photographing milky way and leonid meteor shower: I have a trip coming up in big bend at a time when there is a new moon and peak night of leonid meteor shower. I have a d800 without a...

iampewter Loc: Bason, TX

I have a trip coming up in big bend at a time when there is a new moon and peak night of leonid meteor shower. I have a d800 without a suitable lens. I have been researching lenses and have conflicting opinions from people who are avid astrophotographers. One person stated the Rokinon lenses are better than Nikon for sharp images without star trailing. I am going to purchase a lens, but cannot decide on which one. There is substantial difference in price between Rokinon and Nikon prime lenses. Any advise out there for the "one lens" that does the best job? I am soooooo confused.

carl hervol Loc: jacksonville florida

The best thing is get a book on astro photography from amazon and get the right info.

Kites

The lens I used for night time star photography is an AF-S DX Nikkor 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR. The settings were ISO 140, 18mm, for 30 sec. I never did Milky Way photography. Two years ago I was at the Big Bend National Park and that is the place to go for Milky Way and star photos. They seemed so close and brilliant. Try You Tube for info on Milky Way photography.

PaulR01 Loc: West Texas

Rokinon 14mm 2.8 best lens hands down.

ggttc Loc: TN

Rokinon 14mm 2.8 is relatively inexpensive and a great lens

iampewter Loc: Bason, TX

PaulR01, I cant find Rokinon 14mm 1.4 only the 2.8. The other Rokinon lens I am considering is the 24mm f/1.4 which is a little more expensive, but is it a better lens? I just want the best chance at getting some great images as it's not every day I can convince my husband to rough it in the middle of nowhere.

PaulR01 Loc: West Texas

iampewter wrote:

PaulR01, I cant find Rokinon 14mm 1.4 only the 2.8. The other Rokinon lens I am considering is the 24mm f/1.4 which is a little more expensive, but is it a better lens? I just want the best chance at getting some great images as it's not every day I can convince my husband to rough it in the middle of nowhere.

Sorry was in a hurry. The 24mm and 35mm are 1.4. I am currently negotiating for a used 14mm. Got my fingers crossed.

hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

iampewter wrote:

I have a trip coming up in big bend at a time when... (show quote)

For photographing the Milky Way try this web site:

https://www.lonelyspeck.com

repleo Loc: Boston

iampewter wrote:

I have a trip coming up in big bend at a time when... (show quote)

Check this chart for 'Astro Lens Scores'.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1p8FSEIaDd45i97NXFEZf4fnVOQ3ifA43ecJcuS0nCJ0/edit#gid=2

The Rokinon lenses are recommended for astro photography due to their excellent 'coma' performance or ability to show stars as pinpoint points of light.

See this article:
http://intothenightphoto.blogspot.com/2013/02/overcoming-coma-aberration-part-2.html. Rokinon is also a favorite because of its ultra-wide, fast offerings.

Coma performance may not be as important for other types of photography. If your astro photography is going to be limited to this one occasion, maybe you should try renting one of the Rokinon's instead of passing over purchasing a quality Nikkor lens.

I have the Rokinon 12mm f2.0 for my APS-C Sony 6000. I love it. The combination of ultra wide and fast and minimal coma is indeed great for starry skies and MW. Some of the Rokinon's focus beyond infinity. That's not a problem with the focus peaking on my Sony mirrorless, but may it be a challenge at night on a DSLR.

Good luck and post pictures when you get back.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

iampewter wrote:

PaulR01, I cant find Rokinon 14mm 1.4 only the 2.8. The other Rokinon lens I am considering is the 24mm f/1.4 which is a little more expensive, but is it a better lens? I just want the best chance at getting some great images as it's not every day I can convince my husband to rough it in the middle of nowhere.

For Night sky photography I use both the Rokinon 14 mm and 24 mm, Both are great lenses. I utilize the 24 mm more because of it f/stop and I can use a lower ISO with it. I have the lenses with the Nikon Chip

14 mm Rokinon
14 mm Rokinon...

(Download)

24 mm Rokinon
24 mm Rokinon...

(Download)

photoMark Loc: South Texas

I use a Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8, but have heard great things about the Rokinon; I recommend going 20mm or wider for astro. You must have a sturdy tripod and I recommend using a remote shutter release. Focus is extremely important; do not use auto focus if the lens you get has it. Star trailing is caused by too long of a shutter speed for the lens you use; I use the rule of 500 and subtract 5 seconds. Experiment with your settings to find what works best for you; a good starting point will be f/2.8 for 20 seconds at ISO 4000. YouTube is a great resource. You are definitely going to the right place; Big Bend is my favorite for night sky photography; unfortunately, the Milky Way will not be visible during the time you will be there. Good luck!

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

iampewter wrote:

I have a trip coming up in big bend at a time when... (show quote)

You want a WIDE lens. A 24 minimum.

jblazar Loc: Sunnyvale, CA

The standard Rokinons are too soft for my taste. I've talked to 'Lonely Speck' about this and he says that is why they have low coma. So I got the Rokinon (Samyang) SP 14mm f/2.4, their upscale version and am very happy with it. Here is a review by Dustin Abbott, April 27th, 2017.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Uij1LRXC3M&authuser=0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivPTEHxivfI&authuser=0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyHPelTMNuw&authuser=0

wmurnahan Loc: Bloomington IN

Love my Rokinon 14mm. Most articles agree, it can't be beat for bang for bucks for a wide angle astro lens.

Desert Gecko Loc: desert southwest, USA

iampewter wrote:

PaulR01, I cant find Rokinon 14mm 1.4 only the 2.8. The other Rokinon lens I am considering is the 24mm f/1.4 which is a little more expensive, but is it a better lens? I just want the best chance at getting some great images as it's not every day I can convince my husband to rough it in the middle of nowhere.

I own both the 24mm f1.4 and the 14mm f2.8. The 24 is a better lens, but it captures a narrower view. Both of these are full frame, but Roki also makes crop lenses such as a 12mm f2. And both are very good lenses, offering better corner image quality than any CaNikon glass I've seen images from.