How to take photos of the moon.

Byrnew · Nov 15, 2019

Hi all,

I have seen photos of the moon taking by people and they look amazing . Would anybody be able to guide me on how to take these providing I have the correct lense to do so. The lense I have is a nikon 70mm-300mm 4.5-6.3 vr.
I did try to take a few shots but all I got was a bright round light that looked like a head light of a car in the distance .

Thanks

Wayne.

Strodav · Nov 15, 2019

How to Photograph the Moon and the Supermoon - The Complete Guide

PJM · Nov 15, 2019

You should be able to get something like the photo below, not the best but not a headlight either. It was taken with pretty much the same lens without VR.
It was shot at 1/400, f/6.3, ISO 100, @300 mm. There was also quite a bit of cropping involved to get the size I wanted.

Getting the right exposure can be tricky. I start by using single point metering directly on the moon and then taking a few test shots and adjusting. If all you are getting is a bright headlight then you are likely metering off the dark sky and overexposing the moon.

Have fun experimenting. And if you are using a tripod don't forget to turn off the VR.

480sparky · Nov 15, 2019

Your exposure issue is caused by shooting in an automatic mode. The camera sees mostly the black sky, and tries to expose more for that than the (sunlit) moon. Shoot manually, a stop or to more than you would for a typical sunlit scene here on terra firma.

Byrnew · Nov 16, 2019

PJM said:
You should be able to get something like the photo below, not the best but not a headlight either. It was taken with pretty much the same lens without VR.
It was shot at 1/400, f/6.3, ISO 100, @300 mm. There was also quite a bit of cropping involved to get the size I wanted.

Getting the right exposure can be tricky. I start by using single point metering directly on the moon and then taking a few test shots and adjusting. If all you are getting is a bright headlight then you are likely metering off the dark sky and overexposing the moon.

Have fun experimenting. And if you are using a tripod don't forget to turn off the VR.

Thanks very much for the reply and information il experiment the next clear night we have

Byrnew · Nov 16, 2019

480sparky said:
Your exposure issue is caused by shooting in an automatic mode. The camera sees mostly the black sky, and tries to expose more for that than the (sunlit) moon. Shoot manually, a stop or to more than you would for a typical sunlit scene here on terra firma.

Hi, perfect thanks il try again and use manual mode and see what I can get;-)

petrochemist · Nov 16, 2019

480sparky said:
Your exposure issue is caused by shooting in an automatic mode. The camera sees mostly the black sky, and tries to expose more for that than the (sunlit) moon. Shoot manually, a stop or to more than you would for a typical sunlit scene here on terra firma.

The recommendation from the 'looney 8 rule' works out 2 stops more. (1/iso at f8, adjusted for your preferred aperture). Spot metering can work if you have a long enough lens, but manual always works.

A 1000mm lens on APSC will be getting near to filling the frame with the moon, but few of us have quality lenses that are anywhere near that long.

jcdeboever · Nov 16, 2019

Single point, spot meter and focus square on the moon. Base ISO (probably 100 or 200) which will result in slower shutter speeds. Tripod, remote release. Turn off VR. Start at f/8 take a couple, f/11 take a couple, f/16 take a couple. Depending on the lens, you may find that the f/16 images show a little defraction. If you don't have a remote release, use the cameras timer instead. The best time to get clear images of the moon is after a rain and the sky clears up. Not totally necessary but it does improve the clarity.

Grandpa Ron · Nov 16, 2019

All good advice.

I have found that with my Canon T6, manual focus, and lens stabilized off, works best. Also, not surprising, good glass, clear skies and long lenses work best.

This shot was taken using a inexpensive hobby store telescope, with a $12,00 adapter and a T ring to fit my camera, as a prime focus lens. The focal length was about 750 mm. It was shot at 1/20 sec. 200 ISO. on clear night.

This photo is "as shot" without any post processing, it is my start point.

If you scan the web use will fine there are a multitude of techniques for astrophotography. You will also find that the folks are using some really top notch gear.

Good Luck

Lonnie1212 · Nov 16, 2019

The lens you have is the same one I am using. I would suggest using different ISO and aperture settings. There are times when I use ISO 100. For a full moon with a lot of light. I would suggest starting out at ISO 100, aperture of 7.1, try different shutter speeds. There are times when I use the Bulb setting for shutter speed. Maybe expose the shot for 1, 2, to 4 seconds. I like to keep a smaller aperture when photographing the moon. It makes for a sharper picture. Have done a few moon pics with a Nikon D3200 and a 70-300 lens. Don't be afraid to break the rules when it comes to night photography. The experts put out a lot of information. But I have broken a few of those rules. Get out there and take more pictures!

Lonnie

Strodav · Nov 16, 2019

As long as we are sharing.

Lonnie1212 · Nov 16, 2019

Strodav said:
As long as we are sharing.View attachment 182558

Hi Dave,

That is an impressive silver moon picture. Do you mind sharing the camera model, lens, and settings? Excellent work!

pocketshaver · Nov 16, 2019

wait for daytime, early morning moon is fun. Have a few on a roll I need to develop.

Lonnie1212 · Nov 16, 2019

pocketshaver said:
wait for daytime, early morning moon is fun. Have a few on a roll I need to develop.

You are using film?

480sparky · Nov 16, 2019

Lonnie1212 said:
Strodav said:

As long as we are sharing.View attachment 182558

Click to expand...

Hi Dave,

That is an impressive silver moon picture. Do you mind sharing the camera model, lens, and settings? Excellent work!

Make NIKON CORPORATION
Model NIKON D500
Software Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 8.4.1 (Windows)
Creator D STRONG
Copyright D STRONG
Exposure Time 0.0010s (1/1000)
Aperture ƒ/8.0
Exposure Manual
ISO equivalent 900
Exposure Bias none
Metering Mode Matrix
Flash Fired No
Focal Length 850.0mm 1275mm=35mm equivalent
Color Space sRGB
FocalPlaneXRes 2360.8599243164062
FocalPlaneUnits 10
Exposure Mode Manual
White Balance Auto
Focal Length (35mm) 1275
LensModel 600.0 mm f/4.0
Date 2019-10-14 22:41:53 (no TZ)
Lens 600.0 mm f/4.0