Full moon fever!!/Lunar "X"/General moon shots

[cocky jeremy]

Through the fog


Less fog for this shot

[initialsBB]

Originally Posted by PWNkake

I used Gary's write up found here: http://www.garyseronik.com/?q=node/52

Very detailed and works like a charm.

So cool ! One thing I didn't understand from the instructions was the polar alignment. Could you explain that to me ?

[mtbdudex]

My supermoon attempt last weekend:
Tried for moon/landscape in widefield foreground, cloudy.

Still cloudy Sat 5/5 night, however my dog woke me up 3:15am Sunday morning for her potty break, and there was a slight parting of the clouds, took the gear out and captured this just as the clouds were closing in again on Luna....


Then, a nice crescent moon 2 morning's ago, got the gear out and captured the earthshine portion as well http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetshine
Model: Canon EOS REBEL T1i
ISO: 800, Exposure: 1.3 sec, Aperture: 6.3, Focal Length: 560mm

[Doctor Q]

Everybody catching the solar eclipse today? It's just arriving where I am.

Image from L.A. Times:

[SandboxGeneral]

The best I can do is watch online. I found this site....


http://events.slooh.com/

[Surely]

I took a few photos with my iPhone 4 of the solar eclipse. Nothing too exciting, but I figured I'd share.

You can see the eclipse in the lens flare in the first photo:



<nerd>I made a pinhole viewer with a paper towel roll, paper, a pin, and some tape.</nerd> Here is the result:

[Doctor Q]

Clouds rolled in just as the sun was "getting good" here, but I took an iPhone photo for the record.

[mtbdudex]

I missed the solar eclipse here in SE Michigan

Just captured Luna & earthshine May 23, 2012 setting above the west treeline
© Michael A Rosinski


as seen @ 160 mmabove the home


as seen with "proper" exposure @ 560mm + crop

[mtbdudex]

delete

[kallisti]

Possible this has been posted earlier in the thread, but it's now 10 pages and I admit I haven't read all of them.

Suggestions for optimal gear for photographing the moon? Clearly a good tripod and head. Longer lens +/- teleconverter. How long does the lens need to be to resolve crater detail on the moon? Does a higher megapixel body help you for this specific application?

Technique wise, using a remote release and mirror up if possible. Live View? How much does aperture matter for something that far away (i.e. better to shoot totally stopped down and accept diffraction (while possibly improving on focus errors) vs open up to the point where the lens you are using is at its "sweet spot")?

Given the distance of the subject, significant cropping is going to be needed to fill the frame with the moon. Which means focus accuracy is going to play a role. Optics will also play a role: presumably lenses with better resolving power will produce better images compared to consumer lenses at a given focal length. Longer lenses should also produce better results (tempered by the quality of the lens in question). Camera body (sensor quality and/or megapixels) might also play a role (i.e. Nikon D700 vs D800; resolving power of the lens vs resolving power of the sensor).

Thoughts?


While I don't normally post gear info, in this case I think it is appropriate:
Nikon 300 f/2.8 @ f/11. ISO 100. 1/80 sec. 2x teleconverter (TC-20EIII). D800. Gitzo tripod with Markins head. Live View for focus (zoomed in). Remote release. Mirror up at the time of capture.

Despite all this, I'm not sure there is more detail compared to moon shots I've taken with a D700 and/or consumer zoom.

The image is clearly soft, which is annoying. Limits of optics or a lens/body issue (i.e. need to focus calibrate the lens, other settings in the body I ignored)?

[fpnc]

Originally Posted by kallisti

...The image is clearly soft, which is annoying. Limits of optics or a lens/body issue (i.e. need to focus calibrate the lens, other settings in the body I ignored)?

Once you have the focus mastered (which needs to be done VERY carefully, preferably using manual focus) the next most important factors are camera/tripod vibration and the seeing conditions of the atmosphere. The lens will obviously make some difference but unless you have good focus, a really solid mount, and a stable atmosphere even the "best" lens and camera won't help.

It's hard to tell what happened with your moon shot, but it kind of looks like camera motion (note the double or blurred edge of the moon).

Also, 600mm (300mm with 2X converter) is a little "short" for a highly detailed shot of the moon (it should, however, be better than what you posted). Here is a link (on Flickr) to a picture I took using a Sony NEX-5N at an effective focal length of 860mm (430mm f.l. telescope + 2X barlow):


Fools' Day Moon

[lordonuthin]

Originally Posted by kallisti

Possible this has been posted earlier in the thread, but it's now 10 pages and I admit I haven't read all of them.

Suggestions for optimal gear for photographing the moon? Clearly a good tripod and head. Longer lens +/- teleconverter. How long does the lens need to be to resolve crater detail on the moon? Does a higher megapixel body help you for this specific application?

I would hope so but it depends on the lens as well.

Originally Posted by kallisti

Technique wise, using a remote release and mirror up if possible. Live View? How much does aperture matter for something that far away (i.e. better to shoot totally stopped down and accept diffraction (while possibly improving on focus errors) vs open up to the point where the lens you are using is at its "sweet spot")?

I would say the sweet spot should work best but I would also try wide open and 1 and 2 stops down.

Originally Posted by kallisti

Given the distance of the subject, significant cropping is going to be needed to fill the frame with the moon. Which means focus accuracy is going to play a role. Optics will also play a role: presumably lenses with better resolving power will produce better images compared to consumer lenses at a given focal length. Longer lenses should also produce better results (tempered by the quality of the lens in question). Camera body (sensor quality and/or megapixels) might also play a role (i.e. Nikon D700 vs D800; resolving power of the lens vs resolving power of the sensor).

You have hit all the salient points here, it could also be a mismatch between the 2x converter and the lens, sometimes they just don't work well together.

Originally Posted by kallisti

Thoughts?

While I don't normally post gear info, in this case I think it is appropriate:
Nikon 300 f/2.8 @ f/11. ISO 100. 1/80 sec. 2x teleconverter (TC-20EIII). D800. Gitzo tripod with Markins head. Live View for focus (zoomed in). Remote release. Mirror up at the time of capture.

Despite all this, I'm not sure there is more detail compared to moon shots I've taken with a D700 and/or consumer zoom.

The image is clearly soft, which is annoying. Limits of optics or a lens/body issue (i.e. need to focus calibrate the lens, other settings in the body I ignored)?

You should also be focused at infinity in this case. It is too bad you can't get a better shot with a 300 f/2.8 lens and Nikon teleconverter.

[Doctor Q]

Perhaps we need a different thread for this, but whoever likes to take moon shots will probably want to watch for today's Transit of Venus as the planet passes in front of the sun.

Or wait for the next Transit of Venus in 2117.

[fpnc]

Originally Posted by Doctor Q

Perhaps we need a different thread for this, but whoever likes to take moon shots will probably want to watch for today's Transit of Venus as the planet passes in front of the sun.

Or wait for the next Transit of Venus in 2117.

There is already an active thread for miscellaneous astrophotography --

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=874356

[Doctor Q]

Originally Posted by fpnc

There is already an active thread for miscellaneous astrophotography --

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=874356

Great. Thanks for the tip!

[fpnc]

Apollo 11 landed in a spot that is near to the top left of this photo.


Mare Nectaris and the Apollo 11 Landing Site on Flickr you can read additional details about this image and view another photo that covers an area that is just south of Mare Nectaris.

Both photos were taken two days ago with a Celestron NextStar 5 telescope and a Sony NEX-5N digital camera.

[mtbdudex]

Great imaging fpnc!!

kallisti - I'd say your moon image suffers from shutter speed too slow and/or slight motion of your tripod/rig, which shows up similar to slight outta focus. When I shoot 560mm via 70-200 + stacked 2x & 1.4x tele, I always try and keep the shutter speed above 1/250 sec at least.

I only shoot f11 at full moon, open up the aperture as the moon gets dimmer, or up the ISO from 100 to 200/400 etc.

Even when seeing conditions are not ideal, I still get some part of the moon crisp detail and some slight soft, yours is all soft.

On my Canon T1i I use Liveview at 10x and then focus via contrast detection, it works wonders for dialing the zoom spot on. Your Nikon 300 has similar capability?

Here is one of my better 560mm zoom moon shots, even this not 100% crisp
ISO: 200
Exposure: 1/250 sec
Aperture: 5.6 (f8 with 1.4 tc)
Focal Length: 400mm (560mm but the 1.4 tc is not added)

[Doctor Q]

Nice shot, mtbdudex. Your photo will let us study if it's a rabbit or a man!

[mtbdudex]

Originally Posted by Doctor Q

Nice shot, mtbdudex. Your photo will let us study if it's a rabbit or a man!

Ha, thx for posting those links, never knew that, learn something new every day.
For the record, I do see a rabbit now, why'd I not see it before?

Now I have something to ask the adults and kids this Friday when (3) neighbor families come over for euchre night.

Q: Kids/Adults, what do you see when looking at this image of the moon?
(viewed using my TV(160) of course)

I'll post their response(s)

[mtbdudex]

Last nights full moon about 10:30pm after it rose above the slight haze in the horizon.

[mtbdudex]

Here's a 92% waning gibbous Moon for my fiend Alan to guide him home on his 10 hour drive back to NYC, taken just as he pulled away from my driveway.

Were born, we live, we die; very early along that journey I was fortunate to meet you Al, safe travels!


T1i, ISO 100, Exposure 1/250 sec, Aperture 8.0, Focal Length 560mm

[fpnc]

It's been a while, but here is something I took yesterday using a Celestron C6.


Daybreak on Copernicus

You can see a larger version and read more details about this photo on my Flickr page.

[mtbdudex]

4/30 560mm via 200mm+2xTC + 1.4xTC


vs
5/1 2100mm via EdgeHD 800 CGEM @ prime focus

which do you prefer?

This shows that seeing conditions make so much difference in moon shots.
At 4x the power I'd expect much better detail, (as long as focus correct), yet not so here

[mtbdudex]

Testing out full moon exposures every 3min 30 seconds and stacked using StarStax, now for tonight's full super moon I need to get appropriate foreground into the scene
(via real exposures, not PP)