HDR Moon: Has anyone had any luck doing a HDR of the full Moon..?

RickN Loc: Pacific Northwest USA

Has anyone had any luck doing a HDR of the full Moon..?

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

I have heard of no one using HDR for moon photography.

The exposure range of the moon (from earth) is not extreme. Contrast, etc., can be manipulated from a single correct exposure. I cannot conceive of an advantage using HDR, unless you are on the moon, where the lighting is extremely harsh, obliterating detail in deep shadow.

RickN Loc: Pacific Northwest USA

That must be why I had no luck at my attempts............thanx for reply

MtnMan Loc: ID

Hi,

I finally got some good advice...Scott Kelby's book, I think.

The moon is very bright. Set your camera at ISO 100, f11 and 1/250s to start.

Here is one I tried two nights ago. First time it ever worked for me.

Regards,
Larry Leach

Moon

jf65625

Nikonian72 wrote:

I have heard of no one using HDR for moon photography.

The exposure range of the moon (from earth) is not extreme. Contrast, etc., can be manipulated from a single correct exposure. I cannot conceive of an advantage using HDR, unless you are on the moon, where the lighting is extremely harsh, obliterating detail in deep shadow.

At least that is what NASA would have us believe. For a contrary view see http://darkmission.net

But, I believe you are absolutely correct. I can see no advantage in using HDR on a moon shot.

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

FAQ: How to photograph the moon.

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user_page.jsp?upnum=109
For focusing purposes, the moon can be considered an infinite distance from earth. It is always noon daylight on the lighted side of the moon, so your exposure should be 1/ISO (shutter speed) at f/16 (aperture). Full moon, half moon, quarter moon will be the same exposure, or very close.

Recommended starting exposure at ISO 400, manual settings of 1/400-sec at f/16, lens at infinite focal distance. Longer lenses means faster shutter speed (to reduce camera shake) and a little wider aperture.

When using a tripod turn OFF your IS (Image Stabilization) or VR (Vibration Reduction).

A prime lens will always be sharper than a zoom lens. The longer your lens, the less cropping required to enlarge image.

jf65625

lleach wrote:

Hi, I finally got some good advice...Scott Kelby's book, I think. The moon is very bright. Set your camera at ISO 100, f11 and 1/250s to start. Here is one I tried two nights ago. First time it ever worked for me.
Regards, Larry Leach

Very nice work. Would you mind telling us what cam & lens? Focal length? I know you used something much bigger than a P&S. Would like to know how you steadied your cam, and what you used to trigger. Best regards, jf

MtnMan Loc: ID

Thanks for the good advice. I'll try those settings when it clears again.

I forgot the part about turning off the stabilization and turned it on. So probably that caused some blur. The faster exposure will help. The higher ISO makes sense with the higher f-stop and shorter exposure you used...I think the net exposure is about the same but didn't do the math.

I also used my hand to fire it. I will use the remote next time. Togehter those should really sharpen things up.

Regards,
Larry Leach

Nikonian72 wrote:

FAQ: How to photograph the moon. br br http://www... (show quote)

MtnMan Loc: ID

Hi,

D5100 on a good tripod. I used the Nikorr 55-300mm lens that came with the camera set at full zoom. I then cropped quite a bit in Photoshop elements 10.

My mistakes were:
1. Fired it by hand.
2. Had image stabilization on.
3. Use bit higher ISO and f-stop, lower exposure time.
I am sure fixing those will sharpen things up nicely.

PS: A little thing I just noticed. When you look at the properties for these pics it gives the "35 mm focal length" for the photos, along with the actual. I know the factor is 1.5 for this camera (thus 450) but it is interesting for my point and shoots. I don't know if that is coming from Elements or is there with all pics.

Regards
Larry Leach

jf65625 wrote:

lleach wrote:

Hi, I finally got some good advice...Scott Kelby's book, I think. The moon is very bright. Set your camera at ISO 100, f11 and 1/250s to start. Here is one I tried two nights ago. First time it ever worked for me.
Regards, Larry Leach

Very nice work. Would you mind telling us what cam & lens? Focal length? I know you used something much bigger than a P&S. Would like to know how you steadied your cam, and what you used to trigger. Best regards, jf

jf65625

Hi, Larry: Thanks for the info. Your efforts far exceed my first tries. You appear to have given this some serious effort, and probably will get really great results on your next try. I looks like a clear, cold night coming here, so I might just give it another attempt. Here's wishing you the very best. jf

Wanda Krack Loc: Tennessee, USA

Hey Folks, you don't have to use a tripod to get a good shot of the moon. I just took a few (full moon) from my front porch. Use manual settings, keep VR on, zoom as much as you can, and use the lowest ISO your camera goes, 1/250 and f-16. I ended up using a setting of 1/500 because the 1/250 was too bright. The moon is not difficult to shoot hand held. These settings give you some details. However, you will not be able to get a great picture using more than one shot (I've tried it) and putting them together because of the moon's speed. The moon is just moving too fast.

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

lleach wrote:

Hi,

I finally got some good advice...Scott Kelby's book, I think.

The moon is very bright. Set your camera at ISO 100, f11 and 1/250s to start.

Here is one I tried two nights ago. First time it ever worked for me.

Regards,
Larry Leach

Nice shot Larry.
I tried last night. Nice sturdy tripod. VR off, then on. Normal, then HDR. QUite a variety of settings and configurations. Nothing good. I noticed all the shots were overexposed when I put them on my computer so I went out again, with the CP on, hand held, VR on and I got a bit more detail than previous. Still nothing good. Lots of "Bad Moons Rising."
I should have tried my ND filter.
Better yet, I should have used my 8" telescope.

photosbysexton Loc: Knoxville, TN

Wanda Krack wrote:

Hey Folks, you don't have to use a tripod to get a... (show quote)

show us the image you shot please.

Jud51 Loc: Dunbar Pa.

Here is a picture of the moon I took with my Kodak easyshareZD8612IS 12x optical zoom no tripod in the daylight .

PNagy Loc: Missouri City, Texas

This is not HDR, but it seems to get the job done. The weapon was Canon 7D, 28-300 F3.5-5.6 IS. Setting: 1/500 shutter speed. Post-processing increased contrast.