mjmoore17 Loc: Philadelphia, PA area

I will be out west behind Yosemite to take some star pictures this summer. I already have a Canon 16-35 2.8L, and Canon 24-70 2.8. I use a Canon 6D. I am looking at a Rokinon 24 1.4 to use for night photography. My concern is that the Rokinon glass will not compare to the Canon, I would be as good with the 16-35 2.8 as the Rokinon. I cannot afford the Canon 24 1.4 for the rare use it would get. Anyone have some advice. Probably will purchase from B&H.

Michael

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

First of all, star trails and star field photography are not really considered "Astro-Photography", because special equipment is not needed for either. That said, you will find your best equipment & technique advice in the Astronomical Photography Forum at http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-109-1.html , where the top several permanent threads will be of interest to you.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Read this article on the subject:
http://www.lonelyspeck.com/lenses-for-milky-way-photography/

My lens is the Bower 14 mm f2.8 (Bower, Rokinon and Samyang are the same company branded for different distributers). I use a 6D, it is more than fast enough for night sky photography. So your 16-35 f2.8 L should do the job just fine.

hettmoe Loc: Rural ND

So your 16-35 f2.8 L should do the job just fine.[/quote]

:thumbup:

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

You'll be surprised at how good the Rokinon/Bower/Samyang 24 1.4 is.

Based on these reviews, if I didn't need autofocus, the Canon would not be a lens choice, especially considering the cost.

http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/769-samyang24f14eosff?start=1

http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/769-samyang24f14eosff?start=1

You also might want to take a look at the Samyang 14 mm F2.8 - also quite good - and the weird distortion is nicely dealt with using a lens profile in Lightroom, or DXO, or PTLens. Those Rokinon/Bower/Samyang are the best value in lenses today.

EZsh00ter Loc: Ottawa, On. Canada

Hi Michael,
I purchased my Samyang 24 f1.4 for my D800 and am really really pleased, even wide open. I bought it for the same reason you would and I saw its sharpness rating on DXO. I have had it since last spring. The only drawback is shooting indoors, I have to use a tripod and zoom in, in liveview to focus, as the dof is so shallow. So I don't use it indoors, I have it covered with the 24-70.

Hope this helps,
Eric

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

If you mean Star Trails, your 16-35 2.8 is a perfect lens. In general you want the lens wide open to let in as much light as possible in order to keep the shutter speed under the 500 rule. You will need a good stacking program for PP on the computer. I use StarStaX (Free download) but be careful where you get it. It's very peaceful sitting under the skies with a bottle of wine and shooting.

If you want to shoot things like the Milky Way, the same lens works great. At the time I took this Milky Way shot I did not own my Nikon 14-24 2.8 yet, so this was taken with a 24-70 2.8 at 15 seconds. You can see it rising over the mountain in this shot.

If you really want to shoot deep space stars (ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY), then you need a tracking mount as the exposures get longer. Tracking mounts move the camera to counteract the earths rotation, allowing for very long exposures without blur.

Bottom line is the 2.8 will be just fine, I use them all the time for star trails.

j-p Loc: CT

Second of all,

Of course for certain types of astrophotography there are certain equipment requirements, but many astro opportunities are realized with regular photo gear.

Astrophotography is not defined by your stuff, it's about the different techniques that are required. The astro forums I frequent are full of great astro images made with regular photo gear. It's the technique and post processing that differs from terrestrial photography.

Just Google, "what is astrophotography" and read the first sentence in each of the search results. There's absolutely no mention of the equipment.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

I have the Ronokin 24 mm That I use for night sky photography all the time and it is sharp I am going to buy the 14 mm also

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

I have the 14 mm f 2.0 Rockinon lens for Sony e mount and it is a very sharp lens with excellent color and contrast. I use it on the Sony a6000 with focus peaking and it is easy to use. My experience has been daytime only at this point but the intention is for night photography as soon as the opportunity arises.