Super Moon - Total Lunar Eclipse - Jan 20 - Tips from Nikon

Marilynne

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
5 Quick Tips for Photographing the Moon

  • Select an aperture of f/11 or f/16
  • Set the camera’s exposure manually
  • Set the focus to infinity
  • Use Spot metering for a correct exposure of the moon
  • Use a shutter speed of at least 1/15 second or faster

On the evening of January 20
[SUP]th[/SUP]
, the US will experience a Supermoon and a Total Lunar Eclipse! We’ve got tips for capturing both the Supermoon and the phases of the Lunar Eclipse.
 

Blade Canyon

Senior Member
f/16 and shutter speed at least 1/15th?

Technically the moon is in direct sunlight, so the Sunny 16 rule "should" apply, though the distance and the eclipse part usually mean a bit more exposure than Sunny 16 calls for.
 

Dawg Pics

Senior Member
f/16 and shutter speed at least 1/15th?

Technically the moon is in direct sunlight, so the Sunny 16 rule "should" apply, though the distance and the eclipse part usually mean a bit more exposure than Sunny 16 calls for.


I thought maybe it was the minimum to help prevent blur, but I found this while looking for interval timing information.

B and H eclipse chart
 
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desmobob

Senior Member
I went out and took a test shot last night...

_moon_02.jpg

D750, AF Nikkor 300mm f/4, Kenko Teleplus Pro 1.4x TC, ISO Auto (ISO 100)

Stay sharp,
Bob
 
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hark

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I went out and took a test shot last night...

View attachment 304243

D750, AF Nikkor 300mm f/4, Kenko Teleplus Pro 1.4x TC, ISO Auto (ISO 100)

Stay sharp,
Bob

So your focal length was longer than 300mm since you used a Kenko teleconverter, is that correct? I'm surprised the EXIF doesn't reflect that. I thought it did for Kenko teleconverters although I don't have one by them.
 

desmobob

Senior Member
As I noted, I used the 1.4X TC for the shot.

I have two of the older Kenko Tele Plus Pros from film days. They support screw-drive AF, but I don't know about anything more than that. They might not have the contacts/electronics in place to let the camera body know they're there. I'll take a look at them later. What I do know is that they are a match made in heaven for the AF Nikkor 300mm f/4 ED IF (and an amateur's budget). I've heard a lot of folks say they perform better than Nikon's own TCs on this lens.

Stay sharp,
Bob
 

Needa

Senior Member
Challenge Team
On the East coast looks like it starts at 9:36 PM with the full eclipse at 12:12 AM and ending at 2:48 AM.
 

desmobob

Senior Member
So your focal length was longer than 300mm since you used a Kenko teleconverter, is that correct? I'm surprised the EXIF doesn't reflect that. I thought it did for Kenko teleconverters although I don't have one by them.

Cindy,

I just took a look at my two Kenko Tele Pro Plus 300 teleconverters (1.4X and 2X). They are the "N-AFd" version. They have the row of electrical contacts in the mount similar to an AF Nikkor lens, as well as a pass-through for the screw drive.

It is a bit curious that the EXIF data doesn't indicate that the TC was mounted. I just checked on images taken with my D70 and D200 with that same lens/TC combination and there is no mention of the TC in the EXIF data. Oh well... I have been very pleased with them, although the only lens I've used them with is the AF 300 f/4 EDIF.

Back on topic...
I forgot to mention I used spot metering to set my exposure and I made no exposure compensation in post. Does it seem a little over-exposed?

Stay sharp,
Bob
 
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hark

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Back on topic...
I forgot to mention I used spot metering to set my exposure and I made no exposure compensation in post. Does it seem a little over-exposed?

Stay sharp,
Bob

Did you use Lightroom or Photoshop for editing? Are any of your whites clipping? If not, then the exposure should be fine. The sun is immensely bright while the dark side of the moon is totally dark. This type of image truly covers a high dynamic range. You could lower the highlights just a tad and see whether or not you like it. But if it isn't clipping (and if it was my choice), I'd leave it. That's just my own opinion.
 

Bikerbrent

Senior Member
Cindy,
I forgot to mention I used spot metering to set my exposure and I made no exposure compensation in post. Does it seem a little over-exposed?
Stay sharp,
Bob

Perhaps just a touch overexposed. I addition to the spot metering, I use exposure bracketing for moon shots. Also a little post processing could help this slight overexposure.
 

desmobob

Senior Member
It looked beautiful but was too dim for me to get any decent images. :-(

_moon_01.jpg

_moon_02.jpg

I ended up with the ISO cranked to the max and by the time post processing removed the noise, there wasn't any detail left. Oh, and it was exactly 0*F outside and I didn't hang around long to experiment!

Stay sharp,
Bob
 

Dawg Pics

Senior Member
shots I took were too poor to put up. :p
Need more practice
Well done the that posted. very interesting
You have to have a night of 'good seeing" where, the atmosphere is somewhat stable and no clouds, or fog. We had a lousy night to shoot at the moon. I couldn't get even close to a crisp shot no matter what shutter speed.
 
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Blade Canyon

Senior Member
This is at the beginning, you can see a little shadow at the bottom left.

D85_3202.jpg

This was later, but before full eclipse. Any attempt to expose for the darker parts totally blew out the top.

D85_3213.jpg

I attached my D850 to my telescope with a special mount, and had to focus manually, which was very difficult outside in the cold.
 
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