Exposure

[Michele]

I wasn't sure where to post this question and this is the closest spot I found to being "correct".

How do you exposure correctly for the moon (full moon)? I was out tonight trying to take some photos of the moon rising up by the windmills and I kept blowing out the moon no matter what I tried.

I was using my Canon 20D, 70-200mm Canon L lens, tripod and cable release. Not sure if any of that makes a difference in answer this question, but I thought I would mention it just in case.

Michele

[Rokcet Scientist]

Michelle, if you want the moon in the landscape you'll probably have to expose for each separately, then merge the exposures in PP, because the contrast range is too wide to catch in one exposure.

[cyclohexane]

Get the tightest metering pattern (as the 20D lacks true spot metering) you can, point it at the moon, and dial that in. *Snap a quick shot, and chimp to see how it looks. *The histogram isn't going to do you much good, so get it how you like on the screen, and then bracket over/under a bit to make sure you got it.

This will get the moon itself.

[Michele]

Thank you both. I can do the two exposures and merge them in PS..

However, (cyclohexane)... I tried to just shoot the moon tonight by doing a tight shot of it and just exposing off of it, but I still blew the moon out. I tried it with under and over exposure compensation, but still neither of them worked. .. I spent a lot of time out there trying to figure this out. I am heading back out there tomorrow night to try this again...

[cyclohexane]

Are you using manual exposure? I've not seen a properly exposed moon using autoexposure.

I remember when my friend wanted moon footage (using a MiniDV cam) for our soap opera; he couldn't get anything usable with auto exposure, so I grabbed a second cam and dialed down the exposure manually until we got a nicely define moon.

[Michele]

I can either shoot on M mode or AV mode. THose are the two that I prefer. So, for the moon itself, should I shoot manual mode and then make adjustments till I get what I want? I did that tonight as well, but I think when I finally tried M mode, I was going for both landscape and moon, with more just getting the exposure right for the moon and I figured I could lighten everything else up in PS.

[Jon]

Remember that the moon is an object that is being directly lit by the sun.

People often mistakenly think that because it's "night" and it's "dark" that they need to be wide open and take a long exposure.

I just walked outside and metered the moon for f/5 @ 1/160 ISO 400. It probably would have been a faster speed indicated but for the light cloud cover.

[Blinky]

Originally Posted by Jon

Remember that the moon is an object that is being directly lit by the sun.

People often mistakenly think that because it's "night" and it's "dark" that they need to be wide open and take a long exposure.

I just walked outside and metered the moon for f/5 @ 1/160 ISO 400. It probably would have been a faster speed indicated but for the light cloud cover.

Jon's correct. The moon is lit by bright, unobstructed sunlight... the lit part anyway. The distance between the earth and moon allows that light to spread and falloff though. Also like RS said, the earth landscape is waaay darker and you won't be able to expose both correctly in a single shot.

This was either 1/8 or 1/4 sec at f16 (ISO125)...



Chip

[Jon]

Now look who's not sleeping...

[Max@Home]

...let's throw in some moon!



EOS 10D, 75-300 IS @ 280mm, 1/125s f/5.6 at 280.0mm iso100



EOS 10D, 75-300 IS @ 300mm, 1/1600s f/5.6 at 300.0mm iso200



Max@Home

[Michele]

Thank you all for the info! I usually can't think clearly once I start to get frustrated over not knowing the "right" way to take a photo technically after trying "too hard" to get it right. Exposure is something I still easily get frustrated over.

The photos are all gorgeous and excellent shots! Thank you for sharing them.. Gives me hope!!

[Blinky]

Originally Posted by Jon

Now look who's not sleeping...

I knew you'd spot that! I'm working a deadline for today.

[Rokcet Scientist]

Originally Posted by Michele

Thank you all for the info! I usually can't think clearly once I start to get frustrated over not knowing the "right" way to take a photo technically after trying "too hard" to get it right. Exposure is something I still easily get frustrated over.

The photos are all gorgeous and excellent shots! Thank you for sharing them.. Gives me hope!!

Good luck, Michelle. And please let us know (see) how you fared!

[Michele]

Thank you.. The biggest challenge the night of the full moon was really knowing where it was going to come up at... What I wanted, was hard to plan to get. Next month, i will keep an eye on where its coming up at a few nights before and just give or take so many yards and go from there.

In regards to exposure. I learned that the darker the night gets, the harder it is to expose, especially with landscape involved. I tried manual mode and kept an eye on exposure compensation dial, etc and did well. What others were saying here really made sense then. (thank you all). So, overall, I got a pretty good understanding and feel confident I can go back out next month and do it again.

I haven't gotten to my photos just yet from the other night (full moon), but as soon as I do, I will definitely post some here.

Michele

[RobAmy]

Here is a shot from the other night, I used the 600mm with the 1.4x and 2x extender attached, resting on the bathroom window sill. The 1200mm is wrong, the camera does not pick up the correct mm when stacked

Exif

Exposure Time = 1/320"
F Number = F8
Exposure Program = Aperture priority
ISO Speed Ratings = 400
Exif Version = 0221
Date Time Original = 2006-08-09 21:18:01
Date Time Digitized = 2006-08-09 21:18:01
Components Configuration = YCbCr
Shutter Speed Value = 8.38 TV
Aperture Value = 6 AV
Exposure Bias Value = +0.33EV
Flash = Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
Focal Length = 1200mm

[Rokcet Scientist]

Originally Posted by RobAmy

Here is a shot from the other night, I used the 600mm with the 1.4x and 2x extender attached, resting on the bathroom window sill. The 1200mm is wrong, the camera does not pick up the correct mm when stacked

Exif

Exposure Time = 1/320"
F Number = F8
Exposure Program = Aperture priority
ISO Speed Ratings = 400
Exif Version = 0221
Date Time Original = 2006-08-09 21:18:01
Date Time Digitized = 2006-08-09 21:18:01
Components Configuration = YCbCr
Shutter Speed Value = 8.38 TV
Aperture Value = 6 AV
Exposure Bias Value = +0.33EV
Flash = Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
Focal Length = 1200mm

So, 600 x 2 x 1,4 would be something like 1700mm, wouldn't it?

[Michele]

Beautiful photo Rob..

[RobAmy]

Originally Posted by Rokcet Scientist

So, 600 x 2 x 1,4 would be something like 1700mm, wouldn't it?

Yes somewhere around 1700mm, but I can not count that high . I guess I do not know the exact mm of them stacked but your close

[Rokcet Scientist]

Originally Posted by RobAmy

Yes somewhere around 1700mm, but I can not count that high . I guess I do not know the exact mm of them stacked but your close

BTW, Rob, shouldn't you be packing?
And are you planning on taking that whole list of gear along?

[brian.austin]

Originally Posted by Rokcet Scientist

So, 600 x 2 x 1,4 would be something like 1700mm, wouldn't it?

Depends on which body:

1DMkII: 1680mm
1DMkIIN: 2184mm
20D: 2688mm

Crikeys. That's a lot of mm.

[me=brian.austin]ponders if he should abandon the currently demolished kitchen project and opt for a 600mm instead of new cabinets. [/me]

....unless the sensor of the 1DMkII has grown like fungus , it is still a 1.3x crop camera like the 1DMkIIN..., so also 2184mm FoV...

...just *my* €0.02...

Max@Home