[nokiauk]

Took this tonight, but it's not came out that great, any pointers as to whats wrong. Taken with a 70-300mm Canon lens on a 350D with tripod.

Exif:

Exposure: 1/250 s at f/5.6
Exposure mode: Manual
ISO: 200
Focal Length 300mm
Model: Canon 350D

This is the 100% crop from the original.

[richard plumb]

We had a similar problem on here a couple of moons ago.. Seems people wait for the full moon to get a better pic, but actually it makes it worse.

Mainly though the moon is full, so there isn't so much detail. You want some shadow on the moon which creates more detail along the shadow line (the terminator)

you could also unsharp mask it to get a bit more detail, but best to wait until it wanes a bit, then try again.

Here's one from me with the canon 70-300, just to show your lens is just about long enough:

have a search around, there are a couple of moon threads on here with good examples

[Jazz Monkey Jr]

It looks like it is out of focus, just set the focus to infinity and it should be right.

There's a good thread here with some good moon shot tips.

Here's one from Paul D, looks like the moon is in a similar position, this was done with a digital camera and a decent telescope.

[nokiauk]

Originally Posted by Jazz Monkey Jr

It looks like it is out of focus, just set the focus to infinity and it should be right.

There's a good thread here with some good moon shot tips.

Here's one from Paul D, looks like the moon is in a similar position, this was done with a digital camera and a decent telescope.

not sure why focus was wrong, focus was done manually, no infinity marking on lens however.

[Gordon @ Convergent AV]

Stop it down as well. Try f16

Gordon

[Pink Fairy]

Here's one from last month, handheld 300mm + 1.4x tc at 1/80 (the wonders of VR/I.S.)

[BananaTiger]

I don't have any experience with any long zooms since my longest focal length is only 70mm But I remember someone telling me (and please corrent me if I was mistold this info) that with the longer zooms, even on a tripod, it can be prone to camera shake. Using a remote shutter release, or setting the timer will help in this regard.

EDIT: Might be my friend was talking about macro photography ... hmmm .... confused

[richard plumb]

Originally Posted by BananaTiger

I don't have any experience with any long zooms since my longest focal length is only 70mm But I remember someone telling me (and please corrent me if I was mistold this info) that with the longer zooms, even on a tripod, it can be prone to camera shake. Using a remote shutter release, or setting the timer will help in this regard.

EDIT: Might be my friend was talking about macro photography ... hmmm .... confused

longer zooms are more prone to camera shake as they exaggerate slight movements. Basic rule of thumb to avoid camera shake is 1/focal length.

So on a 70mm lens, 1/70 should be enough to get a steady shot. On a 300mm, you need 1/300 - a lot faster. Add in the 1.6x of the 350d for example, and you get more like 1/500 for a 300mm lens.

[redmax]

The general rule (although there are exceptions) is that your shutter speed should be higher than your focal length for successful handheld shots.

e.g. Focal length = 100mm - shutter speed should be 1/125

If your shutter speed falls below focal length then mono or tripod is advised.
One obvious exception is tracking a moving object. You may find that you need higher shutter speeds to catch objects sharply like the surfers in the Rip Curl thread but still need to support your camera.

Shutter release cables are always useful for low light and slow shutter speeds as is the self timer and mirror lock-up function.

Hope this helps

[nokiauk]

thanks for the help comments so far all.

ps where's the thanks button gone?

[suniil]

i tried to shot the same today with nikon d50 / 70-300 lens, but the same result as of OP