PowerShot SX60 HS Moon photo advice

[AuntFrahn]

I have been trying to shoot pictures of the moon and having lousy results.

First I tried AUTO, which was sort of OK. The problem is when I depress the shutter the sharpness of the picture is less than before I press the shutter to check focus. The resulting image is not what I saw.

I looked online for a few ideas and tried some manual shots at f/5.6, ISO 800, speed 1/250. Again, I could see what seemed to be a pretty good image, but as soon as I pressed the shutter a little, the moon turned white. Tried it several times while using a tripod. Reduced the ISO to 400. Nada. Did not try setting the self timer - didn't seem like that would help.

Went back to AUTO and did get some shots, but again, not as clear as I expected when I pressed the shutter.

Very frustrating.

Obviously, I am new to this.

Thanks

[Waddizzle · Accepted solution]

I like the big chart, Table 1, at the link.  I find it easiest to initially understand.  It is written under the assumption that your ISO is set to ISO 100.  Notice how Table 2 shows EV with a little "100" next to it.  Again, that means ISO-100.

Once you find your spot on the chart, you can work from there.  The Looney 11 Rule is found in the f/11 column.  Working your way down you come upon 1/125 sec, which you can read off on the left as EV14, which matches Table 2.

You can move left or right "one stop" as you increase [left] or decrease [right] your ISO value.  If all you have is f/8, move along the EV14 row, and you can find equivalent exposure settings. 

If I stay in the  same column and move one square up, then I get a faster shutter speed, which  is "one stop" faster.  If I increased my ISO by "one stop" [from 100 to 200] I would get nearly the same exposure result.

Moving at a diagonal direction reflects changing two values at the same time, and yields an equivalent exposure setting.  I suggest that you sit down in a chair, with your camera on a tripod in front of you, and experiment some.  Do it indoors, or outdoors, if you like.

[AuntFrahn]

Ooooh.....that makes more sense now that you have explained all of the ins and outs.

Thank you SO much!

[AuntFrahn]

[Moving at a diagonal direction reflects changing two values at the same time, and yields an equivalent exposure setting.  I suggest that you sit down in a chair, with your camera on a tripod in front of you, and experiment some.  Do it indoors, or outdoors, if you like.]

We will be going to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum tomorrow - Thanksgiving - on what should be a beautiful sunny 75º day. Fall foliage should be good according to their website.

Therefore, I will be practicing this morning and afternoon at home.

Thank you so much for taking the time.

[Waddizzle]

Good luck, and have fun.  Don't over think it too much.  Just try to keep your ISO low, and your shutter speed high.

[AuntFrahn]

Thanks!

[AuntFrahn]

PS
This is Junior Rodeo weekend that I have attended the last dozen or so years taking photos of the little guys 5-18.
I'll look through my old photos and see what the settings were. Always shot in AUTO mode.
Just read a book about Louise Serpa, rodeo photographer extraordinaire. Hope she's looking over my shoulder.
The parade is in downtown on Saturday, too.

[Waddizzle]

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@AuntFrahn wrote:
PS
This is Junior Rodeo weekend that I have attended the last dozen or so years taking photos of the little guys 5-18.
I'll look through my old photos and see what the settings were. Always shot in AUTO mode.
Just read a book about Louise Serpa, rodeo photographer extraordinaire. Hope she's looking over my shoulder.
The parade is in downtown on Saturday, too.

---

I shot a parade, just this past Saturday.  I used a 16mm wide angle lens, ISO-100, and f/5.6.

http://www.dofmaster.com/doftable.html

Scroll down to find Powershot cameras.  You won't find your model number, but you will find one  with a similar sensor size, which is what really matters. 

I was focused at the "hyperfocal" distance, so everything beyond a few feet was in focus.  I used a DSLR in Av mode, which allowed my to manually dial in f/5.6 and and Auto ISO.  The camera would set the shutter speed for me, as I adjusted the camera to keep the ISO low.

[AuntFrahn]

Thanks!!

[Michelle1]

I own a t4i...I am looking at purchasing a zoom lens, not sure which one, either the canon 500, or the sigma 150-600....in either case, would the powershot xs60 negate the need for those zoom lenses, or does image quality suffer greatly at the 500/600mm range of the xs60?  I understand digital and optical zoom, but not sure if the 65X is all optical so the 21-1365mm is REALLY as good as a 1365 on a dslr camera, or if it is more like digital zoom. Thanks

[Waddizzle]

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@Michelle1 wrote:

I own a t4i...I am looking at purchasing a zoom lens, not sure which one, either the canon 500, or the sigma 150-600....in either case, would the powershot xs60 negate the need for those zoom lenses, or does image quality suffer greatly at the 500/600mm range of the xs60?  I understand digital and optical zoom, but not sure if the 65X is all optical so the 21-1365mm is REALLY as good as a 1365 on a dslr camera, or if it is more like digital zoom. Thanks

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Are you trying to determine is it better to by super telephoto lens for a DSLR, or is it better to buy a super zoom point and shoot camera like the SX60?

I suppose that it really depends upon how you plan to use it.  I'm not sure if anyone has recently made such a comparison test.  I have not.  It's almost like asking which is sweeter, apples or oranges?  My gut says that the DSLR, which has the larger image sensor, would have better image quality, most particularly when it comes to contrast and dynamic range.