DSLR Full Moon Photography Guide: Best Settings & Gear

How to take great photos of a full moon? Smartphone or not, a DSLR is ultimately the answer.

Direct shot taken with the Canon EOS 40D.

The Korean national holiday, Chuseok, is just around the corner. Hoping to capture a large, round Harvest Moon, many people zoom in 100x with their smartphones, only to end up with artificially synthesized textures or muddy yellow blobs. To cut straight to the conclusion, when it comes to capturing the craters on the moon’s surface vividly and accurately, an old mid-range DSLR and a telephoto lens hidden in your closet completely crush the latest phone cameras. To help beginners look past smartphone limitations this Chuseok and get proper moon shots, here is a definitive tutorial covering everything from gear preparation to setting sequences.

Essential Gear for Moon Hunting

Since it is difficult to overcome the physical limitations of hardware with software when shooting the moon, you must pack the following three items.

Crop-Sensor DSLR or Mirrorless Camera

A crop-sensor body, which multiplies the lens focal length by 1.5x to 1.6x, is much more advantageous than full-frame. Micro Four Thirds works too. While a 1-inch sensor is good for multiplying the field of view, it lacks interchangeable lenses and can be inconvenient. I used a genuinely ultra-vintage Canon EOS 40D.

Super-Telephoto Lens of at Least 300mm

To fill the frame with the moon to a decent degree, a focal length of at least 300mm in 35mm equivalent is essential. In my experience, it really needs to be around 500mm before the lunar craters start becoming clearly visible.

Sturdy Tripod

When zooming in this much on the moon, the slightest breath or wind will cause the subject to wander completely out of frame. Mounting it on a heavy, sturdy tripod is a non-negotiable condition.

Nice-to-Have Gear for Extra Detail

These are not strictly necessary, but having them will drastically improve the quality of your shoot.

Teleconverter

Mounted between the lens and the camera body, it multiplies the focal length. I attached a 2x teleconverter to a 500mm mirror lens, achieving a crop-equivalent focal length of a whopping 1600mm. The optical depth completely changes.

Wired or Wireless Remote Release

This prevents even the vibration caused by pressing the shutter button with your finger. If you don’t have a remote release, the camera’s built-in “2-second timer” function makes a great substitute.

Essential Setup Sequence for Beginners to Avoid Failure

The full moon of Chuseok hanging in the dark night sky is much brighter than we think, and it moves quite quickly due to the Earth’s rotation. Instead of relying on auto mode, try setting things up in the following order:

• Change mode dial to M (Manual): Prevents the camera from misjudging the light arbitrarily.
• Stop down the aperture (F-number) to F11 or higher: Stops down the aperture to increase depth of field and boost lens sharpness. I used an F5.6 fixed aperture lens with a 2x teleconverter, which ultimately resulted in an F12.6 setting.
• Infinity (∞) Focus: The moon is extremely, extremely far away. If autofocus keeps hunting and getting distracted, switching to manual focus and setting it to infinity is a viable method.
• Secure a Fast Shutter Speed: To freeze the moon’s movement, keep the shutter speed between 1/125s and 1/500s. I compromised at 1/60s under super-telephoto conditions.
• Set ISO to the Lowest: Maintain between ISO 100 and 200 for a clean, noise-free surface. I set mine to ISO 160.
• Enable Mirror Lock-up (DSLR Only): Eliminating even the physical vibration generated when the internal mirror moves will yield noticeably sharper results.

Conclusion…

If convenience—pulling a device straight out of your pocket to shoot—is all that matters, nothing beats a smartphone. However, the heavy tactile feedback of pulling the grandeur of the night sky right before your eyes, combined with the honest descriptive power captured by a lens, leaves a lingering impression that only a manual camera can deliver. This upcoming Chuseok holiday, try opening your balcony window and recording the true details of the full moon using your own custom settings.

Equipment and Shooting Settings Summary

• Canon EOS 40D (1/60s, F12.6, ISO 160)
• Samyang 500mm f/6.3 Mirror + Samyang 2x Teleconverter