Your Moon Shots!

[Vicky]

MODERATOR MESSAGE: Please use this thread to post and discuss about moon shots.

Hi,

Everybody photographer, at some point or the other, is intrigued by the beauty of the moon. It was the same with me. I wanted to capture this beauty in my camera, but this was by no means as easy as it looked..

Here's a series of my best moon shots taken over the last two years..

Dec -2006 (Panasonic DMC FZ-5)
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l96/rx100/P1040865-1.jpg

May -2007 (400D with 70-300 IS)
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l96/rx100/Moon2.jpg

Sep -2007 (400D with 70-300 IS)
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l96/rx100/IMG_6569a.jpg

Nov -2007 (400D with 70-300 IS)
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l96/rx100/halfmoon.jpg

Dec -2007 (400D with 70-300 IS)
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l96/rx100/fullmoonPP.jpg

Apr -2008 (400D with 70-300 IS)
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l96/rx100/IMG_2184b.jpg

Jul -2008 (400D with 70-300 IS)
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l96/rx100/IMG_3439a.jpg

Oct -2008 (400D with 70-300 IS)
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l96/rx100/IMG_5638_100.jpg

Nov -2008 (400D with 70-300 IS)
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l96/rx100/IMG_6579.jpg

As you would note, barring the first shot, all the other shots have been taken with the exact same equipment! So, like many wise men say, time is your best teacher!

Here's what I've learnt from over the period..

I try to go with the lowest possible ISO and an aperture of around f/8. This is the sharpest point on my lens & I try to stick to this. The shutter speeds would vary with the different phases of the moon and its position in the sky. My general starting settings on a nice clear sky are something like this..

Full Moon : 1/320, f/8, ISO 100
Half Moon : 1/160, f/8, ISO 100
Crescent Moon : 1/100, f/8, ISO 200

From here, you can adjust as per the exposure you get.

Personally, I've got the best results while hand holding with IS on & manual focus.

Also, you get better results when the moon is high up in the sky or straight above you. At this position, its brighter and there's less atmosphere/haze between the moon and the camera.

I hope this if of help:)

Thanks for looking!

Vicky

[KrishnenduKes]

Celestial Objects Approved

Appreciate your enthusiasm complemented with Quality photographs.

[Sunny]

Topic Approved and converted into a Universal Thread

Those are some great shots there. I have yet to try and shoot the moon, surprisingly!

[powerslave]

Nice.. I'll have some soon enough. I had taken some with my 570IS last year, I'll post up a 100% crop in some time.

[niks_devil666]

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w224/nikhilsood911/IMG_5005.jpg

[Aryan]

A shot of the beautiful celestial body, clicked some-time back. :)

http://i41.tinypic.com/2airclf.jpg

[leon_nerd]

Beautiful Shots guys. I have few of mine but they are really pathetic. Will try my hands again on clicking chanda mama :D.

[Vicky]

Appreciate your enthusiasm complemented with Quality photographs.

Thanks Ken! Glad u liked these:)


[B]
Those are some great shots there. I have yet to try and shoot the moon, surprisingly!


Thanks Sunny! You must try moon shots.. you have a very nice nice lens to do it with:)

Nice.. I'll have some soon enough. I had taken some with my 570IS last year, I'll post up a 100% crop in some time.

Thanks PS! Post it up. And, why not take a few with your 55-250?

A shot of the beautiful celestial body, clicked some-time back. :)


Great shot Aryan! What camera & lens? where's the exif?

[Aryan]

Great shot Aryan! What camera & lens? where's the exif?

Thanks Vicky! That shot was clicked throught the S3 IS.

EXIF:
Aperture: F7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/200

[powerslave]

Thanks PS! Post it up. And, why not take a few with your 55-250?


Sure thing, caught up with some project work. :)

[Sarao]

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3646/moon2bv0.jpg

[Sarao]

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/9690/moonkm0.jpg

[manav]

Will be lugging my gear to the roof tonight. Lesse what I can develop sadly I've sold the 300mm voyeur which would be perfect for this kind of work.

[nav75]

My first attempt to click moon. Clicked them over a month back, when I had my friend's 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS lense, with my 400D.

11-Nov-08
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3221/3147850540_eef0d9342f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/navendus/3147850540/)

20-Nov-08
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3116/3147016863_2a558ebd3d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/navendus/3147016863/)

[Sarao]

Is it my Monitor or the image have a yellow tint?

[nav75]

Is it my Monitor or the image have a yellow tint?

In the second pic? Yes, its has yellow tint as thats how the moon was looking that eve.

[vitesh]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/2924265540_b39e6377b5_o.jpg

Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.

[archistar]

some very nice captures there....

couple of months before i was trying to make a series by capturing moon everyday at a perticular time...

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk223/d_archistar/my%20pics/IMG_5983bsmall.jpg

Camera: CANON SX 100
Exposure Time: 1/320
Aperture: f/4.3
ISO: 80
White Balance: Auto

[nav75]

One more moon shot.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3368/3182833974_95f7b2077b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/navendus/3182833974/)
Clicked using Canon 70-200 f/4 L lense on 400D, shot @ ISO100, 200mm f/8 and 1/125sec shutter speed.

[pradeep30]

Hi all

A small contribution from my side . Camera used Panasonic Fz 28 - Setting manual , shutter speed 1/1300 , F length 8.0 digital zoom off . full zoom 18x .

97 98

[nabendubasu]

i will try myself to capture some moon shot tonight.
As i will be at home tonight and today is FULL MOON.

[nav75]

Full Moon, clicked a few minutes back.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/3188365682_d5b4ed3927.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/navendus/3188365682/)

[KrishnenduKes]

Full Moon, clicked a few minutes back.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/3188365682_d5b4ed3927.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/navendus/3188365682/)

Not bad at all. Exif?

[niks_devil666]

And now you can see the difference in quality of a L series lens and a EF-S 55-250 lens

1/160 , F/8, ISO 100 , 250 mm

[KrishnenduKes]

One trial from my side:

http://www.thephotographer.in/galleries/data/500/Jan2009.jpg
Moon shot Jan11, 2009.
Manual: f9, 1/500sec
ISO:50

Its a very close crop.

[nav75]

@Ken: You can view the entire exif by clicking on image and going to flickr. A summary of it is 200mm, f/8, 1/160sec, ISO100.

@Niks: I think the moon you clicked has come a bit soft? See the following I clicked sometime back using 55-250 lense.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3221/3147850540_eef0d9342f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/navendus/3147850540/)

[niks_devil666]

@Nav : Any suggestions ? do you use a tripod ?

[nav75]

@Niks: In the shots posted here, I didn't use tripod. Regarding suggestions, may be you can try editing the picture. Which mode you clicked the pic (Std/Landscape/Pot/etc), looking at your pic it seems you used Std mode?

[niks_devil666]

^ yes , will try it out.Thanks Navendu.

[trance_nut]

My Moon :)

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/8885/moonxh5.jpg

f10, 1/160, ISO 100, 400 mm

[KrishnenduKes]

My Moon :)
f10, 1/160, ISO 100, 400 mm

I think that Moon takes the cake. He has got a 400mm.

[pradeep30]

Few Shots from my side again

108 109 110

Hope you all like my small time contribution :)

[nav75]

My Moon :)

f10, 1/160, ISO 100, 400 mm
"Your" moon? :p
Your last two pics (this moon and that stork) one is tempting me to get myself 100-400. Got to go out and look for a lesser secure ATM. :D

Have you tried using the 1.4x extender with 100-400 to click moon?

[nabendubasu]

My moon shoot not as good you people,still i am trying.

[praveenkm]

Quite a few beautiful moon shots in this thread.

This is biggest moon i can get with Sony H10. Shot at full 10X zoom, 8MP and direct crip of 800 X 600 from the big image. Of course on a tripod, with 2 second timer.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/3114725341_0afceea87e_o.jpg

Through the branches..
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/3063592414_289e3fbb00_o.jpg

[prafultripathy]

A doubt, I get a purplish crescent shaped halo around the moon. Now I guess its caused by the movement of the moon.

I am usually clicking at 1/125 any faster and light starts to reduce, since I don't use a SLR increasing the ISO is not an option.

Any other way for me to go?

[Aryan]

A doubt, I get a purplish crescent shaped halo around the moon. Now I guess its caused by the movement of the moon.

I am usually clicking at 1/125 any faster and light starts to reduce, since I don't use a SLR increasing the ISO is not an option.

Any other way for me to go?
Can it be purple fringing? :rolleyes:

[prafultripathy]

Can it be purple fringing? :rolleyes:
In layman's english please!! :D

Purple Fringing????

[Xavier]

In layman's english please!! :D

Purple Fringing????

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_fringing

:p

[trance_nut]

This was shot using a 1.7x olympus tcon attached to a 400 mm lens. The TCON was attached using a combination of two step rings 77-62 and 62-55 mm (77 mm being the thread on the lens). With this combination the camera (Canon 20D) refused to auto-focus. So with no live view available and the camera not reporting a successful MF on the subject, had to resort to squinting and looking through the dim 20D VF and try 'n' get a reasonably decent shot. This is the result. The blur at the edge of the moon is an unsuccessful effort :( to remove the strong PF caused by the TCON.


http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/8501/mooncrvz2.jpg

[nav75]

@Nitin: That's an awsome capture. Any more zoom and privacy of the species living in those craters will be at risk. :)

[Vicky]

This was shot using a 1.7x olympus tcon attached to a 400 mm lens. The TCON was attached using a combination of two step rings 77-62 and 62-55 mm (77 mm being the thread on the lens). With this combination the camera (Canon 20D) refused to auto-focus. So with no live view available and the camera not reporting a successful MF on the subject, had to resort to squinting and looking through the dim 20D VF and try 'n' get a reasonably decent shot. This is the result. The blur at the edge of the moon is an unsuccessful effort :( to remove the strong PF caused by the TCON.


http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/8501/mooncrvz2.jpg

400mm x 1.7 x 1.6 = 1088mm in 35mm equivalent!! That's a lot of zoom!

Great focus and detail there on the moon's surface. However, I feel this shot is overexposed by at least two stops:(

I would try a couple more shots at around 1/60, f/8, ISO 100 mark:)

[julyone_modi]

here is my shot....176

[zwaltek]

yeah I can reply now ! Thanks Krishendu

Nice tpic with a lot of cool moons. Congrats to everyone.

ok my attempt at catching a first Maharashtra moon over Pune.
It's a montage between 2 images as it was not possible for me to coorectly expose both the clouds and the moon at the same time.
It's also a bit noisy.

http://www.emile-zwaltek.com/images/photos/08/ind/20d_080917_019.jpg

[KrishnenduKes]

yeah I can reply now ! Thanks Krishendu

Nice tpic with a lot of cool moons. Congrats to everyone.

ok my attempt at catching a first Maharashtra moon over Pune.
It's a montage between 2 images as it was not possible for me to coorectly expose both the clouds and the moon at the same time.
It's also a bit noisy.


Nice one there Emile. Maybe you could elaborate a bit more on how you did the montage with two images.

[zwaltek]

in this case it's quiet simple
one image exposed correctly to the lighting provided by the clouds
another one on the moon light, generaly i have to close around f10-11

then you cut around the moon and copy it into the other image.
you clean the cutout using the eraser and you might also have to do some tonal adjustments.
Also it happens that i decrease by 2 to 4 % the opacity of the moon to help it's integration into the clouds.
merge down the layer and check the levels in the image menu until you are happy with it. yes that's about happiness :)

[Xavier]

Here's the worst ever moon shot :p

Not surprising, considering the fact that it was shot using the 18-55 kit lens :p

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p160/xvrdsouza/IMG_4771AS324HYcopy.jpg

[Xavier]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3617/3350828952_66bab37310.jpg

Shot last night using the 18-55 kit lens.
2 exposures, One for the clouds and one for the moon. Merged in Photoshop CS2


Here's the link to the larger image
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3617/3350828952_5c106418e1_o.jpg

[KrishnenduKes]

Shot last night using the 18-55 kit lens.
2 exposures, One for the clouds and one for the moon. Merged in Photoshop CS2


Here's the link to the larger image
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3617/3350828952_5c106418e1_o.jpg

Pretty decent shot there Xavier. Looking good.

[Xavier]

Thanks Ken! Glad you liked it. :)

[prafultripathy]

My try at Moon shots!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_sKr0LfTOf-U/ScESOV6znyI/AAAAAAAAGUo/Pi3jRadPq7A/s288/DSCN3892.jpg (http://lh6.ggpht.com/_sKr0LfTOf-U/ScESOV6znyI/AAAAAAAAGUo/Pi3jRadPq7A/s800/DSCN3892.jpg)
Camera: NIKON
Model: COOLPIX P80
ISO: 64
Exposure: 1/125 sec
Aperture: 8.0
Focal Length: 336.8mm
Flash Used: No



http://lh3.ggpht.com/_sKr0LfTOf-U/ScER00mSzwI/AAAAAAAAGSE/mOhOvo-q4y4/s288/DSCN3218.jpg (http://lh3.ggpht.com/_sKr0LfTOf-U/ScER00mSzwI/AAAAAAAAGSE/mOhOvo-q4y4/s800/DSCN3218.jpg)

Camera: NIKON
Model: COOLPIX P80
ISO: 64
Exposure: 1/125 sec
Aperture: 5.0
Focal Length: 218.9mm
Flash Used: No

Is there anyway to eliminate purple fringing while clicking the photo? And how easy is it to get rid off in post processing?

PS: I was shocked to see the moon from top to bottom of my entire lcd screen in a matter of 1-2 mins :D, had to re-adjust the tripod after every shot! It was a first for me....:)

[Vicky]

Great shots Praful!

Here's one i cicked recently...

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l96/rx100/IMG_9238_web.jpg

[prafultripathy]

Great shots Praful!

Coming from the Moon god that was a huge compliment for me! Thanks Vicky!:)

[KrishnenduKes]

Great shots Praful!

Here's one i cicked recently...


Great shot Vickash.

Coming from the Moon god that was a huge compliment for me! Thanks Vicky!:)

Actually Yellow Cheese. You proved it Praful!

[synn]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2252/3536762118_1aee0530ae.jpg

I literally had no clue what I was doing. Set aperture to f11, Spot metered, (SS was 1/5 ) and clicked the shot. Came off over exposed and a bit out of focus (Because modern lenses actually go a little past infinity as they focus The lack of LV prevented me from noticing this). Recovered some detail in Lightroom.

Some astro forums suggest that the SS shouldn't dip below 1/250 as the moon is in motion (APerture should be f11) and the ISO needs to be set accordingly. I'll give it another go with those settings.

[KrishnenduKes]

I literally had no clue what I was doing. Set aperture to f11, Spot metered, (SS was 1/5 ) and clicked the shot. Came off over exposed and a bit out of focus (Because modern lenses actually go a little past infinity as they focus The lack of LV prevented me from noticing this). Recovered some detail in Lightroom.

Some astro forums suggest that the SS shouldn't dip below 1/250 as the moon is in motion (APerture should be f11) and the ISO needs to be set accordingly. I'll give it another go with those settings.

Nice one there. And very informative indeed. I will try what you said. But somehow, after my initial shots, my Moon was never in sharp focus despite using a tripod and all. Maybe because as you say... the 1/250 factor.

[synn]

Looking forward to seeing your pics, Ken.
Just because I forgot to mention it before, center weighted metering is more suited for moonshots, those forums say.

[KrishnenduKes]

Looking forward to seeing your pics, Ken.
Just because I forgot to mention it before, center weighted metering is more suited for moonshots, those forums say.

My photograph is right here: http://www.thephotographer.in/darkroom/showpost.php?p=963&postcount=25

On the same page you have a stunning image by Trance Nut.

And on the first page there are some great shots by Vickash:

http://www.thephotographer.in/darkroom/showpost.php?p=143&postcount=1

[BANDHAV]

My tries at clicking moon:

http://i39.tinypic.com/2mq7xvr.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/2ep3g2q.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/24l2zx2.jpg

[BANDHAV]

I tried once again:

http://i44.tinypic.com/20qnhib.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/15d0wgm.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/2lb1j5d.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/opoqt.jpg

[KrishnenduKes]

My tries at clicking moon:

http://i39.tinypic.com/2mq7xvr.jpg


I tried once again:



In both your posts, you will notice that the first one quoted here is the only one in relative sharp focus and the least amount of grain/noise.

[BANDHAV]

Lack of sharpness is the most common problem with my moon shots, seasoned guys have suggested that problem could be because of me shooting at tele photo end of lens. I was at it again yesternight, these are the results:

http://i43.tinypic.com/2ztf6ms.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/1pjamt.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/annbbl.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/2znveyd.jpg

[fatal_dezire]

Here's a lil contribution from my side -

guys temme how do i display the pic in thread instead of attaching it?

[KrishnenduKes]

Here's a lil contribution from my side -

guys temme how do i display the pic in thread instead of attaching it?

Upload your pix either in the gallery here or in any third party image hosting site like Imageshack, tiny pic, picasa etc and post it here with the URL copied and pasted with the tags URL like I have done here:

http://www.thephotographer.in/darkroom/attachment.php?attachmentid=341&d=1244443119

Not a bad Moon there!

[arvindm29]

My Contribution for the thread

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_wZ5-U_aWa_I/SUcnLM4nnMI/AAAAAAAAC6U/L1BsJJeKV1A/s800/IMG_3141%20copy.jpg

[Vicky]

Getting up close and personal...
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg143/Vikash2007/IMG_1071.jpg

1/160, f/16, ISO 200

EOS 50D + Canon 400L + Kenko Pro Dg 2x TC x 1.6x = 1280mm effective focal length:eek:

Tripod mounted, Remote live view shooting with Precision manual focus at 10x magnification on the Laptop monitor, 100% crop.

[Vicky]

/\ same technique..

This one is a 50% Crop.. Shot wide open with the 2x TC:)
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg143/Vikash2007/IMG_1233_50.jpg
50D, 400L + Kenko 2x Tele Converter, 1/320, ISO 200, f/11

For larger size, check out the 75% Crop (http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg143/Vikash2007/IMG_1233_75.jpg) and 100% Crop (http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg143/Vikash2007/IMG_1233_100.jpg):)

[Psycho_McCrazy]

For larger size, check out the 75% Crop (http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg143/Vikash2007/IMG_1233_75.jpg) and 100% Crop (http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg143/Vikash2007/IMG_1233_100.jpg):)
The images of the full disc of the moon look awesome.

great use of the 400+telecon

[KrishnenduKes]

/\ same technique..

This one is a 50% Crop.. Shot wide open with the 2x TC:)
50D, 400L + Kenko 2x Tele Converter, 1/320, ISO 200, f/11

For larger size, check out the 75% Crop (http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg143/Vikash2007/IMG_1233_75.jpg) and 100% Crop (http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg143/Vikash2007/IMG_1233_100.jpg):)

Crazy shot there! Moon looks awesome. Have you sharpened this?

Same techniques you said. However the images show different Exif. I suppose that was intentional. To freeze the moon faster probably.

[Vicky]

The images of the full disc of the moon look awesome.

great use of the 400+telecon

Thanks Psycho! Glad u liked this:)

Crazy shot there! Moon looks awesome. Have you sharpened this?

Same techniques you said. However the images show different Exif. I suppose that was intentional. To freeze the moon faster probably.


Thanks Ken! Yes, this has some very light USM (100, 0.5, 0) coz I personally dont like it when the moon looks over sharpened and grainy:)

Yes, the basic technique is same, but experimenting with different exposure settings...

One thing I learned with this attempt is that for such high magnification shots of the moon, critical and precision focus is more important then every other setting!

[KrishnenduKes]

One thing I learned with this attempt is that for such high magnification shots of the moon, critical and precision focus is more important then every other setting!

Thanks for sharing that conclusion. I have a few more questions...

1. What should be minimum shutter speed to shoot the moon thus presuming we will alter the ISO accordingly. (I am supposing it should be upwards of 1/160secs)

2. With the above shutterspeed I suppose that we should shoot with the optimal f-stop of the lens, ie, between f8 and f11 again presuming that we will alter the ISO accordingly?

3. If you say that critical and precision focus is important, you prefer doing it through the VF or Live View?

Thanks again.

[Vicky]

Thanks for sharing that conclusion. I have a few more questions...

1. What should be minimum shutter speed to shoot the moon thus presuming we will alter the ISO accordingly. (I am supposing it should be upwards of 1/160secs)

For a Hand Held Shot - 1/focal length
For a Really solid tripod mounted shot - 1/100

2. With the above shutterspeed I suppose that we should shoot with the optimal f-stop of the lens, ie, between f8 and f11 again presuming that we will alter the ISO accordingly?

Yes.. i've got the best results at f/8-f/11..... but keep the ISO at the lowest possible value... noise really shows up in moon shots when you apply USM later in PP

3. If you say that critical and precision focus is important, you prefer doing it through the VF or Live View?

Live View with 10x mag is good, but you just cant beat Remote Live View Shooting with 10x magnification on your Laptop screen:)

Thanks again.

answers in blue:)

[KrishnenduKes]

answers in blue:)

Thanks again! :)

You do remote live view on your laptop screen with a USB cable I suppose and you have installed your Canon software!

Secondly what is USM? (Don't tell me it is Unsharp Mask!)

[trance_nut]

Just a correction
For a Hand Held Shot - 1/"effective" focal length
For a Really solid tripod mounted shot - 1/100

[Vicky]

Just a correction
For a Hand Held Shot - 1/"effective" focal length
For a Really solid tripod mounted shot - 1/100

Thanks! That's more precise now:)

Thanks again! :)

You do remote live view on your laptop screen with a USB cable I suppose and you have installed your Canon software!

Secondly what is USM? (Don't tell me it is Unsharp Mask!)

Correct... 50D connected to the Laptop with the USB cable and shot using Canon EOS Utility

And yes! by USM i did mean Un Sharp Mask:)

[KrishnenduKes]

Just a correction
For a Hand Held Shot - 1/"effective" focal length

That is what I have tried to follow in my life and have moved on to slower speeds on the street! But these kind of subjects I guess one has to be faster than 1/focal length to stabilise even though lenses are lighter than before.



Correct... 50D connected to the Laptop with the USB cable and shot using Canon EOS Utility

And yes! by USM i did mean Un Sharp Mask:)

Thanks for everything. This is quite enlightening indeed. :)

[synn]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2442/3782054584_f2fbe618a7_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandeepmurali/)

Captured moments ago:

[BANDHAV]

@Synn: Nice.

My try at it:

http://i32.tinypic.com/14y09p5.jpg

[KrishnenduKes]

My try at it:


Why does your Exif not show the ISO value? And what are the white spots?

[BANDHAV]

No idea about the ISO value, but it must be around 200 or so.

And those white spots are there on moon itself, i think so.

[synn]

The white spots are from over sharpening, either in-camera or in post.

Which cam/ lens did you use, Bandhav?

[KrishnenduKes]

The white spots are from over sharpening, either in-camera or in post.

Which cam/ lens did you use, Bandhav?

Camera Make: Canon
Camera Model: Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Image Date: 2009:08:02 10:37:20
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 66.1mm
CCD Width: 1.06mm
Exposure Time: 0.033 s (1/30)
Aperture: f/8.0
White Balance: Manual
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure Mode: Manual

[synn]

Trust our resident EXIF Xpert to come to my rescue! :D

If I may hazard a guess, that shutter speed is the reason why he got a blurred image and hence, had to compensate with sharpening. Deltaone tells me that anything below 1/125 would result in unintentional motion blur af far as moon shots are concerned.

[synn]

Taken moments ago, again:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2494/3792626910_aa14764e63_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandeepmurali/)

[Vicky]

Taken moments ago, again:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2494/3792626910_aa14764e63_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandeepmurali/)

Great shot... perfect exposure and pretty sharp:)

You need to get a longer lens;)

[synn]

...and a sharper one too! That 70-300G is unbelievably soft at the tele end. :(

[BANDHAV]

This one also suffers from the same problem as that of my last shot, but posting it here nonetheless:

http://i28.tinypic.com/jzjj0y.jpg

[Vicky]

This one is with just the 400L
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2595/3863347681_b3cc6c6b6f_b.jpg



This is with the 2x TC coupled to the 400L
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2459/3863347473_d4b51f38e3_b.jpg

Thanks for looking..

Vicky

[KrishnenduKes]

This one is with just the 400L


This is with the 2x TC coupled to the 400L
Thanks for looking..

Vicky

Good nice big images. I clearly prefer the one without the converter!

[Bibudesh]

Good nice big images. I clearly prefer the one without the converter!

+1 . I also loved the first one.

@Vicky I think there is something with the teleconverter you are using. I see there is a heavy reduction in sharpness in all the images with the converter on.

[synn]

I agree with Ken. the TC is robbing sharpness.

Amazing captures, nonetheless!

I see there is a heavy reduction in sharpness in all the images with the converter on.

That's the norm while using TCs.

[Bibudesh]

That's the norm while using TCs.

To what extent? I thought of getting one for my tamron.
If the compromise is heavy then I would better prefer a tele lens.

[synn]

You lose about two stops of light with a 2X TC. So there's no point for using it on slower lenses (I don't know how fast your Tamron is) as the AF sensor may not get enough light to make a proper lock at all.

Optically too, TCs rob sharpness; but the extent of it depends on the make and the model. I'd suggest reading reviews carefully before you invest in one.

[Bibudesh]

You lose about two stops of light with a 2X TC. So there's no point for using it on slower lenses (I don't know how fast your Tamron is) as the AF sensor may not get enough light to make a proper lock at all.

Optically too, TCs rob sharpness; but the extent of it depends on the make and the model. I'd suggest reading reviews carefully before you invest in one.

Mine is a f/2.8 .
I just checked some sample shots and was quite disappointed. Anyways thanks for the info synn.

[Deltaone]

Depends on both the lens and the TC to a large extend. Do remember, most tamrons are not really pure sharp fully open, go about a stop or so more and try. That said, unless its a good TC, youre gonna lose out big.

@Vicky: Try increasing the exposure a bit in post in the second image. First is actually slightly overexposed. From what i can see, you actually have almost the same amount of detail actually slightly better in the blown out areas in the first image, in the second. Try a bit more sharpening a tad more exposure, should improve considerably i think.

[drsureshmohan]

Vicky,
i i liked the sharpness of the first pic very much,im wondering if you had taken about 10 RAWs and stacked the image would have been even more brilliant, u know the toughest part of imaging the moon is focussing and you have succeeded,pity you didnt ake more and stack could have made it to APOD.anyway here is an wasy easy out to focus http://astrojargon.net/MaskGenerator.aspx and if u want to buy one ( i gues we all make our own) http://www.spike-a.com/.
Suresh

[Vicky]

Thanks for the feedback Guys!

The prime reason I posted both the shots with and without TC is to share two observations with you guys. First is the loss of sharpness, which you all could catch quite easily, but there's one more observation that you all missed..:)

Actually, if you note, both shots have been taken with the exact same exposure..

1st shot - 1/100, f/5.6, ISO 200
2nd shot - 1/100, f/11, ISO 800

Though the individual exposure settings are different, the actual exposure is the same for both shots, and hence the subject brightness should have been the same in both the shots. Which is clearly not the case here! Hence, the only logical conclusion could be that the 2x Kenko TelePlus 300DG Teleconvertor actually robs light by more than the claimed 2stops!



@Vicky: Try increasing the exposure a bit in post in the second image. First is actually slightly overexposed. From what i can see, you actually have almost the same amount of detail actually slightly better in the blown out areas in the first image, in the second. Try a bit more sharpening a tad more exposure, should improve considerably i think.

I get what you mean, but if you note, the second shot is at ISO 800, and if i increase the exposure in post and add more sharpening, then i guess the resultant noise will simply mask all the current detail:o... anyway, I'll give this a try:)

Vicky, i liked the sharpness of the first pic very much,im wondering if you had taken about 10 RAWs and stacked the image would have been even more brilliant

Thanks Suresh! Though I've had a stint at focus stacking macro shots with Helicon Focus, but I've yet to try this on Moon Shots! Which software would you recommend for stacking RAWs?

.. u know the toughest part of imaging the moon is focussing and you have succeeded, pity you didnt ake more and stack could have made it to APOD.

Yes, I realized this a long time back. Getting critically accurate focus is the most important factor in getting sharp moon shots. I connect the 50D to my laptop via USB.... and shoot in Remote live View mode at 10X magnification on my laptop screen and adjust focus manually to my satisfaction:)

BTW, what is APOD?

[Xavier]

BTW, what is APOD?

APOD - Astronomy Picture of the Day. (http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/)

[drsureshmohan]

Hi if u are a person who can learn quickly then go for IRIS http://www.astrosurf.com/buil/us/iris/iris.htm or try Registax ,both are free;while Registax is automated and method is fixed,IRIS you can manipulate step by step but i think in both it works in TIFF format.not too sure
Suresh
APOD is astronomy pic of the day from NASA

[BANDHAV]

One from my side:

http://i28.tinypic.com/14cque1.jpg

This one is clicked with Sigma 70-300, its unbelievably soft at most focal length and the problem get even worse at telephoto end.

[KrishnenduKes]

One from my side:

This one is clicked with Sigma 70-300, its unbelievably soft at most focal length and the problem get even worse at telephoto end.

Hey Bandhav! Nice! Better than your last ones that you showed with the P&S! :) Where did you get hold of the Sigma?

[BANDHAV]

@Kenda: Thanks, The Sigma belongs to addy, as it was lying useless with him i have borrowed it for few days.

I was at it again and the results seems to be little better than the last time, please comment.

http://i27.tinypic.com/wrzurn.jpg

http://i25.tinypic.com/317flsj.jpg

[KrishnenduKes]

@Kenda: Thanks, The Sigma belongs to addy, as it was lying useless with him i have borrowed it for few days.

I was at it again and the results seems to be little better than the last time, please comment.

This is getting better. The first is better of the two. I will wait for the Moon experts to comment.

[Xavier]

Here's my first shot at the Moon with the Sigma.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3519/3954748564_d707e97c0f_o.jpg

[Xavier]

Moonromanticism

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2544/3955434823_e3ebfc0362_b.jpg

[rio008]

Moonromanticism



Did you paste the moon to this image ? the section rectangle around the moon is clearly visible :)

[Xavier]

Did you paste the moon to this image ? the section rectangle around the moon is clearly visible :)

Oh damn! Is it ok now? :P

[rio008]

Oh damn! Is it ok now? :P

ya its still there, why dont you use a lasso tool around the moon ? :p

[Xavier]

ya its still there, why dont you use a lasso tool around the moon ? :p

WTH?! :O I used the lasso tool this time! :|

[KrishnenduKes]

Did you paste the moon to this image ? the section rectangle around the moon is clearly visible :)

I can't see anything!!!

[Xavier]

I can't see anything!!!

YAY!

Rio, :mad: :p

[powerslave]

It is clearly visible. :)

[rio008]

Ken tou are really getting older, just change the viewing angle in to the monitor.that might help you ;)
I can't see anything!!!

[shutterbug]

I can't see anything!!!
Nor can I, ken! What you guys talkin about?

[rio008]

what kind of monitor you are using titus ? LCD ? :)

Nor can I, ken! What you guys talkin about?

[shutterbug]

Yes, Lcd, its a laptop!

[Xavier]

It is clearly visible. :)

You see a rectangle, Manas?

Nor can I, ken! What you guys talkin about?
I can't see it either. And neither can a friend of mine who's using a CRT monitor. I use a 19" Viewsonic monitor btw.

[powerslave]

No I don't see a rectangle, I see a pentagon (or a semi circle if I ignore the sides consider it a smooth curve) around the boundary of the moon.

[KrishnenduKes]

Ken tou are really getting older, just change the viewing angle in to the monitor.that might help you ;)

That did help. I changed the angle a lot... was looking at the monitor from nearly behind the monitor!

You see a rectangle, Manas?


I can't see it either. And neither can a friend of mine who's using a CRT monitor. I use a 19" Viewsonic monitor btw.

I use a ViewSonic too, VA1912wb! Lovely stuff! :)

No I don't see a rectangle, I see a pentagon (or a semi circle if I ignore the sides consider it a smooth curve) around the boundary of the moon.

Yes it is indeed a kinda pentagon on its side. What raised my suspicions however is that you do not get to see any stars so close to the moon, almost touching it!

[Xavier]

I use a ViewSonic too, VA1912wb! Lovely stuff! :)
Same pinch! :D


Yes it is indeed a kinda pentagon on its side. What raised my suspicions however is that you do not get to see any stars so close to the moon, almost touching it!
The human eye can see stars which are pretty close to the moon (half moon) But then, the human eye has a dynamic range of around 18 stops as compared to most DSLRs with a range of ~8-9 stops.

[surya@64]

Hi Guys,

Good morning,

Talking about moon....here is one from my side.....

I would like to say that it is impossible to get a star BG with a halfmoon...unless??? The brightness scale is too huge and the ambient light just does not allow the stars to get recorded...

My other pic. shows the Constellation PLEADIES...AND MOON....Mind you there is no PP involved what so ever in this pic....

This was taken when during the RARE...event called OCCULTAION....!! MOON ..OCCULTS FEW STARS OF THE CONSTELLATION...

This is one such pic....but I have about 150 pic. of the entire sequence which lasted for about 30 mins...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3525/3958102024_726d9bf6c8_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2535/3957326499_1e9331a592_o.jpg

All have a wonderful day...:):)

[KrishnenduKes]

Hi Guys,

Good morning,

Talking about moon....here is one from my side.....

I would like to say that it is impossible to get a star BG with a halfmoon...unless??? The brightness scale is too huge and the ambient light just does not allow the stars to get recorded...

My other pic. shows the Constellation PLEADIES...AND MOON....Mind you there is no PP involved what so ever in this pic....

This was taken when during the RARE...event called OCCULTAION....!! MOON ..OCCULTS FEW STARS OF THE CONSTELLATION...

This is one such pic....but I have about 150 pic. of the entire sequence which lasted for about 30 mins...

All have a wonderful day...:):)

So we are back to speaking astrophotography. Great! :)

[powerslave]

Hi Guys,

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2535/3957326499_1e9331a592_o.jpg

All have a wonderful day...:):)

Awesome shot!

[surya@64]

Thanks guys, for your appreciation....

I am attaching a sequence of pictures to show what is OCCULTATION... Here U find the Moon slowly engulfing the bottom most star of the constellation Pleadies....

These Rare phenomena is used to make measurements of the moon ...by noting down the entry and exit time of stars behind moon...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2616/3958208848_12b1c59858_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2660/3958208878_5e62169dd3_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2486/3958208982_cd19088a91_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2429/3957432295_5dde366a79_o.jpg

Thanks for watching....:)

[Xavier]

Nice set Surya, real good stuff.

Here's something I shot 2 days ago, at 6.30am

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3525/3994639618_041c98b611_o.jpg

[surya@64]

Xavier, Its got a 3D, effect....nice pic....just change the color to white....Moon's Natural color..

[Xavier]

Xavier, Its got a 3D, effect....nice pic....just change the color to white....Moon's Natural color..

Thanks Prakash.

Is this any good? ;)

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p160/xvrdsouza/IMG_0115_final1bw1.jpg

[surya@64]

Thanks Prakash.

Is this any good? ;)

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p160/xvrdsouza/IMG_0115_final1bw1.jpg

There you are....looks very nice now...:):)

[Xavier]

There you are....looks very nice now...:):)

Thanks mate :)

[surya@64]

Hi Guys,

Good morning,

I shot this pic. of Moon some time back...But cannot find water....on it.:mad::mad::mad:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3602/4010101025_6269185dd9_o.jpg

All have a wonderful day.:):)

[Xavier]

Hi Guys,

Good morning,

I shot this pic. of Moon some time back...But cannot find water....on it.:mad::mad::mad:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3602/4010101025_6269185dd9_o.jpg

All have a wonderful day.:):)

Looks slightly oversharpened to me, Prakash :(

[KrishnenduKes]

Hi Guys,

Good morning,

I shot this pic. of Moon some time back...But cannot find water....on it.:mad::mad::mad:

Good joke there! :)

[BANDHAV]

One from my side:

http://i34.tinypic.com/2j5gl6v.jpg

[KrishnenduKes]

One from my side:


Now I am sure even YOU are happy with that Moon shot!

[BANDHAV]

^Day one: I loved it.

After two days: Its better than last attempts.

After posting it here: It could have been better.

[Vicky]

Last Nights Moon:)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2614/4045407769_068092ae65_o.jpg

[hitanshu]

Here is my first attempt:
http://www.freerider.in/apad/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Moon_-1-2.jpg

[anvancy-(macro analyst)]

a good try there..slightly overexposed!

Anvancy

[synn]

Agreed with Anvancy on all counts.
Could we get the EXIF please, Tau?

[hitanshu]

Agreed with Anvancy on all counts.
Could we get the EXIF please, Tau?

stacked 5 shots to get this! all spot metering, center focus point
ranging from 1/640 f10 or such to 1/1000 f/5.6.

Here is a 33 image stack, deliberately underexposed. 1/1600 f/7.
Handheld shot. (Thanks Vicky/Xavier):
http://www.freerider.in/apad/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Moon_Trial2-1-2.jpg
I know its not GREAT - but its good enough for me at the moment :D

[synn]

It's very nice, actually.
You need to either convert it to grayscale or do a chroma noise reduction though. The colored blotches are taking away from the beauty of the picture.

[Vicky]

Here is a 33 image stack, deliberately underexposed. 1/1600 f/7.
Handheld shot. (Thanks Vicky/Xavier):
http://www.freerider.in/apad/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Moon_Trial2-1-2.jpg
I know its not GREAT - but its good enough for me at the moment :D

Nice first try. But, you can do better!!

No real need to do multiple stacks. Try these settings tonight-

Shoot when the moon is high up in the sky.
Manual Mode. 1/250, f/8, ISO 100. Keep IS on. Mount it on your tripod. Focus manually using live view at 10x magnification.

The single most important factor in getting sharp moon shots is 'critically accurate focus'!

Then show us the results here:)

[KrishnenduKes]

Shoot when the moon is high up in the sky.
Manual Mode. 1/250, f/8, ISO 100. Keep IS on. Mount it on your tripod. Focus manually using live view at 10x magnification.


Ah! Live view on your laptop I suppose...

[hitanshu]

I agree. however, need to figure how to live view and get the focus. and a lovely tripod to run it!

Yest got so pissed at multiple non-sharp images that I just said WTF - lemme stack it and see if its any good!

[nabendubasu]

Mine is not that great but still I gave a try.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/puklujonty/DSC_0328copy.jpg

[hitanshu]

I tried but got miserable focusing :(

anyone else?

[debangshu]

Here's my moon shot.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2571/4182374318_d0bb1d5fda_o.jpg

[suvo]

Here's my moon shot.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2571/4182374318_d0bb1d5fda_o.jpg

Pretty nice...

[surya@64]

Hi Guys,

Good morning,

Here are some selected progressive Moon shots...among the series I exposed till the full Moon.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4253166046_013011706f_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2787/4252395489_ee6d82452f_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4034/4253166266_7c6c5f4d7e_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4253165976_dc4a8ff6f8_o.jpg

All have a wonderful day..:):)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/prakash_subbanna/

My blog www.viewfinderonline.blogspot.com

[debangshu]

surya@64 these are amazing shots boss. What did you use a telescope? :)

[surya@64]

surya@64 these are amazing shots boss. What did you use a telescope? :)

Deganshu, Thanks a lot for you appreciation....Well they are shot with 100-400L + 50D.

I have a 8inch and a 6inch reflector Telescope...home made...But yet to do Moon photography thro it.

Regards.

[Aryan]

@Surya: The last two shots are especially brilliant! The 100-400mm is a BRILLIANT piece of glass. :)

[surya@64]

@Surya: The last two shots are especially brilliant! The 100-400mm is a BRILLIANT piece of glass. :)

Thanks Aryan, for your compliment....Yes, the lens is very good and versatile...

Regards.

[Jonak]

http://i47.tinypic.com/2h8dac9.jpg

[KrishnenduKes]

Superb Jonak. Great shot. That is one Moon shot with a P&S Camera. Great work! :)

[Jonak]

Thanks dada. :)

[nabendubasu]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4062/4646994365_d904773f80_o.jpg

[surya@64]

http://i47.tinypic.com/2h8dac9.jpg

Intresting....could you pls tell us how U took this pic...Is it a single exposure or HDR....Are those dots the stars in BG...?
regards.

[KrishnenduKes]

Intresting....could you pls tell us how U took this pic...Is it a single exposure or HDR....Are those dots the stars in BG...?
regards.

From what I know it is photoshopped, it is not a single shot! But I would let the person behind the shot answer.

[roschmann27]

my first attempt

[KrishnenduKes]

my first attempt

Not bad for a first attempt. Get back to basic ISO, low ISO and push the time exposure a little more. You will get the grains out and get a smoother photo.