sholland98 Loc: Benbrook, Texas

Lone moon shots seem mostly a mental weariness, but they always present an attraction or challenge for perfection of our pixels. There probably isn't another single object in existence that demands such shutter count. Like you, I also fall into the 'sucker' category attempting the 'just a little bit better' syndrome . The so called "super moon" has brought much attention to the forum these last few days which leads me to report how I extract respectability from my bag. I'm a Nikonian using D750 and 150-600C Sigma. That's certainly not pro grade but it is a descent body and glass. I have a 1.4 TC but can't say it adds to the quality so don't use it here. Select Manual mode, and keeping the ISO low (100) seems to be a key factor. Using the good rule of "Looney 11", the corresponding shutter speed would be set at 1/100. Therefore, starting at f11 the above numbers are variables according to physical attributes and visual desires - just try not to monkey! with ISO (I'll usually end up around f9 or so). Now for the 'kickers'. BTW, there's nothing new here; just things others have written that I've read trying to be 'just a little bit better'. Using a stable tripod, and remote or cable shutter release, select manual focus and live view. Albeit, the moon turns blinding bright catch a crater rim on the perimeter to adjust focus, which is very sensitive. Must note at this point that it is necessary to be at least a day or two off full moon cycle for crater rim profile. Now lock the mirror up and trigger the shutter. I can't see a difference with VR on or off at this point but I leave it on. See how this works for you and feel free to contribute the secrets in your catch because I know it can always be' just a little bit better'!

sholland98 Loc: Benbrook, Texas

I failed to mention that once you go to live view zoom on crater before focusing.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Don't worry, the moon will come out again next month, and the next month and the nex....... LoL
SS

Ed Greding Loc: Texas

I like to take closeups of lunar formations (craters, mountains, rilles etc.) on or near the terminator, where shadows create spectacular depth and clarity as the Sun rises or sets over surface features. I have a Celestron 14 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. The telescope has a focal length of 3910mm, thus is f/11. One advantage is its stubby optical tube assembly---only 31 inches long, which, even under high magnification produces almost no vibration. The mount is rock-solid and has lunar tracking. I use a Nikon DSLR 5100, but its f/5.6 lens is removed and the camera then attached to the hole through the 14" mirror at the back of the telescope via an extension tube and Nikon T-adapter, and a 17mm 1.25 inch eyepiece. I put the camera on Manual mode. On the LCD I can set the shutter speed, but there is no f-number indicated. Evidently the camera does not recognize the telescope as being a lens. My question at last: Is there any way to calculate the f-number, or to set it? I'm not at all advanced in photography, and shall appreciate any help. --ED

sholland98 Loc: Benbrook, Texas

Im intreged by your reply. I've no experience with telescopes and fear the expense of the 'bug'. I quickly researched your scope and see no mention of a variable aperture so would seem to me you are hard at f11.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

The camera will not recognize any manual focus lens, which is what a telescope is. If f11 gives you too much light there are lens caps with a hole in them that will raise the f-stop number. They tend to increase the contrast. You can't make the f-stop number lower than f-11. Can you post some pics? I would use iso-100 and adjust the shutter speed until you get a nice contrasty picture on your live view lcd screen.
Most photographs of the solar system use video and a program like Registax 6 (which is free) to stack the single frames of a 15 or 30 second video clip to produce a single very sharp image. This is especially true for photographing the planets, but might also work on the lunar craters and lunar mountains you are photgraphing. Another interesting technique is to turn off your telescope tracking and let the moon pass through your camera field of view while taking a video. It will look like a lunar fly by.

Jupiter from a celestron XLT 120 refractor.

(Download)

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

When I "shot the moon" in high school I needed NO special equipment. And I got some very interesting results.

royb_36-cox.net Loc: Phoenix

My longest lens is 300 mm. I used live view with 5x magnification when setting the focus. Of course I used a Tripod and remote shutter release. I used IOS as my variable and set the aperture to 16 and the shutter to 160. I cropped the 18 Mpixel file and adjusted the brightness and contrast a bit using the Raw file and settings for the lense I used in PaintShop Pro X8. I settled on an ISO of 400. I was satisfied with the results so that's what counts.

Ed Greding Loc: Texas

Thank you all for your replies. As soon as the weather clears I'll try some of these suggestions.