My first go at the moon

[titan79]

Hi got my first dslr last week and got my tripod today so went out and tried my first go at the moon .....

not sure if you would think these are good or bad but i liked the way they turned out and i had fun doing it .......

all comments welcome and any pointers to as i am a first night noob lol

P.s i used a canon 1100d with 18-55mm non IS lens these where shot at 55mm f/5 20 or 30/s exposure with MF

[barkis]

Well, you've made a good start, and the moonlight

filtering through the branches, and stars too, is a good setting.

Well done, and good luck with your next project .

Ron.

[titan79]

thanks i was a bit down because a telescope is out of my budget at the moment but i got more than what i thought i would with the kit lens lol

[barkis]

The camera and lens are a great means to get images of the Milky Way stars. It helps if you have a drive, but you can get by without one.

Of course, the moon is best out of the way when attempting such shots, and light pollution at a minimum too.

A 28mm or 50mm lens is sufficient. Mnual Mode, Camera on tripod, and pointed at an area of sky of your choice. Try lens wide open, ISO 200

Try experimenting with exposure times of 30 seconds, checking on the trailing of the stars. Reduce exposure sufficiently to minimis the trailing. Point the camera at areas around polar region will help keep the trailing at bay. Again experiment with exposure durations to estimate best fit scenario for you.

Good Luck.

Ron.

[titan79]

Thanks for the advice ron going to try get as much sky time in as possible till i get use to my setup , just hope these cold nights keep bringing clear skies ....

Just a few things tho , does having lens wide open mean setting it to the lowest f/number i can get it to and any advice on getting infinity focus , because i spent alot of time and shots trying to get stars in focus and was wondering is there an easier way than trial and error ?

[John Togger]

Yes, widest aperature is the lowest number. Think of it in terms of fractions, i.e. 1/5th (F5) is bigger than 1/22nd (F22).

[titan79]

Arrrh right i get it now , any ideas about infinity focus ?

[John Togger]

I just use manual focus starting all the way out and take a few test shots tweaking and reviewing (preview zooming is your friend) until I'm happy with the results. You do get a feel for it and its quicker/easier to hit the sweet spot the more you do it.

[titan79]

thanks john, just hope the skies stay clear ha !

[steelfixer]

Titan I love the halos.

[titan79]

thanks steelfixer but to be honest i think it was first night luck lol

[bm1980]

nice one

Regards

Ben

[Briddo]

I like these images, I'm going to try using my 50mm lens tonight if I can't sort out the telescope camera focusing issue.

Jan