Moon shots: I've tried this six times with success only once. Guess what, I didn't pay attention to the settings. Shooting with d300 w/18x270mm Tamron lens. Most all, with one...

bbradford Loc: Wake Forest NC

I've tried this six times with success only once. Guess what, I didn't pay attention to the settings. Shooting with d300 w/18x270mm Tamron lens. Most all, with one exception I can't see the craters in moon. I've tried everything I know. Low ISO,turned off anti-vibration,speed 125, f11,mirror lock up,tried all different metering, messed around with different focal points, different speeds,ISO and of course tripod with only one success. Anyone want to guess what I'm doing wrong? Thanks Bryan

IsoBob Loc: Hamilton, NJ

Try this for starters. Set your shutter speed and ISO to the same setting.Ex: SS 200---ISO 200 keep these the same or SS400---ISO 400 and use an aperture value of f11 for both. Try this and adjust your aperture value to your liking.
Good luck
Bob
Sent u a PM

hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

bbradford wrote:

I've tried this six times with success only once. Guess what, I didn't pay attention to the settings. Shooting with d300 w/18x270mm Tamron lens. Most all, with one exception I can't see the craters in moon. I've tried everything I know. Low ISO,turned off anti-vibration,speed 125, f11,mirror lock up,tried all different metering, messed around with different focal points, different speeds,ISO and of course tripod with only one success. Anyone want to guess what I'm doing wrong? Thanks Bryan

Could you post a typical shot; it may help us answer you better?

wwright Loc: Tucson

The moon moves pretty quickly, making long exposures difficult. It is also reflected sunlight, so exposures are more in line with sunny day settings. I have has the most success using remote control software, control my Nikon, a long USB cable (so I can sit inside) and my laptop. I can review each shot on the larger screen and make adjustments as needed. With regard to night photography, my white whale is meteors. I get lots of star trails, but getting lucky enough to have a meteor to cross the path has been a challenge. :-)

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

bbradford wrote:

I've tried this six times with success only once. Guess what, I didn't pay attention to the settings. Shooting with d300 w/18x270mm Tamron lens. Most all, with one exception I can't see the craters in moon. I've tried everything I know. Low ISO,turned off anti-vibration,speed 125, f11,mirror lock up,tried all different metering, messed around with different focal points, different speeds,ISO and of course tripod with only one success. Anyone want to guess what I'm doing wrong? Thanks Bryan

Bryan - Welcome to the Hedgehog forum. Are you aware that UHH has a whole section devoted to “Astronomical Photography”? Here is a link to that section where you will be welcomed and free to join.
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-109-1.html Best wishes, Ralph

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

The Moon is illuminated with reflected earthlight, so you have to treat it like a daylight shot.

IsoBob is spot on with reciprocal shutter speed and ISO. I use an aperture of f/11. And, manually focus to infinity. The moon is what, 250,000 miles away, the very definition of infinity.

IsoBob Loc: Hamilton, NJ

rgrenaderphoto wrote:

The Moon is illuminated with reflected earthlight, so you have to treat it like a daylight shot.

IsoBob is spot on with reciprocal shutter speed and ISO. I use an aperture of f/11. And, manually focus to infinity. The moon is what, 250,000 miles away, the very definition of infinity.

forgot to tell him to focus on infinity!

par4fore Loc: Bay Shore N.Y.

bbradford wrote:

I've tried this six times with success only once. Guess what, I didn't pay attention to the settings. Shooting with d300 w/18x270mm Tamron lens. Most all, with one exception I can't see the craters in moon. I've tried everything I know. Low ISO,turned off anti-vibration,speed 125, f11,mirror lock up,tried all different metering, messed around with different focal points, different speeds,ISO and of course tripod with only one success. Anyone want to guess what I'm doing wrong? Thanks Bryan

There are hard stops at either end of the focusing spectrum, and the lens will focus past infinity.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

bbradford wrote:

I've tried this six times with success only once. Guess what, I didn't pay attention to the settings. Shooting with d300 w/18x270mm Tamron lens. Most all, with one exception I can't see the craters in moon. I've tried everything I know. Low ISO,turned off anti-vibration,speed 125, f11,mirror lock up,tried all different metering, messed around with different focal points, different speeds,ISO and of course tripod with only one success. Anyone want to guess what I'm doing wrong? Thanks Bryan

These links should help.

https://www.lightstalking.com/bite-size-tips-photograph-moon/
http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/howtophoto/index.htm
http://www.ephotozine.com/article/how-do-you-photograph-the-moon--26980

hj Loc: Florida

Took this just this morning with my Canon SX50. I did crop afterwards to get a larger image. ISO 80, 215mm, f/6.5 and shutter 1/250. I've learned through experience that your ISO will vary greatly depending on what phase the moon is in. Full moon would of course require a much lower ISO as in this case.

bbradford wrote:

I've tried this six times with success only once. Guess what, I didn't pay attention to the settings. Shooting with d300 w/18x270mm Tamron lens. Most all, with one exception I can't see the craters in moon. I've tried everything I know. Low ISO,turned off anti-vibration,speed 125, f11,mirror lock up,tried all different metering, messed around with different focal points, different speeds,ISO and of course tripod with only one success. Anyone want to guess what I'm doing wrong? Thanks Bryan

(Download)

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

bbradford wrote:

I've tried this six times with success only once. Guess what, I didn't pay attention to the settings. Shooting with d300 w/18x270mm Tamron lens. Most all, with one exception I can't see the craters in moon. I've tried everything I know. Low ISO,turned off anti-vibration,speed 125, f11,mirror lock up,tried all different metering, messed around with different focal points, different speeds,ISO and of course tripod with only one success. Anyone want to guess what I'm doing wrong? Thanks Bryan

Your basic moon exposure is 1/iso at F16. ie. if your iso is 100, then your exposure is 1/100 at f16, if your iso is 500, then your base exposure is 1/500 sec. at f16. Again this is a starting point, I would bracket around this base to get exactly what you want.

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

Shoot the moon as you would shoot on a sunny day, it is reflected sunlight. As many have stated, you are not shooting a long exposure. Underexpose a bit. A full moon will show less detail than the moon at other phases.

Shooting at 270mm, you will not see the craters on the moon; you will have to crop the photo to bring out the craters.

I used to shoot the moon with my 70-300 Tamron and I had to crop. I now use my Fuji 8650 at 72 power (said to be an equivalent of a 1000mm). I have no problem seeing the craters without cropping. The downside of the Fuji is that it only shoots in JPEG, but can easily enlarge to 11x14.

The full moon on 08-26-18

jims203 Loc: Connecticut

I had limited success the last 3 nights too. It could be too much moisture in the air or smoke from western fires. Also my Tamron 200-500 never delivered the sharp detail obtained with my Nikon 200-500 lens. I have a D300 D7100 D500

DaveC1 Loc: South East US

Spot metering (and put it on the moon); auto ISO; aperture priority (something from f5.6 to f8); manual focus; VR off; The camera will choose the shutter speed; mirror lockup; remote shutter release; good steady tripod; and a clear sky. Works every time.

dlmorris Loc: Loma Linda, Ca

Don't expect to see many creators on a full moon. Shoot partial moon pictures. Much more interesting. 270mm is not enough power to get really good moon shots, but it should give you something. Use manual settings.... Set your ISO to around 800, f-ratio to 8, shutter speed to maybe 120, and take a picture. If it is bad, change the shutter speed either up or down until you get what you like. Leave the apature alone, leave the ISO alone, just change the shutter speed until you get a good shot. Of course, manual focus.