MOON SHOT, 9:30 PM -- HOLE ROCK AT MAEDA FLATS, with a GLOWING WHITE BURST FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE ON CAPE ZAMPA

            The above image is one of three CAMERA TEST PHOTOS, showing both the capability and limitations of my Ricoh WG-5 point-and-shoot pocket digital camera.

After posting a "baker's dozen" MOON SHOT photos taken along the north shore of Motobu Peninsula under a 99.7% full moon,  Flickr member PBY suggested a longer, 1 to 3 minute exposure at a 100 ISO setting help reduce the "noise" (graininess) so evident in all these images..

Spurred on by his good suggestion, I went out the next night to give it a try, with the "waning gibbous" full moon at a slightly reduced brightness of 97.7%.

Although the photos have an almost daytime look to them, it was so dark I needed a flashlight to see what I was doing. and none of the images were visible on the LCD camera display when setting up the shot. 

WHAT I LEARNED

My camera's manual shutter speed settings only range between 4 seconds and 1/2000.  That eliminated the possibility of a desired 1 to 3 minute exposures.

After running through all of the manual ISO settings ---125, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, and 6400 --- it turns out that the best moonlight images were in the 800-3200 range (at the automatically longest exposures of 3 or 4 seconds), with the vast majority of "best" images coming in at the 1600 setting.

After taking 60 bracketed photos at MAEDA FLATS during a 30 minute time frame, I headed home --- only 15 minutes away if there are no slow-moving "Kei Cars " blocking the way.

Cheers !

* 

CAMERA NOTES :  You get what you pay for, and my $280 Camera (purchased at the Kitamura Camera Shop along Highway 58 in Hamby) is quite OK for the purpose I bought it for  --- simple pics for Flickr and Blogging use, while climbing around rivers, jungles, and sometimes rocky coastline of Okinawa. 

Besides the standard "Waterproof", "Drop Proof", and "Crush Proof" design, It also has a few odd features (like "Microscope", and some other non-standard modes)  not found on similar bang-around "adventure cameras" of a higher price. 

Please note that every picture of Okinawa I've posted here over the last few years has been taken with one of these Pentax (now re-branded as Ricoh) WG-Series "adventure proof" cameras. 

What you see (and saw) is what you get for $280 --- some photos look quite beautiful, while others are... not so beautiful. 

Considering that my purpose is only posting informational images to illustrate my captions, and point out things to do in and around Okinawa, the quality is OK.

If my purpose ever changes to one where I aim for (or actually need) "exhibition quality", or images needed for professional, commercial, or graphic-publishing use, I will then avail myself of the high-quality cameras and optics needed for such a goal or project.

As it is, with my lowly (and trusty) WG-5, it's Flickr or Bust !

*

EXTRA, EXTRA !!!

While writing the above caption, my wife yelled to me from our living room, "Hurry up, they are showing Okinawa Manhole Covers on the News !! "

Ahhhhh.... from the Moon to Manhole Covers and back again.

Some rights reserved

Taken on: October 17, 2016

Tags:

Moon Shot

Moon Shots

Noise

Grain

Graniness

Ricoh WG-5

WG-5

Point-and-Shoot

Baka-Chon

Limitations

Capabilities

Moonlight

Maeda Flats

Onna-Son

Onna District

Onna Township

West Coast Okinawa

East China Sea

Okinawa

Japan

Hole Rock

Zampa Lighthouse « less

Sets appears in: • OKINAWA ! • MOON SHOTS more » • MAEDA FLATS and CAPE • CAPE ZAMPA in YOMITAN « less

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