How can I photograph the full moon with visible surface detail?
Asked 9/3/2012
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I'm new to a Nikon D5100 and mostly shoot landscapes. When I try to photograph the full moon, it looks sharp in the viewfinder, but the final image turns into a bright white glare with no detail. I've tried slower shutter speeds and wider apertures, but that seems to make it worse. What camera settings or technique should I use to capture detail on the moon?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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I have a D5100 as well and was out taking pictures of the moon last night as well :-) These are the steps I took:
put your camera in manual mode
focus and zoom your camera on the moon
take a test-shot with a baseline configuration (ISO 200, F/8, 1/125s as per Olin's suggestion)
observe the results and adjust accordingly: make the shutter speed shorter if the moon is too bright, make it longer if it is too dark.
It is also worth noting that the built-in light meter is pretty much useless in this situation. Even with spot metering it didn't work for me.
Originally by user10537. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user10537
13y ago
0
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Use manual exposure, not auto. The moon is very bright, but it sits in a dark sky, so the camera meter often overexposes it and turns it into a white blob.
A good starting point is:
- ISO 200
- f/8 at 1/125 s
You can also use the moon-exposure rule as a guide: because the moon is lit by direct sunlight, a setting around f/11 with shutter speed near the reciprocal of ISO is a solid starting point.
Practical approach:
- Switch to Manual mode.
- Zoom in as much as your lens allows.
- Focus carefully on the moon.
- Take a test shot.
- If the moon is too bright, use a faster shutter speed; if too dark, use a slower one.
Avoid using a large aperture and slow shutter speed for the moon, since both increase exposure and can blow out the highlights. Also, don’t rely too much on the built-in meter here; test shots and small adjustments work better.
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AI13y ago
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