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mtbdudex

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Aug 28, 2007
2,851
5,012
SE Michigan
Great shots everyone.

Shot last night.

web.jpg

Very nice detail DaveOZ, I see you shoot @ 600mm; via 300mm and 2x TC or (2) 1.4x TC stacked?
My next purchase may be TC, I'm debating 2x or 1.4x
 

DaveOZ

macrumors 6502
May 13, 2008
398
316
Yes Mike, did you see my post on dpreview?

Nikkor 300 2.8 + TC20 + TC14. The metadata in Aperture only reports 600mm so I assume it can't see the TC14.

I've played with this combo in daylight and I'm very happy with the results but I am starting with a decent 300mm lens.

I have the new Nikon TC20E III and I am very happy with it. The TC14 is obviously a stellar TC too. To stack them I had to file the smallest tab off the lock ring on the TC14. The Kenko TCs can be stacked without modification.
 

kallisti

macrumors 68000
Apr 22, 2003
1,751
6,670
A couple I took the other night.

4402504953_786e0577f5_o.jpg

Large dynamic range. Had to decide whether to keep the branches visible or to make the moon something other than a white blob. It's obvious which I chose....

4402504991_5823771538_o.jpg

Moon visible on the left (so it still fits in this thread :)). Playing around with a tripod and my new 16-35 lens. Orion is (faintly) visible on the right (the 3 dots in a row making up his belt). Not really a keeper, but this is one of my first efforts at a night shot with a tripod. The clouds almost salvaged this....

4402505015_86651c58b1_o.jpg

Along with the above shot, my first attempts at playing with my new 16-35. Noticeable distortion at 16mm (the horizon isn't even close to being straight).
 

mtbdudex

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Aug 28, 2007
2,851
5,012
SE Michigan
I really like the eeriness of the 1st one kallisti.
I've taken shots of the moon lighting up clouds, and tried various exposure settings and can't seem to nail down the perfect one for lighting the clouds w/o over exposure of the moon (keeping some detail).
Probably massive PP needed to capture both.

Therefore: Next challenge is moon shots & clouds!

I shot this morning, clear skies, I've almost exhausted my moon phase captures and detail possible with 50-250 kit lens, a few more and I'm going to PP 7-9 into a moon phase visual.
_MG_4967.jpg
 

mtbdudex

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Aug 28, 2007
2,851
5,012
SE Michigan
Just playing taking moon sliver shots here....

Shot yesterday 8:20pm 3/17/10. ISO 400, 1/100 sec, f 5.6
_MG_5209.jpg


Shot this evening 8:15pm 3/18/10 ISO 200, 1/125 sec, f 5.6
_MG_5277.jpg
 

NeGRit0

macrumors 6502a
Apr 19, 2008
941
185
Las Vegas, Nv
How do i get the focus like yours?

Here's one i shot a few weeks ago...

Clickable...


EXIF INFO:
Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure: 2.5
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 133 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
 

John.B

macrumors 601
Jan 15, 2008
4,195
706
Holocene Epoch
The problem with taking a shot of the moon with landscape objects is that the lack of ambient light from the sun invariably overexposes the moon or underexposes the landscape.

If you want that crisp shot of the moon with all the relief in sharp focus then you'll need some serious zoom and only include the moon and expose as if it were almost direct sunlight (as it's actually reflected sunlight). Guys with 400mm lenses sometimes stack two 2x extenders to get that shot.

Instead, if you want that "moon over the horizon" shot with the clouds or mountains or surf in the background, you'll actually want to take that shot before dusk while there is still enough ambient light to expose the landscape so that the background isn't underexposed. (So there isn't such a large delta between the bright moon and the dark landscape; similar to what you have to do to get an indoor shot during the day with direct light streaming in through a window.)

In my experience you can have one or the other, but not both.

Here's one i shot a few weeks ago...

Clickable...


EXIF INFO:
Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure: 2.5
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 133 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
 

mtbdudex

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Aug 28, 2007
2,851
5,012
SE Michigan
NeGRit0, JohnB covered the exposure part, he's right on.
Your shot looks so captivating, I do love how the clouds are painted with light, I'm trying myself to get one like yours.
Timing, timing, and having the equipment with you when opportunity presents itself.

I assume you want a wide zoom shot with clarity, rather than a zoomed detail moon shot, correct? Zoomed shots with a 250mm you can get similar detail like mine, else you need some serious $$$ and equipment like JohnB mentioned..

you asked "How do i get the focus like yours?" Mine was zoomed of moon, so different animal.
Since you took a 2.5 sec exposure clouds and moon will be moving in that time, so they'd appear blurry like you captured.
I'd experiment with a series of higher ISO and shorter time to get sharper picts. Yea, a lot to remember when the moment is happening, but that's our challenge as photographer.
Captured in RAW, then see if with PP you can get a image worthy.

For your shot, how did you set the focus before taking the shot?
I like to use live view, 10x, contrast focus, then set the lens to manual.
 

NeGRit0

macrumors 6502a
Apr 19, 2008
941
185
Las Vegas, Nv
Thank you for the responses guys.

@John.B: Im somewhat confused by this
Instead, if you want that "moon over the horizon" shot with the clouds or mountains or surf in the background, you'll actually want to take that shot before dusk while there is still enough ambient light to expose the landscape so that the background isn't underexposed. (So there isn't such a large delta between the bright moon and the dark landscape; similar to what you have to do to get an indoor shot during the day with direct light streaming in through a window.)

Are you saying to get that type of shot of the moon you have to do it before the sun sets?


@mtbdudex: I like my shot as well, i just didnt want the moon to be a big white blob. I also love the detail that you get in your shots. any kind of detail/relief in mine would have been better, IMO. I understand that with the longer exposure things are going to blur. I figured the clouds would i could see them moving while i was standing there, but would the moon blur in a 2.5 second exposure?

This is the lens that i was shooting with, would this even be capable of seeing any relief on the moon? If you can get it at 250mm, shouldnt i be able to get it with that lens? Or is this a crappy lens? My now ex gf bought it for me on my last bday. I cant even find this exact lens mentioned on sigmas actual site...

As for the focusing i have an XTi, no live preview. :( So i looked through the viewfinder and attempted my best manual focus.


Thank you again for the help, and kind words. And you are correct it is a lot to remember when photographing, but I really enjoy it. Plus when a photo doesn't come out as planned, or how i saw it, i try to figure out why, so i can fix it next time i want to shoot something similar. Lots, and lots of learning!
 

mtbdudex

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Aug 28, 2007
2,851
5,012
SE Michigan
NeGRit0, you definitely should be able to get same/better moon detail than I, you have 300mm zoom I'm at 250mm.


My zoom shots are @ 250mm, max for my lens, shoot yours @ 300mm, and exposure for daylite. Full moon start with ISO 100 f10 1/250sec, then vary aperture from there. Partial moon up the ISO to 200, then balance lowering the fstop and shutter speed in steps.
It's best to underexposure the moon slightly while taking it, then do some PP afterward.

When in live view I can see the moon moving in the picture, so it definitely needs "fast" shutter to capture detail. The slowest I've shot the moon and kept decent detail is 1/100 I think, maybe 1/80.

fwiw, I took these shots @ 55mm of the moon setting over my home, 1 sec and 1/4 sec, did some PP to show the home, it was too dark.
I was testing capturing the crescent moon setting over my home, you can see it moved even in 1/4 sec so much wider crescent than the crop view I posted shows (taken same night)
I'm more and more amazed at the human eye and what we see "naturally" with it.
clickable
 

NeGRit0

macrumors 6502a
Apr 19, 2008
941
185
Las Vegas, Nv
mtbdudex: Thanks for taking the time to help. I will be watching the night sky for sure this week. The help and suggestions are much appreciated. The only thing that worries me is im not going to be able to get the focus right, because i dont have LiveView, but we shall see what happens. ;)
 

mtbdudex

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Aug 28, 2007
2,851
5,012
SE Michigan
mtbdudex: Thanks for taking the time to help. I will be watching the night sky for sure this week. The help and suggestions are much appreciated. The only thing that worries me is im not going to be able to get the focus right, because i dont have LiveView, but we shall see what happens. ;)

My first couple of times shooting the moon were w/o using live view.
I'd do the best focus I could, take 2-3 shots with different exposure settings.
Then just slightly tweak the focus to right, and take 2-3 with same settings as 1st time, then tweak focus to left (just past original spot) and take 2-3 with same settings. Yes, I had a small flashlight to see when adj the focus.

You can zoom in on picture taken after right? Display then zoom?
Should be able to confirm focus that way.
Good luck, nailing moon shots was addicting for me, at times I was up 2am , 3am, whatever just wanting clear skies and the moon. I'm almost done with capturing the moon in it's phases with good shots. (as good as my kit lens will "allow")
 

Patriks7

macrumors 65816
Oct 26, 2008
1,421
626
Vienna
Shot this tonight. Was my first time I actually metered it properly (or so I think)
4454348819_41c0952f98.jpg

Settings: 1/13s, f/11, ISO 100 @ 225mm (with 55-250 IS) on a tripod

Any suggestions for improvement?
 

John.B

macrumors 601
Jan 15, 2008
4,195
706
Holocene Epoch
@John.B: Im somewhat confused by this

Are you saying to get that type of shot of the moon you have to do it before the sun sets?
Yes, for a moonrise over a landscape, that's exactly right.

In the example of a poorly lit room with sunlight streaming through the window, the easiest solution is to add some fill lighting so the dynamic range of the shot isn't more than the camera sensor can handle.

Then think of dusk being nature's version of fill lighting, but on a really big scale. Sometimes it's the filtered light from a setting sun that you'll want, sometimes it's the diffuse light leftover just as the sun dips past the horizon. For a few minutes, it gives you an opportunity to equalize the DR between the moon and landscape. Random examples from a google search here and here.

By the time midnight rolls around, it's almost impossible to capture the moon in relief and sharp focus in the same shot as properly exposed clouds (or whatever). In my experience, the only solution then is to try to bracket exposures and stitch together the correctly exposed parts via HDR, but that isn't going to happen if your shutter speed is measured in seconds.
 

NeGRit0

macrumors 6502a
Apr 19, 2008
941
185
Las Vegas, Nv
Yes, for a moonrise over a landscape, that's exactly right.

In the example of a poorly lit room with sunlight streaming through the window, the easiest solution is to add some fill lighting so the dynamic range of the shot isn't more than the camera sensor can handle.

Then think of dusk being nature's version of fill lighting, but on a really big scale. Sometimes it's the filtered light from a setting sun that you'll want, sometimes it's the diffuse light leftover just as the sun dips past the horizon. For a few minutes, it gives you an opportunity to equalize the DR between the moon and landscape. Random examples from a google search here and here.

By the time midnight rolls around, it's almost impossible to capture the moon in relief and sharp focus in the same shot as properly exposed clouds (or whatever). In my experience, the only solution then is to try to bracket exposures and stitch together the correctly exposed parts via HDR, but that isn't going to happen if your shutter speed is measured in seconds.

Ok, I get it now. I tell you, I learn something new everyday on this forum. Thank you for taking the time to break that down for me. :)
 

Hitrate

macrumors 6502
Mar 25, 2009
450
194
Copenhagen
Not nearly the same level as the other pics in this post, but I thought I'd try a few pic's of the moon this evening. So here goes...taken with a point and shoot Casio Z750 7mpix camera, full zoom and cropped a bit..:


cimg5527t.jpg
 

mtbdudex

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Aug 28, 2007
2,851
5,012
SE Michigan
These taken Monday 4/5 early morning after storms went thru:

Break in the clouds, using my EF-S 55-250 kit lens @ 250mm, ISO 100, 1/125, f 6.3
_MG_5643.jpg


And 10 minutes later more clouds came in, so I tried to capture the clouds with moonlight and star field. I took a bunch of shots at various time exposures and zooms, this wide shot turned out best.
using my EF-S 18-55 kit lens @ 18mm, 6 sec exposure, ISO 800, f6.3
clickable
_MG_5667.jpg
 

mtbdudex

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Aug 28, 2007
2,851
5,012
SE Michigan
Shot this tonight. Was my first time I actually metered it properly (or so I think)
4454348819_41c0952f98.jpg

Settings: 1/13s, f/11, ISO 100 @ 225mm (with 55-250 IS) on a tripod

Any suggestions for improvement?
Looks good, though 1/13 sec slightly slow shutter speed. I'd change the exposure via faster shutter speed and wider aperture for capturing more crisp detail.
Slight underexposure the moon and bring it up in PP seems to keep the detail and also minimizes too much white/washout of the moon.
What PP did you do here? My basic workflow for PP:
If you shot in jpeg your in camera settings should add sharpness/detail, if you shoot in RAW format do this:
1: Import , crop not centered but slightly off center in rectangular crop
2: Levels>AutoLevel (I've done the eyedropper on white/grey and autolevels does a decent job on moon shots, enough to quickly automate)
3: Darken highlights 20%
4: unsharp mask 1 pixel usually between 90% - 150%, most of mine are about 125%, I watch to make sure not oversharpened (pict will get “sparkies” on it)
5: Save as jpeg for upload, keep original RAW also

Because of atmospheric minute-minute changes I usually take 3 shots each 1-2 minutes apart, one is always better due to “still air up there”.
Keep the keeper, throw away the others.
 

mtbdudex

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Aug 28, 2007
2,851
5,012
SE Michigan
Thursdays are my daughters soccer practice, so was shooting the moon as clouds passed over:
These are handheld with my 55-250 kit lens.

RAW upload w/o any PP:
_MG_6062.jpg



Slight crop and PP: (I like this best)
_MG_6062.jpg


Diff crop/PP (I like the crop also)
_MG_6062d.jpg


And later that night, I tried for The moons Straight Wall http://www.space.com/spacewatch/see-the-moon-straight-wall-100421.html
My 55-250 @ 250 not enough detail....I tried
_MG_6068.jpg
 
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sactownbwoy

macrumors 6502
Aug 28, 2008
301
192
Both of these taken in Okinawa, Japan Nikon D90

4339267386_54001a3dbe.jpg


Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 300 mm

4339221462_d75fd9a6b0_b.jpg


Exposure: 0.125 sec (1/8)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 125 mm
 

chimpy0813

macrumors newbie
Dec 23, 2008
16
0
Here is my attempt

4556165580_b059974e33.jpg


This thread inspired me. What are people's thoughts. This is my first attempt at moon shots.

I think that it may be a little over sharpened in PS.

Nikon D60 - Tamron Adaptall 135mm 2.8f

Shutter Speed: 1/200
ISO: 100
Aperture: f 8.0
 
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