ChrisN
Striving
The moon is currently 99.8% full - pretty close. If you meter off a grey card in full moon, what EV should it show?
jpbob100
Established
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Wow ... I just had a look at Fred's charts. -3 which equates to 1/2 sec shutter speed with an f1.4 aperture and 3200 ISO. You could damned near use a rangefinder hand held provided your subject material was paralysed or dead!
What are you shooting in full moonlight Chris?
What are you shooting in full moonlight Chris?
Roger Hicks
Veteran
A very rough rule of thumb is that full moonlight is one millionth as bright as full sunlight. Intriguingly, it's about the same colour, too. Somewhere I have a tranny that Frances took of me with ISO 50 film (Fuji RF/RFP) by moonlight. I had to longe against a wall for several minutes, and the stars are streaks in the sky.
I'd not expect there to be enough light to get a reading off a grey card unless you have a very unusual meter. Much better to read off a white card and give 5x the reading.
Cheers,
Roger
I'd not expect there to be enough light to get a reading off a grey card unless you have a very unusual meter. Much better to read off a white card and give 5x the reading.
Cheers,
Roger
Anupam
Well-known
Roger Hicks said:
Under about normal room light - LV 5 or so - I find it better to meter by eye and bracket if I am not sure.
-A
VictorM.
Well-known
According to my Jiffy Calculator (snipped from Popular Photography in about 1967-my Yashica D days) a moonlit landscape on 3200 speed film takes ¼-sec@f/1.7 or approximately EV3.5. If this is accurate (and it worked for me and my Yash D), a Lunasix meter should read the exposure. You will need to use a small flashlight to read the Lunasix.
Attachments
Pherdinand
the snow must go on
would it not be better to use an incident meter?
Graham Line
Well-known
Ummm. What's lighting the moon? Direct sunlight. Try f8 or f11/ISO.
Is the photo just the moon, or are you including landscape features as well? For stuff like that I like the calculator dials in the Kodak Photoguide.
Is the photo just the moon, or are you including landscape features as well? For stuff like that I like the calculator dials in the Kodak Photoguide.
Pherdinand
the snow must go on
Joe, do you really think the question was about bringing a grey card to the Moon and making a read-out of the light levels up there?
Anupam
Well-known
Pherdinand said:
That has to be the funniest thing that I have read onlie in a while.
-A
Graham Line
Well-known
It was a serious answer.
The moon is illuminated by the sun and the 'full moon' occurs when it is not being shaded by Earth -- so a proper exposure of the moon is basically a sunlit exposure.
If you are including parts of the Earth (that's where most of us are) landscape in the foreground, you have other factors at work in setting the exposure.
The moon is illuminated by the sun and the 'full moon' occurs when it is not being shaded by Earth -- so a proper exposure of the moon is basically a sunlit exposure.
If you are including parts of the Earth (that's where most of us are) landscape in the foreground, you have other factors at work in setting the exposure.
rogue_designer
Reciprocity Failure
ah - yes, I think the OP was looking for a scene lit by the moon, not a proper exposure of the moon itself.
That would make a difference
That would make a difference
Anupam
Well-known
Joe Brugger said:
Joe,
I understand what you are saying but the OP's method included metering a gray card - i.e. incident metering of a scene lit by the moon. You couldn't incident meter the actual moon without going to the moon. From earth we are stuck with reflective metering of the moon.
Best,
Anupam
Pherdinand
the snow must go on
)sorry for poking fun of a misunderstanding. i just could not resist.
Graham Line
Well-known
There wasn't really much information in the OP about what he was trying to do.
Anupam
Well-known
No worries - I think it all turned out well - useful information about exposing for the actual moon and some merriment to go with it.
Graham Line
Well-known
Somewhere in my archives I have some full-moon landscape slides taken near my old home in Idaho, on a very hilly golf course on a crystal clear sub-freezing night.
Probably estimated the exposure or lifted it from the Kodak Photoguide.
That was the evening I learned snowshoes were much better than skis for photography trips.
Personally, I've always found gray cards to be a PITA and prefer using either an incident meter, in-camera AE, or experience.
It's been a fun conversation. I hope ChrisN got what he needed.
Probably estimated the exposure or lifted it from the Kodak Photoguide.
That was the evening I learned snowshoes were much better than skis for photography trips.
Personally, I've always found gray cards to be a PITA and prefer using either an incident meter, in-camera AE, or experience.
It's been a fun conversation. I hope ChrisN got what he needed.
ChrisN
Striving
Sorry for not coming back to this sooner, and for the misunderstanding. I was thinking about a moonlit landscape, and also wanting to know if my meter was reading anything close to what it should. As Roger indicated, a sensitive meter is needed, and the Gossen Luna Pro is designed, and named, for just that task. My meter read -2EV, both grey card and incident, so it's pretty close to the figures Fred Parker recommends. Hmmm. Four minutes at f/8 (400iso). I might bracket.