Very cool!

I got back into photography a few years ago and have been playing around recently to get some really sharp shots of the moon with my mirrorless digital cameras and some legacy lenses . The best one I have is an old Tokina AT-X 150-500 mm zoom that's long, ungainly, heavy,; and almost impossible to use handheld on moving objects it sets on the heaviest tripod I can bring myself to carry at any given time and works pretty well. Amazon tells me I've got an Orion StarBlast 62 due on Thursday and perhaps that will be easier on the back and a little sharper .

I believe in tripods:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/101461001@N06/albums/72157676559403225

Here are some results:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/101461001@N06/albums/72157672817966410

Cheers,

Cortland

How very nice to see you again, Cortland! 

Wow... I really like this one!

That lens was very much a surprise. 1) it's a single coated zoom. 2) it's supposed to be a little unsharp at 500 mm. 3) it's a 1979 design, and lacks the refinements of modern computerized engineering, and 4) it's only 500 mm –max.

I have an Olympus 1.4X tele-converter specifically designed for a couple of their Micro-Four-Thirds lenses, one being a 40-150mm zoom; here's a (non-astronomy, sorry) crop from a picture taken at 210 mm with the converter from a distance of 105 m; that's the kind of sharpness I'm looking for.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/101461001@N06/30937811736/in/album-72157656755135932/

Here's the 500mm zoom again, with a Full Moon:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/101461001@N06/32394324703/in/album-72157672817966410/

Cheers,

Cortland

Cortland (KA5S) said:

that's the kind of sharpness I'm looking for.

I can see why. The water in that shot is amazing.

This is a great photo.