moon pic

[Tringa]

No, the moon was not the closest it has been to the Earth for 18 years.

The moon orbits the Earth in about 28 days. As the orbit is elliptical there will be some time in every orbit when it is closer to the Earth than any other point in the orbit.

However, last Saturday this closest point happened to coincide with the full moon so it was particularly noticeable.

Dave

[Epona]

Hi, as with all things it depends on the kind of equipment your using. You say a Canon camera and Tamron lens. So I'm assuming a DSLR and zoom lens. Without knowing specs it's difficult to advise. Always use a tripod. I use both a Canon 350D and a 5D with Tamron 70 -300mm and Sigma 170-500mm lens with no problem photgraphing the moon. If you want to message me with details I will try and help you out.

[wizzo]

Love the shot Nytecam...brilliant! Wizzo

[Rich_]

I think when we first attempt a picture of the moon it is always over exposed, I know mine were, until I read how to do it properly. I' didn't realise that if you use the built in light meter which may just take an average reading of the whole scene, and there is too much contrast between the moon & dark sky Doesn't matter about the sky being under exposed , It's black any way.

I think it's because it's dark we are surprised that the correct exposure is something similar to day light photos, I suppose because you are actually photographing in daylight on the moon

[gregA]

great mosiac, i generally manage just to get a nice shiny white disc
with no detail. More practice needed me thinks
gregA

[g8ina]

AS with any astro shot, the moon is specialised

Very bright on a black background, it will fool most cameras into overexposing, hence the white blobs.

1) Use a tripod, no point in trying hand held.

2) Use low ISO, 100 ftw.

3) Use mirror lockup if you have it.

4) Try for the lenses "sweet spot" aperture wise eg my Tamron 28-300mm is best at f8

5) A scope will give the best results, I've yet to see a really good moon with a standard lens (unless its a good 500mm or above)

6) In my experience, with a full moon, you are looking at 1/250th at F8, but full moons are often quite featureless - try for a phase with a good terminator (the line between light n dark).

7) There is a software package called Registax, this allows you to stack several shots of the same target to improve contrast and resolution.

Here's one I made earlier, using the above techniques, and using an Antares f6 500mm scope, Nikon D70. :


David Harris

[nytecam]

Nice one David - here's mine from last night of 1st Q moon - a mosaic of 3 images as moon too large for cam fov - click image for larger view

[artdemole]

Larger view does produce a fine image.Well Done with the shot.I could only get a glimpse in between the cloud.

[nytecam]

Month on [below taken last night] from my June moon pic - it's again a mosaic of 6 images as too big to fit the cam chip in one hit