[Aaron28]

anything 35mm and under......I have a several choices for different bodies.....21/f3.2ltd is nice on the k-3ii (unfortunately can't find an example) and lately I've been enjoying the fa35 on the K-1

but will say I usually do a pano with 2 frames...

fa35....k-1



K-50 sears 28/f2.8...o-gps-1..i ferget how many frames



K-3ii...bower 14/f2.8...maybe 3 frame pano

[DeKay]

Here’s a really good guide to photographing the Milky Way.
It comes from the makers of the PhotoPills app that will help you to locate the galactic centre in your location, I highly recommend it.
https://static.photopills.com/ebooks/photopills-milky-en.pdf

[Greg1956]

Hi, I live in Denver and shoot primarily birds as one of many hobbys. I have become intrigued with something new....the idea of capturing a decent image of the Milky Way over the mountains. I know I need a fast lens, I am debating over a Pentax 50mm 1.4 or a Sigma ART 35mm 1.4. But this is about more than the lens. Are there any locals who would be willing to share beginners tips for astro? Do I need to go snow camping up Mayflower Gulch? LOL Is summer ok? Locations, thoughts on gear, links to resources appreciated. Thanks!! pam

Hi,

don't know what camera you have, but for the Milky Way, I can use the standard 18-55mm kit lens at f4 or my Sigma 10-20 f4

I have a K70 and a K200d, so 3200 or 6400 ISO for the K70 at 20secs.
K200d 20secs at 800 ISO

You don't need a super fast lens, but it does help.

So if you have the kit 18-55, try it out, you'll be surprised what it can do.

Greg

[DeadJohn]

What camera and lenses do you already have?

[MaineNative]

My best lens for the Milky Way is the Samyang/Rokinon 14/2.8. Make sure to buy it from somewhere with a return policy like B&H in case you get a bad copy. For more money (and more weight!), the Pentax DFA 15-30 is also good. Either of those work on a crop or full-frame camera.

For a crop sensor, the Pentax DA 10-17 is small and does a decent job but you won’t get pin-point stars like with the two lenses above.

Have fun. I love astrophotography. National Sand Dunes is definitely with a visit!

[SSGGeezer]

DA* 50-135, Sigma Mini Wide 24, FA* 28-70, pretty much anything that is 2.8 and reasonably sharp can work. A properly calibrated Astrotraceer is also very beneficial to get pinpoint stars. I may use my DA* 55 on my K-1 this winter, just for the WR to reduce internal fogging in the cold.

[czhao1009]

IMO the Samyang/Rokinon 14 F2.8 is a great lens to start with, if you don't already have any around that focal range. It has no auto focus, which shouldn't matter for your intended usage, and is relatively cheap.

If you camera has the astrotracer function built in - fantastic! If not, after a few sessions you might be looking into getting some sort of mount that would allow you to increase the exposure time without star-trails.

A steady tripod is a MUST.

Be prepared for post-processing work

Edit:
Here are the resources I found helpful:
Stellarium web: https://stellarium-web.org/
I use this to help predict what I would likely to see at what time and facing what direction.

Find a dark location:
https://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html#4/39.00/-98.00
http://www.cleardarksky.com/csk/

[Coloradoblue]

Yes. I shoot with a K5IIs. Not ready to commit to fullframe yet....maybe one day. My kit is weighted heavily towards supertele for birds. Lots of lovely raptors. Excluding the birding lenses, I own the 35 macro limited and the 40 2.8 limited. Initially I was thinking for night sky I needed to go faster rather than wider, but I need to reconsider. Photography is a hobby I picked up about 8 years ago as another creative passion. I'm not interested in selling or being super-competitive, but neither am I satisfied with less than the best I can achieve. I have alot to read and digest on this new topic, much more involved than I realized initially. All the feedback helps!

[DeadJohn]

...I shoot with a K5IIs...

The Samyang/Rokinon/Bower 14mm f2.8 is a good lens for Milky Way shots, especially on a crop sensor. It's a sharp lens, reasonably fast, not too expensive, and crop sensor ignores distortion in the extreme corners of a full frame lens. 14mm on crop gives minimal star trails in a 30 second photo (keep it at 20 seconds if you are a pixel-peeper).

Your widest current lens is 35mm. That can be used for astro but IMO the longer focal length steepens the learning curve a lot; you'll need stacking, short exposures to avoid star streaks, stitching, etc. sooner than with an ultrawide lens.

Alternatively, if you don't otherwise have a need for 14mm, you can get a small tracking mount or O-GPS1 and use your existing 35mm or 40mm. Cost for a tracking mount is in the same ballpark as the Samyang 14. The photo below is an example of the FA 43 on a K-5 using tracking (FYI my FA 43 gets purple fringing around brights stars, your 35mm and 40mm are likely better). iOptron SkyTracker Pro Camera Mount with Polar Scope 3322 B&H

[cmohr]

Yes. I shoot with a K5IIs. Not ready to commit to fullframe yet....maybe one day. My kit is weighted heavily towards supertele for birds. Lots of lovely raptors. Excluding the birding lenses, I own the 35 macro limited and the 40 2.8 limited. Initially I was thinking for night sky I needed to go faster rather than wider, but I need to reconsider. Photography is a hobby I picked up about 8 years ago as another creative passion. I'm not interested in selling or being super-competitive, but neither am I satisfied with less than the best I can achieve. I have alot to read and digest on this new topic, much more involved than I realized initially. All the feedback helps!

Maybe the DA11-18/f2.8 ?? And the O-GPS1 GPS unit and you would be in business. Really, the wider the better, The Milkyway is huge in the sky.

Check the Astro thread here A beginners guide to Astrophotography - PentaxForums.com heaps of good info there.

AS others have said, a good stable tripod, Remote triggers are best so you aren't bumping the camera when taking the shots, I use wireless triggers as they are easier for me. Get a good darksky app for your phone to help find bortle 1-3 areas, plan your trips on the New moon , or even a waxing or waning moon as they tend to set very early in the evening anyway. Clear skys are best. not just clear of cloud, but dust ect, cooler conditions tend to give cleaner air , so better photos. Don't be afraid to play with light painting forgrounds either.

Both taken on K-1 with the DFA 15-30/2.8, at 15mm.

[tokyoscape]

you can get a small tracking mount or O-GPS1

May I ask for pro and con of the Tracking mount vs O-GPS1?

[photoptimist]

Faster lenses definitely help but only if they are extremely sharp from corner to corner wide-open. A fast lens that is slightly soft in the corners might be fine for most photography, but not astro. Astrophotography requires the sharpest lenses because everyone knowns the stars should be little points of light.

As others have noted, the Milky Way is covers a lot of sky which is why wider focal lengths are typically needed. You can use longer lenses for the Milky Way but you'll probably need to take a multi-shot panorama. In fact, for various optical engineering reasons, a longer focal length f/2.8 lens actually produces brighter stars than a wider focal length f/2.8 lens for better contrast relative to light polluted skies. However, using a longer lens and panoramic tiling is a bit tricky because the sky is moving while you do it.

[Aaron28]

May I ask for pro and con of the Tracking mount vs O-GPS1?

maybe price.....a tracking mount should be set up correctly...I have not used one but some kind of alignment to the NorthStar/polaris needs to be done.....not sure but batteries prolly vary and require more than one.....it's bulkier or require a specific tripod.....but once set up will track for an extended period of time

the o-gps is very compact requires....1 aaa battery......very simple calibration.....but a maximum 5 minute exposure (I have done 2 minutes often) and can be fussy at times requiring 'precise calibration' more than once

[DeadJohn]

May I ask for pro and con of the Tracking mount vs O-GPS1?

O-GPS1 is tiny and adds no significant weight to your bag. The tracking mount is heavier. Regardless, you'll need a tripod with either one, and the tripod is the bulkiest part if you have to hike to get to a dark spot.

O-GPS1 gets calibrated using camera menus. It needs no knowledge of the night sky but in my experience is finicky; the same alignment process can yield very different accuracy on different nights.

A tracking mount gets mechanically aimed at Polaris, aka the north star, assuming you're in the northern hemisphere. Southern hemisphere is trickier because there's no bright star directly in line with the south pole. Technically it's supposed to be a offset but with wide lenses aiming straight at Polaris is okay.

If taking one photo, O-GPS1 takes less time to use than the tracking mount. If taking many photos, either with different composition, or many photos with the same composition for software stacking, then the tracking mount becomes much more convenient.

[Evie]

Ok, just FIY, i am traveling towards Denver (flying to Denver and driving to Colorado Springs next day) for Thanksgiving weekend (Wednesday night - Sunday night) and bringing my Pentax 11-18mm F2.8 (I also have O-GPS1, probably will bring as well and some clip-in and screw on astro filters (unfortunately, screw-on one was for different lens).

I did have Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6, Rokinon 10mm F2.8 and Bower 24mm F1.4, but sold them all after buying 11-18, as it covered my needs (wide angle bright AF lens).

I did take some shots with Sigma 50mm F1.4 (I still have it), but I definitely would recommend O-GPS1 or other tracking system for that and to work on stitching later (e.g. this image is combined from 11 shots https://www.astrobin.com/204053/F/?nc=user )

I might also be interested in astroshots locations reasonably close to Colorado Springs /Garden of the Gods, if anyone can recommend some...