Another 'moon' thread...

Kell

Kell

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Kell
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I had a try the other night as the moon was particularly bright (didn't mean that to rhyme) and was quite impressed with the results from amateur kit.

But was after advice on how to get something maybe a little sharper - if it's possible with the equipment I was using.

First off - what I used and what I did.

Canon 600d and Canon 70-300 lens.
Tripod (but a fairly cheap one).

Clearly I tried to zoom in to max, but lens creep meant the lens kept dropping back to around 275 or so. Didn't use a shutter release, but put it on a 10 second timer to try and eliminate and shake.
It was on the decking outside our house, so I realise this isn't ideal, but no one else was on it, and I kept still.

I googled some settings which suggested ISO 100, and f/11 as a starting point, but these came out too dark and the image that was the sharpest out of the other settings I chose was at ISO200 and f/9.0

Attached are the full size image and a crop for critique/advice etc...

IMG_5828.crop by Kell Lunam-Cowan, on Flickr

IMG_5828 by Kell Lunam-Cowan, on Flickr
 
I have a Tamron 70-300 that suffers zoom creep. One of those charity wristbands will sort it. You don't need f11 for the Moon, just use whatever more open aperture your lens is happy at. You do have to fiddle with the settings to get the right exposure. Using a cheap tripod on decking won't help, but there's a lot of potentially unstable atmosphere between us and the Moon and you might have to fire off a few frames to get one you're happy with. Trying to shoot when the Moon is as high as possible in the sky will help, as might trying to up the shutter speed a bit. Open up the lens a bit rather than use too high an iso, as if your 600D is anything like my 550D, it's not keen on high iso. But for a big crop it's pretty good.
 
ISO 200, 1/500th, f/8, spot meter off the moon, check exposure on rear screen, adjust settings if necessary (using Manual mode) and reshoot lots of frames. I almost always go handheld, especially when using a VR/OIS equipped lens. If necessary, up the ISO to suit the sweet spot of the lens and the handholdable SS you can manage.
 
Kell said:
I had a try the other night as the moon was particularly bright (didn't mean that to rhyme) and was quite impressed with the results from amateur kit.

But was after advice on how to get something maybe a little sharper - if it's possible with the equipment I was using.

First off - what I used and what I did.

Canon 600d and Canon 70-300 lens.
Tripod (but a fairly cheap one).

Clearly I tried to zoom in to max, but lens creep meant the lens kept dropping back to around 275 or so. Didn't use a shutter release, but put it on a 10 second timer to try and eliminate and shake.
It was on the decking outside our house, so I realise this isn't ideal, but no one else was on it, and I kept still.

I googled some settings which suggested ISO 100, and f/11 as a starting point, but these came out too dark and the image that was the sharpest out of the other settings I chose was at ISO200 and f/9.0

Attached are the full size image and a crop for critique/advice etc...

IMG_5828.crop by Kell Lunam-Cowan, on Flickr

IMG_5828 by Kell Lunam-Cowan, on Flickr
Click to expand...
Kell said:
Tripod... put it on a 10 second timer to try and eliminate and shake... on the decking outside our house, no one else was on it, and I kept still.
Click to expand...
I would suggest that all this palaver is unnecessary and doesn't contribute anything to image quality. You should be able to do it hand-held and get the same results.

But there are things you can do that could make a difference:
* Research which aperture delivers the best central sharpness for your lens, and use that. (It's probably around f/8.)
* Choose a location and time when the air is less turbulent. I would expect rural locations to be better than towns, mountain tops to be better than valleys, cold days to be better than warm days, and mornings to be better than evenings.
* Shoot when the moon is high in the sky to minimise the amount of atmosphere you're looking through.
* Take several photos and check to see which is least affected by atmospherics.
* Use Registax or similar software to combine multiple images and pull out more details.
 
StewartR said:
I would suggest that all this palaver is unnecessary and doesn't contribute anything to image quality. You should be able to do it hand-held and get the same results.
Click to expand...

It would be nice to be a big bloke with the strength and ability to hand hold a long lens and get an image of the Moon that wasn't just a huge blur................................;)
Some people can hand hold, some can't. At least for a first attempt using a decent tripod and delayed release eliminates a few variables.
 
The light on the surface of a full moon is the same as on earth when the sun is shining...it is the sunlight you are seeing.

Hand hold ANY lens up to a 600mm f4 quite happily, if you are strong enough to carry a bag of shopping - I can't believe the nurdity I read on here sometimes. Technology is getting in the way of being human it would seem. How come a grown man can't hold a lens steady for 1/250th second?
Try leaning over the roof of your car if you are out and about...or a wall....any number of weakling aids are available.
 
Jan isn't a man and she's not a big not man at that!

Having said that, I always shoot the moon handheld, using stabilised lenses.
 
StewartR said:
I would suggest that all this palaver is unnecessary and doesn't contribute anything to image quality. You should be able to do it hand-held and get the same results.

But there are things you can do that could make a difference:
* Research which aperture delivers the best central sharpness for your lens, and use that. (It's probably around f/8.)
* Choose a location and time when the air is less turbulent. I would expect rural locations to be better than towns, mountain tops to be better than valleys, cold days to be better than warm days, and mornings to be better than evenings.
* Shoot when the moon is high in the sky to minimise the amount of atmosphere you're looking through.
* Take several photos and check to see which is least affected by atmospherics.
* Use Registax or similar software to combine multiple images and pull out more details.
Click to expand...
Great advice. Was planning on trying my 100-400 on my Fuji next time there's a decent moon and clear skies.
 
The only reason I used a tripod was due to the distances involved.

TBH, I hadn't realised you could shoot it with such fast shutter speeds and relatively large F stops. But then the comment above about what you're seeing is actually the sun on the moon makes a lot of sense.
 
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