What focal length is best for moon photography?
Michael Gray
Updated on April 03, 2026
300mm
You need to find one with a focal length of, at least, 300mm. Thankfully, the moon is so bright that you do not need fast, expensive, telephoto lenses. Anything with an aperture of f/5.6 or f/8 will do. For a DSLR, we recommend the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 or Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM.
How do you do the 500 rule in photography?
The 500 Rule It recommends that your shutter speed is equal to 500 ÷ Equivalent Focal Length. So, if your full-frame equivalent focal length is 20mm, the 500 rule would suggest that you use a shutter speed of 500 ÷ 20 = 25 seconds.
How do you calculate exposure for astrophotography?
Basically, to determine the optimal length of exposure, you take 500 and divide it by the effective focal length of the lens (Exposure time = 500/[crop-factor × focal length]). Thus, the shorter the focal length the longer the shutter speed, and the better images you’ll get.
Is 300mm enough for Moon?
When you go with a wide-angle lens, the moon will appear smaller in the frame. If you are shooting the moon alone, you can get pretty good results with a 200mm or 300mm lens, but to really fill the frame, you will likely want an even longer telephoto lens or you can use a teleconverter to extend a lens you already own.
Can you use a 500mm lens for astrophotography?
Often the “Rule of 500” or “Rule of 600” is brought up to suggest that you can take short exposures of the night sky without any trailing, and still produce images. To produce good images we need as much light as possible. The rule of 500 is only a bandaid on the real problem.
How do you make the moon look big in pictures?
Moon as a dot, wide angle lens Use a wide angle or a fish-eye lens (8-35mm) when you want to emphasize the beauty of the landscape. Thanks to the wider angle of view, you’ll capture a large area of the landscape showing all its beauty. The cons is that the moon will appear as a small bright dot in the sky.
How big of a lens do I need to shoot the Moon?
For the moon to almost fill the short side of a 1.6X AP-C sensor, one needs about 1800mm of focal length. For a FF camera it is about 2800mm. To frame the moon with 25% margins (and the moon occupying the middle 50%) requires half that, or about 1000mm (APS-C)/1500mm (FF).
What is the best focal length for Moon photos?
An option with a focal length between 100 to 300mm is enough to get the moon look as big as this. The moon in its first quarter. It is yellow because of its low altitude. If you want to get sharp moon photos, your focus needs to be precise. Unfortunately, chances are the autofocus will have difficulty when it’s so dark.
How to photograph the full moon?
You can also photograph natural landscapes using light from a full moon. The real treat is to get up close and personal. To get a shot of the moon like the one below, you’ll need a telephoto lens. An option with a focal length between 100 to 300mm is enough to get the moon look as big as this. The moon in its first quarter.
How much sensor height do I need to shoot the Moon?
Here’s a rule of thumb: you need about 100 mm of focal length per millimeter of sensor height in order for the moon to fill just under 90% of the height of the image frame (i.e., mostly fill it up). A bit more precisely, you need approximately 115 mm of focal length / mm of sensor height to completely fill the frame.