As a beginner astrophotographer, my photos of the blood moon lunar eclipse came out much better than expected! Using a full-frame camera for the first time this year has definitely elevated my photographs. Unfortunately, the cost of a full-frame camera means it will be a while before I get the star-quality lenses of my dreams.
Note: Affiliate links are posted below, your purchases through Amazon help support me and my content. But please shop around! Most of my gear was purchased refurbished through Amazon or Canon.
My Gear:
Canon EOS 6D Mark II DSLR Camera Body I found mine refurbished from Canon for $999 so shop around!
Canon EF 75 -300 mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Renewed) At time of writing this is available for less than the $199 I spent
Amazon Basics 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod with Bag is Definitely necessary!
JJC TC-80N3 Intervalometer Timer Remote Shutter Release Time Lapse Around $20 and not necessary for moon photography although it was convenient to have!
Summary of Camera Settings
Aperture f/8 maintained throughout
During the Full Moon & Brightest Light
ISO 100
Shutter Speed 1/125
During the Partial and Full Eclipse
ISO 1600 - 3200
Shutter speed 1/4 to 1 second
I spent a few weeks researching camera settings for lunar eclipse photography as this was my first chance to photograph one. If you are more advanced my tips will likely be redundant. Here are some general pointers on camera settings to start with.
Camera Sensitivity to Light or ISO
A lower ISO indicates less sensitivity to light, while a higher ISO means more sensitivity.
An ISO of 100 is recommended when photographing a full moon. Once the eclipse started I switched to 1600 ISO. I did play around with the ISO settings to see the differences which I’ll show below.
ISO 1600 300 mm. f / 8.0. 1 sec
ISO 3200 300 mm. f / 8.0. 1 sec
ISO 6400 300 mm. f / 8.0. 1 sec
For this lighting 3200 ISO is a balance of avoiding motion blur without creating additional noise over the moon. Another phenomenon that I read about was how quickly the moon moves. It is slow enough to me imperceivable by the naked eye, but fast enough to show up in camera shots 10 - 30 seconds apart.
Shutter Speed
This is why the tripod is necessary. No matter how hard you try, there is inevitably some shaking while holding a camera in your hand. Every minute or so I would readjust the tripod to center the moon in the frame. Occasionally the interval timer would snap a photo before I finished adjusting the camera. I have a handful of shots with some motion blur which is a cool artistic effect if it is intentional. In my case it was not intentional.
Blur from adjusting the tripod. ISO 6400 300 mm. f / 8.0. 1 sec
During the Full Moon I used a shutter speed of 1/125. My camera was in Manual Mode to enable control of both the Aperture and Shutter Speed. I did change to Bulb Mode to enable control via my Intervalometer. As the light began to disappear I changed the shutter speed to between 1/4 to 1 full second. Below you can see the examples of different shutter speeds and how they change the image. All of the images were taken within seconds of each other.
ISO 3200 255mm f/8.0 1/125 sec
ISO 3200 255mm f/8.0 1/8 sec
ISO 3200 255mm f/8.0 1/2 sec
ISO 3200 255mm f/8.0 1 sec
All in all I was capturing images for about 2 hours and ended up with 11 GB worth of images. All of the images posted here are unedited as to show exactly what you get out of the camera. I used 10 second intervals initially and then switched to 30 second intervals.
When is the next Lunar Eclipse?
The next Lunar Eclipse is March 13-14 2025. If you live in North or South America the entire eclipse will be visible starting the evening of Thursday March 13 2025 and ending 6:00am Friday March 14 2025.
I have my eye on this lens for the next eclipse:
Sigma 150-600mm 5-6.3 Contemporary DG OS HSM Lens for Canon DSLR Camera I’ve seen options for refurbished lenses between $399-$599. This option is new from the Sigma Store via Amazon and includes memory cards.
Another must have, with increased zoom is an equatorial mount for the camera. As you zoom, the field of view gets smaller. I was able to manually adjust the camera every 30-40 seconds with a 300mm zoom. However at 500-600mm the ability to track the movement of the moon will make it much easier to capture photos without motion blur.
This is for the equatorial tracker only and does not include a tripod, which I will also need to invest in a sturdier tripod to handle the weight of the larger lens and the equatorial tracker. The tracker can be used for long exposures needed for the milky way, as stars move too!
This tripod cost as much as most entry level lenses, but you don’t want thousands of dollars of equipment to crumble on a cheap tripod.
I’m excited to continue my journey in Astrophotography. It is not a particularly profitable niche of photography. NASA produces free high quality photos of all items Astronomical. I may order prints of some of my own photos to use for home decor. It is satisfying to look at a photo that I took, it means just a bit more. I am simultaneously capturing an image as well as a memory of a moment in my life. I photograph for the love of the game. Astrophotography combines my interests in Astrology, Astronomy and Photography. We have a little over 2 years until the next eclipse. I can’t wait!
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