bdk
Loc: Sanibel Fl.
1/100 of a sec. F8 ISO 64 is how I shoot it. Remember its bright, like shooting the sun. ( you are shooting the sun reflection)
I have done some research and stacked images is the way to go, then process the images with software like PIPP and Registax.
rbtree
Loc: Shoreline, WA, United States
Jaackil wrote:
Getting a sharp full moon with detail and contrast is extremely difficult in a single shot. First it is extremely bright. Brighter than you even realize. Partial moons reflect much less light. The other reason is depth of field issues. The moon is not a flat disk. It is a round sphere so if you focus on the middle as you move away from the middle it gets further and further away from you plane of focus. The best way to shoot a full moon is to stack several exposures to bring back detail and contrast.
Good luck.
Getting a sharp full moon with detail and contrast... (
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As the moon is 290k miles away, I have to disagree with you there. I've been imaging the moon for many years. Focus on the moon, which is at infinity, switch to manual, and fire away.
Electric Gnome wrote:
I have done some research and stacked images is the way to go, then process the images with software like PIPP and Registax.
The proper focus on the moon is infinity. I am not understanding how one could stack images to get a better photo of the moon. I am not an expert, but have had some success...the moon is very bright...so stop the exposure down. If you mean bracket exposures, that might work. In my case, I have a mirrorless, so what I saw in the viewfinder was an accurate representation of what I captured.
rbtree
Loc: Shoreline, WA, United States
rbtree
Loc: Shoreline, WA, United States
Sorry about the previous post. Tried to remove it, too late now it seems. Take a good look at this image, folks. All parts of the moon are tack sharp. Due to the side light of a 3/4 moon, there will be more relief on the most side-lit parts... which gives an apparent increase in sharpness. Note I said apparent. Click to enlarge.
Canon R5, 500 f/4 II and 1.4x Extender, 1/400 sec f/6.3, ISO 500 tripod, 10 sec delay. I started to add "mirror lockup", but not with this camera, yo!!
Only way to get more sharpness or resolution than this combo would be with a tracked telescope, I'd say. Or an 800 f/5.6
rbtree
Loc: Shoreline, WA, United States
qasas3251 wrote:
I shot both with the same gear, the camera was a Cannon 7D, with a Cannon 150-600 MM lens.
I assume you mean either Sigma or Tamron, as the closest Canon is the 100-400. I have the Tammy 150-600 G2. Great lens. If you see my post just above, you'll see what an even better lens (and camera) are capable of.
If you can focus stack, go for it, but I would suggest first trying a modification of the "Sunny 16" rule, guideline, suggestion.
The moon is a front-lighted subject...full sunlight! Soooo... 100-200 ISO, 100-200 Shutter speed, F/16 to start, tripod if you got it, then bracket, to see what you like. It may come out "Sunny 11" or some other setting, all close to the original. Write down what works...otherwise you will forget! sm12: Good luck!
rbtree
Loc: Shoreline, WA, United States
Why focus stack? The moon is at infinity, so only one image will be in focus.
Whether zoomed in or not, spot focus and metering should be used. Then turn off AF. Plus use a tripod and 10 sec delay.
This may not be the only cause, but it is clearly one cause: the crescent Moon is sharpest where side lighting crosses over the craters (on the right side). The flat head-on parts are similar in sharpness to the full Moon, yes?
Specular side lighting gives sharper texture detail than flat frontal light because it does not reach into the cracks and crevices.
Jaackil wrote:
Getting a sharp full moon with detail and contrast is extremely difficult in a single shot. First it is extremely bright. Brighter than you even realize. Partial moons reflect much less light. The other reason is depth of field issues. The moon is not a flat disk. It is a round sphere so if you focus on the middle as you move away from the middle it gets further and further away from you plane of focus. The best way to shoot a full moon is to stack several exposures to bring back detail and contrast.
Good luck.
Getting a sharp full moon with detail and contrast... (
show quote)
Surely at that distance, everything is in the plane of focus... or within the strictest zone of depth of field.
rbtree wrote:
Why focus stack? The moon is at infinity, so only one image will be in focus.
Whether zoomed in or not, spot focus and metering should be used. Then turn off AF. Plus use a tripod and 10 sec delay.
Agree...if anything bracketing exposure might help the OP get in the right range, but focus stacking does not make sense, in my amateur photo mind. The object is at infinity focus.
letmedance wrote:
The full moon has no shadows, The partial moon has distinct shadows.
Letmedance is absolutely correct.
qasas3251 wrote:
I have been photo graphing the Moon and I can't seem to get the full Moon as sharp as I want. For some reason the Crescent Moon or Half Moon are ok. Of course I would like them sharper but for now I'm happy with them. I shot both with the same gear, the camera was a Cannon 7D, with a Cannon 150-600 MM lens. Any comments critiques or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks All and please stay safe.
First Photo Data: 3/4 Moon
Cannon: EOS 7D
F-Stop: f/6.3
Exposure time: 1/1250 sec.
ISO: ISO-800
Focal Length:600MM
Max aperture: 5.25
Metering Spot
Second Photo Data: Full Moon
Cannon: EOS 7D
F-Stop: f/6.3
Exposure Time: 1/800
ISO: ISO-400
Focal Length:600MM
Max aperture: 5.25
Metering Spot
I have been photo graphing the Moon and I can't se... (
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A lot of things come into play here but it could be atmospheric also. Cool or even cold nights with no haze are best for this type of shooting. A sturdy tripod makes a difference and shoot on silent mode if you have it. That will flip the mirror up first letting the camera settle before shutter release. Last try with a shutter release cord instead of using your hands on the camera - you would be surprised how much your camera moves with hands on.
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