whitewolfowner

Get a remote shutter if you want the moon sharp and centered in the frame to get the sweet spot of the lens. Without it, it may even move out of the frame on you waiting on the delay to trip. Don't forget, you have to give set up up time to stop moving once you stop touching it.

NealB Loc: Lowell Indiana

Looking at the Impact 16-80 from B&H right now. I am open for suggestions on brand and model. I would prefer to not go over $300.00 for one at this point.

NealB Loc: Lowell Indiana

A little update on my great adventure. I ended up dialing the time back to 1/2 sec and moved to f/11 but still needed more tweaking. The clouds decided to move in here in Northwest Indiana so I packed it in for the night. I will check to see if I can try again when I get up at 4:00am.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

You have a much higher end camera than I do, so you'll be shopping for a release I probably wouldn't consider, and can't really speak to.
(Edit in: Wow! I think I'd get lost with that thing! Impact 16-80)
But wireless is the way to go. You can sit back, or sit in the house, and run the camera. I've done that when starting a time lapse run in the wee hours of the night.
(I could use the delay start, but prefer to make sure the run is started.)
So get something that suits you and will work flawlessly with your Nikon 810 camera. You are headed on a great journey, choose wisely as you proceed.

Now then, last night I had some good skies and as is usual for me I was out playing. While waiting for my deep space equipment to suck down images of places we will never see in person, I was looking up at the waxing crescent of the Moon, thought about you and CathyAnn, and got my camera, tripod, and my 55-200 mm lens and my 150-600 mm Tamron lens. Time to get to work...
I tried the 200 mm, but it seemed woefully lacking in magnification to me. So I switched over to the Big Tammy, manual mode for either, and manual focus.
Since I'm a bottom dweller, I'm somewhat limited in my options in my camera. But I have picked up a few things in the 60K+ images I've shot with it since 2014 when I jumped in the river. I wanted to get back to some basics, to be a beginner again, but with a quiver full of arrows.
Shoot, look, adjust. Shoot, look, adjust. Shoot, look, adjust. I was using manual release, not a remote.

At 200 mm, I couldn't even find focus. So I gave up on that endeavor and changed over lenses. I wanted to try and get to your suggested 1 second at 600 mm. Way too bright, way over exposed. (ISO 100)
I jumped down into the fractions, and continued my hunt, refining focus as I went. 1/4s, 1/125th, 1/160s, 1/200th, ... down to 1/400th.
At 1/200th the Moon still had a yellow cast to it for me. At 1/250th, it went to a blueish cast (image 3). I was hot on the trail hunting down a good exposure.... and trying to refine my focus as I went along by using Live View, and zooming in to get a more magnified view of my focus. Still shooting manual release...

So I wanted to share with you, and CathyAnn, how you could step into the exposure, slow to faster, until you find works best for your camera, your location, and your choices. I took 17 images between 8:49 PM (20:49) and 9:13 PM (21:13). If a turd like me on the bottom can do it, surely you can both too, and enjoy "Shootin the Moon", too.
Practice, practice, practice... and enjoy! (Untouched, as shot images.)

1/125 sec. f/5.6 200mm ISO 100

(Download)

1/200 sec. f/6.3 600mm ISO 100

(Download)

1/250 sec. f/6.3 600mm ISO 100

(Download)

1/320 sec. f/6.3 600mm ISO 100

(Download)

1/400 sec. f/6.3 600mm ISO 100

(Download)

Meanwhile, this little Nebula was slow cookin on the telescope. 3600 second RGB on the G3 CCD.

(Download)

NealB Loc: Lowell Indiana

Sonny thanks for the shots and settings you just posted. I am going to take another run at it tonight. I did go ahead and order the Impact remote last night so we will see how that works out.

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

The fact that the moon will be the closest since 1948 really doesn't have too much of an affect on photography. A 2000 mm lens will pretty much fill the frame regardless of the moons celestial address. But it should appear bigger to those visually admiring it. This probably has been addressed in prior posts on this thread - apologies if that is the case - but getting a sharp focus is your biggest challenge. Focus manually - do not focus at "infinity". Also if you are on a tripod - expect the moon to move out of your frame, quickly if you are at 600mm. Personally wide angle moon shots often leave the moon looking like a bright star. Use your 600 at 600. The moon is bright - reflecting the sun. Also, a full moon does not render a very dynamic moon shot ..there is zero drama to those photos IMHO. I would prefer to shoot the moon in a waxing or waning 1/4 phase.....then you have the sun casting shadows over the craters which can add some drama and dynamic range to the shot.

But all of that being said....the fun is in the "getting out" looking up and figuring it out. Always shoot manual for both exposure and focus, ALWAYS! I would choose a low ISO - my guess is your 600mm lens will be a F/5.6 lens at that focal length. Even then I would "Stop Down" the lens to F/11. Shoot raw and underexpose your photo. Keep dialing down the shutter until your histogram is spiking on the extreme left side. (if shooting raw you can always add 3 stops of light in post) It is EASY to "blow out" parts of the moon's surface.

Take a bunch and move the focus slightly with each photo.....take several hundred - hopefully one of them will have tack sharp focus. This, I might add, is the bane of all astro imagers - FOCUS.

Well that is my two cents!

CathyAnn Loc: Apache Junction, AZ

Thank you, Sonny! (And you are NOT a bottom "whateveryoucallit"!) I put my P610 on the tripod first, and I couldn't get a clear shot, just a big, white, fuzzy blob -- thought "what the heck???" Then put my d7100 with my longest lens, the Sigma 70-300 Macro (with macro disengaged... lol!) on the tripod. I knew the image would be small, and it was in fact like your first shot above. I just couldn't get a clear picture no matter what, and there were no clouds in the sky. When I was packing it in to go inside, I looked up at the moon, and it had a bronze ring around it. Well, no wonder! Too much moisture up there. I'll try again tonight if possible because clouds have moved in again.

I'm thinking I might spring for the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 VR lens. Best Buy has it on sale for $1,399. All of the reviews on their website are glowing about this lens. Do you have an opinion on it? ...Or any other thoughts pertaining to a long lens?

NealB Loc: Lowell Indiana

Thanks for the excellent information. I zero knowledge about astrophotography but figured this event would be a good one to try. I sure there will be a large amount of pro-photos of this event showing up to compare my effort to for my education.

CathyAnn Loc: Apache Junction, AZ

Me too, Neal!

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

I am sure they will look great! ...again, the fun is in the trying!

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Only that I wish I had one...
Of the lenses I have, I like my Nikon ones pretty darn good.

On your 7100, you should have some plus +, and minus -, buttons. In Live View, you can digitally zoom in and adjust your focus. It takes a gentle hand, but you can do it!
Then shorten your exposure times taking shots along the way to find what you like with the best illumination, and focus.
Remember to have fun!

You are slipping down the slippery slope, CathyAnn....

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Bofus!

CathyAnn Loc: Apache Junction, AZ

I'm going to send a PM...