Voigtlander Nokton 10.5mm f/0.95 Micro Four Thirds Key Specs: Sigma has an ultrawide 14mm lens with incredible image quality, low distortion, and a very fast f/1.8 aperture. (I’m thinking about it for use with a camera…). Are they hard to over come? The “half” speed mode can be used to create nightscape images with terrestrial elements. Hi Sri, all of the star trackers mentioned in this article are pretty easy to use out of the gate. For this reason, I would recommend going with the XF 35mm f/2 R WR lens instead, which is a wonderful little gem. This lens is an ideal one in any astrophotographer’s kit and is available for Canon EF, Nikon F, and Sony E mounts. I was lucky enough to use the new Olympus 150-400mm lens recently for a week and put it through its paces. To use iPolar, you need to connect the device to your computer and run the software. To polar align an equatorial mount for astrophotography (including a small camera tracker), you need to adjust the altitude and azimuth of the base so that the polar axis of the mount is aligned with the celestial pole. Choosing a 70-200mm gives you a lot of flexibility for creating compositions that show off Earth-bound features surrounded by stars. Don’t forget the Skywatcher Star Adventurer Mini. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. A star tracker will usually include a polar scope, which is used to help find the north celestial pole and adjust the mount accordingly. This is because the Earth is spinning on its axis, while the night sky is fixed. The old 400mm DO was not that sharp, but the new one is just as sharp as the 500mm. Fornax has been manufacturing astronomical mounts for nearly 20 years, working on professional astronomical projects such as the HATNet Exoplanet Survey (Hungarian Automated Telescope) for discovering exoplanets. Typically thought of as a lens for sports, wildlife, and fast-paced events, the Sony 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS has the extreme reach needed to really bring small parts of the night sky into the spotlight. Required fields are marked *. I stacked 100 x 2-minute exposures at ISO 1600 for an unforgettable shot of M31: The Andromeda Galaxy captured using the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Pro. It’s got counterweights, and just seems like a solid clear challenger as Vixen usually is for optics due to their quality component. Here is my brief review of some Nikon lenses for telescope-free astrophotography. PRIMARY ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATION KIT: ① 400mm focal length and 70mm aperture ② Two 1.25" eyepieces (K25mm & K10mm) magnification from 51X to 128X ③ 5X24 Finder Scope ④ Adjustable tripod ⑤ A carry bag ⑥ Lens tube ⑦ Phone Clip ⑧ A set of Photo Telescope ⑨ Bluetooth Self-timer Without much light to play with, it can be a real challenge, even when you're working on a beautifully clear evening. This is my review of the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-400mm f/4.5 TC1.25X IS PRO lens – phew, that is quite the mouthful. A single 3-minute, unguided exposure using the Fornax Mounts LighTrack II. I think the Formax is too expensive and the tracking time is too short: I’m used to leaving my equipment running alone for 4 to 6 hours on the same object. If you’re comparing the Fornax Mounts LighTrack II with the iOptron SkyGudier Pro, the accessories needed to complete a “full” package will send you well past the price of the SkyGuider Pro. My portable star tracking mounts have traveled with me to some amazing places and captured some of my favorite astrophotos. From my personal experience using star trackers for astrophotography from the backyard and beyond, I believe the absolute most important aspect to consider is the user experience. Your email address will not be published. I can confirm that the unguided performance of the Fornax LighTrack II is incredible and that the 3-minute images I’ve captured at 400mm were razor sharp. Not only is it lightweight and sturdy, it also produces excellent image quality at almost any focal range. iOptron SkyTracker Pro and 24-105mm lens @ 105mm. From the mechanical design to the polar alignment procedure, this portable tracking camera mount is very different from any astrophotography mount I have ever used before. Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO Micro Four Thirds, 3. The Sony Planar T* features an optical design from Zeiss Planar. In fact, a lot of the star trackers available online today come in a potentially confusing number of packages and bundles. Order from your desk, have gear delivered to your door, and take on your next project. Chromatic aberration gets somewhat amplified with astrophotography. As he says, "Tracking the stars accurately is … We have known for a very long time this lens was just over the horizon. Each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses, from the portability factor to maximum payload capacity. Today’s camera models have much lower noise than in the past and more features useful to amateurs. Canon T3i and Rokinon 14mm F/2.8 lens on the iOptron SkyTracker Pro. The following image was captured using a Canon 60Da and a William Optics RedCat 51, mounted to the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Pro. https://www.ioptron.com/product-p/3550.htm Ready to get to work? I almost always shoot wide angle night shots though. A plastic box that is, with adorably simple controls to accelerate the RA axis to your intended target. These mounts are primarily designed for wide-angle astrophotography, meaning projects like Milky Way panoramas or mid-range focal length compositions using a telephoto lens in the 100-200mm range. Voigtlander Nokton 10.5mm f/0.95 Micro Four Thirds. Thankfully our cameras can! The iOptron SkyGuider Pro (and SkyTracker Pro) include an internal, rechargeable, li-poly 3.7V battery that can be charged with a mini-USB charging cable. Please be descriptive when giving details of how you obtained the shot (i.e. Another one to consider is the Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi, which will calibrate from pointing it one or two stars and has a GoTo facility… also currently quite cheap. It is the first F2.8 high-speed zoom lens in the world for APS-C mirrorless cameras to achieve a 4.1x zoom ratio. With the counterweight kit attached, the SkyGuider has no trouble with larger telephoto lenses and even small refractor telescopes such as the William Optics RedCat 51. For astrophotography, you want to limit raising the ISO. These are the kinds of adventures you can expect when you invest in a portable star tracker for astrophotography. This is a great travel lens, but it's not ideal for astrophotography. I’d feel comfortable going to 5-minutes, wouldn’t you? Which one should you invest your hard-earned money in for astrophotography? As any experienced amateur astrophotographer will tell you, your motivation to stay up all night and image will vary. I found the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Pro to deliver an exceptional user experience, right out of the box. You do want to find lenses with as little distortion as possible. However, the foundation is much the same as landscape photography. Unlike a heavy equatorial telescope mount, a star tracker is portable, small, and lightweight. The SkyGuider Pro is a big step up from the Tracker, offering a heavier payload capacity, a more robust design, and the ability to autoguide your images. Both of the iOptron star trackers I am about to cover are extremely popular in the amateur astrophotography and nightscape photography community, and for good reason. I bought an iOptron Smart EQ Pro Plus tracker. Later that summer, I tested the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer (Pro Package). The images were 3-minutes each at an effective focal length of 400mm with my camera system, and the unguided exposures were excellent. Our mission at BorrowLenses is to advance photographic and cinematic dreams by providing access to superior, cutting-edge gear and expert advice. You can have the nicest equipment in the world, but if it doesn’t help you accomplish your final goal (pictures) on a consistent basis, it’s time to reflect on why you got into this crazy hobby in the first place. Preferably one which has a range of 0.8x to bring your lens back down to (640mm x 0.8) an equivalent of 512mm. On a micro four-thirds camera, the same lens will give a FOV equal to that of a 600mm on full-frame. Required fields are marked *. Our top-rated Nikon 50mm f/1.4G AF-S Lens and Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E AF-S ED VR Lens are just the beginning. It might be preferable for many to start looking at dedicated tripods with camera adapters, but if you’re able to shoot with a 400mm f/2.8 you can capture scenes that would be impossible with other lenses. This ultra-lightweight star tracker is iOptron’s latest variation of their incredibly popular and affordable wide-angle astrophotography mount. You can shoot moons hanging over a cityscape and even start to photograph other distant celestial features. It is great for a beginner or as a backup for an enthusiast. The second, which may be less intuitive, is that the Earth is constantly moving and rotating. Being a prime lens, the Voigtlander isn’t as long as the Olympus above but it has the benefit of less distortion. New posts: Hot thread with new posts: No new posts: Hot thread with no new posts It holds 11 pounds and does have the port for guiding but I am not at that level yet….yet. Learn about video recording limits in mirrorless and DS... As a camera gets older, it’s important to be aware of y... Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO Micro Four Thirds, Voigtlander Nokton 10.5mm f/0.95 Micro Four Thirds, a telephoto lens to highlight specific terrestrial features, 1. By turning your lens to the night sky, you can capture images of unparalleled beauty. The images were 3-minutes each at an effective focal length of 400mm with my camera system, and the unguided exposures were excellent. Although certainly not as powerful as a 300mm, a 400mm lens, or greater focal length, you can use the 18-135mm lens to capture the non-elusive type of wildlife. The EF lens mount is the standard lens mount on the Canon EOS family of SLR film and digital cameras. Your email address will not be published. Shutter Speed Chart and Tips on How to Master It, The 7 Best DSLRs & Mirrorless Cameras for Video, What is a Macro Lens? The best lenses for astrophotography can make shooting the stars and night sky so much easier. A portable star tracker with a ball head and DSLR camera attached. We've updated our sample gallery with additional images (mostly of dogs, birds and … Night Photography, Photography Lenses. There are so many stars that we can't see with the naked eye. I wondered if you had tried using this rig with the ASI294MC Pro, using a EOS-T2 Adapter (https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/product/new-eos-t2-adapter). I am hesitant to state which star tracker is “best”, as I have found them all to have their strengths and weaknesses in terms of user experience in the field. Some brands are even stretching this focal range further to increase the range, like Canon's recently done with the excellent RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM. Does anyone know whether these mounts will perform at say -5C ? For example, if you wanted to capture an interesting wide-angle landscape, but want to expose the night sky longer – you can, without the landscape being blurred. It features a field curvature correction mechanism designed to adjust based on the position of the zoom in order to maximize edge-to-edge sharpness across the entire zoom range. Even renting an 85mm f/1.8 prime, or a macro lens, is enough to bring out a lot of creativity and excitement that had been hidden behind the scenes. However, there are times where you may want a longer lens. That will depend on the type of user-experience you are looking for, and my goal for this article is to highlight the key differences in the user experience for each mount. Don’t expect these little units to carry a heavy telescope, although small refractors are an option if you’ve got a counterweight system to help balance things out. This portable star tracker is easy to polar align, and the pro pack comes with everything you could possibly need to mount your DSLR camera, lenses, and even a small telescope. For many, the best lenses for astrophotography have wide angles and wide apertures, but that doesn’t mean that you have to limit yourself to any specific approach. Below we included lenses in a variety of mount types and price points. The Planet Mars alongside the Pleiades Star Cluster. A portable star tracker must be accurately polar aligned and balanced to work properly. If cost is more of a concern than space and weight, combining those two lenses covers most of the Sigma 14-24mm focal range while providing you with wider apertures. Do you know if there is an add on the would work with the Skyguider Pro. I personally think that on a 7D Mark II, the 400mm DO II is the perfect wildlife lens. How so? Because of their small size and compact profile, they’re usually a lot more affordable, too. The caps and hood are included. Please share your pictures of the heavens here. I'm currently running an old Nikon D7000 with the great Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD lens, with plans to upgrade to a Z6 and eventually native Z mount lenses and am trying to understand how my current lens will behave on the Z6 and how to determine what the proper native replacement would be when I get to that point. The second is that the LighTrack II will only track your subject for 107 minutes, before having to return the tracking arm to its starting position. Fornax is a company based out of Hungary, and they are no stranger to astronomical equipment. Great post and video Trevor – very helpful for someone just starting out ! https://www.ioptron.com/product-p/3550.htm Here is a look a single 180-second sub exposure using the LighTrack II with my Canon 60Da, William Optics RedCat 51, and the OPT Triad Ultra filter. EF stands for "Electro-Focus": automatic focusing on EF lenses is handled by a dedicated electric motor built into the lens. A 300 mm telephoto lens on a Canon APS-C camera body will give the same field of view (FOV) as a 480mm lens on a full-frame camera. Keep in mind that this is the way I do it; not the only way to do it. One of the most incredible astrophotography adventures of my life was setting up an iOptron SkyGuider Pro and William Optics RedCat 51 telescope to capture the Carina Nebula from Costa Rica. I followed your recommendations and bought a SkyGuider Pro a year ago: what an impressive portable mount! There is room for a zoom lens depending on your needs, but if you can get by with a fixed lens instead you should opt for one. Lens Use Guide for Macro Photography: 9: Robin Wong’s Latest Video on Cluster Area AF: 9: M43 flexibility for Macro photography with Oly 60mm F2.8, extension tubes, raynox M-250 and MC-20 TC: 9: An Investigation of E-M1 Focus Bracketing: 7: Developing a compact flash diffuser for macro. The models discussed in this post are not the only options available. Although Fuji released its 35mm f/1.4 lens back in 2012, it is a very dated lens and has some issues, such as slow autofocus performance and quite a noisy motor. Would be great to review that system some time in the future…, Trevor, I think the skyguider Pro would work great but I would also like a mount with a Goto feature and I am guessing I would need to use like the HEQ5 if I need that. As someone else has asked about Vixen, I’d second that comment since I’d be very curious to get your input on Vixen products too, and especially their unique star tracker, the Vixen Polarie. I’m actually blown away by the metal components in the Vixen Polarie, and (big plus) their polar alignment scope and dovetail with an opening for on the fly alignment is huge! The first, and most obvious, is that it’s going to be dark. So, if you plan on traveling with this mount you’ll need to bring a reliable battery or find an outlet and extension cord nearby. Photographed at my dark site near Lake Okeechobee in Florida. For example, the “Pro Pack” includes a counterweight kit, wedge base, and a built-in illuminated polar scope. The main reasons I went with the mini: It holds more than enough so I didn’t need the larger, heavier, more expensive “pro”, and it is useful for things other than night star tracking. If you can borrow from a friend or swap equipment for a few days with them, even better. It’s worth mentioning, that perhaps the LighTrack II should not be in the star tracker category at all. Designed for the APS-C sized sensor of the X mount cameras, the Fuji XF 8-16mm f/2.8 R LM WR lens offers a 12-24 mm equivalent. Like the other star trackers mentioned, the LighTrack II has 4 tracking speeds. In reality, I believe all of these trackers could handle a 2-minute exposure using an even longer lens. While lenses are arguably the most important part of any photographer’s setup, finding the best lens for astrophotography (or for even just moon photography) is especially vital for those wanting to delve into this style. * The Fornax Mounts LighTrack II requires an external 12V power source. Without using a star tracker, the stars in the night sky will begin to trail after about 15-30 seconds, depending on the focal length of the lens used. Shooting the moon or planets normally requires an astronomical telescope, but the COOLPIX P900’s and P610’s optical zoom lenses cover the range of 2,000mm (with 83x) and 1,400mm (60x), respectively*. Stacked from 29 exposures of 2 minutes at ISO 3200, using my 100-400 zoom lens at 400mm piggybacked atop my LX200 telescope. Luckily for amateur astrophotographers and photographers, there are a lot of great star tracker options to choose from these days. For astro work, an f/2.8 version would be preferable to an f/4, but image stabilization systems are not a priority (unless you want that capability when shooting at other times). It should be a pain-free experience that provides the freedom and flexibility to take amazing astrophotography images wherever, and whenever you want. It takes advantage of the modular nature of the Advanced Polaris system but it is too expensive. For example, you can use it to make a time lapse, while it pans the camera, creating a really cool effect that you otherwise need to buy expensive and bulky rail systems to shoot. Long exposure images (180-seconds) shot at 400mm with and without tracking. Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO Micro Four Thirds Key Specs: Fuji’s X mount cameras boast some truly impressive shooting capabilities. It was taken with a Canon EOS 6D modified for astrophotography and a Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art lens. However, it makes sense if it is your primary astrophotography mount. Since this article was first published, I reviewed the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Pro and you can read it here. Here are the bare-bones specs of the star trackers mentioned in this post. Many people have had great success using the SkyTracker with an ultra-wide-angle lens like the Rokinon 14mm F/2.8, all the way up to some heavier glass such as the Rokinon 135mm F/2. I really like that the Star Adventurer can run on 4 AA Batteries. As mentioned above, zoom lenses aren’t ideal for astrophotography, but sometimes you need the flexibility of a zoom since objects in the landscape may be far away and you may not be able to carry multiple primes with you. At BorrowLenses.com, w e have a Nikon lens for every occasion. The iOptron SkyGuider Pro full package includes the wedge, polar scope, and counterweight package. As such, size and weight can be a serious consideration, and there aren’t many better options for minimizing your kit size than the Micro Four Thirds system. This is also just a great travel lens, so can perform double duty if you’re shooting night sky work as well as just travel candids. I went out to make images of a moonrise. I tend to recommend this star tracker over the others in most situations. https://www.vixenoptics.com/Vixen-AP-Star-Tracker-p/25832.htm, https://www.ioptron.com/product-p/3550.htm, https://www.ioptron.com/product-p/8400.htm, https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/product/new-eos-t2-adapter, Andromeda Galaxy Astrophotography Tutorial, AstroBackyard | Astrophotography Tips and Tutorials 2021. There’s also a host of specialized equipment, including computerized star trackers and full-fledged telescopes. It is readily available on Amazon in the US, so there are a lot of people like me who got it and image with it. Each and every star tracker I have ever used for astrophotography was capable of sharp, 3-minute exposures using a focal length of up to 200mm. Your email address will not be published. lens used, exposure time, f/stop, ISO, etc.) I’ve used many of Canon’s EF and EF-S lenses with the EOS Rebel T3i as well, including the Canon EF 300mm F/4L and 400mm F/5.6. This lens is in excellent condition. It’s a slightly smaller and lighter version of the pro reviewed here. The fine friction strip helps the LighTrack II maintain balance, and was designed with strict production tolerances. Designed to meet the needs of the professional photographer, Zuiko Digital lenses were born of an uncompromising commitment to performance. It’s distortion-free with little to no chromatic aberration, making it ideal for astrophotography. If you’ve ever seen a detailed photo of the Milky Way like the one below, chances are the photographer used a star tracker to collect sharp, long exposure images with their camera and lens. Finally got to use it a few weeks back and am pleased with the results. This is an extremely popular choice for amateur astrophotographers in 2020, and for good reason. Photography is a fun and fascinating process. I use it with my Canon 6D + Samyang 135mm or my Z61 + ASI 1600 (autoguiding with a ASI 290) without problem. Due to its increased payload capacity, autoguiding capability, and accurate tracking, you may want to consider it to be a bridge between a camera tracker and a traditional equatorial telescope mount. Be advised, that once you make this modification to the mount (or order a version with the iPolar included), you lose an element of portability with the need for dedicated software control. https://www.vixenoptics.com/Vixen-AP-Star-Tracker-p/25832.htm Like the iOptron models I mentioned above, the Star Adventurer includes modes for solar, lunar, sidereal, and half sidereal tracking rates. The noise introduced by high ISOs will impact your image quality. Please note, this is a table of rectilinear values, i.e. Quick view Choose options Canon EOS 70D DSLR Camera Pro Photo Supply $250.00 This camera is in excellent condition. It uses a friction motor drive system that slowly sweeps an arm across the base of the mount. Some people may not want to lose the freedom of just manually polar aligning the mount and leaving the computer at home. I’ll do my best to explain why the overall user experience is the number one factor to consider when choosing a portable tracking camera mount. Hi Trevor, very informative. I make images with a variety of cameras — this time a D4s. I recently purchased one of my all-time favorite Nikon lenses— the 400mm f/5.6 EDIF. If you don’t shoot Sony, both Canon and Nikon have comparable lenses, including the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L for EF mount cameras, Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L for RF mount cameras, and Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 Milvus ZF.2 for Nikon F mount cameras. The night sky is vast and often astrophotographers want to capture as much of it as possible. The hardware and premium finishes of this portable star tracker really stood out to me, and I love the mounting bar and counterweight kit. It created the perfect opportunity to compare this camera tracker against some of the competing models in this category, in terms of overall user experience and performance. One such instance was the time I used the SkyTracker Pro with my Canon EF 24-105mm F/4L Lens to shoot Mars and the Pleiades star cluster in the same frame. In this load range a CEM25 is a better choice. Keep in mind that the longer the lens, the more motion blur will be a problem. Your exposure lengths are no longer limited to 30-seconds or less due to a moving sky, and you can dial back camera settings like ISO and F-stop. This simple design feature means that I’ll reach for the SkyGuider when traveling light, or setting up for a brief imaging session. I love the reviews! My honest opinion is that these situations are almost always due to user error in the polar alignment and balancing procedure. Astrophotography is ripe with potential for images unlike anything else you can capture. Here is a look a single 180-second sub exposure using the LighTrack II with my Canon 60Da, William Optics RedCat 51, and the OPT Triad Ultra filter. If you’ve watched any of my previous videos, you’ve probably seen the iOptron SkyTracker Pro in action. The image below shows you what a 3-minute exposure using a 400mm lens would like without using a star tracker. The SkyTracker Pro (not to be confused with the SkyGuider Pro) weighs just 2.6 pounds and houses everything you need for long exposure nightscapes in a little red (or black) box. Image 1 shows a 100 percent crop from an original raw frame of the multiple star system Alcor and Mizar in the handle of the Big Dipper. Here’s the catch – the step up kits which make this impressive do lead to pricey upgrades, and a more traditional experience that I’ve noticed with Vixen stuff of price premium. This is a niche option that isn’t going to be the go-to for many astrophotographers. Before investing in a dedicated star tracker for landscape or deep-sky astrophotography, make sure the bundle you order includes everything you need to mount your camera and lens. World’s first high-speed standard zoom lens for APS-C cameras with the focal length range of 17-70mm 4.1x zoom ratio. As you use longer shutter speeds to capture more light, you risk turning the pinpoints of distant stars into streaks. If you’re looking for a flexible lens suitable for shooting astrophotography with an MFT camera, the Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO is a great option. When comparing the specs between the iOptron SkyGuider Pro, and the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Pro, you’ll notice a number of similarities. The good news is, once you’ve powered the LighTrack II up, you’ll benefit from incredibly accurate unguided performance. As you’ll soon see with the Fornax Mounts LighTrack II, a counterweight system is often an additional option from the base star tracker package. https://www.ioptron.com/product-p/8400.htm, “For those that prefer to polar align their SkyGuider Pro electronically, the iOptron iPolar device was designed to fit neatly inside of this camera tracker. Be advised, that once you make this modification to the mount (or order a version with the iPolar included), you lose an element of portability with the need for dedicated software control.”. I have a 300mm zoom lens that I want to try this out on (not pro grade – so not so heavy). You can program several different modes, hit run, and then the device will shut off the wifi (to save battery power) and begin running the program. For many astrophotographers, there’s no such thing as too wide of a lens. 200mm-400mm would most likely be your max focal length for a good long-exposure tracked image. It’s that simple. Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens. A star tracker should allow you to quickly get up-and-running under a clear night sky. Guiding is a specialized astrophotography technique that uses a secondary camera to lock-on to a guide star and sends small commands to the mount to improve tracking accuracy. Sharp, stable and weather-sealed, it's also reasonably compact and lightweight, given the massive reach. In addition to its astrophotography uses, this lens has a fast, accurate autofocus and physical aperture ring (which can be de-clicked for smooth exposure and depth-of-field transitions) that make it a great choice not only for still photography (particularly street and portraits), but also for video use. Thank you, because all your recommendations help us to avoid buying mistakes in this expensive hobby. I have avoided their GoTo products since they do seem pricey, but the Polarie is a standout rare entry level offer from them imo. The 24mm focal length fits nicely within the needs of many astrophotographers, especially when used as a complement to the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art listed above. H-XA025 25mm Lens for LUMIX G Series. If you’re just looking to shoot wide-angle astrophotography using a camera lens, I’ve got good news for you. Cameras, Lenses and other Imaging Equipment. For example, it’s 80-400mm for Nikon and 150-450mm for Pentax, whereas Sony markets a 100-400mm lens for its E-mount cameras but a 70-400mm zoom for A-mount bodies. But I use it with my big full frame Nikon D750 with vertical grip and the Rokinon 24mm which is not a light lens.