Hot take: stacking filters is ruining your moon shots

I used to think piling on a moon filter and a polarizer would give me the perfect lunar photo, but I kept getting weird halos and blurry edges. Last week I finally checked the math: stacking two filters adds about 1.5mm of extra glass between your lens and the sensor. That extra distance messes up the focus more than you think, especially at f/10 or higher. I tested it side by side with just one filter and the difference was night and day. Most people I see in the forums are doing the same thing and probably don't realize why their craters look soft. Has anyone else noticed this with their own shots?

2 comments

2 Comments

eric_price7d ago

Toss the polarizer and just use a lunar filter. Way sharper results.

anderson.spencer7d agoMost Upvoted

Dude I totally thought a polarizer was the way to go for moon shots, but after trying what you said I get it now. The sharpness is way better with just the lunar filter, I was overcomplicating it for sure.