What is the best lens for moon shots

Deckard said:
Good call, forgot about suggesting that. I'm assuming you have a tripod too Dawn? There's little chance of you doing this by hand. You'll need to use either a remote release or the 10s timer as well.
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It's just about do-able by hand, even with a long lens, since it's so bright you can get down to 1/300 or even 1/500 exposures. A tripod does make things simpler though!

mbscad said:
Would someone please explain why you need a small aperture to take a photograph at 250,000 miles?
MBS
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I'd say it's a combination of a wide DoF and using the lens at it's sharpest point - so a middle aperture rather than small.

Scarecrow said:
173.jpg
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This is my favourite shot shown on this thread so far - nice image!
 
Scarecrow said:
That's not strictly true - many lenses will focus past infinity, so if you wind the focus all the way out to the stop, you'll end up with a blurred image.

Also, many people will aim to take a photo when the moon is full. This is not necessarily the best time, as it often leads to a flat looking image due to the lack of features/detail. Taking a shot at any time other than full will reveal lots of texture along the terminator - the bit where the lit side meets the unlit side - due to the shadows being cast by the uneven terrain.

A full moon can have interest added by pushing the saturation levels in PP to bring out the colours that are there, but aren't really obvious unless given a helping hand.

Hope these two shots help demonstrate what I have just typed:

173.jpg


165.jpg
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OMG theses are amazing pics Derek, thank you. I especially like the second one .... wow! that gives a whole new perspective to the moon (a subject true to my heart and soul) :)

I would love to be able to take photos like this, and am 'moon mad' enough to frame them and post them all over my house :)lol: now maybe TP members understand me a bit better :wacky: I know) :LOL:

Thanks for the info too.

There have been so many TP members respond to this thread and I am very honoured for all the information provided here. Taking into account everything posted, I am sure I will eventually get to where I want to be with my moon-walk :)

Big thanks to you and everyone who has posted to this thread. Much appreciated.

Dawn :)
 
incapete said:
It's just about do-able by hand, even with a long lens, since it's so bright you can get down to 1/300 or even 1/500 exposures. A tripod does make things simpler though!


I'd say it's a combination of a wide DoF and using the lens at it's sharpest point - so a middle aperture rather than small.



This is my favourite shot shown on this thread so far - nice image!
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Hiya,

Yes I do have a tripod (fortunately) which I have noticed does make a big difference, especially when using the timer.

I think my next aquisition will have to be a more adequate lens than the 18-55 I have.

Thanks for the info

Dawn :)
 
larry58 said:
I am loving the moon photos and was going to have a try as soon possible. With all the help with set up info hopefully i'll get some sort of image that resembles the moon. So here's hoping for a clear night some time soon.

Simon
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Hiya Simon

Ditto, I have so enjoyed viewing these moon pics, and the response to my initial thread has been awesome! Thanks to all for their input.

Tonight is a clear night and the moon is looking stunning (and apparently the bright star close to it is Mars). But I am not set up with the correct equipment to take any good shots tonight, so I am watching in anticipation that someone has managed to capture this oppurtinity tonight.

I have goosebumps just thinking of what may appear.... (here is hoping).

Good luck with your moon-walk

Take care

Dawn :)
 
StewartR said:
You don't.

Most lenses are at their sharpest at around f/5.6 to f/8, so that's the best aperture to use unless there's a good reason not to. In this case there isn't a good reason. There's plenty of light - remember, the bit of the moon you can see is bathed in full sunlight, so you need a "sunny day" exposure rather than a "night" exposure. An aperture of f/8 will give you a shutter speed of around 1/640th or 1/800th at ISO 400, which is fast enough to avoid camera shake.

Two-day-old moon, 9th Feb 2008 - f/8, 1/640th, ISO 400
Canon 350D, 100-400L @ 400mm plus 1.4x Extender
255447670_eBKDs-L.jpg


Remember to set the exposure manually so the camera isn't fooled by the huge expanse of black sky.
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Hiya StewartR

BRILLIANT photo!!!! I love it :)

This photo just goes to show that the moon isn't just gorgeous as a full moon, but is just a beautiful in all stages.

Thanks for the info and example.

Cheers

Dawn:)
 
I would just like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has contributed information and examples to this thread.

I have learned so much, and I hope others have too.

The examples are amazing and beautiful and the information and specifications very useful.

You are a great team, and hopefully I will soon be able to master what I want to achive from a moon shot and hopefully be able to frame a few for the house (my own art :D)

Happy togging

Take care

Dawn :)

P.S., this isn't a message to stop sending info, the more info and examples the better..... so keep it flowing please :)
 
Please no laughing (well you can if you want). First attempt at the moon so all the advice please chuck it my way.

4314631342_60c56a9483.jpg


Ps Still trying to make the picture larger

Simon
 
larry58 said:
Please no laughing (well you can if you want). First attempt at the moon so all the advice please chuck it my way.

4314631342_60c56a9483.jpg


Ps Still trying to make the picture larger

Simon
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Hey Larry58

That is far better than I got tonight so well done!!!

Dawn :)
 
Gonetae said:
Here's one of mine I took with the Sigma 50-500 APO EX.

Click on the image for a larger version. (y)



Tommy.
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Awww Tommy,

Thank you,

I despair .... I have to get the right lens before the next full moon (hmmmmm may need to rob a bank :LOL:)

Either that or beg, steal or borrow!!!

All I want to know is that with the right lens I can do it! Then I will make the move (a bit like a game of chess)

I have already made a big investment in purchasing my new camera, and am starting to wonder how much more I have to invest to just be happy and comfortable with achieving the pics that I want.

Dawn :)
 
i had fun, got very cold and my pics arent to clever
some very good ones above
 
Dawn you are absolutely right - the bright 'star' just to the left of the moon this evening is Mars.

If you feel like having some help to identify other objects in the night sky, there is a planetarium that is free to download that will give you a virtual view of the sky which updates in real time.

It's called Stellarium and can be downloaded from here.
 
Scarecrow said:
Dawn you are absolutely right - the bright 'star' just to the left of the moon this evening is Mars.

If you feel like having some help to identify other objects in the night sky, there is a planetarium that is free to download that will give you a virtual view of the sky which updates in real time.

It's called Stellarium and can be downloaded from here.
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Hey thanks Scarecrow,

Will check out the link.

Just been looking at the pics I took tonight of the moon and Mars. Will be posting a new thread with the pic.

Considering I didn't have any fancy lens, except for the kit, I think I got a pretty good capture (especially as that is how peeps would have seen it through the human eye).

Chat to you soon

Dawn :)
 
Good luck in your moon quest Dawn.It doesn,t have to cost a fortune to take some reasonable pics of the moon.I bought a second hand Nikon 70-300mm for £90 which gave me pretty good shots with my D50.There must be a cheap version for your Cannon of a similar length.Hope to see some of your efforts on here by the next full moon.
 
This was taken about 6 months ago on a sigma 150-500mm OS on a 400d..............(y)

work.3012135.2.flat,800x800,070,f.jpg
 
Ive just brought myself a canon 70-200 f4 L so im going to have another go tonight if its clear after seeing all the fantastic shots on here..............c'mon peeps get out there and give it another go, lets see what you can do...........(y)
 
Jack Flash said:
Good luck in your moon quest Dawn.It doesn,t have to cost a fortune to take some reasonable pics of the moon.I bought a second hand Nikon 70-300mm for £90 which gave me pretty good shots with my D50.There must be a cheap version for your Cannon of a similar length.Hope to see some of your efforts on here by the next full moon.
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Hi Jeff

Thanks :) I will make some enquiries online to see where I can get another lens for my camera.

Have a great weekend

D:)
 
Andy77 said:
Ive just brought myself a canon 70-200 f4 L so im going to have another go tonight if its clear after seeing all the fantastic shots on here..............c'mon peeps get out there and give it another go, lets see what you can do...........(y)
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Hiya Andy,

Lucky you, I hope tonight is clear for you to take some pics. Look forward to seeing the results.

Enjoy your weekend

Dawn :)
 
Cheers dawn and you i'll post some shots later tonight if its clear hopefully...................:D
 
drodd said:
Hiya

New to photography, I have recently bought a Canon EOS 1000D kit with EF-S 19-55mm lens

I love taking pictures of the moon, but tonight I have tried take some shots and they haven't been very successful.

Do I need to invest in a more powerful lens?

If so, what are your recommendations, please?

Or am I just not using my camera correctly to get a good shot. I can get an image, but it just looks like a big white eye with a halo around it.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

D :)
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The 19-55mm lens isn't gonna give you much of a close-up of the moon. The reason you're getting what looks like a white eye is because the shot is over exposed. What i do is put my camera in manual mode and set my iso to low and select my aperture then i take a pic and look at it to see if it's over exposed or underexposed. Then i change my shutter speed acordingly. Tripod and a cable release with mirror lock up helps with camera shake...
 
Here's a couple i took using my telescope...

CM.jpg


FullMoon-1.jpg
 
At the risk of this becoming a sample thread Dawn, here's another shot with the cheap 75-300 lens:



It may be a good way of testing the waters of shooting the moon without going to great expense initially then moving on to greater things if you find you really get into it. Alternatively you might try hiring a lens from Stewart to see how it goes. At any rate, good luck and show us some samples!
 
I wanted to take a shot of the full moon last night but it was cloudy and rained all the way to the morning! aaarrgh.

Maybe today i'll better luck and it'll still be full enough.
 
Markk said:
I wanted to take a shot of the full moon last night but it was cloudy and rained all the way to the morning! aaarrgh.

Maybe today i'll better luck and it'll still be full enough.
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I've actually found it's easier to take really good moon shots when it's not full - you get far more contrast since the light is less full-on.
 
No it won't because you account for crop factor
 
:agree: thats why a 24-70 on FF is roughly the same as the 17-55 on a crop ;)

Though if you only ever use crop sensor cameras like me you won't try and change all your lens sizes because they're not FF, just have to remember that if you ever go FF they will give different FOV.
 
I got agreat moon shot on the back of the rugger bus one year. It was our hooker.
 
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