Ken53
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Senior Member
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Posts: 2,270
Re: SX60 clear sky tonight on the east coast USA
1
Hi Ron
I am not real good at moon shots myself. Also everyone so far seems to be giving you good advice.
If you haven't done so yet, try setting your "High ISO NR" to low. Use Custom colors and set contrast -2. Also set the Sharpness a -2. To keep the color noise low you can set Saturation -2 also. The moon doesn't need any color. This is assuming you are PP the jpg. I don't shoot raw now days, but like others have said this could be better option.
Keep your shutter fast enough to keep the moon just slightly under exposed. Grey is better then blown out whites. When PP back down the highlights all the way if needed. Use the timer or better yet get a cheap Canon wired remote.
Now the tripod. This subject can get personal real fast, so be careful to read past the hype. This goes for manufacture's hype as well as personal hype.
A tripod's main function is to hold the camera rock solid. Every other feature is secondary to this. If it isn't steady, features don't matter.
The one I use now and for the shot below is the Slik Pro 700DX, ($139) with the included head.
http://www.amazon.com/700DX-Professional-Tripod-Panhead-615-315/dp/B0002EXF38/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420552736&sr=8-1&keywords=slik+pro+700dx
It is not the best by no means, but it is very very solid for the money. The head is crude but gets the job done, while being rock solid also. It is plenty tall so you may never need to extend the center post. Extending the center post is a no no. I love the round mounting plate because no aligning is needed. It is strong enough to handle future DSLR setups. The one weakness is the plastic locks. I keep them opened up when storing it. This will increase their life span. Keep in mind that weight in a tripod is your friend, unless your plan on carrying it far from you vehicle or home.
So here is my first and only moon shoot with the SX60 for now. If you have seen it already, I apologize. Remember that moon shots are highly dependent on location and air quality. Also ambient light is a factor also. The ambient light and air quality is a problem for me, living in town. I PP this jpg in the free WPG. The SX60 can do better then I have shown here. We will see this, as it gets used by more people.
Ken
