoom lens but there are so many I don't know where to start. And I don't have a huge budget.. about £500 at the most.

I would also like to get more detailed shots of the planets, but I believe I would need a telescope for that?

Any advise greatly received!

Thank you.. Lisa

You can get good moon shots with a range of lenses, but I think you'd need about 1500mm to pretty much fill the frame. That doesn't come cheap.

As for planets and so on, you start to run into two problems:
- Focal length (you need a really long focal length); and
- Tracking (they move across the sky fast enough that they start to blur, especially at long focal lengths, so you need a tracking mount)

You probably need to read up a little more, search the forum, etc.

Moon shots are certainly a fair goal, just a longer lens a tripod and remote release cord.

300mm:

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I am currently using a 100-400 and get pretty decent detail on my moon shots.

I reckon you'd get nice shots with a Rebel but I'd use something like a 5D II, 7D or 1D IV.
I'm not sure what Neil and Buzz used when they were up there (even if they did go there).

...I'm just stirring about that last bit.
Don't take it seriously.

Hang on...
Did you mean taking photos of the moon from here?
I thought you might have been planning a trip.

...Just joking.

Hi...

Thanks so much for the advice!

I thought a 300mm lens would be a good place to start.. I found this one on the canon website:

http://www.canon.co.uk …s/EF_75300mm_f4​56III_USM/

It says £350 on the canon site but £148 on amazon..

Does anyone have an opinion on this? Would you think it's a good place to start or should I spend a bit more money?

I was looking at others and the next ones up are really expensive. My budget was about £500 at the most, but it looks like I don't have to spend that much to get a 300mm, but to get a 400mm I would have to go up to about £1000.. which is a bit out of my league!

Phil.. I think you're talking about Australian Canon equivalents to what I know in the UK... I think my Canon EOS 400D is equivalent to the Australian Rebel XTi. I can't find anything about the ones you mentioned.. are the 5D II, 7D or 1D IV more advanced? What makes them better for astrophotgraphy?

Again.. thanks for all the replies!

Lisa

Hi Lisa,

The Canon site will list the RRP, but nobody ever charges that. As for the 75-300, well to be honest, they're not highly thought of. Sometimes described as the worst lenses Canon ever made. For a bit less cash you can get the Sigma 70-300 macro (don't worry about the macro bit - it'll still do OK at ordinary stuff). This still isn't a stunning lens but I'd say it's better than the Canon (and I have used both).

Another possibility is a second-hand Sigma 135-400mm for under £300. Now I've never used this lens, so I don't know how good it is. But one advantage of second-hand stuff is that you can sell it if you don't like it for minimal loss. And MPB are a very good company (I've bought from them several times).

Hi Lisa,

Glad you have (appeared to) taken my warped sense of fun as it was intended.
I think we're the same as the UK as far as model terminology goes - the Rebel series is given the model number 300/350/400d etc.
It still confuses me the different names the same series has in different parts of the world - it's the Kiss series in Japan - so I just generally use the Rebel 'cause that's what most people understand.
Now Canonon have started this stupid "T" series terminology for the newer Rebels - aaarrrgggh!
Just does my head in even more.
The others I mentioned, the 5D II, 7D or 1D MkIV, are all the top end consumer/pro bodies.
Whether thos bodies are "better" for astro photography, I don't really know, but an educated guess would suggest they would have to be, simply because they are more advanced cameras.
That's not to say you can't get decent pics of the moon from your 400d.

Has this post made any sense to you at all? - hahaha

Frank.. thanks for that.. guess what- I took the plunge and bought the Sigma 135-400mm! The canon lenses did seem to be too good to be true.. and the Sigma looks like a really nice lens, thought it was worth investing in something good. I am very excited about getting it. I will let you know how it performs and I might post some pics! Thank you so much for pointing me in that direction... they should give you commission.

Phil.. yes, I completely understand your humour! Thank you for the clarification.. one of them might be my next purchase.. kind of feel like maybe I should upgrade my camera now, seen as I just bought a lens which cost nearly as much as the camera!

Ok, I'll let you know how I get on and thanks again!

Lisa

philwillmedia wrote in post #10278334
I'm not sure what Neil and Buzz used when they were up there (even if they did go there).

hasselblad.

Start with one of these:

http://www.petapixel.c​om …200mm-canon-lens-on-ebay/

Then throw on a teleconverter and attach it to the highest pixel density camera you can find.

philwillmedia wrote in post #10281783
Hi Lisa,

The others I mentioned, the 5D II, 7D or 1D MkIV, are all the top end consumer/pro bodies.
Whether thos bodies are "better" for astro photography, I don't really know, but an educated guess would suggest they would have to be, simply because they are more advanced cameras.

Comparing the 7D and 550D (T2i) specs, for example, the main differences are:

Autofocus-19 points on 7D, 9 points on 550D -not significant for most if any astrophotography purposes

Fastest shutter speed- 1/8000 on 7D, 1/4000 on 550D - not significant for most if any astrophotography purposes.

Viewfinder - pentaprism with 100% frame coverage on 7D, pentamirror with 95% frame coverage on 550D - little if any significance for most astrophotography purposes.

Burst mode - 8 fps for 7D, 3.7 fps for 550D - not significant for astrophotography

Body material - magnesium allow, weather resistant for 7D, stainless steel and polycarbonate resin with glass fiber, less weather resistant for 550D - could be significant if you bang it around or drop it or get caught out in the rain.

Weight - 820 gm (1.8 lbs) for 7D, 530 gm (1.17 lb) for 550D - advantage to the 550D for astrophotography.

Battery - 1800mAh for 7D, 1250mAh for 550D- advantage to the 7D

ISO setting - 1/3 stop for 7D, full stop for 550D - perhaps a slight advantage for the 7D

Image processor - Dual Digic 4 for 7D, single Digic 4 for 550D - not significant for astrophotography purposes.

Shutter life - 150,000 cycles for 7D, ~ 100,000 cycles (?) for 550D

These two cameras are from the same generation and have the same sensor and image processor, though the 7D has dual processors, which makes it faster, but not better. Image quality for the same lens at the same exposure settings should be identical.

The greatest advantage of the 7D for astrophotography is probably the battery life, but this advantage can be negated by carrying multiple batteries or using an optional battery grip or AC adapter. The greatest disadvantage of the 7D is probably the weight - this could be a show-stopper, depending on the telescope and mount. Along with the additional weight of the 7D comes added durability, which should be considered if you're rough on your cameras.

The predicted shutter life takes on tremendous significance when your shutter fails. But you could buy two 550D's for the price of a 7D and gain the advantage in this category.

Don

sheepdream wrote in post #10275213
I would also like to get more detailed shots of the planets, but I believe I would need a telescope for that?

Even with my 2800mm telescope the planets are pretty small at prime focus.

This is the first good image I have taken with my lens.. thought you might like to see... I still need some practise but it's a good start i thought!

Thanks for all the advise! It's much appreciated!.. Lisa

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sheepdream wrote in post #10377245
This is the first good image I have taken with my lens.. thought you might like to see... I still need some practise but it's a good start i thought!

Thanks for all the advise! It's much appreciated!.. Lisa

Looks good Lisa

Richard

the jimmy wrote in post #10377714
Looks good Lisa

Richard

Thank you