Stars & moon (1st attempt)

[pauleos60d]

Hey everyone, I had my first go at the moon and stars last night. I think it went for a beginner but please leave comments or criticism.

Thanks





F10, 100 ISO, 125 shutter speed and at 250mm





F10, 640 ISO, 30 second shutter and at 18mm

 

[jsecordphoto]

moon looks good....for the stars you're gonna need a lot more light. I start at iso3200, f2.8 @30 seconds and adjust from there.

 

[pauleos60d]

Ok I'll try a higher ISO tonight and post a few more pictures

 

[jsecordphoto]

I'd try and find the darkest area you can too. If you were to shoot that exact same scene at iso3200 f2.8 @30 seconds the light from the window will completely overexpose your photo

 

[pauleos60d]

I needed a focus point for the photo, or so I thought. I used bracketing anyway

 

[astroNikon]

You may want to try and go into manual focus for the stars (that's what I always do but then my telescopes are all manual focus anyways)
Also, as mentioned, find someplace darker.
and/or use some construction paper and create a nice long hood for your lens to prevent all that light from the building.

I do most of my shots from my backyard myself lol construction paper is useful from time to time. It's like taking shots nearly into the sun, you could use the paper (or someone) to block the direct light to get a better photo so the photo doesn't get washed out.


fyi, I still have no idea how to use bracketing I push the button but I'm unsure how it works.

 

[pauleos60d]

I watched a video on youtube on bracketing, doesn't work with flash or auto mode, but mine worked well (manual)

 

[bc_steve]

If you are having trouble focussing to infinity for the stars, either try to manual focus on a bright star like Sirius or Venus (a planet, I know) through the viewfinder or, failing that, zoom in on one in live view and manual focus. Confirm with a short exposure at your highest ISO.