beautiful moon photo help needed please

[Garden Carpet]

Hi, gorgeous full moon, I have tried to take a pic and all i get is a bright white blobb.. using km dimage z5.. what settings do you reccommend.

thanks

jaki

[Andy Warne]

Not familiar with your camera Jaki but if it has a Manual exposure mode set it to something like 1/125sec and f11 at ISO100 and see what happens. If the moon is bright white then try a faster shutter speed like 1/250sec, if the moon is too dark then set a lower aperture like f8 or f5.6.

[glsammy]

You'll be disappointed with a full moon shot, as there's too much light to show any detail. If you wait until it's gone past full, you'll get a much better image, with clear craters showing. Here's one I took a little while back.

[Garden Carpet]

Andy, thank you ... that worked... now i need to find a solid surface to put the camera on.. the stepladder doesnt seem to do the job... did get a much better picture using your tips.. only goes up to f8 tho

[Garden Carpet]

Graham, lovely picture. I bet you have a much more sophisticated camera, a great deal more experience... eyes that dont need specs.. and a stepladder that doesnt wobble

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by Garden Carpet

Graham, lovely picture. I bet you have a much more sophisticated camera, a great deal more experience... eyes that dont need specs.. and a stepladder that doesnt wobble

This was taken with an FZ30, with a Raynox converter on it, mounted on just about the cheapest and nastiest tripod you could ever find, and I'm blind without my specs so far as close up work is concerned!

The moon really isn't that hard to get. Fast shutter speeds are often best, as the light is very bright, especially near full. I started at about 1/10 sec, and worked my way up!

[Garden Carpet]

ummm... is there a translator in the house What is an fz30 and a raynox converter... I know nothing!

[glsammy]

An FZ30 is a Camera many here use, including matt_xyz. It's a very good compact camera with a 10x zoom lens. The converter multiplies this by approx.2.
I've no longer got this, although many times I've wished I had! It's a superb camera.

[glsammy]

I've just been out and took this:


As you can see, not much detail because it's a full moon.

The camera settings were: Shutter speed: 1/400 sec @ F18.0.

[colinaj]

I digiscope my images & have had no problems at all. BTW nice Full moon on the east coast tonight.

[Garden Carpet]

Originally Posted by glsammy

I've just been out and took this:


As you can see, not much detail because it's a full moon.

The camera settings were: Shutter speed: 1/400 sec @ F18.0.

My camera seems only to go to f8. I wish I had known of this board before I paid xxxxx for the darn thing..I find it too heavy to hold and darn all good at what I want it for... that is probably me tho.

Jaki

this is what i got

[henrya]

Remember that the moon is lit by full sun, so set your camera to manual and use the exposure you would use on a bright, sunny day (1 over the ISO at f16) as a start point.

Took this at the last full moon.

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/ga.../7/6/moon2.JPG

henrya

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by Garden Carpet

My camera seems only to go to f8. I wish I had known of this board before I paid xxxxx for the darn thing..I find it too heavy to hold and darn all good at what I want it for... that is probably me tho.

Jaki

this is what i got

This looks like you had too slow a shutter speed. Most of the detail has been burnt out by too much light, plus either the camera moved, or the moon did!
Don't worry about your camera only being F8, that will do fine, but you'll have to up the shutter speed to compensate. I'd start at 1/400 and then try different shutter speeds around that.

[colincurry]

I was originally going to submit these snaps under the Harvest Moon thread. However, my efforts that evening were hampered by clouds and my lack of patience. The first snap was taken on 4 October and the third on 8 October (neatly bracketting the Harvest Moon). The second was taken of the eclipse on 7 September.

I had previously seen some moon pictures on a Panasonic forum where the owner of an FZ20 had used digital x 4, F11 and 1/15. I have used an FZ30 with an Olympus Tcon17 and F11 and 1/15. There is a tendency for the moon to look slightly orange and full of Cheddar. To combat this, I altered the white balance to fluoresecent and ended up with a blue moon - cue for a song here, but not perhaps with my voice.

These settings may or may not work with other cameras; I have no idea but experts might point the way.

Colin

[henrya]

Quote
use the exposure you would use on a bright, sunny day (1 over the ISO at f16) as a start point.
Endquote

If your maximum aperture is f8, then you need to adjust the exposure by two stops.

Say you use ISO 100, then at f16 the shutter speed would be 1/100, adjust by two stops to 1/400. This will be better as it will save you some camera shake!

glsammy, your picture looks a little underexposed.

henrya

[Oy]

One I took earlier this year.

F8 : 1/45" : ISO100 : 500mm

[Boddie]

Thats a bit tasty

[Jonny]

I find on my camera, putting it on S, shutter priority, and put it on the fastest setting will do the job ok...........

[Garden Carpet]

thanks guys.. I will try again next clear night... and the moon didnt move.. I didnt move.. the darn ladder I was resting the camera on moved

[Garden Carpet]

Oy.. that pic is just superb!!

[Oy]

Originally Posted by Garden Carpet

Oy.. that pic is just superb!!

Thanks

I use manual - set on an average daylight setting as has been mentioned above (1/100 @ F16 for ISO100) and then bracket from there - usually downwards.