[UserAccessDenied]

Any astro shooters out there?!

What are people's thoughts on comparing the Samyang/Rokinon.Bower 14mm F2.8 vs 16mm F2 vs 24mm F1.4?


I've heard the 24mm F1.4 is praised as one of the best astro lenses... But how does it compare to the 14mm f2.8 (aside from the obvious FOV difference...)

I used to own the Rokinon 16mm F2, but sadly made the mistake of selling it before realizing what I had...


The 24mm F1.4 is on sale right now at Amazon for $357. Seems like a deal to me!

But that said, the 14mm F2.8 is also on sale for $273...


Decisions decisions!


Any takers?!
Who wants to encourage LBA?



My goals are nailing some milkyway shots. The lens would be strictly for night photography.

I already own the SMC DA15, but rarely use it now so considering selling it if I pick up the 14mm or 16mm...


Cheers all!

[jatrax]

This might help: Lonely Speck’s Ultimate List of Best Astrophotography Lenses – Lonely Speck

I eventually decided on the DFA 15-30 because it would fill other needs besides astro.

[DeadJohn]

TLDR: All the Samyangs get great reviews for wide field astro. Ignoring cost differences, I would pick the 16/2.0 for a crop sensor and 24/1.4 for full frame.


Samyang 14/2.8: A good budget lens. Very sharp wide open. Wide enough that you can get sharp foreground elements and sharp stars in the same exposure. I had this lens and was happy with it on my K-5 (recently sold the lens because I bought the Pentax 15-30 for my K-1). The 14/2.8 was one of Samyang's earlier models, and had some inconsistent quality issues. I haven't heard recent complaints so I think the problems were resolved. Some early buyers complained about decentered lenses giving uneven sharpness across the frame. My copy was sharp, but had a common focus ring calibration issue that was easily solved (instructions are on PentaxForums, YouTube, and elsewhere).

Samyang 16/2.0: Only works on crop sensors. A full stop faster than the 14 and a similar focal length. I would pick the 16 if I had to select between the 14 and 16 for a crop sensor, because of that extra speed and the less bulging front element collects less dew.

Samyang 24/1.4: Very fast aperture although at least one review did an analysis that found the lens performs more like f1.8. I think 24mm gets a little too narrow for astro on APS-C but it's a great focal length for full frame (I prefer to compose with the Milky Way and some ground features visible). I am considering this lens for my K-1 because compared to 15-30 it's 2 or 1.5 stops faster (depending on how much credence I give to the f1.8 claim).

Samyang 20/1.8: You didn't mention this one. It's yet another option to consider. Halfway between the 16mm and 24mm.

[FozzFoster]

Only slightly off-topic here.. but I'm pretty happy with the results I'm getting from my 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6

Of course I would love something faster, but my point is that slower lenses can capture Milky Way shots too.

I've also used a basic kit lens with good success.

best luck shootin'!

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Last edited by FozzFoster; 09-11-2018 at 01:34 PM.

[disconnekt]

If you own a crop sensor camera, have you looked at the Samyang 10mm f2.8?

[UserAccessDenied]

Only slightly off-topic here.. but I'm pretty happy with the results I'm getting from my 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6

Of course I would love something faster, but my point is that slower lenses can capture Milky Way shots too.

I've also used a basic kit lens with good success.

best luck shootin'!

Wow, fantastic shots!
Did you use any sort of tracking (astrotracer or tracking mount)? 30s exposure at 18mm would introduce star trailing, right?

Thanks for sharing!
This gives me confidence in my DA70 and DA35macro, at least for the time being.

[FozzFoster]

astrotracer

Yep, I used the O-GPS1 unit with my K-S2 - and thanks for the kind comments!

---------- Post added 09-11-18 at 04:00 PM ----------

Might I also suggest an app called Photo Pills. It's designed for astrophotography shooters