Nikon P1000, moon shots, tripod, focus issue
Apr 21, 2019 07:23:32 #
Hello M, moon photography is rewarding once you get the hang of it. We like using a gimbel, easy to follow the moon as it speeds around the planet, as we spin around the sun ourselves, to the bodies are dancing while we're trying to get a nice sharp shot. Some don't care for a gimbal, but it doesn't have to be expensive, and really grows on you. Once your camera is set the way you want, all you have to do is give the gimbal a bit of a bump to catch up where the moon has moved. A wired shutter release is really handy, as well as a long lens support. Hang in there, it'll come to you, become a habit;ood luck, happy shooting. sv
Apr 21, 2019 07:51:32 #
Marlz wrote:
Pretty new at all of this ... I am trying to figur... (show quote)
The moon is moving. At high magnification you easily see this.
Best to go to the astro photography section. There are motorized tracking devices to keep celestial objects centered.
Apr 21, 2019 09:01:37 #
Apr 21, 2019 09:06:24 #
I got a used Bogen tripod that had a Bogen 410 head on it for $30. Wasn't sure what I'd use it for, but turns out to be perfect for long lens moon shots. Once you get on target a micrometer drive makes it possible to track the moon as it moves through the frame. Every other tripod head is almost useless. I use 2 sec on the self timer just long enough to get away from the camera, but quick enough to keep the moon framed. Sony HX400V.
Apr 21, 2019 09:23:28 #
Thanks to all who responded. Great tips, but now I have to wait 20-some days until the moon shows her lovely waxing gibbous face again. (Looking back on my images, I got a few handheld using the "Moon" setting on the P1000 that turned out quite good.) My next "moon" question: we are in a somewhat wooded area, but I can position myself so that the treeline is far away, depending on where the moon rises. It has happened that I missed the moon in its near-horizon position bc I was in a place where trees blocked the actual place of rising. What is the solution for this? Where do I find info on where the moon rises in the sky, and then do I need an orienteering compass to show me where to face? Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to help me out with this. :)
Apr 21, 2019 11:17:07 #
If the problem is the lens hanging so far off camera as to weight the tripod and cause it to sag, why not make a plate to mount the camera and move it to the center of gravity? A piece of 1/4" X 1" aluminum bar stock and two holes, one threaded 1/4-20 and one through. Now your camera is balanced again and your tripod won't sag. Just a thought.
If you don't have tools or a friend with them contact me off list; give me the dimensions and I'll make it for you.
Rick
If you don't have tools or a friend with them contact me off list; give me the dimensions and I'll make it for you.
Rick
Apr 21, 2019 11:24:11 #
Marlz wrote:
Thanks to all who responded. Great tips, but now I... (show quote)
Download the free software Stellarium. When you set it with your altitude, latitude and longitude it gives you an animated view of the sky from your location in real time. Or you can advance the time to see where objects like the moon, planets and stars, will be in the sky later in the evening or on the next day, etc. from your viewing site.
Apr 21, 2019 11:31:48 #
davesit
Loc: Lansing, New York
Are you using a heavy lens and camera body? Assuming you are using a long lens, you might need to use a long plate on the lens tripod collar so you could balance the lens/camera better on the head/tripod to reduce creep.
Apr 21, 2019 19:10:58 #
davesit wrote:
Are you using a heavy lens and camera body? Assuming you are using a long lens, you might need to use a long plate on the lens tripod collar so you could balance the lens/camera better on the head/tripod to reduce creep.
Nikon P1000
Apr 21, 2019 21:07:47 #
Use a gimbal head on your tripod. This allows one to move the camera and lens forward or back over the center of the gimbal while level so it neither drops or rises. Then using a short shutter time you can get good pictures having only to reset the camera when the moon moves out of the scope of your lens.
Apr 22, 2019 06:38:45 #
I managed to get this shot the day before we were due one of those “super moon” events. I noticed that the moon was up and the sky was clear so I grabbed one of my cameras (a Nikon Coolpix L330) and tried to get a good shot of the moon and the crane. To get in this position I had to go about 40-50ft downhill to the road behind our garden. I also had to lie on the road. Holding my breath and gritting my teeth I managed to get in position and squeezed off a shot. I wasn’t able to try another shot because I was explaining to a car driver that, no, I wasn’t ill, no, I have not fallen over and no, I am not a future client for the dementia home they are building.
I did have to work a bit in Gimp to brighten the red on the crane. I left the moon as it was and left the noise around the tree branches.
I did have to work a bit in Gimp to brighten the red on the crane. I left the moon as it was and left the noise around the tree branches.
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