Help with camera lenses and setting for May 15 lunar eclipse.
I just saw I am in a direct path of the lunar eclipse. The path looks like it will take it south of our local pier on the Gulf of Mexico.
I have not let had success shooting these so asking for help. What lenses and settings to use.
I have a Nikon D 750, good in low light. I also have a Nikon D500. My f/2.8 lens is a 24-70, then I have 70-200 f/4, 85 f/.1.8, then the 200-500 f/5.6 and the 500 PF 5.6 and I have two tripods so I could do two cameras.
My wish list: large pink moon over pier ( probably several shots stacked)
rising moon going through the eclipse
And clear weather.
Attached is the location
Thanks
wdross
Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado
Judy795 wrote:
I just saw I am in a direct path of the lunar eclipse. The path looks like it will take it south of our local pier on the Gulf of Mexico.
I have not let had success shooting these so asking for help. What lenses and settings to use.
I have a Nikon D 750, good in low light. I also have a Nikon D500. My f/2.8 lens is a 24-70, then I have 70-200 f/4, 85 f/.1.8, then the 200-500 f/5.6 and the 500 PF 5.6 and I have two tripods so I could do two cameras.
My wish list: large pink moon over pier ( probably several shots stacked)
rising moon going through the eclipse
And clear weather.
Attached is the location
Thanks
I just saw I am in a direct path of the lunar ecli... (
show quote)
Go to the NASA website and look up eclipse. They have more than enough info.
Geometry requires that it be a Full Moon at the time of any Lunar Eclipse, and it will be bright until most of it is in the Earth's shadow. In the shadow it will be pretty dim. You'll want some way to steady the camera, since you'll no doubt be using a long lens for the shots. If you have a way to keep it steady, I'd use the longest lens you have. (I've tried a 500mm mirror lens and my 18-200VR zoom at 200mm, but I haven't had much success with keeping it steady--I don't have a tripod.)
TriX
Loc: Raleigh, NC
Judy795 wrote:
I just saw I am in a direct path of the lunar eclipse. The path looks like it will take it south of our local pier on the Gulf of Mexico.
I have not let had success shooting these so asking for help. What lenses and settings to use.
I have a Nikon D 750, good in low light. I also have a Nikon D500. My f/2.8 lens is a 24-70, then I have 70-200 f/4, 85 f/.1.8, then the 200-500 f/5.6 and the 500 PF 5.6 and I have two tripods so I could do two cameras.
My wish list: large pink moon over pier ( probably several shots stacked)
rising moon going through the eclipse
And clear weather.
Attached is the location
Thanks
I just saw I am in a direct path of the lunar ecli... (
show quote)
I would look on the PhotoPills website and check out their videos on shooting an eclipse.
Coastline...pier...eclipse...wide angle would be my choice...your 24mm.
Up close is a dime a dozen shot.
Full manual, spot meter, & adjust your shutter speed for any changing light as needed via your cameras meter. Tripod of coarse! Take a photo, chimp on the cameras monitor & adjust as needed. Have you shot the moon yet. Like shooting in daylight or brighter. If I remember correctly, they were promoting & selling filters for the last big eclipse.
Filer for lunar? Moon will be pick.
In TPE the red pin goes for your shooting location, not your subject. If you want the moon over the pier you will have to find a suitable dry place up to the north of it.
Expect the moon to be really really dark. Wide angle lenes will be far easier to manage. Longer lenses needed to produce a big moon will involve very challenging exposure compromises.
In terms of settings. This will get you started. For well exposed red ball in winter 2019 total lunar eclipse I used iso 200, f5 at 8 seconds. Spring 2021 was similar.
The 500PF will get you a spectacular moon. The problem is that you will need about a 1 sec exposure or less to have it not moving. Now, to have such a moon line up with your pier, you need to compare the angle of view at 500mm to the angle between you and the pier & you and the moon.
Your screen shot says moon will be some 40 degrees above the horizon. Ahem, that defines your planning issues. 500mm goes out the window. So does a 200mm.
I suggest you put the 500 on the D500 and just go for the moon. Use a wider lens on the D750 trying to integrate the moon into a scene of your choice.
Finally. The full dark red moon will last quite a while. It might be long enough that the moon drifts far enough west that you can catch the pier from the beach and be ok. It will still be a wide shot though.
Why wait until the night of the eclipse....Spend some time now setting up tripod(s) camera, experiment with different lenses, settings, do some research ahead of time exploring sites & recommendations for shooting the moon as it is now & special notes on recommended settings for when it is in earths shadows & is dim
Judy795 wrote:
I just saw I am in a direct path of the lunar eclipse. The path looks like it will take it south of our local pier on the Gulf of Mexico.
I have not let had success shooting these so asking for help. What lenses and settings to use.
I have a Nikon D 750, good in low light. I also have a Nikon D500. My f/2.8 lens is a 24-70, then I have 70-200 f/4, 85 f/.1.8, then the 200-500 f/5.6 and the 500 PF 5.6 and I have two tripods so I could do two cameras.
My wish list: large pink moon over pier ( probably several shots stacked)
rising moon going through the eclipse
And clear weather.
Attached is the location
Thanks
I just saw I am in a direct path of the lunar ecli... (
show quote)
I have not studied this eclipse yet, so I'm just working from what's in your chart. It indicates that the full moon is at 12:14 AM. That's also the middle of the totality period, and is when the full moon is directly overhead. Don't know when the moon will begin reappearing, but not likely later than 1 AM, give or take. With daylight savings time, that means that the moon is still going to be almost straight overhead. It's going to be tough to get the shots that you indicate that you want.
As for using a wide angle lens, the moon ends up pretty tiny when photographed with a normal lens. Using a wide angle is only going to make it smaller.
Keep studying, but this may not be the opportunity for your shots that it first seems.
Yes. The site is nearby. I can practice. Maybe I should just try it with the big lens and make a composite of phases.
billnikon
Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
Judy795 wrote:
I just saw I am in a direct path of the lunar eclipse. The path looks like it will take it south of our local pier on the Gulf of Mexico.
I have not let had success shooting these so asking for help. What lenses and settings to use.
I have a Nikon D 750, good in low light. I also have a Nikon D500. My f/2.8 lens is a 24-70, then I have 70-200 f/4, 85 f/.1.8, then the 200-500 f/5.6 and the 500 PF 5.6 and I have two tripods so I could do two cameras.
My wish list: large pink moon over pier ( probably several shots stacked)
rising moon going through the eclipse
And clear weather.
Attached is the location
Thanks
I just saw I am in a direct path of the lunar ecli... (
show quote)
D500, 500 PF, 1/iso @ f16.
If you want to reply, then
register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.