capmike Loc: New Bern, NC

It's been about 2 months since my first post on this subject, and I think I've gone as far as I can with the equipment I have. The first photo is with my D 850 mounted with an adaptor on a Swarovski ATX 95 scope. I have taken many photos at all levels of zoom, and have found the sharpest are at minimal zoom, this one at about 1400mm equivalent. The second is with my D 850 and my 300mm PF and a 1.4 tele, equaling 420mm. The crops are close to the same size, and my question is which do you folks think is the better image. Also, I'm having a difficult time getting the color close to what I see through the scope. With just my 420, I don't really see the color.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

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northmaple Loc: Englewood, FL

I like the shot without the scope.
Spotting scope adds additional lenses that tend to diminish the light throughput.
Just my opinion though.
Nice work, keep it up.

johntaylor333

Great shots, both.

I prefer the first as it seems to have more contrast and be a bit sharper.

Low Budget Dave

My general impression is that we are shooting through so much atmosphere, any picture of the moon (from Earth) is going to be limited by atmospheric distortion, rather than by the resolving power of the lens and camera. In order to get the resolution that your sensor is capable of, you would have to set up some motors, track the moon over a period of several hours, and then use a computer to average out the distortion.

The highest resolution photo of the moon (other than close-ups) is the topographic map that NASA developed in 2011 using an array of earth-based telescopes, and each pixel on that represented about 320 feet.

I think both pictures are very good, but the second is subjectively better because of what looks like better dynamic range.

I would recommend that you discard all the color information and shoot in whatever balance gives you the best resolution. The moon itself is almost completely colorless, so any color that you see is from our atmosphere. Go ahead and get the resolution you want, and then tint the photo in post to create whatever color you remember.

Dr.Nikon Loc: Honolulu Hawaii

A D850 and the equip you have .....still the shot after post editing is not bad .. given the camera you have .. just stick a $ low cost 200-500 on it .. good Tripod .. mirror up remote shutter and let it rip ...

Or you can rent a prime 500mm or 600 mm .. put it onto your D850 with a steady tripod and mirror up and remote trigger ... and blow away everyone ... spend the whole night ..bracketing ..and get the most out of your expensive lens rental ... the pics you’ll get will astound you .. and you’ll have the best Moon shots for the rest of your life ..

I would have done it already .., but wanted to stay married a little longer ..so I didn’t rent the big prime lens ..opted instead to use my D850 and the 200-500 ..

I touched up in post .. your shot .. just a little and have attached it here ..actually not a bad shot ...

A slight color and clarity added

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capmike Loc: New Bern, NC

Thanks for the post op. Looks pretty good. I am shooting live view, with remote shutter release, sturdy tripod. I have the 500mm PF on order, since 8/28/18. Hope to have it before a year passes. When I get that, with my 1.4 tele, I’m hoping for a better shot.

Thanks again,

Mike

Dr.Nikon Loc: Honolulu Hawaii

😎👍