4 replies to this topic

[karisma]

Hello! I'm looking for lens option for shooting a variety of things.

 

I mostly shoot stars/star trails, moon w/stars, one day would love to shoot the milky way and other starry features. Sunsets & waterfalls. 

 

I currently have -

18-40mm VR lens which I currently use to shoot sunsets & waterfalls.

And i'm currently using the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G Lens to shoot my starry shots, but i doesn't have a zoom feature so i'm quite limited in my shots. 

 

If there are more than one lens options, i know there's like a $2k lens to get for stars but i'm looking to see if there are more than one options and if each lens shoot different things or not...up for suggestions. Thanks!

[ScottinPollock]

The Tokina f2.8 wide angle zooms (like the 11-16) are very good. Not as fast as your 35mm, but about as fast as a zoom can get.

[Merco_61]

As you want to immerse yourself in one of the more demanding disciplines in our art/craft/hobby, I won't try to talk you out of getting more equipment until you have shot lots with what you have .

 

Does your style demand an ultrawide lens for your astro work? In that case, the fast Tokinas are the way to go, with the best being the 11-20/2.8.

If you don't need the larger field of view, the Sigma 18-35/1.8 is worth considering, because it is so sharp and contrasty and so fast.

This pair should cover your needs for ultrawide to normal focal lengths.

 

The next step in building a lens kit for mainly landscape and starscape work would be a short to medium telephoto, so something in the 50-100 mm range on DX. This is exactly what the Sigma 50-100/1.8 is, and again, it is the only one in it's class.

 

If you are into landscape, you will sooner or later want or even need a supertele zoom, either for wildlife or for that compressed look you get when you enlarge details that are far away. Here, any of the third-party 150-600 lenses or the Nikon 200-500 are good choices. The first that came out in this class is the Tamron in it's first generation. I, personally, didn't like how this lens draws and scrapped it from consideration when I tried all the available options last autumn. The reason I ended up with the Sigma sports version is that I found that lens easier to use while panning because it is so front heavy. The two Sigmas, the later Tamron and the Nikon are all very similar in optical quality and VR performance.

 

My ideal set of zooms for DX on a budget today would be:

Tokina 11-16/2.8 (cheaper) or 11-20/2.8(better)

Sigma 18-35/1.8

Sigma 50-100/1.8

Sigma 150-600 Contemporary (cheaper), Nikon 200-500 (better, but only 500 at the long end), Sigma 150-600 Sports (better, but heavy) or Tamron 150-600 G2 (better)

 

These all offer better quality and/or are faster than the competition in their price range. The only disadvantage is that the first three are DX lenses, so they won't work too well on an affordable FX camera.

[Oric Man]

One of the recommended lenses for astro work is the manual Samyang 16mm. The primes are meant to be better for sharpness which can be important for stars!

Have a search for pictures from that lens and you'll see some stunning shots.

 

There are Nikon wide zooms available 10-20, 10-24 which are meant to be good but they aren't as bright as the Tokina mentioned above, so they and the Sigma 10-20 may not be suitable.

[Bhcc]

is the Vivitar 500/1000 manual lens good for moon shots?