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Tips for moon pics?

IronWing

IronWing

No Lifer
I've been working on getting better moon shots but seem to be missing something. There were three rings around the moon a few nights ago so I made some attempts to nail down the settings. My moons tend to get blitzed as in the first pic. The second pic is better but so far I get nothing consistent. Any tips on taking better moon pics? Nikon D90, 70-300VR

moonrings01.jpg


moonrings02.jpg
 
speedy2 said:
You're overexposing it. Try f/10 and a shutter speed around 1/160 sec.
Click to expand...

That would still overexpose the moon.

I tried this a few weeks ago. Ended up with f/9,1/800 and iso-250 on my D90 with a Sigma 70-300mm. Exposure was spot on, but being hand held there's a bit of motion blur. Definitely recommend a tripod for this.
 
basslover1 said:
That would still overexpose the moon.

I tried this a few weeks ago. Ended up with f/9,1/800 and iso-250 on my D90 with a Sigma 70-300mm. Exposure was spot on, but being hand held there's a bit of motion blur. Definitely recommend a tripod for this.
Click to expand...

really?

Rebel XT & Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 & 2x TC


Shutter: 1/160 sec
Aperture: F/10
Focal Length: 400MM
ISO-200
moon2lg4.jpg
 
Thanks guys. Basslover1 was pretty much spot on. The sample below is a crop of the jpg out of the camera. I noticed the D90 brightens up the jpegs relative to the raw shots; it looks like it stretches the histogram out. In fact the jpegs often showed blown out highlights where the raw images were fine. The raw images were across the board darker than the in-camera jpegs. I haven't worked with raw much so I haven't figured out how to get best results there yet.

This one was on the darker end of the scale.
F11, 1/800, ISO 200, 300mm
moonrings03.jpg
 
IronWing said:
I noticed the D90 brightens up the jpegs relative to the raw shots; it looks like it stretches the histogram out. In fact the jpegs often showed blown out highlights where the raw images were fine. The raw images were across the board darker than the in-camera jpegs.
Click to expand...

Are you using Active D-Lighting?

5110828375_2f16cc1b0c_b.jpg

f11, 1/30, 500mm, ISO 320

I've read that the worst time to shoot the moon is when it is full, as there is less contrast.
 
This was ISO 400, f7.1 and 1/500 sec with a Rebel XS at 300mm.

5059735784_815ecbc80a.jpg


Live view helps immensely with focusing. I didn't realize how quickly the moon moves. I was readjusting my tripod head every 2 to 3 minutes. I would say the biggest thing is to make sure you've got solid camera support. Also, use mirror lock up if you have it, though if you're using live view I guess that ends up being automatic.
 
OP, you found out in your original shots that it is VERY difficult to get the moon properly exposed in a shot where there is other subject matter that you are also trying to expose properly. The clouds look awesome, but the moon is a solid white ball. Unfortunately this is just how it goes. The moon is just so much brighter than everything else in the photo, that either you'll have a solid white moon while being able to see everything else, or everything else will be a black blob while the moon will be properly exposed. The only way to really get around this is to make two exposures and composite them.
 
Also, set your zoom at infiniti.

I know you were trying to get the moon bows, so you'll need a faster shutter to also keep the clouds from blurring out (from movement).

Otherwise, try doing it on a clear night as others have demonstrated.
 
Better safe than sorry when you're handholding and the subject is moving. At least brace the camera on something if you can.
 
actuarial said:
Is a tripod necessary at 1/500? Even with VR?
Click to expand...

I was under the impression that if you want to avoid blur from camera shake then you should aim for a shutter speed higher than the focal length. On my D90 (crop sensor) using my Sigma 70-300, I would want at a minimum 1/500.

I found it very hard to get good composition hand holding, though my hands do shake quite a bit anyway so I would recommend a tri-pod or even a mono-pod.
 
You guys are getting some really good shots. I've been practicing night shots now for the past few weeks with various configurations. I'm still a newbie with an EOS 20d. I just ordered an entry level tripod now just so I can eliminate the blur that comes from... well.... shaky hands!
 
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