Originally posted by donlass Who's out there taking moon shots? Is it worth a try? Do I need a 300mm or better to get a decent shot?
I was out trying last night but got 'clouded out'. A bit annoying but I'll see about tonight.
Taking moon shots is great fun, and whilst the longer lens is great you should aim to get the moon and incorporate it with some features on the ground if possible. This is where the focal length can be more flexible and 200mm would be good if you can find the right subject.
Some tips on moon shots:
Bookmark this link to the Photographer's Ephemeris
The Photographer's Ephemeris: TPE for Desktop This will help you plan for shots of the moon using the moon cycles and maps of what subjects can be aligned with the moon. This could be mountains, water features, bridges buildings or whatever. I like to compress the distance between the moon and foreground subjects, and the below example is what long telephotos can let you achieve.
For this shot I knew where to set up because of the Ephemeris and used the DA*300 and a 2x converter to get the extra focal length. And some luck to be honest as I only caught a glimpse of the runner approaching as he entered frame and managed to get the timing right to frame him in the middle of the bridge structure.
But you don't need the longer focal lengths if you can get the right subject to work with the moon, here's an example.
This was with the 50-135 at 108mm and again some luck with the fireworks.
However, again planning with the Ephemeris enabled me to identify where to set up to align the cityscape and the moon. The ephemeris is free for a desktop/laptop via the web but the version for your phone requires purchase. Another great app for the phone is Sun Surveyor, it has additional tools and makes a good alternative to the Photographer's Ephemeris. Particularly if you also want to chase the Milky Way. I use the desktop ephemeris for planning and on the phone for checking maps. I'm still learning about Sun Surveyor but I'm finding it is much more useful once you're in location.
The next thing to consider is whether you want a glowing orb or the moon in detail. The second is tricky as has already been pointed out and the best way to get good foreground subject and a detailed moon is multiple exposures and work in post processing. Having said this a better way to simplify the work in post processing is to use the ephemeris to identify where and when the moon will be up whilst the sun is up. This example is a single exposure.
Again it was the 300 and the 2x converter, and there was some dodge/burn in post to get the balance but the sun helps balance out the brightness of the moon against other subjects in the frame.
Here's another example of a single exposure, this time using the DA70mm LTD. So yes, 200mm is plenty for the moon and the right subject.
Just be aware of the loss of moon detail as it approaches the horizon. It will mean that cratered look is lost, however in the B&W image above that problem was managed by using an S curve mask for the moon.
Moon detail is nice but there is no need to ignore the 'glowing moon' effect as it can still achieve some excellent results, particularly with some cloud present.
I also love the detail in the clouds the moon can provide too. Actually, I'd prefer some cloud with the moon to break up the sky. I've been chasing the 1940's werewolf moon and cloud look for a while and for this I don't need lots of detail in the moon.
A good exponent of using the moon as a big beacon is a Canadian bloke on Flickr who's one of my contacts. He's not posted in a while but browse his thread for some of his work with the moon. He's been shooting with Pentax and his stream is here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bob_west/with/12574998015/
The final thing I'd suggest is remember the speed at which the moon will transit through the sky. Again planning helps get the most of your time on location.
I'm no expert at this but I love including the moon in images and I hope that plenty more tips and examples are shared to hook you on it as well.
Tas