topic Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon in EF & RF Lenses

Focal lengh to capture the moon

Cunha — Thu, 19 May 2016 19:36:29 GMT

Hi,

I need to photograph the moon in a way that occupies most of my 35mm FF frame without crop. Or bigger than the frame. I need a clear full moon with craters (no problem).

The image will be in portrait mode.

My test using a Canon EF 100mm macro L lens resulted in a very small image for my needs (image attached).

What lens do you suggest to produce a big image of the full moon?

Thank you very much.

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

jrhoffman75 — Thu, 19 May 2016 19:47:24 GMT

1000mm or longer zoom. This image is with a 400mm + 2X on 1.3 crop sensor.

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

Cunha — Thu, 19 May 2016 19:52:36 GMT

Excellent .-) Now I´ve a clue. Thank you so much.

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

cicopo — Thu, 19 May 2016 19:53:30 GMT

I think it would be more cost effective to use a telescope rather than a camera lens.

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

Cunha — Thu, 19 May 2016 20:09:47 GMT

Thank you but I don´t have access to a telescope. This is a one time use so I´ll try to use a lens from a friend (don´t know which friend ,-)

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

kvbarkley — Thu, 19 May 2016 20:16:38 GMT

500 mm sigma on a T3i

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

RobertTheFat — Thu, 19 May 2016 20:32:18 GMT

@Cunha wrote:
Thank you but I don´t have access to a telescope. This is a one time use so I´ll try to use a lens from a friend (don´t know which friend ,-)

The question answers itself: the friend who owns a telescope.

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

kvbarkley — Thu, 19 May 2016 20:35:13 GMT

Or you can rent.

You'd better hurry though, you only have 'till sunday. 8^)

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

Cunha — Thu, 19 May 2016 20:46:22 GMT

😉 maybe.

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

Cunha — Thu, 19 May 2016 21:00:41 GMT

:8^D

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

kvbarkley — Thu, 19 May 2016 21:14:07 GMT

The moon is 0.5 degrees.

I used Canon's Focal length comparator to see what the field of view (in degrees) was in the long dimension for various focal lengths

FL FF Crop

400 4.8 3.8

500 3.8 3.1

600 3.2 2.6

800 2.4 1.9

1000 1.9 1.5

1500 1.3 1.0

So even with a 1500 mm lens the moon will be only half of the long dimension of the frame

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

Cunha — Thu, 19 May 2016 21:27:13 GMT

What a nice help. I think I need a telescope .)

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

ebiggs1 — Fri, 20 May 2016 13:52:46 GMT

Is there a reason you can't crop? A 600mm lens, which are readily available, can make an impressive Moon shot but will need to be cropped. However that is not a problem.

This was with a 600mm lens and it is cropped. How much more crop do you require?

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

kvbarkley — Fri, 20 May 2016 14:01:09 GMT

Did you read the OP?

"I need to photograph the moon in a way that occupies most of my 35mm FF frame without crop. Or bigger than the frame. I need a clear full moon with craters (no problem)."

Why they need that, I don't know.

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

kvbarkley — Fri, 20 May 2016 14:05:10 GMT

If this is a non-commercial application, you might root around NASA's website. They might have a large frame high-res image available.

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

ebiggs1 — Fri, 20 May 2016 14:06:12 GMT

"Did you read the OP?"

Did you read me?

Is there a reason you can't crop?

Of course any reasonable gear available to most amateurs will not include a lens that can render a full to over full frame shot.

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

Cunha — Fri, 20 May 2016 14:26:56 GMT

For the last two contributions.

This is for a photographic essay. Prints for an exhibition and a photobook.

I would like to mantain all the files equal without crops (at least heavy crops).

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

jrhoffman75 — Fri, 20 May 2016 14:35:44 GMT

If you crop to in-camera aspect ratio (3:2) and resize to same pixel dimensions or print size wouldn't that work?

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

Cunha — Fri, 20 May 2016 14:37:13 GMT

Maybe. This means any kind of interpolation?

Re: Focal lengh to capture the moon

kvbarkley — Fri, 20 May 2016 14:48:29 GMT

Not nessesarily.

If you print a 6000x4000 image at 300 dpi you get 20 inches x 13 inches

If you crop to 3000 x 2000 and print at 150 dpi you can get the same size - and 150 dpi is fine for a print this big.