First Attempt at Moon Shots C&C Please

[nokili]

Hey guys and gals!

I just got my Sigma 70-300 and wanted to try it out on the moon, the first one is from last night and the second from tonight. Don't know what one i prefer, anyway and suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated!

1)

2)

 

[tirediron]

I'm guessing by the softness these were shot hand-held? If so, remember the rule to avoid camera shake: Shutter speed has to be at least 1/FL; in this case you were only just over .5/FL. Other than that, there's not too much to say.

 

[nokili]

I'm guessing by the softness these were shot hand-held? If so, remember the rule to avoid camera shake: Shutter speed has to be at least 1/FL; in this case you were only just over .5/FL. Other than that, there's not too much to say.

Haha No these were taken with my tripod : / there is no way that i could hold the camera still enough without one, taking that in mind what do you think I should do to improve these

 

[tirediron]

They seem a bit on the soft side to me; perhaps a result of haze?

 

[nokili]

They seem a bit on the soft side to me; perhaps a result of haze?

Hmm that is possible, I def see what you mean, I will go out of the city limits and see what else I can get,

Thanks alot

 

[ErectedGryphon]

As you can see in the second shot, as the moon starts to fill up, you start to lose detail. You are going to want to invest in some ND filters if you continue shooting the moon. How much ND? Thats tough to say, I have a ND96(0.9) attachment for my plossel's for my telescope, but that is for a full moon viewed through a 2x or greater eyepiece.

Though I suppose you could always forget the ND filters, and compensate with your exposure.

Keep shooting, if the skies allow, and lets see the whole lunar cycle!

 

[ErectedGryphon]

They seem a bit on the soft side to me; perhaps a result of haze?

It could be many things causing the softness, he uses a tripod so odds are it is just standard shimmer. The best time to shoot the night skies is during the winter, you have less heat shimmer (think of the reflections and waves down a hot desert raod), allowing for clearer pictures.

 

[nokili]

They seem a bit on the soft side to me; perhaps a result of haze?

It could be many things causing the softness, he uses a tripod so odds are it is just standard shimmer. The best time to shoot the night skies is during the winter, you have less heat shimmer (think of the reflections and waves down a hot desert raod), allowing for clearer pictures.

WOWZA! Thanks Gryph, I will look into the ND filters, it is interesting that you lose the detail as the moon phases toward full, I am excited that I could see as much detail as I could with this lens. Anyway thanks again!!

 

[astrostu]

As you can see in the second shot, as the moon starts to fill up, you start to lose detail. You are going to want to invest in some ND filters if you continue shooting the moon. How much ND? Thats tough to say, I have a ND96(0.9) attachment for my plossel's for my telescope, but that is for a full moon viewed through a 2x or greater eyepiece.

Though I suppose you could always forget the ND filters, and compensate with your exposure.

I will look into the ND filters, it is interesting that you lose the detail as the moon phases toward full, I am excited that I could see as much detail as I could with this lens. Anyway thanks again!!

There is no purpose in using a ND filter for the moon unless you are for some odd reason constrained to a long exposure and/or small f/number and/or high ISO. Just use a shorter shutter speed. You'll also get less motion blur that way, and it's one less piece of equipment to buy, remember to bring, to not break, and to not get dust on. In almost all practical applications, there is zero need for a ND filter here.

The moon "loses" detail as it becomes more full because the sun is more directly overhead and the shadows become shorter or non-existent. That's why the terminator (line between night and day) is usually the most interesting part.

 

[iolair]

I'm guessing by the softness these were shot hand-held? If so, remember the rule to avoid camera shake: Shutter speed has to be at least 1/FL; in this case you were only just over .5/FL. Other than that, there's not too much to say.

Haha No these were taken with my tripod : / there is no way that i could hold the camera still enough without one, taking that in mind what do you think I should do to improve these

It does seem a little too soft...

Even with the tripod, you'll still shake the camera a little if you use your finger to press the shutter button. One solution is to use the self-timer on your camera, so you're not touching it when the actual photo is taken.

Escape haze and streetlights as much as possible, and make sure you set your ISO for as low as it will go (usually 64, 80 or 100).

 

[BmDubb]

Whats some info you shot this at?

 

[DennyCrane]

First shot:
* Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 10/1600 second ===> 1/160 second ===> 0.00625 second
* Lens F-Number / F-Stop = 71/10 ===> ƒ/7.1
* Exposure Program = manual control (1)
* ISO Speed Ratings = 200

Second shot:
* Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 10/500 second ===> 1/50 second ===> 0.02 second
* Lens F-Number / F-Stop = 80/10 ===> ƒ/8
* Exposure Program = manual control (1)
* ISO Speed Ratings = 200

I'd go to ISO 100, stick with f/8 and use a faster shutter.

 

[dhilberg]

These actually look decent, but they are a bit soft and slightly over exposed. Try to shoot around f/8, use a tripod and a remote shutter release, use mirror lock up if your camera has the feature, or keep your shutter speed above 1/60 to minimize the effects of mirror flap. Also, apply a bit of sharpening to the images.

Smart Sharpen, 100%, 0.8 pixel radius, selected "lens blur", checked "more accurate":

Also, don't be afraid to bump up your ISO a bit to keep the shutter above 1/60 @ f/8.

 

[DennyCrane]

The Moon is very bright... Both shots are over-exposed.

 

[astrostu]

These actually look decent, but they are a bit soft and slightly over exposed.

The Moon is very bright... Both shots are over-exposed.

Neither shot is over-exposed. I checked the Levels in Photoshop.