Settings for Shooting the Moon Using My 55-200mm Lens

elmerglue

Can anyone tell me what settings would be good to shoot the moon with on my 5100? I tried shutter and aperture settings and they are all blurry. I used my 55-200mm kit lens and it looks clear in the viewfinder but then the shot is blurry when I zoom in.

GerardH

Set your aperture to f/8 and your shutter should be at about 1/125" +/- one stop.

One thing I learned from back in my film days is that your camera meters the overall frame and if you set the shutter speed according to what the camera tells you, you overexpose the moon.

You will have some limitations since you're only shooting a 200mm focal length; the more you crop, the more the limitations of your lens will be exposed (your particular lens is known for softness at 200mm).

Don't be afraid to play around with bracketing your shots. Also make sure you have a sturdy tripod, your VR is shut off, and that you're using a remote release. Good luck!

Moose

@elmerglue - @GerardH gave you some great advice. I'll add that by using 'Spot Metering' you'll be able to evaluate the exposure of the moon's surface, which will retain detail and avoid a blown out mess.