The Moon

Battou · Mar 2, 2009

Taken with Vivitar 400mm on Vivitar 2X TC on Canon EF, ASA 200

Bigger Here

Why can I not get a decent shot of the moon........This is underexposed I know, but it was intentional at the time and I can't seem to fix it

Mgw189 · Mar 2, 2009

Looks like maybe some camera shake? Are you using a tripod? If so consider using a self timer or remote release.

Battou · Mar 2, 2009

Mgw189 said:
Looks like maybe some camera shake? Are you using a tripod? If so consider using a self timer or remote release.

Tripod, mirror locked, delayed release and a wind break where all used for that shot.

MikeBcos · Mar 2, 2009

I think you're getting some image quality loss from the teleconverter, I see some CA around the edges as well as a general loss of sharpness. Try again without the teleconverter and crop closer, I think the images will be better.

crazycreature11 · Mar 2, 2009

nice click ... would look nice if you had some other props along with it ... maybe a tree or a plant ....

Battou · Mar 2, 2009

MikeBcos said:
I think you're getting some image quality loss from the teleconverter, I see some CA around the edges as well as a general loss of sharpness. Try again without the teleconverter and crop closer, I think the images will be better.

I've tried that in the past, the film grain overwelms the image. A 400mm is a long lens, taking away 400mm is a lot of cropping. Here is the unprocessed shot so you can get a rough idea as to howmuch cropping has already been done on this one.

I would like to invest in a 800mm lens but finding one in my pricerange is a bit of a challenge.

MikeBcos · Mar 2, 2009

Battou said:
I've tried that in the past, the film grain overwelms the image. A 400mm is a long lens, taking away 400mm is a lot of cropping. Here is the unprocessed shot so you can get a rough idea as to howmuch cropping has already been done on this one.

I would like to invest in a 800mm lens but finding one in my pricerange is a bit of a challenge.

Just keep a permanent Ebay search set - one day you may get lucky.

Your alternatives are a longer lens or a very fine grained film with the shorter lens, can you get 25 ASA film any more?

Battou · Mar 2, 2009

MikeBcos said:
Just keep a permanent Ebay search set - one day you may get lucky.

I do, I am constantly rummaging E-Bay, But every time I see one I have no way to come up with the grand or two the people are asking for it, and there is no way in hell I am settling with a mirror lens.

MikeBcos said:
Your alternatives are a longer lens or a very fine grained film with the shorter lens, can you get 25 ASA film any more?

Finest grain film I have access to is 200, I'm sure there is a way to get 25 but it's out of my reach at this time.

MikeBcos · Mar 3, 2009

Battou said:
I do, I am constantly rummaging E-Bay, But every time I see one I have no way to come up with the grand or two the people are asking for it, and there is no way in hell I am settling with a mirror lens.

Very smart, I bought one once, I used it once then sold it again, image quality was really bad!

astrostu · Mar 3, 2009

Definitely looks soft to me. I know next to nothing about film, so can't really help you there as to whether that's an issue. What's your aperture set at? And I would suggest taking a few shots right around where you think it's in focus, as that could also be an issue (remember, focused at infinity does not mean it's focused at infinity).

Battou · Mar 4, 2009

I took several shots and went with the best of the group, I do not remember exactly what aperture I shot this one at, I think it was 8 or 11. And for my focus, I never rely on focusing marks on the lens for anything other than macro work, this was focused through the viewfinder.

astrostu · Mar 6, 2009

You may try opening up the aperture a little. f/11 usually gets into the range where you will see a decrease in sharpness. But, that's about all the advice I can offer here.

Marc Kurth · Mar 7, 2009

If this is the Vivitar 400mm f5.6 all manual version, it can produce some pretty decent moon shots on my digital bodies.

I've used it bare and with a Sigma 1.4X. With your permission, I could post an example here.

Marc

Battou · Mar 7, 2009

Marc Kurth said:
If this is the Vivitar 400mm f5.6 all manual version, it can produce some pretty decent moon shots on my digital bodies.

I've used it bare and with a Sigma 1.4X. With your permission, I could post an example here.

Marc

It is indeed the Vivitar 400mm 5.6 manual focus lens. I have gotten some very sharp bird photos out of my older one so I know it's fully capable lens, Yeah feel free to post an example if you wish.

Marc Kurth · Mar 8, 2009

The old Vivitar can't compete with newer, more expensive glass but I bought mine used for $40. back in 1975. I take it out to play every few years, but these old eyeballs can't manual focus like they used to.

Both of these are cropped to just about 100% so they look rough and you can see every flaw. I suspect that someone with good post processing skills could make them look better.

The first one was a D70 shot at ISO 640, 1/80, wide open with the Sigma 1.4x. I don't own a tripod, so I threw a towel on the roof of my car and rested the lens on that.

The second one was ISO 100, wide open, 1/180, with the same TC. Still no tripod, so I held the lens tightly against the side of tree.