Photography advice

[Guest GentleChaos]

Ok folks, i was driving through crich near were i live one night, and i drove down a road were there was a view of swanwick and alfreton in the distance all lit up at night, the view itself was beautiful, but then i saw something that stopped me dead in my tracks, there right in the middle of the gleaming lights was the moon, a Waning Gibbous, low in the sky and so it appeared darker like a lunar eclipse, it was like a pearl just hanging there over the city lights, and a sight that i would never forget, and by consulting my iphone app i found that mars was also in fact visible.

Of course i went back the next day to try and capture the same image a little later on, but as is the way with astronomy the skys had other ideas.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

The camera i used was a canon powershot which is why the image diddnt turn out very well, but i would appreciate any advice on the types of specs i should be looking for when buying a camera specifically for these types of images, so that i can be better prepared next time.

Thanks

[Doc]

For this type of shot a tripod is a must if you enlarge your photo you can see a lot of camera shake. I would them attempt an aperture about F8 so to get as much detail in the distance in focus, just watch your shutter speed as you don't want it to long as your photo will be light.

For this type of shot a tripod is a must if you enlarge your photo you can see a lot of camera shake. I would them attempt an aperture about F8 so to get as much detail in the distance in focus, just watch your shutter speed as you don't want it to long as your photo will be light.

As for the camera a DSLR would be best maybe a 1000d or the new 1100d.

[Craig]

The best camera is the one you have with you. A Canon Powershot is a capable camera and can produce some superb images. Moving to a DSLR is not going to give you great pictures without the knowledge to use the camera to it's full potential.

I would first suggest using your existing camera, take it out of the automatic modes and start shooting in the manual modes (there are normally 3 on the Powershot camera - shutter priority, aperture priority and full manual). Check your manual for how to change to these modes (on my DSLR it's TV (shutter), AV (aperture) and M (manual)). You also have control over the ISO which increases or decreases the sensitivity of the sensor to light, however this has a knock-on effect of introducing noise. You will be able to push the camera so far where you will then start to get excessive noise.

Here is a good link to the basic concepts; http://www.dpchallen...?TUTORIAL_ID=45

As you will begin to realise, there are many ways to manipulate the camera to achieve the desired result. That moon shot you were trying for is possible on the Powershot but ideally would need a tripod and remote shutter. This would be exactly the same for a DSLR.

So my advice in short... Get familiar with the camera you have by using the manual modes.

A friend once said to me, "Those are great pictures, you must have a really good camera". The next time they cook a meal for me, I'm going to compliment the quality of their cooker.

[Mark Harper.]

As doc said a DSLR is really the way forward and will open a world of possibilities, although I would aim a little higher when it comes to which one you choose, I was looking at a 1000D (entry level SLR) when I started, but found it wasn't much more for the one I really wanted, "the Canon 550D" ( Mid level SLR)which is an incredible camera that boasts a lot more features and gives you more for your money. It really depends on your bugdet.

Although as Craig said an SLR really is much more of a camera and to use one properly can take years of training.... Don't get me wrong you can just set it to auto and use it like a point and shoot, with surprisingly great results. If you have the money, why don't you take advantage of Jessops 30 day money back guarantee, you can buy a camera then if you don't like it or you feel it's more than you need you can take it back for a full refund....

As Doc said, the first thing I thought when I saw that shot was tripod....

Can you give any indication of what settings you used?

There are too many variants to be able to suggest a shutter speed to you, as it depends on your location, ie; Dark sight or in the middle of a town, then the lens used and of course the iso speed. It also depends on what you want to shoot, astp capture the moon would be around 1/400 of a sec @f.6.3 iso 100, whereas a starry night scene would be between 20 to 30 seconds exposure at around iso 800.

Here is a link to some of my sky/astro shots for camera settings look at my exif info; http://www.flickr.co...s/maddogharper/

Hope this helps. Mark.

P.S. I see the Moon and Mars but what is that above? Jupiter?

Edited February 7, 2012 by MADDOGHARPER

[Mark Harper.]

"A friend once said to me, "Those are great pictures, you must have a really good camera". The next time they cook a meal for me, I'm going to compliment the quality of their cooker." LOL, so true....

[Guest GentleChaos]

Thanks for the input everyone, i do think that learning a much as i can about my own camera would improve the shots taken and that ideally i would want to use a tripod to prevent the camera shake, i also had a little bit of practice before the moon came up ajusting the shutter speed and trying out different modes before i took my shots, but i think perhaps reading the manual would be a good start to learning how to set up the camera for the shot i want to take rather than trial and error, epecially as you cant really get an idea of how good the shot really is until you get the picture on a big display.

Thanks again

PS

Mark,

No it was just a star, saturn was going to come up below the moon but it was 12 oclock when i took the picture and i wasnt waiting around all night

Edited February 7, 2012 by GentleChaos

[Doc]

Once again lovely photos Craig you are a natural, you should take up astrophotography.

[Guest GentleChaos]

Fantastic shots there craig, makes me want to take it up professionally

[Doc]

A lot of it is composition crack that and you are half way there.

[Mark Harper.]

Those are nice shots Craig you dark horse, I never knew you were on flickr.... You'll have to send me a contact request....

I've never read my manual either.... M.

[Craig]

Will do.

I sold my DSLR some time ago as I wasn't using it and needed to better utilise the cash I had tied up in it. I filly intend to buy another in 6-8 months time after having been without a camera for a year or so.

[Doc]

Why do men never read manuals and the women always do.

We bought a new food steamer the other day and my wife sat there and read the whole manual before turning it on. It was so simple to operate it was unbelievable but NO she had to fully read the manual.

[Mark Harper.]

Will do.

I sold my DSLR some time ago as I wasn't using it and needed to better utilise the cash I had tied up in it. I filly intend to buy another in 6-8 months time after having been without a camera for a year or so.

I sold most of my gear at the end of last year too, to buy the 5D mkiii, but it kept getting pushed back and I was losing the will to live, as I use it nearly everyday, (I've been doing some smoke photography this morning) so I bought another one about 6-8 weeks later. Another 550D (my 4th in the last twelve months). I only really got into photography properly at the end of last January, when my wonderful partner bought me my first 550D, so have done a lot really in a fairly short space of time. I am self taught and at this stage there isn't much I don't know about photography although I'm still learning the editing side. (CS5) I have self taught what would have taken someone yearsundergoing lessons as I spent between 5-8 hours a day, every day for the last 12 months, so it still sometimes amazes me when I see people who have been doing photography for years not understanding the fundamental basics of this area. Although that said, they haven't got unlimited free time to self teach like me. Lol.

I'll look out for your request.... I hope you get another camera soon, you have a real talent and a good eye. M.

Why do men never read manuals and the women always do.

We bought a new food steamer the other day and my wife sat there and read the whole manual before turning it on. It was so simple to operate it was unbelievable but NO she had to fully read the manual.

Lol.

Edited February 8, 2012 by MADDOGHARPER