trothwell Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 All: what's your favorite lens for astrophotography, and why? Sample pictures with recommended lens(es) would be appreciated. I'm hoping to hone my skills in astrophotography this summer, and would certainly consider purchasing a new lens if it would help. I'm not after getting a particular shot, but just good star pictures in general. I use a 5D and (less frequently now) EOS-3. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 Depends what you want. A wide view or a narrow view. On a tracking mount or static. Pinpoint stars or star trails. The 600/4L IS USM is great. So is the 50/1.8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlos_miami Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 The 200mm f1.8L is supposed to be really good. Here's a link to a related article: http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast27jan99_1.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trothwell Posted April 24, 2006 Author Share Posted April 24, 2006 Bob: sorry, could have been less vague. Initially, I don't plan to use any tracking system, but only a tripod. I also don't plan to spend much time with trails, although I will likely try some a bit. Primarily what I was wanting to find out were suggestions on focal lengths -- I reckon that I could use any decent lens and get decent results, but what are the virtues of using a wide angle lens vs. a normal lens vs. a telephoto lens? My readings suggest that a longer focal length might be harder to use without a tracking system, as the stars are moving, however slowly, and won't come out as sharp with a longer FL than a shorter one. Yes? No? So far, I've used a 50mm/1.4 lens almost exclusively in my experiments. Most of my shots haven't been very sharp; I'm sure that some of the reason is operator ineptitude! :-) But I do also wonder if perhaps a different focal length is generally considered better. On the other hand, if someone wants to write back and say, "50mm/1.4 is just as good as anything else, now go learn how to use it!" that'd be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Not my kettle of fish - but Canon 400/5.6 L +1.4xTC worked for me (of course 600mm would be much nicer !) http://www.photo.net/photo/3880196 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy10 Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 It depends on what you want to shoot.. If you are looking only for star trails, a normal 50mm f/1.8 lens will do.. In case you want to take a picture of moon upclose, you would need a longer lens >=400mm.. Usually for most of the other celestial objects you would need long exposures and that would need a tracking mount to track the motion of the celestial objects.. there is a brief guide to astrophotography by canon (http://web.canon.jp/Imaging/astro/index-e.html) it is not very good but still a good beginners advice.. there are other guides available at www.cloudynights.com Good luck.. regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_hall2 Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 I read on Bob Atkin's site that Canon produces a camera, the 20D? specifically for astrophotography. Look for the "history" of Canon stuff on his site. The TC-80N3 timer looks really intriging; I read about it on photo.net. This exausts my knowledge of astrophotography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awindsor Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 The camera is the 20Da and it includes a modification to the IR filter to pass more in the deep red visible region where you get the emission spectra from certain hydrogen rich nebulae. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_madio Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 If you don't want to use any tracking, a shorter focal length lens is generally better (my 35/2 is the first choice in this situation). To get best results, start with the optimal aperture of the lens, which is generally 2-3 f-stops less than the max. Use hyper-focal focus technique to get correct focus, do not just set the lens to infinity. Use a steady tripod as low to the ground as possible, a cable release or timer, mirror-lock-up if available, and short exposures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff mein smith Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 EF 35 1.4L @ f2. Check out www.wlcastleman.com/equip/reviews/35mm/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stock-Photos Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 <p>I like wide angle sky shots showing the milky way, nebule etc. See my astrophotography folder here on photo.net.</p> <p>Shots I've made, which I like the most are with my Canon 50MM 1.8 on my Canon 5D original, wide open at ISO1250.</p> <p>I may rent the newer Canon 24MM 1.4L II for my trip to a dark skies location this summer. I hope to capture more Perseid meteors.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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