[Noewbie] What to have to Star and Moon Photogaphy!

[Auriflanos]

Hello!

I would like to use this topic to answer some of my questions. After the questions are being answered, I will edit this first post, to have an organized and future manual for STAR PHOTOGRAPHY!

My first question: What apparel you recomend to have? (OBS: my camera is a Pentax K-x)

Thank you for the help!

 

[KmH]

Try using the forum search feature:

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/beyond-basics/147712-lunar-moon-photography-guide-astrostu.html

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/landscape-cityscape/234743-startrails-3rd-times-charm.html

And an internet search engine:

http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Photograph_the_Stars

Your Pentax will be fine to start with.

A good stable tripod is a good tool to have.

 

[Auriflanos]

Try using the forum search feature:

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/beyond-basics/147712-lunar-moon-photography-guide-astrostu.html

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/landscape-cityscape/234743-startrails-3rd-times-charm.html

I tried :er: But thanks

One reason to make this tread, was to knowabout some ad-ons to use to focuse on these style of photography. I mean, any recomendation of special lens and etc.

The manual should help of the moon problem, but still lacks of any special recomendation on harware. I will check out the link you have posted. I did not searched google, because I wanted to have help from you all

 

[DennyCrane]

Astrostu's moon photography guide is very good. I'll add a couple points that I've found really help in getting the details of the Moon.

First is the tripod. If yours is at all light, stabilize it and weight it so it will not introduce any shake to the picture when the wind gusts, footsteps nearby, etc.
Second is to use your camera's Live View. This does 2 things- it locks up the mirror and eliminates that from adding shake during the shot and it allows you to zoom in on the moon. Most cameras allow you to auto-focus in live view, and when you're zoomed in, it will give you a sharper focus than you could have managed manually.
Finally, use your camera's shutter delay function. This, again, takes a shake factor out of the shot.

Here's one from a couple nights ago-

f/8
1/100 sec
ISO-100
300mm focal length

Most of all, experiment and try a click faster or slower shutter speed, open or close your aperture a little at a time, and later when you review the shots, you'll get a feel for nailing the exposure.
And, like all aspects of photography, practice, practice, practice.

 

[Auriflanos]

DennyCrane

Thank you soo much. Is this kind of answer i was looking for! So,I have an tripod in my home, but I am thinking on buying a better one. I would like to ask you what about the city's light? I am ALMOST sure that I should be better to take in a farm, because of the lack of city lights... Your moon's picture has been taken in a city?

 

[Vinny]

Obviously the darker it is the better it should be but remember that the moon is a pretty bright object in the sky. As long as you're not in an area that has a lot of street lights you should be OK. I took mine in my backyard and it's not totally dark. For star photography it does need to be very dark ... the first time I saw the Milky Way - I was amazed at the sky!

As far as a lens, I have used 300 mm focal length and it came out good but the larger the focal length the better so that you don't have to crop the photo as much, you want to fill as much of the view finder with the image of the moon as you can.

Full moon will produce a flat image - no craters; having the moon with a shadow on it will produce craters as DennyCrane has here.

 

[kundalini]

Obviously the darker it is the better it should be ........

Unless, of course, you take one in the morning.........

.... or not too long after it rises and there is still color in the sky..........​

​

BTW, astrostu put a lot of effort (and knowledge) in his report. Worth a look and a study for celestrial photography.​

 

[480sparky]

Just remember one thing about the moon.......... it's sunlit. Just like your back yard or a skyscraper or a landscape during the day.

 

[enzodm]

Obviously the darker it is the better it should be ........

.... or not too long after it rises and there is still color in the sky..........​

... or in a luminous winter day...


By the way, I agree Astrostu guide contains all what is needed, including what Denny kindly wrote here. And a long focal length is somewhat useful .