Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/12/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]A total lunar eclipse will be visible from North America and much of the rest of the world on Dec. 21. This is only the second time that a lunar eclipse has taken place on the Winter Solstice in over 2000 years. Photographing it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. All Luggers will be dead the next time it occurs. Certainly the Leica company will be dead. No special equipment is needed for most lunar photos. The full moon itself is very bright, reflecting about 10% of the sun's light. The f16 rule should work pretty well. During a total eclipse, however, the brightness falls off and longer exposures are required. Perhaps the equivalent of 4 or 5 stops more than the normal full moon. Unless you have a very fast telephoto lens or a camera that will reach an ASA speed of 1600 or better, a tripod will be required. All this is remembered from a couple of years training in astrophysics in college a long time ago (class of '51) so don't take it as gospel. The Leica M camera was merely a dream and Leica's latest lens was the Summitar when I learned this stuff. So here are a couple of more authoritative references: Information on the 2010 lunar eclipse- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_2010_lunar_eclipse How to take lunar eclipse photos with data and tables - http://www.mreclipse.com/LEphoto/LEphoto.html http://www.eclipse-chasers.com/lunar/leclphot.htm Larry Z