topic Lens Recommendations for Sunset and Moon Photography in EF & RF Lenses

Lens Recommendations for Sunset and Moon Photography

_abbey — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 12:11:06 GMT

Hi!! I am very new to this. I am wanting a lens where I can really zoom in on the sun during a sunset and the moon! I have a rebel t8i. The cheaper the better lol! Than you in advance!

Re: Lens

Tronhard — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 23:35:16 GMT

Hi Abbey: Welcome to the forum.

A lot depends on your budget - the cheaper the better is not overly precise, and it would help to know what lenses you have right now.
For your camera you would likely want one of the following:
Canon EF-S 55-250 IS STM: very cheap and good optics but will not make the moon massively large in your image
Canon EF 70-300 IS USM (MkI or MkII), excellent optics and will fit a full-frame camera if you ever choose to get one.
Tamron or Sigma 150-600 Contemporary will make moon much larger, but are large and relatively expensive.

(Avoid the Canon EF 75-300 lenses - they are, at best, mediocre optics and have no image stabilization)

I don't live in the US, so I won't venture prices, but you can get the Canon lenses from the Canon refurbished site, where they are basically as new and come with a 1 year warranty, but much reduced in price. The link with a search for suitable lenses is HERE .

Be wary of pointing a camera with a large telephoto lens at the sun, it will bring a very high-intensity light and can damage your eyesight and the camera itself if you do so at anything else that late sunset when the sun is very low on the horizon.

Re: Lens

AtticusLake — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 07:33:50 GMT

Hi Abbey,

first off and most importantly -- YOU MUST NOT LOOK AT THE SUN THROUGH YOUR CAMERA. Your camera has an optical viewfinder; looking at the Sun through it is like looking at the Sun through a telescope. YOU WILL SUFFER MASSIVE, PERMANENT EYE DAMAGE.

Professional astrophotographers know how to use special filters in front of the camera to do solar photography safely; but even they will not actually look through an optical viewfinder at the Sun, as a basic safety precaution.

Yes you can (and probably have) take Sunset pictures with the Sun in shot, using a regular wide lens. And *very* close to Sunset will be less dangerous. But if you start messing about with a telephoto lens and looking at the Sun, you can literally cook the retina in your eye. Stick to the Moon.

So, let's say you really want to zoom in on the Moon. It depends what you mean by "really zoom in". If you mean a superzoom like some compacts, then forget it, superzooms for your camera -- and interchangable-lens cameras in general -- don't exist. Superzooms exist for compact cameras, where the image sensor is tiny, and the expectation on quality is low. But for larger-sensor cameras like yours, it's a practical impossibility.

So, Trevor has recommended some more modest zooms which will capture a decent image of the Moon; not frame-filling, but they should be pretty satisfying.

If you want to fill the frame with the Moon, you'll want an 800mm lens. But this won't be cheap. Or, if it is cheap, quality will generally be poor.

If you really want superzoom-style performance, you may well be better off with a bridge camera. The quality won't be close to what you can get with a DSLR, but a 50x zoom is quite possible.

If you want more eye safety info, my website has a page on this (for eclipses, but it applies to the Sun in general): https://moonblink.info/Eclipse/what/safety The links at the bottom might help, specially B. Ralph Chou.

Oh and what can damage your eye, can also damage your camera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TO_yZDxryQ

Re: Lens

Tronhard — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 07:51:34 GMT

I think both Atticus and I are worried about you pointing your camera with a telephoto lens at the sun and doing yourself and the camera irreparable damage. When I say shoot the sun when it is very low on the horizon and relatively dim, I really mean just about on the horizon.

I would recommend using whatever lens you use, on the moon exclusively first - it is amazingly bright when viewed close up, and will give you great results if you get the exposure right - you need to seriously underexpose the image compared to what the camera suggests - it is metering a huge chunk of black sky so it will over-expose the moon.

I think you can do well with a DSLR if you get a good quality lens and get the exposure right. The following images were taken of the moon with the lenses identified.

This is taken with a similar-sized sensor, using the Sigma 150-600mm lens at 600 - but due to a quirk of the sensor size, it delivers an image as if it was 960mm long. As is the one below:

Canon 7DMKII, Sigma 150-600c@ 960mm, f/6.3, 1/800sec, ISO -200

Shooting the moon when it is not full can be very rewarding - the light really shows the texture of the various craters.

Atticus is correct that you could get closer results with a Bridge Camera, although the sensor is small to make this happen and it reduces the resolution. Not to mention it's a whole new camera and I didn't pursue that option based on your comments on investment.

Atticus is obviously well-versed in astronomical photography and I recommend you check out the links he has provided.

Re: Lens

AtticusLake — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 07:59:12 GMT

Atticus is obviously well-versed in astronomical photography and I recommend you check out the links he has provided.

Thanks Trevor! Actually I'm not... but I know enough to be scared of the Sun.

Re: Lens

Tronhard — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 08:00:07 GMT

Me too!!!

Re: Lens

Tronhard — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 08:13:46 GMT

I was searching for a couple of images in my library where I shot the sun with a long telephoto lens and this is really all i got:

This was carefully taken with much of the sun behind the cloud and it was seriously underexposed.

In fact the vast majority of the images I have taken are quite wide angle and use the light of the sun to lighten the clouds.

EOS M5, EF-M 22mm, f/8, 1/80sec, ISO-200

Again the actual sun is a very small part of the image, the light effects on the cloud are the significant elements, and again it is under-exposed.

So, approach sun shots with great care.

Re: Lens

kvbarkley — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 12:05:15 GMT

I have this one. 8^)

Re: Lens

_abbey — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 12:06:49 GMT

Thank you so much for your help!

Re: Lens

_abbey — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 12:07:26 GMT

I really just meant as it is on the horizon. I apologize for the confusion! Thank you for your help!!

Re: Lens

_abbey — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 12:08:13 GMT

Awesome pictures!! I should have clarified I was talking about the sun on the horizon! I apologize.

Re: Lens

_abbey — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 12:11:38 GMT

Would you suggest getting a lens that has more of a wide angle? I shoot mainly sunsets! I really want to get into taking pictures of birds and other animals while hiking! I love taking pictures during sunset at the beach too.

Re: Lens

kvbarkley — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 12:47:12 GMT

The kit lens is probably wide enough for now (and panoramas are also an option for landscapes that are a bit wider), and if you add the 55 - 250 EF-S you can get pretty close-in images of wildlife. If you find that you consistently want just a bit wider at the short end, and a bit more reach at the long end you can look into getting other (more expensive!) lenses.

It is hard for us to judge what *you* want to take pictures of. The best way is to use what you have, note any deficiencies, and plan to remedy them.

I like to be ready for anything. My walking around lens is the 18-135 which works most of the time (I have never felt the need to go wider than 18mm). In my bag, I have my 70 - 300 II and my late, great EF-S 60 macro for bugs and such. If I think I need it - I don't always have it with me -, and I use it when we go to National Parks, Air Shows and moon/Sun/planet closeups, I have my Tamron 150 -600.

Re: Lens Recommendations for Sunset and Moon Photography

kvbarkley — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 12:49:59 GMT

And when you say the moon, do you mean a closeup of the moon as in the other images or the moon as a thematic element as here:

Re: Lens Recommendations for Sunset and Moon Photography

_abbey — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 12:52:41 GMT

I mean a close up of the moon! But this is an awesome picture!

Re: Lens

_abbey — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 12:53:00 GMT

Awesome thank you so much!! This was very helpful!!

Re: Lens Recommendations for Sunset and Moon Photography

wq9nsc — Sat, 06 Aug 2022 02:16:13 GMT

Abbey,

For fairly close photos of the moon, you need a pretty long telephoto and none of them are really cheap but I have been highly impressed with the Sigma 150-600 "contemporary" I picked up last month. I have several expensive Canon L series primes but I wanted a single fairly light and versatile lens for some longer hikes and I decided to try the Sigma and I was far more impressed than I expected. It is currently under $900 at B&H and worth serious consideration if you can fit that into your price range. Buying good quality glass is the best decision you can make in photography because a poor quality lens is a big handicap while good glass bought now will still serve you well with future camera body purchases.

I haven't done any serious lunar photography with the Sigma yet but while I was shooting a crop duster finishing up near sunset yesterday, I took a few photos of the moon while the sun was still up above the horizon and even under those conditions it did a nice job. The first photo is of the moon using the Sigma 150-600 @ f6.3, 1/800, ISO 800 with a Canon 1DX II body. The sky was still far too light for a good photo of the moon but I was curious how the Sigma would do and grabbed a couple of images.

The second image comes from a week ago when I was shooting a couple of Bel Jet Ranger crop dusting helicopters. I planned to primarily use my 1DX III with Canon EF 800 f5.6 for that shoot but I brought the Sigma 150-600 on a second body and used it for quite a few shots. This is one of the captures with the Sigma as the copter was making a pass over the corn. Shot at f5, 1/640, ISO 125. The Sigma did a great job of quickly capturing and holding focus.

The final two images are lunar photos under good conditions using very expensive glass, the first with the Canon EF 800 f5.6 and the second with a Celestron CPC 1100HD telescope. I look forward to testing the Sigma under similar conditions this winter and I expect, given the results from it on closer objects, that it will do extremely well.

Good luck with your choice!

And on edit, I added a fifth image which is a photo of the moon caught during dusk tonight with the Sigma 150-600 @600mm, f6.3, 1/125, ISO 160 with a Canon 1DX II.

Rodger

1DX II Sigma 150-6001DX II Sigma 150-600Canon 1DX III with EF 800 f5.6

Canon 1DX III Celestron CPC 1100HD

Re: Lens

AtticusLake — Sat, 06 Aug 2022 07:17:45 GMT

Hi Abbey,

I understand what you mean; however you still need to be very careful. I know Trevor's pictures are stunning, and they well demonstrate that it is possible to take lovely Sunset pictures. However, the combination of an optical viewfinder and a tele lens is still potentially very dangerous, any time the Sun is visible. You just can't know how clear the atmosphere will be on any given day.

My strong advice is don't look at Sun through the viewfinder; use live view, and compose your shots on the external LCD screen.

https://cam.start.canon/en/C002/manual/html/UG-01_Preparations_0130.html

Re: Lens Recommendations for Sunset and Moon Photography

_abbey — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 20:10:41 GMT

Awesome pictures!! Thank you so much for your help!

Re: Lens Recommendations for Sunset and Moon Photography

ebiggs1 — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 16:02:53 GMT

Your Rebel T8i and the kit lens that came with it are all you need for sunsets and sunrises. You are all set there. It is always best to be safe but a red Sun isn't usually dangerous. Use caution though.

For dramatic photos of the Moon you need all the focal length you can get. This makes one of the 150-600mm super zooms form Tamron or Sigma a great buy. You also need a top quality tripod otherwise don't even think or consider a Moon shot. A good tripod is going to be expensive so get ready for it. Probably over $200 bucks.

There is always the used market for these items. A good top quality tripod rarely wears out so a good used buy.