The Moon

TaoTeJared · April 2013

Since we don't have a Moon thread on the new site - here we go! Post photos and all the camera info!

D800 - Tokina 300mm f2.8 w/ 2x teleconverter (Kenko) @ f/8, 1/80th, ISO 100

For full moon I have always heard (and it works as a starting point) to shoot it at ISO 200, 1/250th, @ f/5.6. Depending on the season, light pollution, not a full moon, limitations on lens, etc. that moves a bit. That has always been where I start from and have good luck. I always shoot manual for it as well. The Moon tricks even the best meters.

Golf007sd · April 2013

Great shot buddy.

Msmoto · April 2013

Thanks, TTJ.

Nikon D4, 400mm f/2.8 VR Nikkor, TC14-EII, 1/250 f/7.1, ISO 5600, -3.0 ev Center weighted metering

Bigger: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fantinesfotos/7271196678/sizes/o/in/photostream/

This was shot during a car race at night....just a point and shoot....well, maybe a couple trials to figure out how to get exposure correct. I think the next time I will use center point metering, as close as possible to the lighted part of the moon. It looks like an 18% gray card to me...LOL

Rx4Photo · April 2013

Wow, What detail TTJ. Thanks, and thanks to the others as well.

TaoTeJared · April 2013

Thanks! Not bad for a 3rd party lens and a "sub-par" teleconverter! Not much post on it at all. 36mp makes a huge difference on that for sure.

tcole1983 · April 2013

Nice shot TTJ. I have been meaning to try with my 300 F4 and just haven't gotten around to it lately.

Lockon · April 2013

Here is my attempt when playing around with my new 80-400 IF AF-S:

(Click to see larger)

D800, new Nikon 80-400 , 1/400 ƒ/7.1 ISO 125 370 mm

ssj92 · April 2013

Wow, nice pictures!

Here's some:

D50 - ISO 800, f/9, 1/160s, Tamron 28-200 @ 200mm

D7100 - ISO 800, f/11, 1/320s, 1.3x crop mode, Tamron 28-200 @ 200mm

[Deleted User] · April 2013

A long time ago I found the following, don't know where, maybe it is something.

How to photograph the Moon

300mm minimaal (FX)
Lens op M/A, VR on, focal full
Servo AF-C
AF point single
ISO 200
Manual 1/250 f/8.0
Monochrome

Photoshop, Lightroom, Apple Aparture etc. will ignore Picture Control Setting and adjustments due to lack of built-in camera profiles. NX2 has this profiles.

macsavageg4 · April 2013

Taken with my D7000 through a Meade ETX-125-AT (2000mm F/15) 1/1000 sec at ISO 1600 (before I really understood ISO speeds and what they do to making pictures.)

I have done some other shots since then but none seem to be as good a shot because of haze in the night sky.

Edited to get the image to link correctly.

Gitzo · April 2013

@ macsavageg......How long have you had your ETX 125 Meade ? I had one for a couple of years before I moved from Ohio to Indiana; I left the telescope in my house in Ohio, and after a few years, burglars broke out a basement window and "burgled" my telescope.

For anyone interested in taking pictures of the moon, or any astronomical object........the by far "best way", is with a computer driven, equatorial mounted, astronomical telescope, with either a camera body attached to the telescope with a "T" mount, or much better yet, an astronomical CCD camera; go to any big "star party" and you'll see lots of people with lots of telescopes, all the way from little 4 inch Newtonian reflectors, to maybe 20 inch Dobsonians. And if you think "camera junkies" get a bunch of "bucks" tied up in their "toys", you should see what some of the "telescope junkies" get into ! BTW...........@ TTJ; Bravo, TTJ, that's probably the best image of old Luna I've see so far from a "regular" camera ! A tip for all "aspiring" moon photographers; don't bother with a full moon; try at least a week before OR after a full moon; shooting the full moon from planet earth is like photographing a bowling ball, lighted with one SB-900, straight-on; no contrast, no features, just way too much flat light. Even an image from a $ 1,000,000 observatory telescope isn't a whole lot better.

If you look at TTJ's shot, it was (wisely) made a few days before or after the full moon, and the lighting is improved remarkably; same with Tommie's shot.

macsavageg4 · April 2013

@ Gitzo... The Meade is actually one of my older brother's scopes. He picked his copy up in 2011. I have a Celestron C5 but it is no where near as nice a scope as the Meade. Thanks for the great advice on advice for shooting the moon as well. I will take that into account with the next time with the D800.

Amazing shots to see in this thread. I am hoping to add some more a little later on here. If I ever get the time to get either the C5 or the Meade out and try for some Solar shots with my solar filter that will fit either scope.

Edited to add time frame of the Meade scope purchase date and the stuff about solar shots.

tcole1983 · April 2013

So I don't feel left out and am not going to get a chance soon here are a couple from me...with an old P&S.

Sorry...carried away \:D/

flight3 · April 2013

Although the longest lens I have is a 50mm I found the moon to be very bright a while back. :P

Edit: The picture is actually "smoother" looking then this. I must have badly compressed it.

TaoTeJared · April 2013

D800 - but I didn't save any other info.

Ade · April 2013

Wow TTJ,

You managed to snap a virtually identical image of the moon as this one captured 7 years ago (resized for comparison):

Atik 2HS CCD / Jim Ferreira / Livermore, CA

Except the above picture was taken with a converted low-res CCD webcam and an 80mm telescope back in 2005! But almost the exact same moon angle, nearly identical phase of the moon, etc.

What are the odds?? Amazing! You should contact the other photographer! It would be neat to compare the new 36mp image vs. the old webcam capture.

TaoTeJared · April 2013

I'll be damned! I have noticed what Gitzo said above holds true...

A tip for all "aspiring" moon photographers; don't bother with a full moon; try at least a week before OR after a full moon; shooting the full moon from planet earth is like photographing a bowling ball, lighted with one SB-900, straight-on; no contrast, no features, just way too much flat light. Even an image from a $ 1,000,000 observatory telescope isn't a whole lot better.
If you look at TTJ's shot, it was (wisely) made a few days before or after the full moon, and the lighting is improved remarkably; same with Tommie's shot.

The best detail seems to be pulled when the moon is NOT full but a few days before and/or after.