Jump to content

Lens for Astrophotography


ggopher
 Share

Recommended Posts

I just upgraded from a Canon t2i to the Sony A7ii. Loving the sony world. 

 

Looking to purchase an affordable lens for astrophotography. Previously I used the Rokinon 16mm f/2.0, but that only works for crop sensors. So need to upgrade. 

 

What do you recommend?

 

I really like the Rokinon lenses, particularly the Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 ($549 USD), but does it make more sense to get a Canon EF mount and just use an adapter. Or is there an advantage to use the Sony E mount. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

So you will go for wide angles with large apertures I presume

 

On my A7s & A7r :

 

The 14mm f2.8 Rokinon is a very good performer as the 24mm and 35mm f1.4 (The 24mm a little less, but could be a sample problem)

The Canon 14mm f2.8 and 24mm f1.4 to 35mm f1.4 has a lot of coma ( but don't have these lenses).

The new Canon 35mmF1.4 is very good.

 

From the Sony side the 28mmf2.0 performs very good is very compact as well, a little gem, the 55mmf1.4 as well.

Wouldn’t have bought the 24 or 35mm f 1.4 if this lens was around. The Sony 28mmf2.0 is performing rather good wide open.

 

The new Venus 12mm looks promising but didn’t see real astro tests until now.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/venus-to-launch-the-fastest-distortion-free-ff-lens-of-the-world-for-both-a-and-e-mount/

 

some testing can be found here:

http://www.lonelyspeck.com/category/gear/reviews/

 

http://www.exploringexposure.com/blog/2014/8/28/35mm-f14-lenses-compared-for-night-photography

 

Form info about Coma this website is nice:

http://www.lenstip.com/lenses_reviews.html

 

 

 

Good luck with you quest

Link to post
Share on other sites

Voigtlander will be great but the aperture is a little on the high side. Would prefer f2.8 but the lenses will definitely grow in weight and price.

 

See also :http://www.sonyalphaforum.com/topic/2082-voigtlaender-superwideangle-lenses/

 

And test : Voigtländer 15mm f/4.5 Heliar III Astrophotography Review

 

Conclusion not bad but f4.5 is a problem

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I have the FE mount Samyang (Rokinon) 14mm and it works great on my A7rII, but is very heavy. If I had the $$ I'd buy the new Zeiss Loxia 21mm for it's size, weight, and sharpness.

I read some reports claiming the Loxia has lots of coma. I'm very pleased with the Batis 25 though it's not perfect, particularly the corners are a bit soft wide open.

Sigma's 24/1.4 Art is probably a better choice.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I read some reports claiming the Loxia has lots of coma. I'm very pleased with the Batis 25 though it's not perfect, particularly the corners are a bit soft wide open.

Sigma's 24/1.4 Art is probably a better choice.

I have no problems at all with my Loxia regarding coma. Every shot even wide open is tack sharp, no artifacts.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I read some reports claiming the Loxia has lots of coma. I'm very pleased with the Batis 25 though it's not perfect, particularly the corners are a bit soft wide open.

Sigma's 24/1.4 Art is probably a better choice.

 

 

I own both the Sigma 24 and the Batis 25.  I bought the Sigma before the Batis when I was a Canon person.  If you don't mind the extra weight, the Sigma is a great choice.  But that weight difference is huge.  If you want a lens in this focal length, you probably want it for landscape photography.  That means carrying the lens (and camera body, tripod, etc) to the location.  That extra weight makes a difference when you carry a significant distance.

 

The Sigma has many advantages over the Batis:

  • Much cheaper
  • F1.4 versus F2
  • Great image quality...equal or better to the Batis

After six months with the Batis, I have decided to sell the Sigma.  This is mostly due to the weight difference.  Also, since the Sigma is not available in FE mount, you will need an adapter.

 

There are compelling reasons to buy the Sigma.

 

Sample from the Sigma.  A72 body with Sigma 24 Art at 1/80 second, F3.5, ISO 100:

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I have a Sony A7II and is interested in trying some astro photography. I want a lens that is decent for this, don't want to spend too much money as I don't know how hooked I will get, but I also doesn't want to buy crap. I see that for instance Samyang has a lot of wide angle fast lenses, but I'm not sure which one is considered best for astro photo. There is for instance a 20/1.8, a 24/1.4 and two versions of 14/2.8 if I should go really wide. So I guess I both want help with picking a good focal length and get some input about the different lens options that is considered good for this.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...