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01-23-2013, 03:36 PM   #31
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Also, I don't think this was mentioned, but if you shoot when the moon is high in the sky rather than lower down, you'll be shooting through a little less atmosphere, which is supposed to make a difference to observing, therefore maybe to your image sharpness as well.

01-25-2013, 10:55 PM   #32
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So, after realized what I had done wrong (with the AF point, and not focusing in the correct part of the frame), I went out and shot it again, this time hand-held (no tripod), and I think the results are much better - at least I'm happier. The final image was cropped and sharpened slightly in iPhoto.

Last edited by slr_neophyte; 07-21-2013 at 12:12 PM.
01-26-2013, 05:34 AM   #33
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I also recomand using MF instead of AF. Better with live-view and zooming - you will also see the effect of the atmosphere "online on the screen" - undulation of air causing periodic bluring of the image. Which means that some shots will be sharp and some blury even with precise focus and right manual exposure. Depends on seeing - better with dry air, lower temperatures, distance from cities, polution in atmosphere etc.

With right conditions you can get something like this with 300mm lens.


Or this - if you are trying shot conjunction with planets (moon and Jupiter were almost in the corners of photo - added some black parts around the picture for cropped images with different exposure values)
http://img8.rajce.idnes.cz/d0801/5/5230/5230916_f95c7cdf48f4450fd3d04b7d7f35.../Konjunkce.jpg

The pictures aren't perfect - still much to learn. But that's the entertaining part of learning about your camera, equipement and their and yours capabilities...

Last edited by Slavek; 01-27-2013 at 03:08 AM.
01-26-2013, 07:01 PM - 1 Like   #34
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Manual focus, manual exposure and clear air.

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01-26-2013, 07:15 PM   #35
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QuoteOriginally posted by Bruce Clark Quote
Now I have some ideas to experiment with. Thanks
Absolutely! This thread inspired my own attempt. If you want to check it out, its here in the critique forum.
01-27-2013, 10:04 PM   #36
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Many have referred to in this post "the lens's sweet spot." While I have an idea of what it means, what exactly does it mean, and how does a person determine this for each lens they use? Is there a chart somewhere, or a database one could look at?

Thanks,
Jordan
01-27-2013, 11:19 PM   #37
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QuoteOriginally posted by slr_neophyte Quote
Many have referred to in this post "the lens's sweet spot." While I have an idea of what it means, what exactly does it mean, and how does a person determine this for each lens they use? Is there a chart somewhere, or a database one could look at?

Thanks,
Jordan
You will have to experiment with your equipment. Optics are an analog entity in a digital world. And you can look up reviews on specific lenses.

As a general rule:
If you are trying to isolate a subject with a shallow depth of field, use a wide lens aperture, 1.4 to about 5.6
If you are trying to show a foreground, middle and background with great depth of field, use the smallest apertures, 16, 22, 32.
If your subject is in one plane, like the moon 239,000 miles away, and you want the sharpest possible picture, most lenses are best stopped down 2 or 3 stops, about f8 to f11, aka "the sweet spot".

You still need to focus well. Some lenses are so good, they are also very sharp,wide open. They are generally more expensive. The Pentax 50-135 is one. The Sigma 100-300/4 is another.

01-28-2013, 06:36 AM   #38
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QuoteOriginally posted by Slavek Quote
I also recomand using MF instead of AF. Better with live-view and zooming - you will also see the effect of the atmosphere "online on the screen" - undulation of air causing periodic bluring of the image. Which means that some shots will be sharp and some blury even with precise focus and right manual exposure. Depends on seeing - better with dry air, lower temperatures, distance from cities, polution in atmosphere etc.

With right conditions you can get something like this with 300mm lens.
You shot that with a 300mm lens? There's no EXIF data included with your photo - may I know the specifics?
01-28-2013, 10:25 AM   #39
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Hi - EXIF data are: 1/200s and f/4 on ISO 100
The moon was shot 54h and 34min after fullmoon.
01-28-2013, 04:04 PM   #40
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QuoteOriginally posted by Slavek Quote
Hi - EXIF data are: 1/200s and f/4 on ISO 100
The moon was shot 54h and 34min after fullmoon.
And what camera and lens??
01-28-2013, 04:13 PM   #41
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Here is one of my handheld shots with the DA55-300 at 300mm on K7 ( that has a APS-C size sensor ). Nothing to write home about. Sometimes it works and other times the seeing is just not there.
Edit: forgot to mention that this is a 100% crop.

Last edited by Ex Finn.; 11-11-2014 at 05:46 PM.
01-28-2013, 07:47 PM   #42
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So...with all the moon shooting going on here, and the awesome knowledge I'm gaining - I'm VERY curious about the included photo here: This was taken with my wife's compact Lumix super zoom. I'm confused about focal length a little. Her camera is one of those digital compact super zoom (24x) Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ47. In the EXIF data included with the photo here that she took of the moon one night - it states the focal length of being just 108mm. This photo was not cropped and indeed was that large just by zooming in with her camera. With the exception of the top and bottom of the moon cut off slightly - I find this to be quite a good photo - nice detail, properly exposed, etc.

How then, with 300mm on my camera, am I not able to get THIS close?? What's the difference here in focal length on her superzoom at 108mm getting so very close, and me at 300mm not even close to this??

Comment? All are welcome and appreciated!

Last edited by slr_neophyte; 07-21-2013 at 12:12 PM.
01-28-2013, 08:36 PM   #43
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^ Take a closer look at the Lumix EXIF. It states a focal length of "108.0mm (35mm equivalent: 938mm)". The 108mm shows the focal length of the lens; focal length is an optical property. The 35mm equivalent takes into account the size of the sensor. The Lumix has much smaller sensor than your DSLR. A 300mm lens with a Pentx DSLR has a 35mm equivalent of 450mm, because the APS-C sensor size Pentax uses has a 1.5x crop factor compared to the old 35mm standard.

Take a closer look at the Lumix photo. The moon is big but a lot of the details are blurred. A good DSLR photo, even if you crop a lot, will look better than that.
01-29-2013, 02:36 AM   #44
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QuoteOriginally posted by slr_neophyte Quote
And what camera and lens??
Hi - those in my signature - I forgot to mention that. It's Pentax K-7 + DA*300mm.
01-30-2013, 03:56 PM   #45
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QuoteOriginally posted by DeadJohn Quote
^

Take a closer look at the Lumix photo. The moon is big but a lot of the details are blurred. A good DSLR photo, even if you crop a lot, will look better than that.
For some reason the original is sharper, and it seems to have lost some sharpness upon uploading to this thread. I know absolutely nothing about sensor size and how this affects photographs - is there another posting within this website you could point me towards to learn more about that?

Thanks,
Jordan
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