An updated version of how to take photos of the moon can be found here:
"A Bit of Knowledge: How To Take Photos of the Moon—A Handy Tip For DSLR Cameras"
Since many of you asked how to take moon photos, here are some general instructions. I hope they are useful for you to start with; however, you need to practice and find out what works best for you. These are not written in stone, so feel free to play with the settings on your camera. The instructions are based on the settings of my Canon EOS 20D, but the terminology is universal for other cameras, so you should not have any issues with settings or following this procedure.
I will be glad to hear from you, and if you find better settings or options than these, please share them, as well as any stunning moon effects you get. I am planning to take moon pictures for some time to get the complete lunar cycle, assuming the skies are not overcast.
Instructions are based on the Canon EOS 20D SLR Digital Camera and a 75-300mm or 100-400mm telephoto zoom lens.
Full Moon, July 29, 2007 (Aurora, Ontario, Canada)
CAMERA SETTINGS
Ensure that the camera is stable (rest on a hard surface or tripod); however, I was able to get away with any kind of support.
Change Metering Mode (the most important item on the list).
> Change to Partial
Set Exposure Program
> Change to Shutter Priority (Tv) , camera will choose an appropriate aperture (Av)
> Adjust Shutter Priority speed to 1/400 sec or 1/800 sec, 400 or 800 number on the menu.
Set ISO Speed
> Change ISO speed to ISO-1600.
Set Exposure Compensation
> Scroll to the left, -1 step
Set Focal Length (zoom)
> Extend lens to Max (300mm, or 400mm in my case)
File Properties for Reference:
Note: I also noted that if I only set the Metering Mode to Partial and leave program mode in P (on my camera), the camera will do the rest. I was able to take photos in P mode, and they came out acceptable.
OTHER NOTES
These are my settings; however, you may want to play with the numbers on your camera in the above-specified ranges to get your optimum photo quality. I change them all the time.
Remember to switch the camera back to your standard settings; otherwise, you may take this 'precious moment' with the wrong settings.
Note, the terminology is universal, and even though I am using a Canon EOS 20D camera, the same settings can be applied to other brands of SLRs or other digital cameras with higher zoom capabilities.
PHOTOSHOP TIPS
My Canon EOS 20D SLR takes soft-textured images; to add a bit of sharpness, you can play with the following Adobe Photoshop settings (other software may have that feature also):
Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask
>> Set Amount to 100%
>> Radius set to 1.0 pixels
>> Threshold 0 levels
Radius can be adjusted based on the image's size and resolution. However, these are almost perfect settings for all images.
REFERENCES
'EOS 20D Cannon Digital Camera Manual', by Canon
~ Anna
"A Bit of Knowledge: How To Take Photos of the Moon—A Handy Tip For DSLR Cameras"
Since many of you asked how to take moon photos, here are some general instructions. I hope they are useful for you to start with; however, you need to practice and find out what works best for you. These are not written in stone, so feel free to play with the settings on your camera. The instructions are based on the settings of my Canon EOS 20D, but the terminology is universal for other cameras, so you should not have any issues with settings or following this procedure.
I will be glad to hear from you, and if you find better settings or options than these, please share them, as well as any stunning moon effects you get. I am planning to take moon pictures for some time to get the complete lunar cycle, assuming the skies are not overcast.
Instructions are based on the Canon EOS 20D SLR Digital Camera and a 75-300mm or 100-400mm telephoto zoom lens.
Full Moon, July 29, 2007 (Aurora, Ontario, Canada)
CAMERA SETTINGS
Ensure that the camera is stable (rest on a hard surface or tripod); however, I was able to get away with any kind of support.
Change Metering Mode (the most important item on the list).
> Change to Partial
> Change to Shutter Priority (Tv) , camera will choose an appropriate aperture (Av)
> Adjust Shutter Priority speed to 1/400 sec or 1/800 sec, 400 or 800 number on the menu.
Set ISO Speed
> Change ISO speed to ISO-1600.
Set Exposure Compensation
> Scroll to the left, -1 step
Set Focal Length (zoom)
> Extend lens to Max (300mm, or 400mm in my case)
File Properties for Reference:
OTHER NOTES
These are my settings; however, you may want to play with the numbers on your camera in the above-specified ranges to get your optimum photo quality. I change them all the time.
Remember to switch the camera back to your standard settings; otherwise, you may take this 'precious moment' with the wrong settings.
Note, the terminology is universal, and even though I am using a Canon EOS 20D camera, the same settings can be applied to other brands of SLRs or other digital cameras with higher zoom capabilities.
PHOTOSHOP TIPS
My Canon EOS 20D SLR takes soft-textured images; to add a bit of sharpness, you can play with the following Adobe Photoshop settings (other software may have that feature also):
Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask
>> Set Amount to 100%
>> Radius set to 1.0 pixels
>> Threshold 0 levels
REFERENCES
'EOS 20D Cannon Digital Camera Manual', by Canon
~ Anna
Comments
There is also an event on Aug 12-13 - the meteor shower, check this out
Perseids 2007
Your blog is wonderful Anna, I'm latching on to your feed.
- Priyank
Anna, thanks for commenting my "new" layout. :)
Michael