Fujifilm S9600

Paul_Garrett

I have had a Fuji S9600 for a while now and want to take pics of the night sky, but have never really done it before and was wondering how and what equipment i would need to get the best results and where i could get this equipment from, please help somebody as i wouldnt know where to begin as im new to photography and have never had any training

Marty_J

What sort of pictures do you want to take?

You'll need a tripod to take long exposures, though shots of the night sky don't always need long exposures. The moon is surprisingly bright, and it should be easy enough to take handheld shots of it.

You'll get better shots in the countryside as there is less light pollution, so a place to sit, warm waterproof clothes and a thermos full of hot tea also help.

totalsolutions

Tripod, locking cable release, long exposure times increase noise so a camera that is better in this with. Moon shots , never got a good one yet always just a white blob.

Paul_Garrett

thanks, i do have a tripod, but when i try to take pics of the moon all i get is a white blur i dont have any filters like on a telescope and wondered if i should use some and would anybody know where to get them? also how do i get long exposure times?

Marty_J

Paul_Garrett wrote: »

thanks, i do have a tripod, but when i try to take pics of the moon all i get is a white blur i dont have any filters like on a telescope and wondered if i should use some and would anybody know where to get them? also how do i get long exposure times?

It sounds to me as though you're over-exposing the moon. As I said above, it's actually very bright. Try using a faster shutter speed.

You get longer exposure times by using a slower shutter speed. You really need to be using your camera in manual mode in order to take night shots of the sky.

Paul_Garrett

thanks to everyone who has commented on this thread you have all been very useful if anyone finds any cheap filters for my cam (fujifilm S9600)then i would be very grateful, will be on again tomorrow to check out any more responses to my thread thanks alot again

maleman

A tip, you will need to set the exposure metering to 'spot' if photographing the moon. If you do not the metering is averaged over the whole image, (which includes a lot of dark sky) and so the light moon is over exposed hence the bluring effect. Also play with your ISO settings.
I used a Fuji 6500 and have very good images of the moon hand held.
Happy shooting.

mrscruffy

Try contacting your local adult education college or see if there's a local amateur photography group - My local college offers a 10 week course for just £60.