CCD vs Film? Lots of time vs no patience? Alright, this is your place to discuss all the astrophotography what's and what's not. You can discuss about techniques, accessories, cameras, whatever....just make sure you also post some nice photos here too!
zaman wrote:wow, getting more btr. Very good try. keep update.
Thanks Zaman
kayheem wrote:Try this:
Up the ISO to 800 or so.
Reduce the exposure some more. The lit area of the moon appears over-exposed.
(if not already doing so) Manual focus at max magnification using Live View.
Trip the shutter using a remote control or use the self-timer.
Do try again and let us know.
Thanks!
Kay Heem
I dun think I can do ISO 800. Cos at ISO 200, the whole moon is almost white. Cannot even see the details. And if I use 1/250, the whole moon is kinda like a gray ball. The ISO 50 and 1/100 shutter is so far the best combi I can muster from a normal zoom lens. What I can try next is to reduce the f/stops.
I am already using the Live View 10x zoom to focus. I am using the 10sec self-timer so that the vibration from the focus actually comes to a stop. 2sec self-timer, sometimes the cam is still recovering from the shakes. I forgot to bring my remote trigger that night.
Hi,
You can use the spot metering to give you a starting reference shutter speed and use manual mode to adjust the shutter speed according.
Anyway, below are some shutter speed guide for your reference when shooting Moon using f5.6 @ ISO 100 (use manual mode and the ignore camera metering):
1) Thin Crescent Moon - 1/30s
2) Wide Crescent Moon - 1/60s
3) Quarter Phase Moon - 1/125s
4) Gibbous Moon - 1/250s
5) Full Moon - 1/500s
To stop vibration, you can use a tripod, use mirror lock-up and a remote control.
Happy shooting and have a nice day.
Yang Weixing "The universe is composed mainly of hydrogen and ignorance."
@weixing: Yes i do use tripod, remote and the reason why I cannot use metering or any of the lens provided functions is that I connect a Nikkor lens to a Canon body using a dumb metal ring, no AF comfirm cheap. So its really acting like a full MF. I use Live View to shoot, so the mirror is already up.
@kayheem: I was reading that I should keep a low ISO so that there will be lower noise. Is there a reason why you suggested a higher ISO?
@weixing and kayheem: Wow, thanks for the technical formulas, will definitely refer to them on my next attempt.
For my shoots, I do not just shoot 1 or 2 then pack up and leave.
Usually i will try ISO 50, ISO 100 increment to 200 And for every ISO, i'll try 1/100. 1/125... all the way to 1/250. I shoot all in RAW. Then i'll use Lightroom to compare each and every one for details, blur, contrast and such, then I pick a few good ones to keep, then 1 or 2 best ones to display publicly such as here.
Should that be the correct workflow? Can you share yours?
andeelym wrote:
@kayheem: I was reading that I should keep a low ISO so that there will be lower noise. Is there a reason why you suggested a higher ISO?
If you are not shooting at low shutter speeds e.g. <1 sec with deliberate under-exposure, you do not need to worry about noise at ISO 400 when using modern DSLRs like the 5DMkII. Even if you do get some speckles, it can be cleaned up with software like Noise Ninja and then re-sharpened.
When you do Live View with the mirror up, when you do trip the shutter, does the mirror move down and then up again? My Nikon D300 does. Mirror slap is one of the causes of the shakes.
Try to pre-focus in Live View, switch back to normal focus mode then do a mirror lock-up (MLU) before shooting.
I like Croy's exposure on the moon. Some even under-expose it a bit more, depending on the mood you want.
I use LR2 for all my photos and have no complains. Perhaps you did not master all the controls?
[80% Steve, 20% Alfred] ------- Probability of Clear Skies = (Age of newest equipment in days) / [(Number of observers) * (Total Aperture of all telescopes present in mm)]
"The universe is composed mainly of hydrogen and ignorance." 
![[smilie=admire.gif]](./images/smilies/admire.gif "admire")
