OMG The K-50 sucks for moon shots!

Steve.Ledger · 10-11-2014, 01:36 AM

Interesting you chose ½ sec exposure when all the experts tell you anything slower than 1/30th will be useless as the earth's rotation will blur the moon.

I used 1/60th for the shots of the super moon in July (with the K-7's Live view)

Last edited by Steve.Ledger; 10-11-2014 at 03:39 AM.

richandfleur · 10-11-2014, 02:04 AM

The tests last night were through a window in my garage, whipped up really quickly when I saw the moon clear some cloud. I wouldn't read too much into that ;-) The k-30's live view is not an estimate of the end shots exposure settings in any way, so it doesn't really matter. Just wanted to show that for me at least the spot metering option really did bring down the brightness of the moon on the rear LCD.

Brooke Meyer · 10-11-2014, 03:56 PM

Originally posted by Steve.Ledger

Interesting you chose ½ sec exposure when all the experts tell you anything slower than 1/30th will be useless as the earth's rotation will blur the moon.

I used 1/60th for the shots of the super moon in July (with the K-7's Live view)

1/2 second is necessary when it's really, really dark due to eclipse and you won't get detail in any case. A full Moon is an easy exposure and Norm is right. You can set your exposure before you go outside. On a clear night, it's EV 14 at ISO 100, one stop less than as a sunny, hazy day or Sunny 16. And faster shutter is better, even with tripod and MLU with 2 sec delay, reduces any jitters and Earth rotation.

This from 2012. Full Moon. clear night, K-5 + Sigma100-300/4 + Kenko 1.5. So f8, 1/250 sec and ISO 200. Here's the arithmetic: Started with EV14 so f11. F8 is sweet spot of lens and +1 stop but TC eats a stop so we're even. Increase shutter to 1/250, so about minus -1 stop, bump ISO to 200 so plus 1 stop and we're even again.

No mysteries here. When it starts getting dark, you have to start adding stops, either shutter. aperture or iso.

Steve.Ledger · 10-11-2014, 04:20 PM

I think everyone has forgotten the topic here. It isn't about or requests for How To Photograph the Moon .
I do wish my request a couple days ago to close this thread was honored.

Brooke Meyer · 10-11-2014, 05:42 PM

Originally posted by Steve.Ledger

I think everyone has forgotten the topic here. It isn't about or requests for How To Photograph the Moon .
I do wish my request a couple days ago to close this thread was honored.

It sorta was. You wrote "I can't focus on the moon manually..." If you step back and consider the premise, why do you need Live View to focus for something a quarter million miles away?

Beomagi · 10-11-2014, 06:29 PM

Generally the lcd of most cameras operate like this - there's compensation that ignores your set exposure. On my Olympus, I have an option to not apply any compensation to lcd brightness - so it becomes close to whatever the final result looks like. Do you have such a setting?

richandfleur · 10-11-2014, 09:03 PM

Originally posted by Brooke Meyer

It sorta was. You wrote "I can't focus on the moon manually..." If you step back and consider the premise, why do you need Live View to focus for something a quarter million miles away?

Because your lens travels past the infinity point.

I've learnt from Steves initial enquiry as it mimicked my own issues. Spot metering, even when on full manual settings, winds down the LCD so I can see details again, so I'm now sorted.

Michi Joel · 10-16-2014, 12:52 PM

Originally posted by Steve.Ledger

Nice, a little too sharp for my taste but still pretty good.
The exif says 450mm?
Also lists that you used centre weighted metering.

I think it was a mistake, was made with my m* 300 mm, crop 100 %and no shake reduction because was on tripod.

BerndM · 10-17-2014, 10:03 AM

I shot this right after I got the K500 using a Zeiss 180mm f2.8 lens. Metering was set to "SPOT", in Aperture mode. Beyond that I don't remember. Camera was on a tripod and I used a 2 second delay to eliminate any vibration. A bit of Photoshop was used to help out. The exif data is a bit sparse.

mikeSF · 10-17-2014, 12:32 PM

you are getting a bunch of answers about exposing the moon when I believe you are talking about the live view gain amping up so bright you cannot focus, right??

did you try:
1) zoom in all the way with live view to fill the screen (or as much as poss) with moon?
2) aim for a distant terrestrial object such as a streetlight or building that is not as bright and focus on that?

when all else fails, squint and focus on that sucker through the viewfinder!

Steve.Ledger · 10-17-2014, 01:42 PM

Originally posted by mikeSF

you are getting a bunch of answers about exposing the moon when I believe you are talking about the live view gain amping up so bright you cannot focus, right??

Thank you for reading properly and understanding correctly..

Originally posted by mikeSF

did you try:
1) zoom in all the way with live view to fill the screen (or as much as poss) with moon?

Did you really just ask me that?

Originally posted by mikeSF

2) aim for a distant terrestrial object such as a streetlight or building that is not as bright and focus on that?

I located myself away from environmental lights.
Small rural township, no high rise buildings to focus on. Was dark.

Originally posted by mikeSF

when all else fails, squint and focus on that sucker through the viewfinder!

lol..

---------- Post added 10-18-14 at 06:44 AM ----------

Originally posted by BerndM

I shot this right after I got the K500 using a Zeiss 180mm f2.8 lens. Metering was set to "SPOT", in Aperture mode. Beyond that I don't remember. Camera was on a tripod and I used a 2 second delay to eliminate any vibration. A bit of Photoshop was used to help out. The exif data is a bit sparse.

Live view???

BerndM · 10-17-2014, 08:01 PM

Originally posted by Steve.Ledger

Thank you for reading properly and understanding correctly..

Did you really just ask me that?

I located myself away from environmental lights.
Small rural township, no high rise buildings to focus on. Was dark.

lol..

---------- Post added 10-18-14 at 06:44 AM ----------

Live view???

Oops....yes....I used Live view for my moon shot and I don't remember there being any issue at all using it.
I forgot to mention this in my post

Steve.Ledger · 10-17-2014, 10:09 PM

That's amazing detail and the disc size is huge for a 180mm lens even accounting for cropping, or were you shooting from the ISS?

Did you use a tele converter?
What aperture did you use?

BerndM · 10-18-2014, 07:25 AM

I used Photoshop to crop the pic down and to turn the sky black, since I took the pic while it was still fairly light. My old Zeiss lens is stuck wide open at f2.8 and I used no filters or tele adapters at all.

Steve.Ledger · 10-18-2014, 10:37 AM

Originally posted by BerndM

I used Photoshop to crop the pic down and to turn the sky black, since I took the pic while it was still fairly light..

Well then, that will be why you didn't have trouble focussing in live view.
As I mentioned earlier, it's fine in those conditions - but when the sky is pitch black save for some tiny pin pricks for stars, the LCD auto gain makes it impossible.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
The sharpness on the K-3 totally sucks!	klkitchens	Pentax K-3 & K-3 II	37	12-10-2013 09:57 AM
OMG! Did you guys read about the AA on the K-3?	newmikey	Pentax News and Rumors	76	10-10-2013 02:08 AM
For Sale - Sold: Economy sucks--Pentax K-7, Sigma 10-20, DA 18-55, DA 50-200, FA 50mm, 58 AF-1	MacPentax	Sold Items	10	09-20-2010 11:24 AM
Nature Moon shots (yop, one more thread on the moon)	Martin_Qc	Post Your Photos!	3	05-25-2010 10:01 PM
Why Dpreview sucks on the k-7.	vitalsax	Pentax DSLR Discussion	27	05-26-2009 04:06 AM

10-11-2014, 01:36 AM	#46
Steve.Ledger Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Far North Qld Posts: 3,301 Original Poster	Interesting you chose ½ sec exposure when all the experts tell you anything slower than 1/30th will be useless as the earth's rotation will blur the moon. I used 1/60th for the shots of the super moon in July (with the K-7's Live view) Last edited by Steve.Ledger; 10-11-2014 at 03:39 AM.

10-11-2014, 02:04 AM	#47
richandfleur Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Palmerston North, New Zealand Photos: Albums Posts: 1,788	The tests last night were through a window in my garage, whipped up really quickly when I saw the moon clear some cloud. I wouldn't read too much into that ;-) The k-30's live view is not an estimate of the end shots exposure settings in any way, so it doesn't really matter. Just wanted to show that for me at least the spot metering option really did bring down the brightness of the moon on the rear LCD.

10-11-2014, 03:56 PM	#48
Brooke Meyer Guest	Originally posted by Steve.Ledger Interesting you chose ½ sec exposure when all the experts tell you anything slower than 1/30th will be useless as the earth's rotation will blur the moon. I used 1/60th for the shots of the super moon in July (with the K-7's Live view) 1/2 second is necessary when it's really, really dark due to eclipse and you won't get detail in any case. A full Moon is an easy exposure and Norm is right. You can set your exposure before you go outside. On a clear night, it's EV 14 at ISO 100, one stop less than as a sunny, hazy day or Sunny 16. And faster shutter is better, even with tripod and MLU with 2 sec delay, reduces any jitters and Earth rotation. This from 2012. Full Moon. clear night, K-5 + Sigma100-300/4 + Kenko 1.5. So f8, 1/250 sec and ISO 200. Here's the arithmetic: Started with EV14 so f11. F8 is sweet spot of lens and +1 stop but TC eats a stop so we're even. Increase shutter to 1/250, so about minus -1 stop, bump ISO to 200 so plus 1 stop and we're even again. No mysteries here. When it starts getting dark, you have to start adding stops, either shutter. aperture or iso.

10-11-2014, 04:20 PM	#49
Steve.Ledger Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Far North Qld Posts: 3,301 Original Poster	I think everyone has forgotten the topic here. It isn't about or requests for How To Photograph the Moon . I do wish my request a couple days ago to close this thread was honored.

10-11-2014, 05:42 PM	#50
Brooke Meyer Guest	Originally posted by Steve.Ledger I think everyone has forgotten the topic here. It isn't about or requests for How To Photograph the Moon . I do wish my request a couple days ago to close this thread was honored. It sorta was. You wrote "I can't focus on the moon manually..." If you step back and consider the premise, why do you need Live View to focus for something a quarter million miles away?

10-11-2014, 06:29 PM	#51
Beomagi New Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2	Generally the lcd of most cameras operate like this - there's compensation that ignores your set exposure. On my Olympus, I have an option to not apply any compensation to lcd brightness - so it becomes close to whatever the final result looks like. Do you have such a setting?

10-11-2014, 09:03 PM	#52
richandfleur Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Palmerston North, New Zealand Photos: Albums Posts: 1,788	Originally posted by Brooke Meyer It sorta was. You wrote "I can't focus on the moon manually..." If you step back and consider the premise, why do you need Live View to focus for something a quarter million miles away? Because your lens travels past the infinity point. I've learnt from Steves initial enquiry as it mimicked my own issues. Spot metering, even when on full manual settings, winds down the LCD so I can see details again, so I'm now sorted.

10-16-2014, 12:52 PM	#53
Michi Joel Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Catalonia Photos: Albums Posts: 441	Originally posted by Steve.Ledger Nice, a little too sharp for my taste but still pretty good. The exif says 450mm? Also lists that you used centre weighted metering. I think it was a mistake, was made with my m* 300 mm, crop 100 %and no shake reduction because was on tripod.

10-17-2014, 12:32 PM	#55
mikeSF Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: East Bay Area, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,620	you are getting a bunch of answers about exposing the moon when I believe you are talking about the live view gain amping up so bright you cannot focus, right?? did you try: 1) zoom in all the way with live view to fill the screen (or as much as poss) with moon? 2) aim for a distant terrestrial object such as a streetlight or building that is not as bright and focus on that? when all else fails, squint and focus on that sucker through the viewfinder!

10-17-2014, 01:42 PM	#56
Steve.Ledger Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Far North Qld Posts: 3,301 Original Poster	Originally posted by mikeSF you are getting a bunch of answers about exposing the moon when I believe you are talking about the live view gain amping up so bright you cannot focus, right?? Thank you for reading properly and understanding correctly.. Originally posted by mikeSF did you try: 1) zoom in all the way with live view to fill the screen (or as much as poss) with moon? Did you really just ask me that? Originally posted by mikeSF 2) aim for a distant terrestrial object such as a streetlight or building that is not as bright and focus on that? I located myself away from environmental lights. Small rural township, no high rise buildings to focus on. Was dark. Originally posted by mikeSF when all else fails, squint and focus on that sucker through the viewfinder! lol.. ---------- Post added 10-18-14 at 06:44 AM ---------- Originally posted by BerndM I shot this right after I got the K500 using a Zeiss 180mm f2.8 lens. Metering was set to "SPOT", in Aperture mode. Beyond that I don't remember. Camera was on a tripod and I used a 2 second delay to eliminate any vibration. A bit of Photoshop was used to help out. The exif data is a bit sparse. Live view???

10-17-2014, 08:01 PM	#57
BerndM Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Placentia, California Posts: 86	Originally posted by Steve.Ledger Thank you for reading properly and understanding correctly.. Did you really just ask me that? I located myself away from environmental lights. Small rural township, no high rise buildings to focus on. Was dark. lol.. ---------- Post added 10-18-14 at 06:44 AM ---------- Live view??? Oops....yes....I used Live view for my moon shot and I don't remember there being any issue at all using it. I forgot to mention this in my post

10-17-2014, 10:09 PM	#58
Steve.Ledger Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Far North Qld Posts: 3,301 Original Poster	That's amazing detail and the disc size is huge for a 180mm lens even accounting for cropping, or were you shooting from the ISS? Did you use a tele converter? What aperture did you use?

10-18-2014, 07:25 AM	#59
BerndM Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Placentia, California Posts: 86	I used Photoshop to crop the pic down and to turn the sky black, since I took the pic while it was still fairly light. My old Zeiss lens is stuck wide open at f2.8 and I used no filters or tele adapters at all.

10-18-2014, 10:37 AM	#60
Steve.Ledger Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Far North Qld Posts: 3,301 Original Poster	Originally posted by BerndM I used Photoshop to crop the pic down and to turn the sky black, since I took the pic while it was still fairly light.. Well then, that will be why you didn't have trouble focussing in live view. As I mentioned earlier, it's fine in those conditions - but when the sky is pitch black save for some tiny pin pricks for stars, the LCD auto gain makes it impossible.