The APS-C (ie Super-35) mode is only for convenience it doesn't really affect the end image resolution of the Moon itself, just that the surroundings are cropped-out. If you shoot at 61mp and then crop the same frame you'll get the same result. However for a Moon shot (or similar shot where the subject takes rather small part of the frame and the background is irrelevant) the APS-C-mode can be more convenient especially when focusing, because the display & viewfinder will magnify the subject more and it'll be little easier to pin-point focus (at least if manual focusing). Another interesting thing is the x2TC performance. I have both x1.4 & x2 TCs and in my opinion (shooting on a7rII & 2.8/70200GM) the optical magnification of the x2TC is hardly noticeable (if at all) compared to a x1.4 shot that's digitally zoomed to match the x2 TC shot. I've heard sometimes its performance depends on the camera too ... no sure if that's true ... or perhaps there's higher production quality variance of the x2TC and I got a bad unit ... Also the sensor's resolution might be a factor to the TCs performance - for example a lower-res sensor that can't resolve too much on its own might benefit more from additional x2 optical zoom even if that optical zoom is far from perfect; while a very high res sensor like the a7rIV might be better with optically better results from x1.4 TC since it can resolve 2.5 times better than the standard 24mp sensors. Anyway I'll be curious to get your opinions since now there're more lenses compatible with these TCs and probably more people tested different combos. I'm currently considering upgrade to the a7rIV and also eyeing the SEL200600G (f5.6-6.3) which would definitely make me play with the Moon again :) Btw what's really challenging in the Moon-photography is to make a shot that also have some interesting background, and it becomes especially difficult to expose and focus for both the Moon and the background (I guess image stacking is acceptable in such cases :)) If you're interested here're two of my Moon-shots (with above a7rII + 2.8/70200GM & x1.4TC & x2.0TC) photos.app.goo.gl/9UtahhuKAM3GoeGq9 (w/ x1.4TC ƒ/8 1/50 280mm ISO100) photos.app.goo.gl/LbGCy1GR2Lkwxhu67 (w/2.0TC ƒ/9 1/60 400mm ISO100) These were my very early attempts so probably there're many things to improve. Anyway, really nice video with plenty of details! Keep it up Math! :)

Thanks! I have been learning to take photographs of the moon myself for a little while so not a massive amount of information here for me, still I got some little hints and tips - it's good to see how someone else does things and pick up on the odd thing here and there. With respect to the APS-C mode though, I am struggling to see the value here. I understand the 1.5x crop factor but for me this is exactly equivalent to cropping the final image yourself in post. The only advantage I can see is that since you know you will definitely crop moon photographs anyway, the APS-C mode is saving you the bother by doing it at the same time as the shot. The clear image zoom though... I actually had no idea about that and I see that it _is_ available in my camera. I've never seen it because I always shoot in RAW+JPEG by default. So this is one of the hints I picked up. Cheers!

Very nice tutorial,thanks for sharing. 👍🏽

Whaaat?!?! That’s crazy. Awesome!

Finally ❤ the video i was looking for. Perfect explanation I recently got myself the ar7v and 35mm lens. And am looking to get a nice zoom to also rake those sky and moon shots. And some wildlife. And this video is almost the same setup. And does what i want to do. Thank you

I also use the APS-C (aka Super 35) mode when I shoot the moon or other small target, but it's important to know that it's not a magnification ratio, but just a crop ratio. You can shoot full-frame and crop in post processing and get exactly the same result. What the APS-C/Super35 mode is useful for (in stills) is that your camera screen/viewfinder shows only that crop size part of the sensor so focusing can sometimes be easier, though I think the focus peeking actually appears to be lower magnification ratio compared to ff-mode, haven't compared them exactly but I think it's exactly the same, but for APS-C it's reduced by the "magnification" you already have by cropping. So use the Super35 mode only for convenience (if it is so for you) and eventually to reduce file size (you can also switch the aspect ratio to 1:1 to crop even further in, but it's still just that - cropping - not magnification!)

Thank you very much for this tutorial :)

warming up for full moon. My first one if weather permits.

Thanks for sharing, i juts got A7R4 last week

What an excellent tutorial. Cannot wait to replicate on the A7Rii, 200-600 lens and CIZ. Not sure if it worth £480 for the 1.4x Teleconverter just for Moon photos. Talk about pushing the boundaries :)

Great tutorial, thanks

Great work.. Excellent..👍👍👍👍👍👍😳😳

Thank you for the nice video. Curious if you can leverage Sony's pixel shift technology for a much higher MP count and then crop to end up with higher resolution? I don't know how long it takes to employ the pixel shift process, but I suppose if it's longer than say 20-30 seconds you'll introduce too much motion blur from the rotation of the earth? Also, can you end up with a higher MP count if you choose to keep it in FF and crop, versus throwing it in APS-C? Very nice photos.

Very good video, specially for beginner moon photographers. I wonder if you familiar with Lunar 11 rule? It always works great. I agree, the auto focus is the best way to go for the moon. Thanks for your effort.

Wow, these instructions sure helped me take a perfect moon shot. All I was getting before seeing this tutorial was one big bright blob. Thank you.

Does the APS-C zoom really do anything other than not use the full sensor? Isn't it just cropping out empty space? Would using a 600mm lens with the 2x teleconverter work or would it produce a blurry/weird image?

Very informative

Great tutorial, very clear! Do you think I can get a picture of the moon using the Sony GM FE 70-200mm and a 2X converter?

15:12 "... probably from the air around the Moon" :D Did you learn that technique from Peter Lik and his famous 'single shot' image of the Moon INFRONT of some clouds? ;) Sorry I just couldn't resist it :) That's a great instructional video!

I always learn quite a bit from your videos. The content is always concise and direct to the point. Personally I would like to do a bit of astrophotography and sone captures of near by galaxies. Recently I watched a video where the person used a fuji gfx100 to photograph the moon through a telescope and t2/lens mount adapter. I was impressed but in general I need to learn to crawl before I walk. Really i just want to be able to capture the moon without using AI to compensate for minuscule lenses. Always an education. Dance schön.

As we move into winter you might wait for some cold, still, *dry* air and then attempt a 4x pixel shift. I wouldn't expect it to work, the Earth is rotating at ~1600km/hr and the air is moving so the 16x has no chance, but I suspect it might be do-able at 4x. The cumulative delay between 1st frame and last will be 0.75 seconds (0.25 between each frame with first frame at 0) and we move ~0.00015 degrees in that time. Kick up the shutter speed to ~1/500ths or so and I think it might work. I'm going to try it but no guarantee I'll get good conditions so I'd like to see others try it as well.

Great video! I use my A7RIV camera for time lapse imaging of the night sky and never delved into other night sky photography before. I now have a better understanding of the settings and enjoyed your clear explanation of the camera features. Thanks for the great information!

How do you hand hold 800mm (or even 1200 or 2400mm) at 1/200? I have a Nikon d7200 with a Sigma 100-400mm, so this also is about 800mm as well. I have to boost the iso usually to 1600 or 3200 to get a decent result in terms of blur. Probably the image stabilization in the Sony lens together with the Ibis of the camera helps, but that much? Impressive.

In general how do you like the A7RIV with the 70-200?

15:14 I was like WHAT? It's like 0.2 atoms of hydrogen per cubic cm on the Moon surface )) I usually go for the Moon on a cold clear nights with APS-C Canon and Sigma 150-600mm which gives me 960mm total of 24mpx. Comes out pretty much the same) Nice shot there.

Some interesting ideas, though I don't think I'd try to shoot that long of a lens with those slow of shutter speeds, especially handheld. I'd probably use a tripod and faster shutter speeds with a shutter delay of at least 5 seconds and no wind. :)

Thanks 🙏🏻

Very well described, wouldn't it be better to photograph in black and white ?

Regarding the aperature being f16, I thought the Riv was diffraction limited above f8, so youd lose a lot of sharpness at f16?

Following your instruction I posted my version from last night on instagram where I tagged you. I used an fuji xe3 wiht the 100-400 + 1.4 tc. Processed on C1. I am tsakkosi

As KZfaq does not do justice to the quality of any photo. It would be helpful if you could make the final pictures to download and compare. I am an amateur photographer fascinated by moon Astro & macro photography. Currently shooting Fuji with the 100-400 + 1.4x but the Sony a7r4 is a beast for technical photography. I would be very keen to compare your shot with the Fuji. I actually live in Zurich myself so Gruezi.

Would have been nice to show crops of details so we can see how magnificent the technique is. Hi res viewed on 1080p KZfaq is a visual oxymoron!

Can you make available the finished image that you took with this configuration, thank you.

Do you follow the starship program?

Using crop mode DOES NOT add any magnification. The moon (or any other subject) is that same size in pixels in the crop mode as it is in full-frame mode. You are simply cropping in camera instead of in post.

Instead of applying noise reduction, have you tried to take quite a few shots, and average them on photoshop just like you would do in astrophotography? You could afford to stop down even further or up the shutter speed

Clear image zoom works only in Jpg?

Superb! thank you

How about you avoid the 1.5 super 35 crop and kept the 61 mp... 1600 mm at that resolution should be absolutely amazing

Just so everyone knows if you didn't before a APS-C sensor is 2/3 the size of Full Frame. Super 35 turns a FF into a artificial APS-C and also down sizes your Mega Pixels.

Can't believe that properly processed raw looks worse than pushed up jpeg image. And if you care about picture quality why shoot handheld at 1200mm 1\200? You know better i guess)

Pretty much exactly the same results i got on my Canon 7D + 120/400mm Sigma more than 10 years ago, you'd think camera tech / moon photography would have made an improvement over a decade..

You called it a dslr. 🙄

Just use the p1000 and the 3000mm instead.

Clear Zoom is NOT SUPERIOR to doing it post. You are misinforming your audience. Any plug in to enlarge like Topaz Gigapixel or even the one built in Photoshop will produce FAR better results than using Clear Zoom. The only time clear zoom does not degrade image is when used on video with a prime lens. Also, the x2 adapter is again just a waste of money. Plenty of tests show that it does worse than enlarging in post. The only reason to use it is if you want to save time but you ARE losing IQ. And of course, aps-c mode is just crop so is no different from cropping in post in terms of image quality. You should correct all these errors so people do not use this wrong information.

JUST WASTED MY TIME TO WATCH YOU EXPLAIN YOUR CAMERA....