[jawats]

I could use some suggestions. This was taken with a Tamron Adaptall-2 60-300 SP. I am wondering how I could improve clarity, or just the image overall. I did a little post processing (crop, dehaze). The data reports that the lens was 55mm...which is totally off. Aperture was set on automatic. Thanks for any suggestions!

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[LeDave]

Nice pic, what f stop was used? If you didn't, I recommend using f/11 or f16 on a tripod.

[jawats]

Nice pic, what f stop was used? If you didn't, I recommend using f/11 or f16 on a tripod.

Dave,

Not sure. I'm trying to figure out if everything is good in the camera and lens. The EXIF reported "f0" - I assume that's because it's entirely a manual lens?

And thank you! A tripod is a good rec.

[Riggomatic]

Manual lens, K or M model will give you an f0.

I like to shoot the moon around 200iso, and a minimum 1/focal length for the speed.
Use a wireless remote and SR should be off. If you don't have a remote, then the 2sec delay will help.

Don't trust the infinity mark on the lens. Use the live view to zoom in to verify focus.


Have fun is the final ingredient.

[jawats]

Manual lens, K or M model will give you an f0.

I like to shoot the moon around 200iso, and a minimum 1/focal length for the speed.
Use a wireless remote and SR should be off. If you don't have a remote, then the 2sec delay will help.

Don't trust the infinity mark on the lens. Use the live view to zoom in to verify focus.


Have fun is the final ingredient.

I do try to have fun, even when it's still in the 30s in late May.

Does turning off SR help with clarity / sharpness?

I don't typically use the lens measurements at all - just my eye and the red blinking dot (for general focus before eyeballing it). I will try the live view.

[Riggomatic]

I do try to have fun, even when it's still in the 30s in late May.

Does turning off SR help with clarity / sharpness?

I don't typically use the lens measurements at all - just my eye and the red blinking dot (for general focus before eyeballing it). I will try the live view.

Eliminate or reduce any vibration / movement of the camera.

SR off if you are on a tripod. If you use a timer or remote, SR will automatically turn off for you.

I usually start around f8, iso 200 and 1/400sec. Underexposing gives me more options when I go to edit.

[Ex Finn.]

Try to shoot when the moon is overhead and the atmosphere is still.
You can have everything set up correctly using the best optics available and have poor seeing conditions give you mushy images.
I might get couple keepers in few hundred shots.

[jawats]

Try to shoot when the moon is overhead and the atmosphere is still.
You can have everything set up correctly using the best optics available and have poor seeing conditions give you mushy images.
I might get couple keepers in few hundred shots.

Thank you! Appreciate that.

[alfa75ts]

I do try to have fun, even when it's still in the 30s in late May.

Cold is good when shooting the Moon, as long as it doesn't come with moist.

Some tips:

Use a tripod.

The closer to vertical you shoot, the less atmosphere (and dust and moisture) will be in your way (there is 50% more atmosphere at 30° than at 90°, 23% at 45°)

Try your sharpest aperture (normally around f8 - f11)

Try your best ISO setting (normally 100 or 200)

Aim for a shutter speed of 1/125 or faster.

Slightly under expose.

Use 2 second timer with or without remote.

Use magnified Live View to focus.


Take a shot and see if it's ok then take several (or dozens of) shots at each setting as the atmospherics keep changing and two shots a second apart can be very different.

[jawats]

Cold is good when shooting the Moon, as long as it doesn't come with moist.

Some tips:

Use a tripod.

The closer to vertical you shoot, the less atmosphere (and dust and moisture) will be in your way (there is 50% more atmosphere at 30° than at 90°, 23% at 45°)

Try your sharpest aperture (normally around f8 - f11)

Try your best ISO setting (normally 100 or 200)

Aim for a shutter speed of 1/125 or faster.

Slightly under expose.

Use 2 second timer with or without remote.

Use magnified Live View to focus.


Take a shot and see if it's ok then take several (or dozens of) shots at each setting as the atmospherics keep changing and two shots a second apart can be very different.

Also excellent advice - stacks well nicely with the others. Thank you!

[Adam]

I could use some suggestions. This was taken with a Tamron Adaptall-2 60-300 SP. I am wondering how I could improve clarity, or just the image overall. I did a little post processing (crop, dehaze). The data reports that the lens was 55mm...which is totally off. Aperture was set on automatic. Thanks for any suggestions!

With moon shots it's usually shutter speed or focus that affects the clarity. Once you've nailed those, the lens would be the limiting factor.

This looks ever so slightly misfocused.

[henrikpedersen33]

I could use some suggestions. This was taken with a Tamron Adaptall-2 60-300 SP. I am wondering how I could improve clarity, or just the image overall. I did a little post processing (crop, dehaze). The data reports that the lens was 55mm...which is totally off. Aperture was set on automatic. Thanks for any suggestions!

It is so difficult to get a good picture of the moon.
You need 300mm or more and the shutter should not be too slow as the moon actually moves quite quite quickly. I have read about it somewhere - is it something like 1/250? Anyone?

But a very nice try ;-)

[Kephas]

It is so difficult to get a good picture of the moon.
You need 300mm or more and the shutter should not be too slow as the moon actually moves quite quite quickly. I have read about it somewhere - is it something like 1/250? Anyone?

But a very nice try ;-)

It was even more difficult yesterday, during the lunar eclipse, as you get much less light, which meens, that one has to use longer exposer-time. I was just looking on my results from yesterday evening (my first try to catch a lunar eclipse) and I am quite disapointed, particulary with my cheap tripod...

[rognone]

It was even more difficult yesterday, during the lunar eclipse, as you get much less light, which meens, that one has to use longer exposer-time. I was just looking on my results from yesterday evening (my first try to catch a lunar eclipse) and I am quite disapointed, particulary with my cheap tripod...

So much this!
I tried from 1 sec to 4 sec, 800 to 3200 iso... and even 300mm on aps-c is not that much long when you see the picture on a big monitor!
Really disappointing experience at the end... but I learned 3 things:

- Never be a chepskate on tripods! 70€ is not enough!
- 1-2 seconds max... not more, the moon is fast!
- Better to have a really good wideangle for a landscape shot with the red moon... my best picture was shot at 55mm and not at 300mm!

[MossyRocks]

Apart from people's suggestion about focusing the general suggestion for shooting the moon is the looney 11 rule. Basically set the f stop to 11 and shutter speed to 1/ISO. This usually gets you in the ball park and from there make some minor adjustments, don't let the camera decide as it will be off usually by a lot. If you know you have a good focus put the camera in burst mode (I use medium speed), use f/8, ISO200 and 1/400s shutter and blast away with the release cable. If you take enough you will get the lucky shot with less turbulence and thus a sharper image. Here is one I took with an old M42 mount 200mm vivitar f/3.5 lens at f/8 ISO 200 1/400s:


My final advice is use something bigger if you want an impressive moon shot with just the moon, otherwise put the moon in the image with something interesting in the foreground or with it by some clouds. On APS-C use something in the 600mm range or larger for this, on full frame you want to be closer to 1000mm or more. I don't have that either but I will use my biggest which now is a 300mm lens and don't get the impressive images that others get through a telescope or big lens plus teleconverter. At 300mm the moon is only around 750 pixels across on the K-3 which isn't very big.