depends on the phase of the moon. I have shot good pix
as fast as 1/100 of a full moon.

Use the sunny 16 rule for shots of the moon.  The moon is after all an
object illuminated by sunlight.

Use the moony 8 rule for shots by moonlight.
Jim

 For a full moon in summer (low to the horizon, and probable high haze) I
find f5.6 at a shutter speed mathing the ISO (1/100th for 100 ISO) is a good
starting place. In winter with the moon high and no haze f11 or even 16.
Always bracket of course.
  6 seconds will give a blur instead of the lunar surface.

  Full moon shots - ie: landscapes under the full moon start at about 6
minutes in winter, up to as much as 30 minutes in summer. Again - Bracket.
 Here is an article on shooting under moonlight.
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/mani/techs/mmlongood2.html

If you mess with ISO and aperture, you could go longer
than 6 seconds, BUT the moon is a moving target. It
will blur if your exposure time is too long.

Unless you have a mount that can keep the camera pointed at the
moon and track it across the sky, the exposure time will be
limited.  The moons movement will cause motion blur.

But..  You can't arbitrarily say six seconds.  It all depends on
the focal length you're using..   Longer focal lengths have a
narrower field of view which makes the movement more apparent.

You'd probably have motion blur if you were using a 600mm lens
with a doubler at six seconds..  I wouldn't go that long
at that focal length.

FWIW, I usually shoot between 1/90 and 1/250 at ISO 100
depending on the phase of the moon.

Look closely and spot why this shot is special. The photographer was very
surprised.

http://dpnow.com/bb/general.pl/frames=n/read/369

Some of the exif data is here:

http://dpnow.com/bb/general.pl/frames=n/read/372

Ian

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