How to shoot moon with D7100 Live View?

[starman1969]

I've recently purchased a Nikon D7100 & I'm just getting used to it compared to my D7000. I did try some moon shots tonight but I had a problem. No matter what aperture, shutter speed or ISO I chose, the moon was just an overexposed blob in Live View. This meant that I could not manually focus on it's features like I normally do.

I did not have this problem on my D7000. I would just stop down the aperture or up the shutter speed until the moon features were clearly visible on the screen. Then I would zoom in using Live View & carefully focus.

If anybody has any idea how to get round this I'd be thankful.

 

[Michael S.]

starman1969 wrote:

I've recently purchased a Nikon D7100 & I'm just getting used to it compared to my D7000. I did try some moon shots tonight but I had a problem. No matter what aperture, shutter speed or ISO I chose, the moon was just an overexposed blob in Live View. This meant that I could not manually focus on it's features like I normally do.

I did not have this problem on my D7000. I would just stop down the aperture or up the shutter speed until the moon features were clearly visible on the screen. Then I would zoom in using Live View & carefully focus.

If anybody has any idea how to get round this I'd be thankful.

--
They are watching us......

Hi Starman!

Hmm...should not be that difficult:
1) turn off Auto-Iso
2) Set to MANUAL mode
3) mirror lock-up
4) camera on tripod
5) set iso100, f5.6 and start with 1/250s
And just change the exposure after checking the picture made and how the levels came out.
If too bright - go up to 1/400s and the outer way around.

Here is my last shot of the (half)-moon from May 18th, 2013:

iso100, 1/250s:

kind regards,

--
Michael S.
EUROPE; dpreview since 2001
NIKON NPS Member
(check equipment via profile)

 

[starman1969]

Michael S. wrote:

starman1969 wrote:

I've recently purchased a Nikon D7100 & I'm just getting used to it compared to my D7000. I did try some moon shots tonight but I had a problem. No matter what aperture, shutter speed or ISO I chose, the moon was just an overexposed blob in Live View. This meant that I could not manually focus on it's features like I normally do.

I did not have this problem on my D7000. I would just stop down the aperture or up the shutter speed until the moon features were clearly visible on the screen. Then I would zoom in using Live View & carefully focus.

If anybody has any idea how to get round this I'd be thankful.

--
They are watching us......

Hi Starman!

Hmm...should not be that difficult:
1) turn off Auto-Iso
2) Set to MANUAL mode
3) mirror lock-up
4) camera on tripod
5) set iso100, f5.6 and start with 1/250s
And just change the exposure after checking the picture made and how the levels came out.
If too bright - go up to 1/400s and the outer way around.

Here is my last shot of the (half)-moon from May 18th, 2013:
iso100, 1/250s:

kind regards,

--
Michael S.
EUROPE; dpreview since 2001
NIKON NPS Member
(check equipment via profile)

Thanks for your answer. I'm ok with photographing the moon. The problem is the Live View screen just shows a white blob. I can not get a correctly exposed moon on the Live View screen, so I can't focus on it.

This image is what I can do when the camera plays ball.





--
They are watching us......

 

[Michael S.]

starman1969 wrote:
Thanks for your answer. I'm ok with photographing the moon. The problem is the Live View screen just shows a white blob. I can not get a correctly exposed moon on the Live View screen, so I can't focus on it.

Ok...I see I misunderstood your post...hmmm - so with the settings I provided your Live View Screen does not change exposure if you change the shutter speed? It should do - if I change the shutter, exposure on my Live-View changes, if I change iso - exposure on my Live-View changes.

kind regards,

 

[CuriousMark]

Michael S. wrote:

starman1969 wrote:
Thanks for your answer. I'm ok with photographing the moon. The problem is the Live View screen just shows a white blob. I can not get a correctly exposed moon on the Live View screen, so I can't focus on it.

Ok...I see I misunderstood your post...hmmm - so with the settings I provided your Live View Screen does not change exposure if you change the shutter speed? It should do - if I change the shutter, exposure on my Live-View changes, if I change iso - exposure on my Live-View changes.

kind regards,

--
Michael S.
EUROPE; dpreview since 2001
NIKON NPS Member
(check equipment via profile)

I think the DX cameras are different. My experience with a D5000, which may be no closer to Starman1969's D7100 than your Full Frame, is that the lens aperture stays wide open no matter what the setting is and the live view screen tries to self adjust to the brightness of the whole image. When I press the shutter halfway, it brightens considerable and then once focused dims back down, but usually not enough if the subject is very bright and doesn't fill the entire frame. Zooming with the + button doesn't seem to help either. So far I have not found a setting that lets me work around this.

 

[Hotphotons]

Have you tried going into your setup menu and setting the LCD brightness down to minimum? On the D7000 it used to go from -3 to +3 if I remember correctly.

 

[starman1969]

Have you tried going into your setup menu and setting the LCD brightness down to minimum? On the D7000 it used to go from -3 to +3 if I remember correctly.

Thanks for the replies. This is not a problem on the D7000. I will have to look into the settings on the 7100 to see if I can rectify it.
--
They are watching us......

 

[just Tony]

I have a D800 which is going to be different but see what these ideas might lead to with your camera.

It sounds like the live view is doing an exposure preview, and that you are also set to matrix or center weighted metering. Maybe if you switch to the spot pattern and aim the focus point at the moon this will tame the displayed image.

On the D800 hitting the OK button during live view toggles exposure preview on and off, give that a try.

If you have 2 live view modes (still and video) try the other mode.

If you can zoom the display in live view to a very high magnification that would be another way for the unwanted auto exposure function to become limited to just the bright part of the frame.

I tend to use manual exposure mode for moon shots, and some of the techniques listed above would work best in manual.

 

[nVd650]

I've recently purchased a Nikon D7100 & I'm just getting used to it compared to my D7000. I did try some moon shots tonight but I had a problem. No matter what aperture, shutter speed or ISO I chose, the moon was just an overexposed blob in Live View. This meant that I could not manually focus on it's features like I normally do.

I did not have this problem on my D7000. I would just stop down the aperture or up the shutter speed until the moon features were clearly visible on the screen. Then I would zoom in using Live View & carefully focus.

If anybody has any idea how to get round this I'd be thankful.

 

[Emulsion Side]

I have figured out how to manually focus on the moon with a Nikon DX format camera. I own a D300s and the same blob problem exist in live when you try to zoom in to focus on the moon. Somehow the exposure system is still somewhat active in manual mode in live view. The trick is to set up your shoot in live view without zooming the LCD screen. Go to your menu and turn AF Activation off, this will deactivate the auto focus from the shutter release button. Leave the camera in autofocus for the moment. Use single point focus and press the AF button to auto focus on the moon. Immediately after the camera focuses press exposure lock (AL). Now you can zoom all the way in on the lCD, put your camera in manual focus and manually focus the lens then turn off the exposure lock. You are ready to shoot. I also have a Nikon D700 and the blob problem does not exist with that camera. I can just go to live view zoom in a focus without playing the strange game with AL Lock.

 

[swimswithtrout]

I have figured out how to manually focus on the moon with a Nikon DX format camera. I own a D300s and the same blob problem exist in live when you try to zoom in to focus on the moon. Somehow the exposure system is still somewhat active in manual mode in live view. The trick is to set up your shoot in live view without zooming the LCD screen. Go to your menu and turn AF Activation off, this will deactivate the auto focus from the shutter release button. Leave the camera in autofocus for the moment. Use single point focus and press the AF button to auto focus on the moon. Immediately after the camera focuses press exposure lock (AL).

I'm not using a lens, my D7100 is mounted to my telescope, so there is no AF or aperture to control. I've had to rely on just using the viewfinder, the old fashioned way, and getting focus as best I can. I'll snap a few trials then examine them in playback at full zoom, and once satisfied, lock down the focus tube.

I've also tried using a bright star or Jupiter in Liveview, locking focus, then switching to the moon, with mixed results.

Nikon definitely dropped the ball in their implementation of Liveview.

 

[starman1969]

I have figured out how to manually focus on the moon with a Nikon DX format camera. I own a D300s and the same blob problem exist in live when you try to zoom in to focus on the moon. Somehow the exposure system is still somewhat active in manual mode in live view. The trick is to set up your shoot in live view without zooming the LCD screen. Go to your menu and turn AF Activation off, this will deactivate the auto focus from the shutter release button. Leave the camera in autofocus for the moment. Use single point focus and press the AF button to auto focus on the moon. Immediately after the camera focuses press exposure lock (AL).

I'm not using a lens, my D7100 is mounted to my telescope, so there is no AF or aperture to control. I've had to rely on just using the viewfinder, the old fashioned way, and getting focus as best I can. I'll snap a few trials then examine them in playback at full zoom, and once satisfied, lock down the focus tube.

I've also tried using a bright star or Jupiter in Liveview, locking focus, then switching to the moon, with mixed results.

Nikon definitely dropped the ball in their implementation of Liveview.

I never quite managed to get round the problem even after all this time but I've now upgraded to FF. I am keeping my older D7000 though, because that camera works very well for the moon. No white blob syndrome!

 

[Trollmann]

Just wondering - I do not use Nikon cameras but my Sony cameras have a wonderful menu option:

- Live view display - setting effect on/off

Setting effect on show the live view image excactly as the final image will be (also when using manual settings - and also when the camera is hooked up to a telescope).

Setting effect off will boost the signal (wonderful for finding my way around among stars and for adjusting focus using a single star - but the live view moon looks like a big white blob).

Your Nikon camera might have a similar menu option - or???

 

[swimswithtrout]

I haven't changed a thing, so it must be some "in camera adjustment", to adjust for more of the frame filled with the gibbous moon.

I could scroll all over at max zoom and adjust focus perfectly for this result.

 

[starman1969]

I haven't changed a thing, so it must be some "in camera adjustment", to adjust for more of the frame filled with the gibbous moon.

I could scroll all over at max zoom and adjust focus perfectly for this result.

Nice image. I'm back to using my D7000 for the moon now and there is no problem with the moon now. I'm still not sure exactly why that was happening. Understandable if it was in auto exposure mode and overcompensating for the blackness surrounding the moon, making it look like a white blob. This happened in any mode, even manual at 1/8000 sec and ISO 100 !!!

--
They are watching us......

 

[Aquariz]

What do you mean by "Go to your menu and turn AF Activation off" ? Which menu?

 

[Aquariz]

I have figured out how to manually focus on the moon with a Nikon DX format camera. I own a D300s and the same blob problem exist in live when you try to zoom in to focus on the moon. Somehow the exposure system is still somewhat active in manual mode in live view. The trick is to set up your shoot in live view without zooming the LCD screen. Go to your menu and turn AF Activation off, this will deactivate the auto focus from the shutter release button. Leave the camera in autofocus for the moment. Use single point focus and press the AF button to auto focus on the moon. Immediately after the camera focuses press exposure lock (AL). Now you can zoom all the way in on the lCD, put your camera in manual focus and manually focus the lens then turn off the exposure lock. You are ready to shoot. I also have a Nikon D700 and the blob problem does not exist with that camera. I can just go to live view zoom in a focus without playing the strange game with AL Lock.

What do you mean by "Go to your menu and turn AF Activation off" ? Which menu?

 

[starman1969]

Yes, I'm still here and suffering the same problem on my D600 & D800E. When I frame the moon in Live View it is just an overexposed white blob, no matter what settings I have. That means I can not use it to focus. Maybe one day I will find out what causes it.

Of course I can get a nice picture of the moon with the settings I know, but WHY does it blob out in Live View??

 

[Aquariz]

I'm not hugely clued up about this in a theoretical sense but from my personal experience the only way I can get a reliable shot is to set up the shutter and aperture to what I think it should be, and then to focus using the viewfinder. Trying to focus with the live view just never works for me.

 

[StanleyR]

Yes, I'm still here and suffering the same problem on my D600 & D800E. When I frame the moon in Live View it is just an overexposed white blob, no matter what settings I have. That means I can not use it to focus. Maybe one day I will find out what causes it.

Of course I can get a nice picture of the moon with the settings I know, but WHY does it blob out in Live View??