Can't focus on the moon
Jan 2, 2021 14:38:31 #
rv8striker wrote:
I’ve been trying to photograph the noon for the la... (show quote)
I use wide rubber wrist bands to add resistance to the zoom ring anytime I shoot barrel elevated to make sure the zoom won't change. You can do the same with the focus ring if it has a tendency to creep as well. Be careful however to make sure autofocus is off as such resistance could damage the focus motor depending of what type of lense being used. I keep a number of such bands for spare as well so I'm always ready if needed. In a pinch buy a bicycle intertube and cut the band's to the desired width, these usually last a long time and can be used on flash guns as well for holding filter gels.
Jan 2, 2021 14:56:00 #
rv8striker wrote:
I’ve been trying to photograph the noon for the la... (show quote)
MOON SHOTS
(Manual focus to infinity, I/S off)
For photos of the Moon’s surface, set aperture to f/11 and shutter speed to the reciprocal of the ISO setting.
With ISO 100, one sets the aperture to f/11 and the shutter speed to 1/100 or 1/125 second.
With ISO 200, aperture at f/11, set shutter speed to 1/200 or 1/250.
With ISO 400, aperture at f/11, set shutter speed to 1/400 or 1/500, and so on.
Jan 2, 2021 16:21:39 #
Ballard
Loc: Grass Valley, California
I've had some success in the pass with up to 1000mm with autofocus with a tripod. However to get the very best focus I connect the camera to a laptop and put it in live view. With my canon using the EOS software you can magnify the image up to 10x to really get great focus and then take the picture using the computer so you don't jiggle the camera. The other advantage is that in live view the mirror is already up so that vibration is minimized while taking the shot. I assume Nikon has a similar program available.
If you use a very long focal length then atmospheric turbulence and even atmospheric dispersion can also be a factor particularly if the moon isn't real high in the sky. In this case it is better to take a video and stack the frames to improve the signal to noise of the image.
Here is a post I just did of the moon using the video technique, in this case the very long focal length required 4 videos to get the whole moon in and stitching them together after stacking. The post also discusses the software used to stack, stitch and process the images. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-680013-1.html
If you use a very long focal length then atmospheric turbulence and even atmospheric dispersion can also be a factor particularly if the moon isn't real high in the sky. In this case it is better to take a video and stack the frames to improve the signal to noise of the image.
Here is a post I just did of the moon using the video technique, in this case the very long focal length required 4 videos to get the whole moon in and stitching them together after stacking. The post also discusses the software used to stack, stitch and process the images. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-680013-1.html
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Jan 2, 2021 16:25:28 #
pecohen wrote:
Aside from the experience and perhaps pleasure of doing it yourself. In college I took several lab courses in physics and it is a pretty safe bet that all of those experiments I did had been done many times before.
I went through the same experience in my physics classes in high school and college. I enjoyed them, they teach patience and thinking about what you are doing and possible errors. The one experiment I remember particularly was doing Cavendish's experiment on determining the gravitational constant. I believe we used a setup similar to his.
Jan 8, 2021 15:45:46 #
The moon is traveling orbit at 2288 mph. The earth is orbiting at 66,660 MPH while rotating at 1037 mph, so you have a little movement that is no apparent to the eye, but to camera lens and shutter would be. A faster shutter speed and higher ASA might help.
My neighbor is an amateur astronomer, and I have used his telescope stand with the stardrive to get sharp pictures of the moon
My neighbor is an amateur astronomer, and I have used his telescope stand with the stardrive to get sharp pictures of the moon
Jan 8, 2021 17:18:23 #
Hazmatman
Loc: Santa Maria California
Here are some important aspects of getting a good image of the moon.
1. For all intents and purpose the moon is at infinity.
2. The moon in all phases is in full sunlight the same as sunlight here on earth.
3. The moon is apparently moving at about 0.25degrees a minute or 0.004 degrees per second.
4. The moon is less than 0.5 degrees in diameter. This ia a small target. At elephoto lens of 400mm plus is the minimum focal length.
To get a decent image:Manual Mode
1. Setting your camera to infinity your depth of field will be accurate enough to have the moon in focus.
2. Set the IOS to 100 for the best noise free exposure.
3. Set f stop to F 8
4. Set shutter to 1/400. That should strop and moon motion and a lot of your own.
Sit in a nice chair withe arms and comfortably shoot away, You can also change the settings plus or minus one stop. I have used this method with a 1000mm f5.6 telescope. (on a tripod.)
Long underwear helps. Have some fun.
1. For all intents and purpose the moon is at infinity.
2. The moon in all phases is in full sunlight the same as sunlight here on earth.
3. The moon is apparently moving at about 0.25degrees a minute or 0.004 degrees per second.
4. The moon is less than 0.5 degrees in diameter. This ia a small target. At elephoto lens of 400mm plus is the minimum focal length.
To get a decent image:Manual Mode
1. Setting your camera to infinity your depth of field will be accurate enough to have the moon in focus.
2. Set the IOS to 100 for the best noise free exposure.
3. Set f stop to F 8
4. Set shutter to 1/400. That should strop and moon motion and a lot of your own.
Sit in a nice chair withe arms and comfortably shoot away, You can also change the settings plus or minus one stop. I have used this method with a 1000mm f5.6 telescope. (on a tripod.)
Long underwear helps. Have some fun.
Jan 9, 2021 09:14:23 #
This thread has been going a while so maybe this all has covered, if so sorry.
If the photos are all really out of focus, there is something more fundamentally wrong than a little shake, etc., in my opinion. Everything said is true for the best pics, but I remember shooting the moon, by hand, with a bridge camera, during daylight, on trips with reasonable success. High thin clouds/haze can be harder/problematic in photos than for visual, there are also moon filters. But if tried several times, over many nights, must be something with how the camera is being focused.
If the photos are all really out of focus, there is something more fundamentally wrong than a little shake, etc., in my opinion. Everything said is true for the best pics, but I remember shooting the moon, by hand, with a bridge camera, during daylight, on trips with reasonable success. High thin clouds/haze can be harder/problematic in photos than for visual, there are also moon filters. But if tried several times, over many nights, must be something with how the camera is being focused.
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