First Lunar Image Help

[SoulFrenzy]

First off is my equipment... Cannon T3i and a Cannon 75mm-300mm lens

I just want to be able to take clear crips images of the moon in its various phases, nothing to fancy really. Here are my first attempts. I can really achieve the "crispness" I would like too. This was taken at maximim zoom on manual focus (the moon in the view finder was very sharp), ISO 100, F8 to F11, and shutter speeds of around 1/25 to 1/30. I am also using a tripod and a timer on the camera to minimize vibrations etc... Is there anything else I can play around with to help achieve better clarity of the moon or with my current equipment is this kinda the best I can achieve. This picture was the best I have taken so far. Any advice would be great.

[SoulFrenzy]

Please excuse the spelling errors its been a long day

[baggywrinkle]

Try a shorter exposure.

Do you have live view on the camera? If you do can you magnify the image?

One this I did with my Canon 400D and 650D was to test the zoom in the daytime in manual mode and make a note of  the settings that gave me a sharp focus at different zoom levels.

Most zoom lenses focus past the infintiy mark and this cause an out of focus problem.