Nikon SLR Cameras

What settings should I use to get a picture of the moon?

Guest
Guest

Shutter speed, f-stop, exposure time, iso speed…
And if you know how, how do I change these settings on a Nikon D3000.

AGK
AGK

Shutter speed determines the exposure time. So exposure time is only relative when you're using the "bulb" mode in which the shutter stays open as long as the button is held down.

Now as for how to expose the moon, it's pretty simple. The moon is a sun lit object which means you need to expose it the same way you would expose objects during the day (If you're using a long enough lens the auto exposure mode will sometimes manage to do this).

Anyway since the moon is sunlit, you can start by using the sunny 16 rule (i.e shutter speed = 1/ISO, aperture = f16, ISO = whatever). You can also use any equivalent settings, so for instance if with sunny 16 you have 1/100, f16 at ISO100, you can use 1/250, f11 at ISO100 or 1/200, f16 at ISO200. Also sunny 16 is an estimate, so the idea is to use a setting that matches the rule closely but it doesn't have to be exact. Look at what you get on the screen and adjust the exposure to taste.

Oh yeah as for how to change the settings on your camera. Did you read the manual? If you didn't, read it now. If you did, read it again. If you lost it/didn't get one, download a copy from the Nikon website.

sagara
sagara

You can leave it on auto, or apeture or shutter pritority.

thing to know: the sun is really really bright when compared to the night sky.

Relevant settings:
Iso 100 or 200
spot metering (no matrix today)

place the moon in the centre of the viewfinder. Half press and youll get the exposure you want (use exposure lock to lock in exposure, so you don't need to remember those numbers) recompose and shoot.