Cenizo Journal Summer 2018 | Page 14

Photo Essay Shooting the Moon by Matt Walter W henever I post photos of the moon on Facebook – which is often, because I love to share – I am invariably asked about my equipment, with comments and ques- tions such as, “What kind of lens did you use?” or “You must have some expen- sive equipment!” Well, these photos were all taken with a decades-old Olympus SP-820UZ camera, with a built-in 40x zoom lens, which cost me $250 when it was brand-new! While Olympus no longer makes this camera, many other manufacturers do make super-zoom “bridge” cameras, including Canon, Nikon, and Panasonic – some with built- in 60x or 80x lenses! The secret is to mount the camera on a tripod, use a 2-second timer delay to reduce vibrations, and use a low ISO setting, since the moon is quite bright.  Have fun shooting the moon! 14 Cenizo Third Quarter 2018