Moon shot from the other night. Going to add a bit of commentary that I wouldn't normally share (because images should speak for themselves). Took this with a Sony a7rII and Nikon 200-500mm lens. Only mentioning this because I was able to get a sharper image than I have in the past with my D810. I'm liking the Sony for many reasons, but this shot was a very pleasant surprise.
For those interested in moon photography, the full moon is often the first thing one wants to shoot. In my experience, it actually turns out to be perhaps the least interesting phase of the moon photographically. A less than full moon has shadows at the edges that bring out the surface details and add texture. A perfectly full moon is devoid of texture and ends up being kind of "ho-hum", even if shot with a long lens that can theoretically resolve some detail on the moon's surface.
Some tips I would offer:
1. Shoot on a tripod and do everything in your power to eliminate vibrations. Mirror up if you are shooting with a DSLR that has a mirror. Remote release or timer release to minimize shake at the time you trip the shutter. Especially at longer focal lengths, *any* vibration can detract from the sharpness of the final image.
2. Manual exposure. If you are trying to isolate the moon, it requires something close to a daylight exposure. A good starting point (depending on the phase of the moon) is 1/250 sec @ f/5.6 and ISO 100. Auto exposure is going to get confused by all the black in the frame (unless you are shooting in LV zoomed in--which I recommend) and overexpose the frame. Especially at longer focal lengths, the moon actually moves relatively quickly across the frame. Slower shutter speeds will result in blur. I try to avoid shooting the moon at shutter speeds slower than 1/250 sec. For many lenses (though not all) f/5.6 is where sharpness peaks. At f/8 (or smaller) diffraction starts to degrade center sharpness. Since your goal with a moon shot is to get every last drop of sharpness you can out of your lens/body combo, consider shooting at f/5.6 (or whatever aperture is optimal for your lens).
3. Focus manually with LV (assuming this is an option on your camera) zoomed in maximally. Intuitive to think that setting focus on infinity will get the moon in proper focus, but in my experience this isn't the case. May look fine uncropped, but to get the moon to fill the frame you are going to have to crop severely and infinity focus isn't always optimal focus.
4. Shoot RAW. Moon shots straight out of the camera are never optimal. You are going to need to perform more radical adjustments in post than you are used to (mostly with bumping contrast and to a lesser extent sharpening). Contrast changes that would make you cringe for a "normal" shot are actually going to make the moon look more pleasing and "normal".
5. Seriously consider converting to B&W if you are trying to fill the frame with the moon and aren't shooting it as part of a night landscape. B&W tolerates contrast changes that may start to look strange in color. For me at least, a moon filling the frame is about texture, tone, and details--color doesn't add anything and can actually detract.
Good information about moon shots kallisti. Personally, I like the moon in colour as I think colour helps to accentuate the fine details.
Try processing with Nik Color Efex Pro using tonal contrast. It's a good way to emphasize detail if you don't over do it.
~ Peter
(click for larger)
