milton-chris Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEmono/TLE2008Feb21/TLE2008Feb21.html is a link to the NASA site about tomorrow's lunar eclipse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew_newton Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Any suggestions on exposure? I don't have a spot meter and was hoping someone might have a guide. I will be using iso400 film and I was thinking bracketing 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2s at f/3.5...should that be enough to get me a decent exposure during the full lunar eclipse? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCL Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 1/400 at f11 or f8 should get you good detail. The speeds you inquired about will allow too much movement of the moon, resulting in blurry shots. BTW use a good sturdy tripod & cable release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew_newton Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Would those speeds still apply to a very dark moon during the full eclipse? I was under the impression that those would be good speeds during a full moon to render it white. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnholland Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Here is a good site to get an idea as to what camera setting for the various stages of the moon - including an eclipse: http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2007/08/digital-lunar-e.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark u Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 The sunlit moon requires about 1/ISO at f/11. Exposure for the moon lit by earthshine is highly variable. There is a lot of guidance here: http://www.mreclipse.com/LEphoto/LEphoto.html Also note the discussion at the link provided by OP. Some fairly wide bracketing is possibly called for, which will make it more difficult to get good multi exposure captures on a single frame of film. Use mirror lockup as exposures start to lengthen. The maximum tolerable exposure time will depend on the focal length and sensor/film size you are using. The moon moves through its diameter in about 2 minutes. You may also need to take steps to ensure that your lens doesn't get fogged with dew/condensation. Use of a hood to block stray light and cut flare is mandatory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 You can take a look at http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/lunar_eclipse_photography.html For the total phase, the exposure should be somewhere in the ballpark of 1s at f5.6 using ISO 1600, though it could be +/- a few stops depending on just how dark (or bright) this particular eclipse is. You don't want exposures much over 1s with a 500mm lens (2.5s with a 200mm lens) or you'll get blur due to the moon's motion across the sky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milton-chris Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 Bob - to make sure I understand your comment above - with my 200-500 at 500, my maximum exposure time should be 1 second? Will I benefit much by going out into the country and about 200' higher in elevation as opposed to being here in town? The moon is very bright here in town. What about if I reduce the ISO? That is when the motion blur will creep in, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milton-chris Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 duh - just read Bob's article and all is answered there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milton-chris Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 Okay, I've read one article that says to use in-camera long exposure noise reduction and one that says not to. I'll be shooting the 40D with 500mm lens - what do y'all recommend vis-a-vis in-camera noise reduction? TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 For those who haven't read it, yes, that's correct. About 1s at f5.6 at 500mm and ISO 1600 should give you a sharp image of an average brightness eclipse, but that's just a starting point and you might need shorter or longer exposure (or higher or lower ISO). There's probably not a lot to be gained by going out into the country where the sky may be darker. The moon should still be relatively bright and you won't see much sky fog with relatively short exposures. Elevation changes of 200ft won't matter. As long as you can see the moon, you'll be OK. Weather for the NYC area (where I am), looks pretty poor. Snow showers in the afternoon and mostly cloudy for the evening. Tonight is totally clear of course, and it's forcast to clear again about 3am on Thursday morning (after the eclipse is over). Hope your weather will be more cooperative! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_hall4 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Is it Feb 20th or 21st? This will be the first time I will be photographing it and all the info is a little overwhelming as far as camera settings. I have a 40 D with 100-400 and tripod and shutter release. I am on Nantucket, Mass. Any suggestions? Sounds exciting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_hall4 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 I just shot the full moon. Does this look "normal" to you guys. Shot it with the 100-400 at 400, f/5.6 1/500 then cropped in PSE 6. Any suggestion for improvements. I want to get some good images tomorrow of the eclipse. When the below link opens, click "all size" and then download original image. You might have to click on the picture first to get these options. Sorry, but I am new to Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/gp/21144083@N02/9TMHUb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick j dempsey Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Looks like it's going to be cloudy here too... bugger! I really want to shoot it! I'm going to try anyway... I've got my OM1, 85-250mm Zuiko lens, a 2X teleconverter and a tripod. I think I'll print out the chart on the MrEclipse page and go from there.... BTW, I found a reference on one of the NASA pages explaining the "Danjon Values" mentioned in the chart on the MrEclipse page: "L = 0 Very dark eclipse. Moon almost invisible, especially at mid-totality. L = 1 Dark Eclipse, gray or brownish in coloration. Details distinguishable only with difficulty. L = 2 Deep red or rust-colored eclipse. Very dark central shadow, while outer edge of umbra is relatively bright. L = 3 Brick-red eclipse. Umbral shadow usually has a bright or yellow rim. L = 4 Very bright copper-red or orange eclipse. Umbral shadow has a bluish, very bright rim." Looks like you chaps on the West Coast will get a sunset eclipse... that might actually be pretty nice if it's anything like the sunsets we've been getting here in Asheville lately! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_peterson1 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 I just came in to thaw my frozen fingers. Here in SW Iowa it's clear, the Moon is now about 80% covered by shadow. Very cool. I have tried various settings and I'm waiting for my camera to warm up in a bag before I download the newest photos. Will post something later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_peterson1 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Well, now I know the frustration of not seeing the photos in detail while making adjustments. As the eclipse became fuller, I increased ISO and image quality suffered. I also decreased shutter speed to 1 second which helped exposure but added blur to the problem. At 3 above zero, shooting conditions were difficult. The link is to a photo of about 75% shadow, which is the best I can offer. I hope some other people had better results tonight.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runjmb Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 I shot some pics of the eclipse last night with a 6MP DSLR. I had a 300mm lens on (equivalent to ~475). I was a little disappointed that I didn't get really detailed views of the craters and cracks on the moon. Or is that to be expected since I didn't have a super long telephoto. Any critiques are welcome. I had similar problems with blur-anything over ~1 sec started to blur. Noise was also an issue with ISO setting 800 and above. http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg56/runjmb10/IMGP1889.jpg http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg56/runjmb10/IMGP1913.jpg http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg56/runjmb10/IMGP1915.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jam Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Here are my attempts. I was frozen solid - including the brain, so it took me a while until I remembered how to use spot metering :)<br> <br> <a href="http://www.janmarkus.com/showimg.php?actimg=1&actgalry=Eclipse&lastimg=4">Photo1</a><br> <a href="http://www.janmarkus.com/showimg.php?actimg=2&actgalry=Eclipse&lastimg=4">Photo2</a><br> <a href="http://www.janmarkus.com/showimg.php?actimg=3&actgalry=Eclipse&lastimg=4">Photo3</a><br> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew_newton Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 I'll post them when I have the photos (film). I think they might come out okay. Downside is the longest reach I had was 210mm...so the moon is going to be noticably smaller then most people's photos. I did a few multiple exposures that I am rather anxious to see how they turned out as I have never actually done a multiple exposure before using my camera. My fingres are crossed. The weather cleared up just in time here in MD. I bracketed 1s, 1/2s, 1/4s for a number of photos and then just stuck with 1/2s @ f/3.5 for my multiple exposures (iso400 film), so hopefully they will turn out okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt_sallis Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 <P>Thanks for the tip Chris, probably would have missed it otherwise and it was amazing.<br> Cloud and fog hit literally a couple of minutes before total exlipse, but we found somewhere a few miles away, higher up and away from the sea, where it cleared just in time to see it emerging at the other end. A wonderful and eerie spectacle.</P> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt_sallis Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Whoops, forgot about the irritating no caption no display thing...<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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