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01-04-2009, 02:29 AM   #1
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failed moon shot

ok tried a moon shot for the first time and this is the best that came out using various lens's such as a 55-200. the standard kit lens (18-50) and a full manual 35-135mm lens.... this pic was taken with the 35-135 lens... I tried adjusting the ISO from 100 -400. this one was taken at 400 ISO... at 100 on bulb the pics turned out complete crap. ended up using it in manual mode



have i got any options left to try?

cheers
Grant

01-04-2009, 02:53 AM   #2
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When I first read the title of the post, I thought you worked for NASA.

You've got to get closer to the subject, but I guess in this case you'll have to get some bigger glass and possible a telconvertor as well.

Do a quick search on the forum, there were several threads on this "shooting the moon" thing.
01-04-2009, 02:55 AM   #3
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Sorry I'm too lazy to check but what is the shutter speed?
Reason why your shots at B mode came out crap is that there is nothing to do with B mode during moonshots. I was having a go at moon too and as many others I discovered that it MOVES. And it does so much faster than we think. I got acceptable images with SMC 400/5.6 with shutter speed of around 1/750 or 1/1000 of second. Anthing slower resulted in bluriness...
good luck next time
BR
Peter
01-04-2009, 03:45 AM   #4
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Try shooting with the "Moony 11" rule (variation on the "Sunny 16 rule").

For a full moon and with an aperture of f11, your shutter speed should be (roughly) the reciprocal of your ISO. So for ISO 800 you would have 1/750 @ f11.

For a half moon, you lose one stop of light. For a quarter moon, you lose yet another. Pretty easy to calculate.


Last edited by Mike Cash; 01-04-2009 at 05:29 AM. Reason: punctuation
01-04-2009, 05:01 AM   #5
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Adding to that Mike said, also make sure it's truly a fully clear night without atmospheric haze or fog to degrade the image.

stewart
01-04-2009, 05:07 AM   #6
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Not much more to add. Just ignore the dark sky. If the lens is long enough (400mm +) you can spot meter off a half or full moon. It's much brighter than you realize.

A solid tripod is a must have and you should use either the 2 second MLU or a cable release even with these fast speeds.
01-04-2009, 10:19 AM   #7
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Since it's a manual lens, I don't know what aperture you were using, but I can see the shutter speed was pretty iffy for handholding (1/125 at 135mm). SR gives you a fighting chance, but doesn't work miracles. A tripod would have helped (I'm assuming you weren't using one). Also, if you were shooting at wide open aperture to get the shutter speed fast enough, that's not going to do any favors for sharpness, either.

01-04-2009, 03:02 PM   #8
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First image shot with DA 50-200, wide open, ISO 1600,1/2000".
If you are trying to get detail then nothing beats focal length and good seeing.
Used Orion ED 120 with app. 900mm fl. for the other picture, ISO 200 and about 1/45", obviously on a tripod.

Cheers.
Mike.

Last edited by Ex Finn.; 12-29-2013 at 10:40 AM.
01-04-2009, 03:34 PM   #9
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I appreciate Mike Cash's "Lunny 11" rule.

The way it was explained to me (courtesy of one of those Kodak photography guides from the mid-80s) is that even though it is night, the surface of the moon (your subject) is in full daylight. As a result, the appropriate exposure should be close to what you would use if you were shooting in the middle of the day +1 stop to avoid underexposure of the light gray lunar surface.

A side affect is that it is very difficult to take a picture of something with the full moon in the background and get correct exposure for both the moon and your subject. Most pictures you see with that sort of composition are composite photos (double exposure, sandwiched negatives, or Photoshop).

Steve

Last edited by stevebrot; 01-04-2009 at 05:02 PM.
01-04-2009, 03:59 PM   #10
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The moon is lit by sunlight so your exposure to bring out detail in the moon must be for sunlight. Like Mike said, the "Lunny 11" rule is a good place to start, say f/11 at 1/125th of a second and then bracket heavily both ways. You will not get a large image out of the 200mm lens, but you can get some detail with careful exposure, focus and cropping.

It is best to use manual focus to try to get it as sharp as possible, but you can also use the center point focus and try to focus right on the terminator, that will give enough contrast for the AF to lock onto. Once the Af locks then switch the lens to MF to keep that focus point for the multipole exposures. Shoot on a tripod and use a remote release if possible as well, and turn off the SR if on a tripod.

Here's a crop of the moon and Venus, 20mm, ISO 200 1/8" at f/8:

Picasa Web Albums - jdglover - Astronomy

Here's the same shot at 40mm, using the 18-55mm kit lens:

Picasa Web Albums - jdglover - Astronomy

Finally, the same at 18mm:

Picasa Web Albums - jdglover - Astronomy
01-04-2009, 04:16 PM   #11
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I'm now looking forward to the next full moon
01-04-2009, 05:08 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Suzu Quote
I'm now looking forward to the next full moon
The full moon is surprisingly bright and does not tend to produce the most spectacular images. A half moon or waning/waxing gibbous moon leads to better shots, especially the telephoto shots, due to the shadows cast by the sun which accentuates the highlights on the lunar surface.......gee, a lot like photography on Earth, you just gotta find the right light!
01-04-2009, 05:12 PM   #13
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A small detail to add when using a tripod on windy days/nights. Even if you consider your tripod sturdy, make sure you weigh it down so as to minimize movement caused by wind. If your tripod has a hook at the bottom of the stem, just grab two 1 gallon bottles of water, tie about 2 feet of poly rope between the handles, and hang the pair off the hook. Alternatively, you can always make yourself a paint can weight by filling up an old paintcan with sand or concrete.

I think the heavier the camera/lens on top, the more you will benefit from weighing down the tripod.
01-04-2009, 05:41 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by kerrowdown Quote
When I first read the title of the post, I thought you worked for NASA.
wish i was working for nasa.. probably pays a lot more than courier driving

QuoteOriginally posted by axl Quote
Sorry I'm too lazy to check but what is the shutter speed?
Reason why your shots at B mode came out crap is that there is nothing to do with B mode during moonshots. I was having a go at moon too and as many others I discovered that it MOVES. And it does so much faster than we think. I got acceptable images with SMC 400/5.6 with shutter speed of around 1/750 or 1/1000 of second. Anthing slower resulted in bluriness...
good luck next time
BR
Peter
Thanks peter.... my shutter speed was about 4-6 seconds so i now know my shutterspeed was the complete opposite of what i was suposed to be using

QuoteOriginally posted by Mike Cash Quote
Try shooting with the "Moony 11" rule (variation on the "Sunny 16 rule").

For a full moon and with an aperture of f11, your shutter speed should be (roughly) the reciprocal of your ISO. So for ISO 800 you would have 1/750 @ f11.

For a half moon, you lose one stop of light. For a quarter moon, you lose yet another. Pretty easy to calculate.
thanks for the tip mike


QuoteOriginally posted by Marc Sabatella Quote
Since it's a manual lens, I don't know what aperture you were using, but I can see the shutter speed was pretty iffy for handholding (1/125 at 135mm). SR gives you a fighting chance, but doesn't work miracles. A tripod would have helped (I'm assuming you weren't using one). Also, if you were shooting at wide open aperture to get the shutter speed fast enough, that's not going to do any favors for sharpness, either.
yup marc i was using a sturdy tripod and a remote shutter release with the camera . Ok the summary is that i have pretty much used the shutterspeed completely backwards where i should have gone fast instead of slow

I appreciate all the replys.... have learn't some lesssons in night photography, gained some tip's as well as others have. thanks guys,. hopefully the skie's clear tonight so i can put these tip's/lessons into play

cheers
Grant

Note:
ex finn.... those are awesome shots !. and i have a 55-200 dc lens which is the baby brother or older brother to the one you have ( not sure where abouts on the parental table it lies)... will try it with the camera tonight using that lens
01-05-2009, 11:46 AM   #15
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Moon

I shot this with my Tamron 70-300 @ 1/180 and a f 9.5, I think. I used center focus and metering, with the camera set to Aperture priority, on a tripod with cable release. Also I shot it fairly low on the horizon. Lots of cropping!

User Photo Gallery - Night Scene

This was my first success and I will get better.
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