What camera settings should I use on a Nikon D3100 to photograph the moon?
Asked 11/29/2012
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I'm new to photography and have a Nikon D3100 with the 18-55mm and 55-200mm kit lenses. What settings and technique should I use to get a detailed photo of the moon rather than a bright white blob?
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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From my experience, the key to photographing the moon is to underexpose the image to capture details like the craters on the moon surface. At normal exposures, you'll just get a white round blob with no details whatsoever.
Try these steps:
- Mount the camera on a tripod with the 55-200mm.
- Use a remote shutter release. If you don't have one, use the timer.
- Put the camera in full manual mode (abbreviated as M on the dial).
- Shoot RAW, so that you can sharpen the image further in post processing.
- Use these settings - ISO 100, aperture: f/8, shutter speed: 1/160 sec, WB: Auto or sunlight (try both).
- The exposure metering will show the image as under-exposed, ignore it.
- Zoom to 200mm and put the lens and camera in manual focus mode.
- Switch to live view mode and magnify the image to the maximum extent.
- Rotate the focus ring till the image is at its sharpest.
- Use the remote shutter release or timer to take the shot.
These settings are based on my experience of shooting the moon with the D5100 and the 70-300mm VR lens and should apply to your setup as well. Experiment with different settings, especially the white balance and shutter speed and take lots of shots.
Originally by user8921. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user8921
13y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Use your 55-200mm at 200mm, mount the camera on a tripod, and use a remote release or the self-timer to avoid shake. Switch to Manual mode, set the lowest ISO (ISO 100), and try around f/8 and 1/160 sec as a good starting point. The moon is much brighter than many beginners expect, so you usually need to underexpose compared with what the meter suggests; otherwise it will look like a featureless white circle.
For focus, use Live View, magnify the image, and focus manually for the sharpest result. Shooting RAW can help with later sharpening and adjustments. White balance can be left on Auto or set to daylight.
At 200mm, expect the moon to appear fairly small in the frame. You can still get a decent shot, but very detailed close-up moon images usually need a longer focal length than 200mm.
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