Reading mode: Light Dark

photograpging the moon

Go to last post
H

helenhaze

Well-known member
Messages
110
Reaction score
0
Good evening. Could you please give me some initial settings for shooting the moon. I will be using a 5d and a 24-70 lens. Thank you for any replies
 
I suppose there is some amount of personal opinion involved but I'd suggest that the 24-70 won't get you anywhere near what you'd want in a moon shot. Below is one I took with my old Canon S2 IS before I purchased my 5D and 24-70. that is at its long end (something like a 432 mm equivalent). I think it turned out well enough, but I can't image using my 24-70 on a shot.



In any case though, for full or nearly full moons you can shoot at a fairly small aperture and fast shutter because it really is quite bright. You go too wide open or too slow and it gets over exposed easily. If I were going to try I'd probably start at maybe f5.6 or f8 and shoot 1/100 s or 1/200 s. Since the moon doesn't really move that fast (at least as we see it) you should have plenty of time to shoot, look, shoot. If you get something to turn out, post it, I'd be interested to see.

--
JP
 
24-70 isn't going to do it, at least not well.

This sequence was captured with a 40D (crop sensor, so effectively 1.6x "longer"), 70-200mm f/2.8L IS and 1.4x TC. Camera on Manual mode and adjusted settings based on display and histogram:



I could do that on my 5D as well, but resolution would have been lower due to the 5D's full frame. You're going to want more reach.
--

 
Normally, we would mention the sunny 16 rule (1/ISO for shutter speed at f/16 for full sun pictures) since the moon is in full sunlight. However, with that lens, the moon will be very small, so you won't resolve much detail in it at all. Consequently, it's probably other subject material that will be more important in your image. Compose your shot at a time of day where the moon will be next to something interesting. Perhaps have some water to reflect the moon. That will increase the effective size of the moon, since the reflection will be a long streak.

Where the moon is just an element of the composition, you want to expose for the rest of the picture.

Explore multiple exposures and long exposures, although the 5D has some issues with really long exposures.

Were there a total eclipse coming up, I'd say you have a great lens to illustrate the progression of the eclipse. In that case, you'd need to do your homework (simulation with skyviewcafe.com for example) to make sure you position the camera properly.

One other thing -- you might add an attachment, a telescope.
--
http://www.pbase.com/victorengel/

 
My first moon shot taken with a 100-400 @ 400 and MKIII. As mentioned, the moon is very bright, depending on where you focus / meter, you run a good risk of ending up with a small blown out white dot. Keep an eye on your histogram. The moon moves faster than you think ... keep your speed under a second or it will blur.



--
Regards,
John
 
I am assuming you will be using the moon as part of a larger composition, rather than looking to shoot the moon all by itself, as 70mm is just too short to capture much detail on the moon's surface - you would need at least 300mm, preferably more to get similar photos to the samples already posted.

Victor is correct, if exposing for the moon's surface, use the 'sunny 16' rule - ss = ISO at f/16 - the moon is a frontlit (by the sun!) exposure.

if using the moon as part of a larger landscape shot, expose for the rest of the shot, and let the moon be blown out! of note, the moon moves very fast, covering its own diameter every two minutes! even at 70mm, you will notice trailing (elongation) of the moon with an exposure as short as 2 seconds.

I took a few shots this evening with my XT, 135/2.8SF at ISO1600, f/2.8, ss1/30 - this was enough to show the local landscape (lit bridge) with the moon in background.

cheers,
S.
--
My XT IS Full Frame -- APS-C/FF of course!
So is my 5D -- 35mm/FF
 
This shot below was taken on a 40D, 100-400L, stacked 2x & 1.4x TCs, thus equivalent focal length of 1792mm. Slight crop on the sides:



Kind regards
Stephen
 
Super photo of the Moon Stephen !!!!

I agree with everyone else, you need a much longer lens..... and of course a tripod.

When I first started shooting the moon, I was told 1/125 & F11 is a good setting for shooting.... and it was, keeping at F11, and shooting at various shutter speeds either faster or slower than 1/125 I got some pretty good photos ... keeping in mind the moon is brighter some nights than it is the next.

--
Gillies
 
bed bug said:
This shot below was taken on a 40D, 100-400L, stacked 2x & 1.4x TCs,
thus equivalent focal length of 1792mm. Slight crop on the sides:
Click to expand...
I think your image looks surprisingly sharp for stacked teleconverters. Is it acceptably sharp even at 100%?

And what brand of teleconverters did you use? As far as I remember the Canon ones cannot be stacked. I haven't got particularly sharp results with any kind of teleconverter, at least not stacked. (I'm also using the 100-400 mm L.)

--
B. Slotte
Turku, Finland
http://bslotte.smugmug.com
 
As you would expect the 100% crop is not exactly the sharpest using two stacked TCs, however not as bad as I would have expected. Fortunately I also have a very good copy of the 100-400L. The TCs are both Kenko Pros.

Kind regards
Stephen
Benedict Slotte said:
bed bug said:
This shot below was taken on a 40D, 100-400L, stacked 2x & 1.4x TCs,
thus equivalent focal length of 1792mm. Slight crop on the sides:
Click to expand...
I think your image looks surprisingly sharp for stacked
teleconverters. Is it acceptably sharp even at 100%?

And what brand of teleconverters did you use? As far as I remember
the Canon ones cannot be stacked. I haven't got particularly sharp
results with any kind of teleconverter, at least not stacked. (I'm
also using the 100-400 mm L.)

--
B. Slotte
Turku, Finland
http://bslotte.smugmug.com
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Gillies and yes a tripod is definetly needed. The tripod I used was a Manfrotto 190xPro with a 410 geared head; this head is needed to do the ultra fine adjustments to enable to position the moon appropriately. It is amazin how that thing moves so quickly with this focal length set up.

Kind regards
Stephen
Gillies said:
Super photo of the Moon Stephen !!!!

I agree with everyone else, you need a much longer lens..... and of
course a tripod.

When I first started shooting the moon, I was told 1/125 & F11 is a
good setting for shooting.... and it was, keeping at F11, and
shooting at various shutter speeds either faster or slower than 1/125
I got some pretty good photos ... keeping in mind the moon is
brighter some nights than it is the next.

--
Gillies
Click to expand...
 
Hi there,

The 24-70 ist too short to get pictures which are big enough. 400mm is a good choice with the 5D - but 800mm is better (with 2x converter)

The exposure depends of the itensitivity of the moon light. Here are 2 examples - all were shot in Manual mode:

The first shot was taken with the 100-400mm (400mm)at f8 1/80 and ISO 100:



The second shot was taken with the 100-400mm and 2x converter (800mm) at f11 1/800 and ISO 400 (handheld):



Kind regards
Markus
 
... but only either in a certain order (1.4x in back, 2.0x in front) or a pair of 2.0x units. Of course, not all lenses can take the Canon's protruding front element, but most really long lenses can. And only the TC on the back is "seen" by the camera and reported in EXIF.
KP

--



http://www.ahomls.com/photo.htm
http://www.phillipsphotographer.com
Voted Best of the City 2004 by Cincinnati Magazine
I don't believe in fate, but I do believe in f/8!

'The urge to save humanity is always a false front for the urge to rule it.', H. L. Mencken
 
I set the camera to spot metering and try a few different apertures with longer lenses. Here is one from last night with a canon 500 f4.0 IS and a 1Ds with no TC's. I tried it with 1.4X as well as 2.0X TC but was not happy with the IQ.



Here is one I took a couple of years ago with a Canon 100-400 with a 1.4X TC and a 1Ds.



--
Lance
http://www.pbase.com/lancemoreland
 
You'll need a much longer lens on a 5D, Moon shots are all about focal length

and longer the better. A tripod is pretty essential and ean exposure in the region of 1/60th f8 iso 100 is a good starting point.

I use a 400mm and a 1.4x tc on a 40D and I still crop about 50%.

I remember from my old photography course...for every 100mm FL, yeilds a 1mm image of the moon on the film plane. So an effective 1000mm = 10mm image, which is about 1/2 of the height of a cropped sensor.

Regards,

Gareth Cooper
--
http://www.GMCPhotographics.com (weddings)
http://www.pbase.com/gazzajagman (other stuff)
http://www.gazzajagman.deviantart.com

'Science is what we dream of, technology is what we are stuck with' Douglas Adams
 
Here are my first attempts at shooting the moon:





My advice (in order of importance):
1) Wait for a clear fog-free sky
2) Use at least 1200mm optical focal length (with teleconverters).
3) Use the heaviest tripod you can afford/borrow.
4) Use cable release.
5) Use mirror lockup.
6) Use bean bags to further stabilize the lens.

For the above photos, I used tips 1 to 5.

False myth:

You cannot take nice telephoto moon photos from a metropolitan area because the city lights are too bright.

--
Matt Cham

My Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/mattcham/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top