Admiring Light
Menu
  • Home
  • Review Index
  • Shop Talk
  • Technique and Vision
  • Opinion
  • Portfolio
  • Site Index
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
Menu

Shooting the Supermoon

Posted on May 6, 2012May 6, 2012 by Jordan Steele
Supermoon - Olympus OM-D E-M5 with Canon FD 50-300mm f/4.5L - Click to Enlarge

Last night, I got ready for bed and was ready to turn off the light when I remembered that last night was the night of the so-called ‘supermoon.’  That is, when the moon is full at its perigee (the closest point of its orbit). When these factors combine, the moon appears 12-14% larger and brighter in the sky compared to a typical full moon.  It’s not a huge difference, but it can be noticeable.

Luckily, the sky was clear last night, and I quickly put some better clothes on and went out in my front yard to take some shots.  I ended up with the shot to the left, which is the best moon shot I’ve ever been able to get, though it pales in comparison to some shots I’ve seen from talented astrophotographers who have telescopes to adapt to their cameras.  Click on it to see the image full size.

So, while this year’s supermoon has come and gone, you can still take pictures of the moon at any time (and let’s face it, it’ll still be pretty bright and mostly full tonight as well).  Here’s what you need to get decent moon photos.

1) You need the longest lens you can get.  The moon might appear large in the sky, but it’s rather small, about 0.5 degrees in the sky…which means you need a lens with a focal length of around 3000mm to fill the frame with the moon on a 35mm film camera.  Needless to say, they don’ t make camera lenses this long for the general public. In fact, the longest SLR lens made is the Canon 1200mm f/5.6L, of which there are only about a dozen or so.  What that means is you will either need to adapt a telescope, or you’ll just need to crop heavily.  I used an old manual focus Canon FD 50-300mm f/4.5L at 300mm, which on my Olympus E-M5 has a field of view equivalent to a 600mm lens on a full frame camera.  Long, yes, but the shot above is still near a 100% crop of my final image.

2) Expose for daylight.  You generally shoot the moon for detail like above at night (though at moonrise and dusk makes for great landscape photos incorporating the moon into the composition.  Though you’re shooting at night, remember that the moon is illuminated by direct sunlight, and therefore the exposure is close to that of shooting in bright daylight.  The shot above is actually a 3-shot HDR (which I then manually aligned to compensate for travel in the sky), but the average exposure I was using was ISO 200, f/8 and 1/320 second.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 with Canon FD 50-300mm f/4.5L (Photo taken with Panasonic GX1)

3) Use a steady tripod.  Because you’re using daylight exposure, you can handhold shots of the moon, especially if you’re using an autofocus lens and don’t need precision manual focus, but even then, with really long lenses, it’s best to have a sturdy tripod.  My tripod is an Induro CX213 carbon fiber tripod with a PhotoClam ballhead.  I of course used the lens’ built in collar for the mounting point.  I tilted the screen of my E-M5 to make focusing and framing easy on my back due to the tilt of the lens, so I didn’t need to hunch over.  Even with this steady setup, I could still see big vibrations in the magnified view any time I touched the camera.  I manually focused using 10x live view on the LCD and tripped the shutter using the self timer to avoid any vibration from pressing the button.  The built in IS on the E-M5 was also active to counter any vibrations from the shutter.  The picture on the right shows the setup used for the shot above.

So, go give it a try!  Unfortunately, this is a type of shot you really need the gear to get, but if you have a long lens and use good technique, you can get decent moon shots.

4 thoughts on “Shooting the Supermoon”

  1. Alan Halfhill says:
    May 8, 2012 at 3:16 pm

    I did the same thing with my Nikkor ED 400m f5.6. Here is my take on it:

    Reply
  2. Magnus says:
    May 10, 2012 at 12:58 am

    Hi Jordan
    I just bought the OM-D and happen to have a bag full of Canon FD lenses but the adapter business seem to be somewhat confusing, which adapter are you using and do you have any recommendations?

    Reply
    1. Jordan Steele says:
      May 10, 2012 at 5:49 am

      I use one of the cheap $20 adapters on eBay. I believe mine is made by Pixco, but is sold by a few vendors.

      Reply
      1. Magnus Lundqvist says:
        May 10, 2012 at 10:31 am

        I’ll have to try one of those out then, it’s not like it is a lot of money if it wouldn’t work perfectly. Thanks a lot for the answer and keep up the nice shooting!

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Me:

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on RSSFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on Mastodon

Most Popular Posts

  • "Full Frame Equivalence" and Why It Doesn't Matter (286)
  • Fuji X-Pro 2 vs. Sony A7 II: Noise Comparison (70)
  • Fuji 56mm f/1.2 vs. Panasonic Leica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron (63)
  • Review: Metabones Speed Booster (Canon FD to Fuji X) (56)
  • Review: Olympus OM-D E-M5 (48)

Recent Comments

  • Frank on Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS vs. Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L
  • Giorgio on A Tripod in the Sky – DJI Air 2S Review
  • Sam Taylor on My Favorite Photos of 2022
  • Damien on Review: TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4 ASPH (RF Mount)
  • Jordan Steele on Review: TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4 ASPH (RF Mount)

Archives

©2023 Admiring Light | Theme by SuperbThemes
We use cookies to personalize content and ads and to analyze our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. You may consent to the use of cookies or opt out. Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

SAVE & ACCEPT