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Author Topic: Total eclipse of the moon  (Read 11194 times)

anorak

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Total eclipse of the moon
« on: March 10, 2007, 07:24:38 pm »

I photographed the stages of the total eclipse of the moon last Saturday and all my shots were very out of focus. I was using a 5D with a 300/4 IS + 1.4X on a tripod with remote release, IS switched off, and some with autofocus and some focussed manually. Is there some need to adjust focus for such distant objects or, because there is such a strong red component the plane of focus is different?
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martin.storz

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Total eclipse of the moon
« Reply #2 on: March 11, 2007, 05:42:21 pm »

anorak,

I had the same disappointing problems with D20, 300 1:4 + Kenko Converter 1.4, Tripod, cable release.
My opinion is, that one must have a shorter shutter speed, than I had, to get a sharp picture of the moon. You can compare your photo on:

http://thepubliceyeblog.blogspot.com/2007/...ar-eclipse.html


Greetings
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AndyF2

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Total eclipse of the moon
« Reply #3 on: March 11, 2007, 08:48:30 pm »

Is there any pinpoint detail, such as a star or peak detail on the moon that you could examine - look to see if it's truly out of focus, or was the exposure long enough that the moon's motion has caused loss of detail?  If that is the case, the blur will be along one direction only.
Andy
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KauMikel

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Total eclipse of the moon
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2007, 12:09:43 am »

aloha
i just joined the landscape and saw this forum.i to photographed the eclipse,using a 600mmf4 lens with a monopod.what i do is set the f-stop to 4 ,ISO 100 and increase the shutter speed to the point that the image is slightly underexposed by two increments.with this partilcular lens i get excellent contrats and detail of the moon surface.                                                                                    
                                                      malama photography
                                                                    mikel
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mahleu

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Total eclipse of the moon
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2007, 04:51:49 am »

Quote
I photographed the stages of the total eclipse of the moon last Saturday and all my shots were very out of focus. I was using a 5D with a 300/4 IS + 1.4X on a tripod with remote release, IS switched off, and some with autofocus and some focussed manually. Is there some need to adjust focus for such distant objects or, because there is such a strong red component the plane of focus is different?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=105943\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

What shutter speeds were you shooting at? Was the blur in streaks or just out of focus? Were you using mirror lock up?
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usathyan

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Total eclipse of the moon
« Reply #6 on: April 11, 2007, 09:31:01 am »

Quote
I photographed the stages of the total eclipse of the moon last Saturday and all my shots were very out of focus. I was using a 5D with a 300/4 IS + 1.4X on a tripod with remote release, IS switched off, and some with autofocus and some focussed manually. Is there some need to adjust focus for such distant objects or, because there is such a strong red component the plane of focus is different?
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Pl. send link to your image -
I blogged about shooting lunar eclipses a short while ago here - [a href=\"http://www.8thcross.com/blog/?p=153]http://www.8thcross.com/blog/?p=153[/url]
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--------------
Umesh Bhatt [url=http://w

jeffball

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Total eclipse of the moon
« Reply #7 on: April 11, 2007, 09:43:37 am »

Hello,
My suspicion is like others have suggested it was a slow shutter speed that was the problem.  Lunar eclipses can vary in luminosity, but are usually very dark.  I was clouded out on the last eclipse.  Here are two eclipses from 2003.  The images are with an old Nikon 995 and an astronomical CCD camera.  The exposure time was 2 seconds and 1 second respectively.  The key is that they were both taken with a tracking astronomical mount.  If you really want to take a high resolution photograph of the eclipse, I suggest that you contact your local astronomy club and see if someone would assist you in securing the use of an astronomical mount for these special occasions.  I am sure someone there would welcome the opportunity to work with a photographer in getting great results.  You could utilize their astronomical tracking mounts without having to invest thousands of dollars in equipment.  You would just have to buy some mounting rings to attach it to the scope/mount.  Best wishes on your future astronomical endeavors. I personally wanted to capture the event in the landscape as it occurred at moon rise here in the eastern U.S., but the clouds did not cooperate.

http://www.astro-photography.com/Nov_lunar_eclipse.htm

http://www.astro-photography.com/lunar_eclipse.htm

Jeff
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Jeff Ball
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flowerbells

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Total eclipse of the moon
« Reply #8 on: April 22, 2007, 05:45:50 am »

Hello,

I, too, have just discovered the Luminous Landscape Forum.  Joined now, and this is my first post.  Hello to everyone!

So....would I need an astronomical tracking device to photograph the moon at all times?  I'm trying to learn how to photograph cityscapes and Naturescapes with the moon in them, using my Canon A-1 camera.  I've never done any night photography at all!

We have a crescent moon now, which I would like to photograph.  What kind of film should I use?  I've read that it's a good idea to use some sort of filter/s.  Do any of you use a filter when  you "shoot the moon"?

I live in Portland, Oregon, and there are all sorts of wonderful places to photograph the moon here.

flo






Quote
Hello,
My suspicion is like others have suggested it was a slow shutter speed that was the problem.  Lunar eclipses can vary in luminosity, but are usually very dark.  I was clouded out on the last eclipse.  Here are two eclipses from 2003.  The images are with an old Nikon 995 and an astronomical CCD camera.  The exposure time was 2 seconds and 1 second respectively.  The key is that they were both taken with a tracking astronomical mount.  If you really want to take a high resolution photograph of the eclipse, I suggest that you contact your local astronomy club and see if someone would assist you in securing the use of an astronomical mount for these special occasions.  I am sure someone there would welcome the opportunity to work with a photographer in getting great results.  You could utilize their astronomical tracking mounts without having to invest thousands of dollars in equipment.  You would just have to buy some mounting rings to attach it to the scope/mount.  Best wishes on your future astronomical endeavors. I personally wanted to capture the event in the landscape as it occurred at moon rise here in the eastern U.S., but the clouds did not cooperate.

http://www.astro-photography.com/Nov_lunar_eclipse.htm

http://www.astro-photography.com/lunar_eclipse.htm

Jeff
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AndyF2

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Total eclipse of the moon
« Reply #9 on: April 22, 2007, 09:04:11 pm »

Hi Flo,

I have a Canon A-1 also, that I use on kayaking trips.  The A1 is a good camera, but it's fully automatic.  Unless there's some confusion and you have a different camera than I think you have.

The problem with fully automatic cameras is they will estimate the exposure for the entire scene the lens sees.  The moon, since it's a rather tiny but bright part of the night sky, will end up overexposed and will not be as sharp as when your eye saw it.  

Usually you will not need a tracking tripod head to photograph the moon.  It's so bright, your exposure will be short enough that the moon will not have moved in the sky.

However, the best thing to do, is try it!   Use a small tabletop tripod, release the trigger gently without moving the camera, and include some cityscape or other landscape in the foreground.

Andy
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flowerbells

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Total eclipse of the moon
« Reply #10 on: April 28, 2007, 01:53:04 pm »

Hi, Andy,

Sorry I have not replied sooner -- I forgot which email address my replies were coming to!

My canon A-1 is a 1960s film camera. It does have a setting for automatic, but no, it definitely it is not fully automatic.  The Canon A-1 is "the" camera of choice for many film camera buffs.  It's the IBM Correcting Selectric II of the film camera buff's world, just as that typewriter is the classic machine, that people still use, and holds its value.

I even saw an ad here in Portland recently, that a high school (or community college? but I think high school) teacher was asking for people to lend working Canon A-1s to his entire class of beginning photography students!  When I saw that, and see how many people have these which need repair, I am so delighted to have mine, which is like new!

Thanks for the info on the tripod,and not needing a tracking tripod.   I have 3 tripods, two of which I inherited from my late husband.  One of his is really terrific!  It is entirely strong, has very, very wide-angle legs, and a universal joint at the top so it can adjust left,right, up or down.

All of them have 2-jointed telescoping legs, so be desktop to very tall in height, and stand on rough surfaces if need be.

I bought a battery-operated motorized switch unit so I can snap fast pics, without having to use the hand-crank each time.  That way, I don't have to re-focus between shots of the same image.

flo

Quote
The A1 is a good camera, but it's fully automatic.  Unless there's some confusion and you have a different camera than I think you have.

Usually you will not need a tracking tripod head to photograph the moon.  It's so bright, your exposure will be short enough that the moon will not have moved in the sky.

However, the best thing to do, is try it!   Use a small tabletop tripod, release the trigger gently without moving the camera, and include some cityscape or other landscape in the foreground.

Andy
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julian kalmar

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Total eclipse of the moon
« Reply #11 on: April 29, 2007, 03:56:15 am »

Quote
I photographed the stages of the total eclipse of the moon last Saturday and all my shots were very out of focus. I was using a 5D with a 300/4 IS + 1.4X on a tripod with remote release, IS switched off, and some with autofocus and some focussed manually. Is there some need to adjust focus for such distant objects or, because there is such a strong red component the plane of focus is different?
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
That´s not a focus problem!!!
I had the same problem when I bout my 300mm
I took testshots with 1/60 f9 cable releas and mirror lock up and got unsharp images. It seems that the vibrations of the shutter itselfe cause the problem ( with flash my images where rasor sharp)
I bought a manfrotto long lens support (which makes a second fix from the camera to the tripod) and the problem was fixed.
In this link you can see how it works:
[a href=\"http://www.morrisphoto.co.uk/ProductDetails~productID~5400~categoryid~149.html]http://www.morrisphoto.co.uk/ProductDetail...goryid~149.html[/url]
« Last Edit: April 29, 2007, 08:18:33 am by julian kalmar »
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