Beginner Struggling to take pictures of the moon :(

Jamie Danjoux

Jamie Danjoux

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Hi

So in Newcastle there was a lovely bright moon and easily visible craters, thought "I shall take my camera up the hill and take some shots" Unfortunately they came out utter shambles, the moon was solid white and all blurry. I tried numerous of settings including night portrait.

Is it me or my camera? I have a canon EOS 1200d and paid £330 so I hope that hasn't gone to waste if it can't take a photo of the moon.

I've also been considering a tripod - thought this one was good? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ravelli-APLT4-61-inch-Weight-Aluminum/dp/B004ZGLM5W/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

Regards

JD
 
Unless you had a very big lens on where the moon is very large in the frame, the moon has come out white because the camera is trying to expose for the overall scene which is predominantly dark. Suggest something like ISO 100, f/8, 1/250th as a place to start. If you're using programme or auto, then try using some exposure compensation, ie under expose by a couple of stops.
 
Hi I just tried those settings and still not giving a great picture :(

Maybe the camera is not good at taking photos of bright faraway objects.

It's good at taking normal photos such as indoors and daylight, but not night time.

JD
 
Have you put it in manual mode and changed the settings to the above, that should work. The camera can take pictures of the moon.. what lens do you have
 
Hi, You do not say what lens you have on the camera and you also say "Maybe the camera is not good at taking photos of bright faraway objects."
It is not the camera that takes the photograph it is the person behind the camera,unless you tell the camera what you want it to do it will not no, all it sees is light.
Suggest you go onto maybe youtube and look for tutorials then try again.
Russ
 
You need to spot meter on the moon rather than an over all exposure. The moon moves quickly so you need a decent shutter speed as suggested above.

What lens are you using and what settings? A tripod won't make a massive difference if you're shooting fast enough.
 
Your camera is extremely capable of taking photos of the moon.

What settings are you using?

I also note that you're not using a tripod. You will almost certainly need a tripod for photographing the moon.
 
So I swapped them over and used the settings above.

Very clear pic of the moon! Will need a tripod to get a stable picture and less blurry.

Ordered one of Amazon and used my prime delivery so should be here on Tuesday.

Thanks everyone!!
 
Try bumping the ISO to 800 (+3-stops) and up the shutter speed to 1/1000th (-3 stops). Should give the same exposure, but less shake/blurring..

BTW, taking shots of the moon is a great example of where you as a photographer need to take control of the camera to get the best results rather than using Auto or Programme. Another one is taking pictures in snow, which is basically the opposite problem of the one you're having now.
 
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You won't need a tripod for a moon shot as it's far brighter than you realise.
You said above you aren't any good a night shots, but fine in daylight. A moon shot is effectively daylight as its directly reflecting the Suns light. Your shutter speed should be as fast, if not faster than a very bright daytime shot.

Using a tripod will likely end up with a shutter speed to slow and a big worm like thing instead of a nice round moon.

You need to get your ahead around the fact even though it's dark outside, you are pointing the camera at something that's effectively daylight.

As for the tripod you've linked.. No, it's cheap crap. You need to spend a fair bit more for it to even be worthwhile. False economy otherwise.
 
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If you're serious about photography I wouldn't recommend a cheap tripod.

Here's some photos taken with the 75-300mm lens I took in 2011.

f7.1
300mm
1/400
ISO 250
18.03.11 by DaelPix, on Flickr

f/7.1
300mm
1/400
ISO 500
14.05.11 by DaelPix, on Flickr


F/7.1
300mm
1/400
ISO 400
14.04.11 by DaelPix, on Flickr
 
TCR4x4 said:
As for the tripod you've linked.. No, it's cheap crap. You need to spend a fair bit more for it to even be worthwhile. False economy otherwise.
Click to expand...

Whilst I might not disagree with your assessment of the tripod, without knowing the amount of funds available, its a bit harsh to make such a judgement. It would of course have been better to come here and gain recommendations before buying, but we all have to start somewhere.

It may be possible to get a refund on the tripod by saying it is not suitable and I would say that getting a strong stable tripod for some other types of night photography is essential, but as the moon does move quite rapidly it is not the essential or necessary item for photographing in this instance.

A good tripod is one you should be able to hang off yourself, and I have found that over the years I have only ever had two and my current outdoor one was designed for studio use, although I do use a car to transport it. Nevertheless I can use it high winds & storms without fear of it blowing over, which I see commonly occur to others, sometimes destroying their camera and lenses in the process.

A good tripod will far outlast your camera and you may only ever need one if you buy wisely.
 
Better to not have a tripod than to invest in a cheap one that is not up to the job.

Something like this would be my suggestion..
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Verbon-Sh...41?pt=UK_Tripods_Monopods&hash=item339b72c6ad

I have a Velbon Sherpa 600r and it has been very good, though is mostly on scope duty these days.

Edit - Sorry, I re-read your earlier post and see that you have already ordered one from Amazon. I hope it does what you need. Welcome to the world of Photography.
 
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Jamie Danjoux said:
I have only got a budget as I don't want to start off with a high advanced tripod.

JD
Click to expand...
In photography, as in a lot of life, sometimes the cheap option is more hassle than it's worth.

Tripods are a great case in point;
Q- Why do you want a tripod?
A- To keep the camera stable
Q- Does the cheap tripod keep the camera stable?
A- No
Q- So what's the point in a cheap flimsy tripod?
A- There isn't one.

Keep saving till you can afford a decent one, second hand would be a great way to save money, buying a tripod that was £100 new for £60 is generally a lot better than a new £60 tripod.
 
I echo the above comments on "cheap" tripods. I bought a £50 one from Argos. It was a Manfrotto so the name swayed me. It was fine for my G12 compact camera. When I stuck my 70D on, I found it wasn't up to scratch - the ball would shift slightly downwards. So if I framed something in my viewfinger and locked the ballhead, the camera would sag downwards slightly because of the weight. Very annoying.
 
omens said:
I echo the above comments on "cheap" tripods. I bought a £50 one from Argos. It was a Manfrotto so the name swayed me. It was fine for my G12 compact camera. When I stuck my 70D on, I found it wasn't up to scratch - the ball would shift slightly downwards. So if I framed something in my viewfinger and locked the ballhead, the camera would sag downwards slightly because of the weight. Very annoying.
Click to expand...

On a Manfrotto and other quality gear, it is sometimes possible to upgrade the head alone.

Check the design weights before buying and try one in a shop. If you do go up to a heavier camera, then bear in mind such costs.
 
Here's another moon taken with a tripod with quite opposite settings to those already suggested.
ISO 50, f/14, 1/6sec, 600mm (300mm x2 ext), Canon 1d MKIV

15276794039_e6000697c6_z.jpg

just to show there are many ways & no single way is correct...
 
retrosi said:
Here's another moon taken with a tripod with quite opposite settings to those already suggested.
ISO 50, f/14, 1/6sec, 600mm (300mm x2 ext), Canon 1d MKIV

View attachment 28021

just to show there are many ways & no single way is correct...
Click to expand...

Are you sure that was 1/6sec on a tripod as the moon moves too fast for it to be a sharp picture with a slow shutter speed also the light would get blown even though its dark as the moon is so bright. I average around 1/250 - 1/800 for all the moon shots I've taken. anything slower and the moon doesn't look sharp or correct.
 
Hi Darren, yes the exif data etc can be seen here,
https://www.flickr.com/photos/imagechameleon/15276794039/in/set-72157649434423437

Very odd I know which is why I thought I would post it...
Don't get me wrong I am glad you questioned it as it highlights my point.
I promise very little PS was done as I adjusted in camera so that the exposure bias was at zero ie neither plus nor minus, dead center.
The highlights didn't blow due to the ISO set at 50 :)

Remember also I had a 300mm with a 2x extender so 600mm which helps...
Cheers... lets hope it causes more debate, but not sure what I can say, except I can forward the raw cr2 file if you'd like? :canon:
 
retrosi said:
Hi Darren, yes the exif data etc can be seen here,
https://www.flickr.com/photos/imagechameleon/15276794039/in/set-72157649434423437

Very odd I know which is why I thought I would post it...
Don't get me wrong I am glad you questioned it as it highlights my point.
I promise very little PS was done as I adjusted in camera so that the exposure bias was at zero ie neither plus nor minus, dead center.
The highlights didn't blow due to the ISO set at 50 :)

Remember also I had a 300mm with a 2x extender so 600mm which helps...
Cheers... lets hope it causes more debate, but not sure what I can say, except I can forward the raw cr2 file if you'd like? :canon:
Click to expand...

Sorry to question it as I was shocked, hope it didn't seem I was accusing you of lying. Nah I trust you lol. Its set me a challenge for the year tho to see if I can replicate lmao.
 
Good luck, not that you should need it, just get a 600mm lens :eek: Darren & don't forget to let us see your results.
 
retrosi said:
Remember also I had a 300mm with a 2x extender so 600mm which helps...
Cheers... lets hope it causes more debate, but not sure what I can say, except I can forward the raw cr2 file if you'd like? :canon:
Click to expand...
Post the cr2 file to dropbox or something. I'd love to have a look at it. Those settings seem utterly absurd. It is a puzzle indeed!

Remember, longer focal length means you need *faster* shutter, not slower. 1/6 at 600mm should be impossible unless you used a motor on an equitorial mount.
And that really does not look like the moon at 600mm at any shutter speed; it should almost fill the frame at 600mm.

I've taken moon shots several times at 600mm (on an APSC) and the whole moon doesn't fit.
 
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retrosi said:
Good luck, not that you should need it, just get a 600mm lens :eek: Darren & don't forget to let us see your results.
Click to expand...

The longer the lens the more pronounced shake will be. I used a 2400mm combination, and looking through the view finder I could see the moon moving. Even at 1200mm you can see its movement clearly.

The quality of the lens is the more crucial aspect, though, I would say. I used a Tamron 70-300 VC and a Canon 100-400mm to take photos of the moon. I thought the former was good until I took the latter, in which I was more careful, tripod mounted if I recall, and mirror up. I got a much sharper images.

Here it is:


The Super Pebble by Noah MM, on Flickr

Of course it was just cropped a bit as the moon was smaller in the frame.
 
I will post the raw file to dropbox tomorrow as I am away until then....
 
Well I have managed to get back late & put together my computer et-al after taking it with me for the two weeks over the holidays whilst staying with my Fiancée.
Hopefully this works, oh & I have put all the 'moon' photos in the folder so you can see the rubbish ones that didn't work out.
The file that I posted here though is _Y7K4374 so you can ignore all the others if you'd like to.
It's second from the bottom.
Dropbox link
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rtp2vewpdf1eobo/AAD3Jz8IFZB6yT7IJF3h5oSca?dl=0
 
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I found a goos starting point was setting the camera 2stops down and see where you are before going manual. I used 1000mm lens but needed to keep shutter fast as it doesn't half shift.
 
I have taken photos of the moon using a tripod on a Nikion D610 with Sigma 170 - 300 lens.
 
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