On the other hand, I think I have experienced the problem you are having. (Take a picture, see how it looks and then readjust and take another.) It really depends on the phase of the moon, but you could try around f/11 and 1/100 and go from there.
If I am taking pictures of something like the moon, I use spot metering and it will generally take a picture, but for the moon specifically, it will come out over-exposed, so you have to use manual mode and set the shutter-time faster or aperture smaller (larger number). One of the downsides (or upsides depending how you see it) of Auto mode.ĭo you really need to shoot in auto mode?! Manual may be better suited to this situation. In this case ensure you're using the widest aperture you can, use a cable release and bulb mode.īasically the camera is interjecting to stop you taking an image that will not be in focus or correctly exposed. It may be that even if AF works then the camera is still unable to make a balanced exposure (you may see the shutter speed in the viewfinder flash "30sec" meaning it needs longer. Some cameras allow you to turn off the requirement for focus confirmation in their custom function settings - you could turn this off, though I wouldn't advise it. Switch the lens to manual focus mode and focus manually. Solutions are to light your subject (if you can) just enough to achieve focus, then turn the light off before taking the photo. In such darkness it may not be able to auto focus and so the camera stops you taking a blurry photo. Most likely in auto mode the camera needs focus to allow the taking of a photo.
If you haven't already increased the ISO, do that.Second, it may be too dark for the longest shutter speed allowed by your camera's auto mode. Put the camera in manual focus mode and do it yourself.Or, you could use a flashlight or laser pointer as an ad hoc solution. Some cameras have a light built-in for this purpose, and others can strobe the built-in flash, which is very annoying but functional. This feature is found on most add-on flashes (and can usually be used independently of the flash firing). It may be that in the future this will trickle-down to entry level cameras like the Rebel, but I expect it'll be kept as a higher-level feature for a while. This probably isn't a practical answer, as your current options are the Canon 6D at $2000 or the Pentax K-5ii at $1100. Buy one of the relatively-few recent higher-end cameras with support for focus down to EV -3 (moonlight).(Your eyes will adjust and be able to see relatively well, but the camera won't work.) And, in turn, many cameras will refuse to take a picture without a focus lock. Most cameras have AF systems which work down to about EV -1, which is dim ambient light. There are several reasons your camera might not take a photo in low light.įirst, it may be too dark for the autofocus system to work.