I would like to take a good detailed picture of the a full moon. I'm using a Canon EOS Rebel 350 XT. The pictures sometimes come out to bright and I lose the detail. Do I need to lower the time of exporsure? and or what else can I do.
Thanks
LennyV
The moon is just another sunlit object, so the "sunny f16" rule applies, but you probably don't want the true color of the moon, because it's actually a very dark grey. Try f8 and 1/80 or so.
I would like to take a good detailed picture of the a full moon. I'm using a Canon EOS Rebel 350 XT. The pictures sometimes come out to bright and I lose the detail. Do I need to lower the time of exporsure? and or what else can I do.
Thanks
LennyV
Here is one that I took a couple nights ago with my 300D and a Sigma 80-400mm lens. It was taken at 400mm F 9.0, 1/250 s, ISO 200
In the Western Hemisphere we have coming up two consecutive nights of near-full Moons, each with about 98% illumination -- waxing Wednesday night, and waning on Thursday.
You don't say what lens you're using, or whether you're using a telescope or not. The above advice is all good. The moon is a very bright object, and most people make the mistake of over exposing.
You don't say what lens you're using, or whether you're using a telescope or not. The above advice is all good. The moon is a very bright object, and most people make the mistake of over exposing.
Me? I'm just using the built-in zoom on my S3 -- I think it's a 420mm equivalent at the long end of the 12x zoom. Tripod and timer are in the plans, but at the shutter-speeds I was getting I could probably shoot hand-held, e.g. my starting exposure is going to be ISO 80 • f/8.0 • 1/400 second.
I might try to bracket if I shoot when there's a nice skyline : )
You don't say what lens you're using, or whether you're using a telescope or not. The above advice is all good. The moon is a very bright object, and most people make the mistake of over exposing.
I took this shot last night. 300MM at F 5.6, 1/250 sec. ISO 200. Handheld, I find if I need to take 20 pictures to get 1 good one it's no problem. I played around with the speed, down to 1/160 to a high of 1/500 and I liked the 1/250 best. Thinking about it now the F 5.6 isn't the sweet spot of my lens, should have been over F 8.
The moon is just another sunlit object, so the "sunny f16" rule applies, but you probably don't want the true color of the moon, because it's actually a very dark grey. Try f8 and 1/80 or so.
I have been told by more than one person who is in a position to know (Ctein, if you want to check his cred. out) that you should actually open up one stop for a proper moon exposure, so it would actually be "sunny f/11" rule. I had prior to that thought the sunny f/16 was correct.
BTW if the moon is actually a very dark grey, why doesn't it look that way reflecting normal sunlight? Just curious.
I would like to take a good detailed picture of the a full moon. I'm using a Canon EOS Rebel 350 XT. The pictures sometimes come out to bright and I lose the detail. Do I need to lower the time of exporsure? and or what else can I do.
Thanks
LennyV
Lenny was wondering if you got that Moon shot yet. I think you need to be on manual and set the f number to F8 or so and the shutter speed to 1/250 sec. Use a tripod and a remote shutter release or use the timer so the camera will settle down. Use center spot focusing and let the camera do the focusing.
Heres another one I took tonight.
I appreciate the exposures mentioned here in this thread. I shot the moon tonight with my 30D and the Bigma. Set the ISO at 200, and the shutter speed at 1/250. I think it turned out pretty good for just resting the camera on a rail (tripod was in the truck).
