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Settings for digital camera moon photography



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 7th 04, 12:51 PM
Dr DNA
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Default Settings for digital camera moon photography

Whilst waiting for the Grand Prix to start last night, I was messing around
trying to take moon pictures with my canon a40 digital camera.

I basically just pointed the camera at the eyepice and clicked.

Can any one recommend what focus settings I should use, F settings, exposure
etc ?

I found the pics hugely bright until I dropped the exposure to around
1/100th of a second. My main problem was trying to get an autofocus camera
in focus - I can focus it on some other object beforehand and lock the
focus, should I be focussing on a distant object (the moon) or a very close
object (the focla point of the scope).



  #2  
Old March 7th 04, 02:01 PM
Malcolm Stewart
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"Dr DNA" wrote in message
...
Whilst waiting for the Grand Prix to start last night, I was messing around
trying to take moon pictures with my canon a40 digital camera.
I basically just pointed the camera at the eyepice and clicked.
Can any one recommend what focus settings I should use, F settings, exposure
etc ?
I found the pics hugely bright until I dropped the exposure to around
1/100th of a second. My main problem was trying to get an autofocus camera
in focus - I can focus it on some other object beforehand and lock the
focus, should I be focussing on a distant object (the moon) or a very close
object (the focla point of the scope).


It was a fullish moon last night, so not much hard detail for your camera's AF
system to focus on. I'd try the "Inf" setting as that's where I expect the
image will be, assuming that you focus with relaxed eyes etc.
Exposure wise, remember that the moon is lit by the sun, and has a reflectance
(albedo) of 0.12 - about 1/8, and brightness wise is not dissimilar to a blue
sky. Can you use the histogram on your camera to help set best exposure?
Here's a link to one I took earlier (with exposure info, give or take a stop)

http://www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/...n/halfmoon.htm

--
M Stewart
Milton Keynes, UK
www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/ms1938/


  #3  
Old March 7th 04, 02:23 PM
MDJ
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Default

I took some images of a Moon Halo recently and had to go up to 1/500 sec
shutter and f2.8 using a Minolta D7. Your mileage may vary slightly with a
smaller objective lens.

Check out my photos here...

http://www.eaas.co.uk/club_members/s...ography_6.html

Clear Skies



MarkDJ



"Dr DNA" wrote in message
...
Whilst waiting for the Grand Prix to start last night, I was messing

around
trying to take moon pictures with my canon a40 digital camera.

I basically just pointed the camera at the eyepice and clicked.

Can any one recommend what focus settings I should use, F settings,

exposure
etc ?

I found the pics hugely bright until I dropped the exposure to around
1/100th of a second. My main problem was trying to get an autofocus camera
in focus - I can focus it on some other object beforehand and lock the
focus, should I be focussing on a distant object (the moon) or a very

close
object (the focla point of the scope).





  #4  
Old March 7th 04, 08:07 PM
Math Heijen
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Default

Hi DNA,

Have a look at the data table on this page:

http://www.backyard-astro.com/solar/.../20040229.html

Maybe this of some help to you.

Regards,
Math
http://www.backyard-astro.com


Dr DNA wrote:
Whilst waiting for the Grand Prix to start last night, I was messing around
trying to take moon pictures with my canon a40 digital camera.

I basically just pointed the camera at the eyepice and clicked.

Can any one recommend what focus settings I should use, F settings, exposure
etc ?

I found the pics hugely bright until I dropped the exposure to around
1/100th of a second. My main problem was trying to get an autofocus camera
in focus - I can focus it on some other object beforehand and lock the
focus, should I be focussing on a distant object (the moon) or a very close
object (the focla point of the scope).




  #5  
Old March 8th 04, 08:43 PM
Dr DNA
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Thanks for everone's replies. I discovered, much to my embarassment, that I
should of course have been focussing the telscope, not the camera, which
works quite happily set to infinity.

What I had done was focussed the scope for my eye, shoved the camera in
front, and was then trying to focus the camera !

Well now I've sussed the right way to do it, but trying to get a decent
picture with a desktop tripod 2" scope, holding the camera by hand is um,
inteersting.

Well at least I now know that huge splatter crater is Copernicus !


 




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