Thanks for the info. BTW, all focusing was done manually and set to infinity. My shutter speeds have rotated between 1/40 to 1/1000 and the apertures from f5 to f22. No combination seem to work. Daylight white balance always. I'll try mirror lock up and sunny 16. My exposures seem to be okay; it's the lack of definition and detail that seems to be the problem
Thanks again.
Dan

I give up. For the past three years I have attempted to get good photos of the moon. Like others, I have seen these really cool and detailed shots taken with quite unimpressive equipment by others and I wanted to emulate these shots. I have used two different sigma 50-500's, two different sigma 170-500's and two different 300's, one olympus and one tamron. I had taken the shots with and without a tripod, with and without a two second delay on a tripod, with and without a remote shutter release, at various shutter/aperture settings and at different zoom ranges. To date, none even approach some of the shots taken by other photographers using simpler equipment (point and shoots and ultrazooms). That is spelled C-R-A-P!! I live in Georgia and all my shots have been taken while shooting upward from the side of a hill and my only hope is that my geographic location has something to do with the problem. Also, does the time of evening or morning have anything to do with the clarity?

ANY suggestions would be appreciated.
Dan

Thanks all. Will put info to good use.
Dan

I am considering a monopod for my 60D and long lens (500mm). Birding. Any advice would be appreciated. Cheapie? Criteria for purchase? Height? Manufacturers to consider or avoid?

Thank in advance for the expert advice.
Dan

Too much subjectivity and many criteria. The are many things to consider:
technical expertise, aesthetic understanding, type of photography, software understanding and expertise, type of equipment available, etc.
Plus, others opinions and understanding of the work that they do.
Dan

Hey Timarron, veeeeerrrrry impressive. With a kit lens, yet.
Don't believe these shots have much to do with the camera or lens. Mostly photographer.

My congratulations.
Dan

Have owned mine for about 15 months and am quite happy with all aspects. I must admit, though, that the feature that turned it for me was the articulating screen. I needed that to do videos of grand kids. Works like a charm.
Dan

Thanks all for the great comments. I will try to digest them all and apply to my P.P. Eva makes the job easier because she doesn't make bad shots; she's a great model.

Dan

Sorry 'bout the error in judgment regarding the location of this post. I'll try to do better.


Thanks
Dan

Please comment. I lose my objectivity due to the subject matter (grand daughter)
Thanks
Dan

Eva

Just a note to describe my first experience with KEH camera. I purchased a used Sigma 170-500 for my 60D. Upon arrival, I found that the lens had a couple of problems. I contacted KEH and received a Return Authorization along with free return shipping. Was contacted by KEH four days after I returned the lens and was infomed that the lens could not be repaired, but that they were shipping me another lens of a higher rated quality the same day for next day delivery (no additional charges or shipping).

Just received the second lens and found it to be perfect. Every correspondence (telephone and email) with KEH was positive with each person knowledgeable and helpful. I can't say enough positive about my experience with KEH. No, I am not affiliated with KEH in any way.....just thought you should know.

Dan

A common problem for this camera. There is a tiny capacitor located on the bottom of the camera that was not sized correctly by Minolta during design and seems to be a culprit for this type of problem most of the time. Repair services sell these capacitors at a cheap price. However, if you are not into camera repair yourself, I would suggest that you let a repair service take a look.

Dan

Sounds as though you guys have been through this before. Thanks for the input.
Dan

I just purchased a used Sigma 170-500 f5.0-6.3 for my Canon 60D. As I set it up for some preliminary birding shots at the lake behind my house, I noticed that I kept getting this Err 01 code every 3 or 4 shots indicating that the contacts on the lens were dirty and needed cleaning. When I returned home, I removed the lens and cleaned it a total of three separate times with isopropyl alcohol using a prepackaged swab.

This evening, since the moon was full, I decided to further test the lens. Set up on 500 mm, manual focus to infinity, light balance on daylight, ISO at 100, manual settings of aperture and shutter to try and get a proper exposure. I found that I could only get exposures at f6.3 without the aforementioned Err 01 signal. Any other aperture setting resulted in the Err code.

Since I have cleaned the contacts well, I have used up both my patience and my talent with this lens. I purchased it from KEH and they have a 14 day no questions return policy and an overall 6 month warranty.

Can anyone offer any other suggestions that I might try prior to contacting KEH.

Oh yes, at that large aperture and long lens, none of the moon pics were anywhere close to acceptable.

Need help.
Dan

Thanks again to all. Will look into the suggestions.
Dan