Gotta say, Nico, your channel is *invaluable* for someone who is past the initial astrophoto stage where you shoot with what you have and are trying to look around for better gear. I've heard so much praise for Sigma Art, that it led me to believe those lenses are just perfect in any respect. Thanks to your video, I now know what exactly do you pay for when going for one. Thank you.
As always love your extremely scientific approach to your reviews complete with background, methods, results, conclusion and your own spin! Don't know any other reviewer that does as high-quality reviews on anything.
2 years ago, I pulled the trigger on the Sigma Art and I never looked back. The Samyang is cheaper, but I read comments about people getting "bad" units and had to return up to 4 times. I'm not about that and decided to spend the money and boy oh boy, this lens did not disappoint. I used it on a Rebel T6 and now with an EOS-R and it's an absolute light magnet and really does not require a tracker for spectacular milky-way captures. Its also a fantastic landscape lens. Everything Nico said about it in his beautiful comparison is true and it's an absolute beauty. If you are getting into astro, and on the fence about which lens to get.. Nico hit the nail on the head here. Great video man!
I have the new Samyang 14mm f2.4. I live in Australia and need this lens for astro. I bought it new in early January 2021 but the lens was faulty, both with excessive edge coma and failing to reach infinity focus. I returned it under warranty. A repair, which acknowledged the coma problem, was done by returning the lens to the imported and then to the factory in Hong Kong, a process that took nine weeks. On return I found the focus issue had not been fixed. This seems to necessitate another round trip to Hong Kong. It is now almost eight months since purchase,and likely to take another two months. The thing will have spent ten months of its 12 month warranty "in the mail".
@@frankcarroll2812 Same problem here in Chile. Bought it at BH photovideo while in the trip in the US. Once back home, I took some sky images and could not reach focus. Sent an email to elitebrands (the people in the US who take care of Samyang lenses) told them I could not reach infinity, even when "past infinity" (the lens fully rotated counterclockwise) and the answer stated : "The lens is not made for astrophotography and these issues are not considered manufacturer defects for this particular lens. " and they told me to return the lens to BH. So, according to them, it's normal that a lens cannot focus at infinity... I could have sent it to BH, except from Chile, it take months, and money. So I did it myself, not that complicated with the right, small, good quality screwdrivers. At least now it's good. I have had other lenses from Samyang/Rokinon where there was tilt, and this is not easy/almost impossible to correct. So best way is to purchase the lens, test it as soon as possible, while in the US, and ship it if it's a lemon. Their lenses are usually very good, very often better than the Canon L series, but quality control needs to be improved a lot. While planning a trip to Iceland to see and photograph aurora borealis, I purchased a Canon 24mm F/1.4. At full aperture, it was catastrophic, giving seagull images of stars in the corner. Shipped it back to Canon, and like a month later, the technical service of Canon France answered me that they had tested the lens, and it was within the quality expected, and the advised me to stop it down to F/4 for the problem to dissapear. Idiots, if I bought a F/1.4 lens it's not to use it at F/4... So I never used it, and bought a Samyang, which, maybe by luck was good. The trip to Iceland was cloudy anyway :(
I got the 12mm Samyang 2.0 on a Sony A6000 (so, APS-C) and could not be any happier taking photos of the night sky. Thanks for another great video, I could listen to you talk about your passion for hours - keep it up!
Hey Nico! Picked up the Samyang a few months ago at its all time low in price. Got me hooked capturing the milky way again and thats how i found your channel. Thanks for the videos, they are equally entertaining as they are informative. Cheers
I recently got the Samyang and while time, schedule and rain (for the one night I finally had open) have so far gotten in my way of getting a Milky Way image, I’ve been happy with it for the sky pics I have taken.
Have you tried cine lenses for astrophotography? I was looking up the difference between cine lenses and normal (as in common, not 50mm, though it might be 50mm) lenses. While spendy, they sound excellent for astrophotography. Wide apertures, flat images. very even light distribution, resulting in little to no vignetting. Little to no chromatic aberrations. very precise manual focus. And they are weatherized and very sturdy.
I don't have much experience with wide-angle panos, but that's the same advice I got. I have the Sigma Art 40mm, but my early pano attempts were only so-so. I need to practice :)
There are variations in the quality of the Samyang lenses. The first one of these I received had terrible coma in the centre. I sent it back and in the second sample I received it was not there. I’ve seen others have the same experience. If you can get a good one it’s worth it if you only occasionally shoot this wide.
Samyang is definitely not as good as the others, but I’ve had a great experience with my 14mm. It even does pretty decent as a landscape lens. I was just using it for supercell storm photos last week. Great lens for the price.
Thanks Alex! Nice video about astrophotography on 35mm film the other week. I have the exact same camera (Canon Elan 7e) and was hoping to try that some time.
you really need to try, test, and compare the Irix 15mm/f2.4 BlackStone (or even Firefly - budget version).. the Irix excels in night sky photography.. i love the focus locking ring.. the sharpness/IQ, weather sealed (BlackStone) and other cool features..
Hello my friend, very nice and informative video, as always! As Nikon user, i found that the best lenses for astro were sigma's art 14mm and 135mm! I still use the 135mm but i sold the 14mm art for the news "kings" for astro, z 20mm f1.8 and the z 14-24mm f2.8
When it comes to UWA lenses mirrorless are really ahead in this area. Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 DN and Sony 14mm f1.8 GM would probably take the cake in the area. there are also the really expensive Nikon Z 14-24mm f2.8 and sony 12-24mm f2.8 but those are out the price bracket considered on this video.
I've got the Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 EF mount on my Canon EOS R and is my most used lens for daytime or nighttime at present. You can buy light pollution filters to fit into the standard EF-RF mount adapter or get the ones that fit into the body in front of the sensor. I might consider the Sigma 14mm F1.8, but I wonder if it's worth it considering I have the other Sigma lens?
Hi Nico. Your channel is great I’ve learnt so much thank you. I have the sigma 14-24mm f2.8 and like the 14mm prime this is an amazingly sharp lens which I have stated using for Astro. Thanks to your videos I’m starting to get some good results.
I have one of that but is the 135mm, no color aberration, almost no distortion and blur in the corners, preaty pointy stars. A little bit of vigneting but with my D850 i can compensate that.
I lived only about 30 minutes north of Hunts (Topsfield) and patronized them. They sent out my Canon 100-400/F4L to be cleaned after a trip to Egypt... LOTS of dust... ($350). I now use my Canon 10-22 3.5/5.6... but I also now have a 22/2.0 for my M50... I have enough lenses for now :-) Thanks! Oh, what's better than roses on a piano? 2 lips on an organ :-)
@@timwhite1111 Oh, interesting that so different lens constructions have that identical performance. I guess that at least bokeh too has differences. Thanks for the info.
Great video and very timely. I recently rented the the Sigma lens from Lens Rental and problems with the aberration on the edges, I don’t know if it was a focusing problem with me, or using a rental lens. Anyway, since these lenses have tulip hoods how do you precision focusing. Based on previous videos from you the Bahtinov mask isn’t practical, for the ultra wide lens. Thanks Bill
With my Canon EOS Ra, I have 30x zoom in live view which helps see the small stars and then I simply focus by making the stars as small as possible. I then take a test exposure, and zoom all the way in. I can tell by the appearance of the small stars if I'm in focus or not. Before I had the Ra, I would use 10x zoom in live view with the screen brightness all the way up, and a 2.5x optical loupe. Another option many use is a tethered laptop (bigger screen, or can use software that measures the size of the stars like BackyardEOS, NINA, or SGP), but usually when I'm going this wide, I don't want to use a laptop.
I get the pixel peeping as it shows the individual lenses issues. I was hoping you would have done a finished photograph with each lens to show the differences in the quality you'd get since everyone doesn't have $1600 for the most preferred option. I'd really like to see a photo with the Rokinon 14mm f/2.4 up against the Sigma.
Yeah, wish I had time for that too. I live in a place with very limited clear, dark sky time unfortunately. I can tell you from experience that the finished photos between the Rokinon SP and the Sigma would look very similar if everything was set the same (for example, at f/2.8 or f/4). The Sigma's big advantage is that it's usable at f/2, which is huge for shooting milky way without a tracker.
IRIX 15mm f2.8 Blackstone was my upgrade from the Rokinon 14mm. Love the fine adjustment of the IRIX, and glass quality is great. I'm just to cheap to buy the Sigma.
@@NebulaPhotos Yes. I like it but I am not sure if the results are at the same level of those because it is f/2.8 instead f/1.8. However, its horizontal distortion is zero (A series of lens by Venus Optics called D-Zero). It is very very sharp for all type of photography. It is also cheap and you gain more angle for sure. I am not sure if it worths for this increment in the view angle but loosing light compared to these f/1.8 you've shown. It would be interesting to compare them. Since I steach a lot the effect of the f is reduced. However, I use the 20mm Sony f/1.8 and 25mm Zeiss f/2 much more. Hope you could get one to test. My suggest if you get one for testing would be using a compostion where the view is really important to be a fare comparison where the advantages of each one counts.
@@NebulaPhotos Nico, I also use the same lens as Raphael (above) I generally use it for shooting real estate interiors, and it is pretty much Zero Distortion. It's about £900 over here, so in US$ probably a bit cheaper, and I must say, very well made. It feels solid. This is a shot from two weeks back in a Bortle 2/3 area in Northern England using that lens and a Nikon D850 - flic.kr/p/2m5TdMg
Hi there Nico! I really appreciate your posts. I have learned SO much. I know this is an older video but I'm looking at purchasing a 14mm lens. Anyways, this questions is about the image you have at 4:40 of the Sky Watcher tracker. You have something mounted below the camera in what looks like the polar alignment scope? Is that an eyepiece or assist lens to polar align easier? or? I understand if this response falls through the cracks, but hopefully not!! Thanks! I appreciate it!
Also, if you want to go even wider without going fisheye, you can with the Laowa 12mm T/2.9 and the Rokinon SP 10mm f/3.5 (which I believe is the widest rectilinear full frame lens you can get)
Don't forget the recently released Sony FE 14 mm F1.8 GM.. an excellent choice for Sony FE users imho. Price of the Sigma 14 mm F1.8 is the same, but the Sony is considerably lighter, so easier to carry in the field
Love watching your videos and gear reviews. I’m okay Astro photographer but newbie for tracking. What tracker do you recommend for a beginning that will hike miles to find a nice spot? light weight is appreciated. Thanks in advance
One thing about Samyang is big sample variance. My first Samyang 14/2.8 was very sharp. But the focus thread seized, so it was replaced. This was not as good as the first lens, but was still sharper than a friends EF 14/2.8L. Maybe yours was a bad one.
I use one (12mm Zero D) for real estate photography with a D850 for the day job, but got some great results with it on the Milky Way the other week in a Bortle 2 area. I didn't do such an in depth analysis though, but it looked decent on screen.
To me the winner here is the Samyang f/2.8, but only because it's so cheap. Ofc, the Sigma lens is the best optically, but I don't think it's 6.5 times as good. Also depends on what you wanna do really, for tracked shots, the lower f-stop of the samyang (assuming you're using at the better f/4) really isn't that big of a deal. Without a tracker, the Sigma might be worth it, I guess? Also I'm a student, so I might be biased to cheap but still decent stuff lmao
Thanks Nico. Just delivering today to me is the 14mm Rokinon Cine DSX version of the lens you reviewed. I have seen that these lenses vary in their quality control and I'm hoping I'm getting a good copy since I do not have the budget to go Sigma although I have the Sigma 18-35 and I do love it. I am also in the Boston area and battle the light polluted skies often in my backyard. Do you add filters to these and how do you suggest adding a light pollution filter to either of these lenses? I am also receiving an EOS R camera today with the RF mount version of the Rokinon thanks to your great videos.
gosh what a difference. At this example price makes a difference. At 1.8 its much sharper than Sammy at 2.8. Sigma produces insane ART lenses. They are the masters of precision optics.
What a great video. Thanks. You proved the old adage that you get what you pay for. I just bought the Samyang 14mm and am very happy with its performance. What's the difference? I am not shooting astrophotography. As you said in the video, you shoot point source lights and thus, you find all the little flaws in a lens. I shoot architectural photography at lower resolution and with plenty of light, so the f5.6 is just fine for my work. Again, pay more, get more. Thanks so much!
It's a piece for connecting my QHY polemaster, an electronic polar scope. Don't use it all the time with star adventurer, but for important stuff like this, I take the time
I think any lens with proper post processing would be good enough for most but my problem is… I’m terrible at post processing lol. Can’t wait until next week’s video!!!
@@NebulaPhotos I didn't have a chance to test it on Milky Way yet, just bought it a couple months ago, now we have white nights so there's no Milky Way till at least beginning of August where I live. And I doubt my picture would be as good as yours :)
@@NebulaPhotos It's for Canon and I have 50D (not full frame), I had to plug the lens to my Sony a7s which is a full frame, but I had to activate APS-C mode with it, otherwise the adaptor covered part of the frame. So I don't think it's full frame.
I holde on to the samyang :) Its work perfect for astro and milkyway (14mm 24mm 135mm) I only use tracker, because than i can fix the rest in photoshop. :) IF you are a beginner, just buy samyang and go from there. I have use the samyang for years. Mabe it is just me? :) Dont really understand why to buy expencive lenses.
I picked up a Viltrox 13mm F1.4 over the holidays for my Fuji crop sensor and have found it very sharp, making me wonder how it would compare here. It's listing for about $460 now and is also available for Sony E and Nikon Z, curious if it's on your radar at all?
I use to have access to a Sigma 24mm 1.4 art and I love it for Milky Way but once I moved on I recently got myself the Samyang 14mm f/2.8, but I haven’t been the most impressed by it. Recently got a tracker so I need to work on getting some tracked shots. I’ll be looking forward to seeing that stack next week cuz I’m curious how well you shot that untracked over that many light frames.
I think you will find the Samyang better stopped down and on a tracker. Untracked is pretty easy with an ultra-wide, I think I only re-centered once over the course of an hour
I got myself an "Irix 15mm f/2.4 'Blackstone'" after reading many reviews and watching reviews by Dustin Abbott and Christopher Frost. I would say it´s a good alternative to the lenses you reviewed in your video.
Great video. So it looks like you used about an hour, hour and a half to get that final shot, correct? It is untracked, so how did you make sure to have a good reframing. I assume you moved the camera every few minutes?
I did re-center using the bright stars in sagittarius to frame, but not that often since it was so wide. Maybe every 10 minutes or so. After aligning the shots using the stars (free software: sequator or deep sky stacker) there will be some noisy parts around the edge, but you can crop those off.
The Rokinon or Sigma both good. Unfortunately I have to use the FTX adapter for lenses made for Nikon as they haven’t yet released the Z style for others to make after market lenses. Nikon keeps letting me down. I have the Z6II now
Those sigma 14mm Art 1.8 are holding their values 3 years later. Best used price I see is around $900. The Canon EF 14mm f 2.8 L II is around $600 for a minty lens.
I wonder how the ttartisan 11mm you reviewed in a previous video compares to the Samyang here. Being similar in terms of price, I'm considering one or the other for sony full frame.
In anticipation of next week's post please compare and contrast this 355 stacked image at 8s, f/2, ISO3200 to a tracked image of 47 mins at ISO 80 (if I did the math right?, anyway you get the idea) Thanks
I am not sure why it wasn't said in the video, that 14mm lenses are classic lenses for full frame cameras, and 14mm focal length is also min. focal length for full frame before going fisheye. Anybody who owns crop sensor camera (and most beginners do) should go for Samyang 10mm f/2.8 (and similar optimized for crop sensor)) rather than 14mm to get most from camera/lens combo especially for wide field Milky Way shots from a fixed tripod.
To me clearly the Sigma is the winner, if cost is not the main unit of measure. I would rather pay more for the Sigma because the AF makes it usable to me in daylight for creative activities not just for astro. I do own Sigma 24mm 1.4, 50mm 1.4, 70-200mm 2.8, 150-600mm 5.0-6.3 ... so probably I am biased enough... but I find sigma Art and Sports series equivalent or even better than Canon EF counterpart lenses at a fraction of the cost. I would like to see an astro comparison between 14mm prime, 24mm prime and their zoom 14-24 f2.8. Although the zoom variant is 2.8, sharpness and aberration wise it's almost as good as the primes and if you need more than one in that range perhaps it makes sense.
I still don't know which Lens I should get for Milky Way shots. Did you have a chance to test out the Laowa 15mm f2 Cero D? If not, maybe you could make a review/comparison with it as well, would be great. :) At the moment I use my Laowa 15mm f4 Macro for Milky Way, but let's be honest, this is simply neither made for it, nor does it look good.
Between the issuing of this video and Aug 2024, Sigma have released the new 14/1.4, which blows the 1.8 version out of the water To me, definitely worth the price The only problem is that to use it on my Z-mount I’ll have to buy an adapter And they are a mixed bag…
Yes, I reviewed it and compared it to the 1.8 with the same tests as in this video here: ruclips.net/video/zGzDrLCDYEI/видео.html I agree that it is worth the price if one is after technical perfection. I’ve heard the Sony 14mm is very good too and much lighter, but I don’t have a way to test it.
I purchased a Rokinon 14mm 2.8. ED as if umc on eBay it said for Canon but it doesn't fit my 4000d it's a EF/efs mount...is there an adapter of some I can purchase to solve my issue?
Yes, that's what I usually do, but it's worth some experimentation as every camera is different. That's why I didn't go any deeper about the in-camera corrections, as there are too many camera-specific differences to make many general statements.
Samyang/Rokinon lenses have notoriously poor quality control between samples. If you get a good Samyang 14mm f/2.8, it's a keeper for its modest price, as many users will attest.
Yep, forgot to mention that I've had 3 copies of the lens over the years. First one I had was pretty good, but I sold it for some reason. Next one I got was pretty poor, and I returned it. This one is decent, maybe not the best they come, but I think a pretty fair middle ground for what to expect.
@@NebulaPhotos Thank you Nico. Small samples are always dodgy - and I'm not remotely a statistician. Anyway, I'm very keen to hear your views on my recent comment elsewhere on your channel as to "old school" views on telescope aperture versus today's imaging technology - technology which seems to debunk the old adage, namely that "you can't ignore the laws of physics". It seems that we can, nowadays. Best wishes, Ant.
Hi thanks for this comparison, much appreciated. Those Sigma ART lenses are something else, I use the 50 & 85 mainly for portraiture. May I ask a question, question, 2 of the 3 lenses that you tested came good at f4, the Sigma was good even wider. I have a Pano 16-35 f4 which I use mainly for landscape, as someone looking at getting into astro, would the Pano be a suitable lens or more importantly a capable lens with a max f4? You may not have experience of this lens but in principle, maybe?!! Like your style in your videos, dependable straight to talk, subscribing for even more learning. Thank you.
If you can't find any detailed samples online, you'll just have to try it to find out. I haven't had much luck with f/4 lenses wide open, but you never know.
As with all manual lenses. You have to focus on a distant lightsource (with live view punched in) OR focus during daytime on the horizon and lock the focus somehow.
Thanks a lot for your information. I have a big problem with one of my Milky Way shots. I'm working on it since two years now. I love this picture, but with every attempt to process it it gets worse. Can I reach you in any way?
Wow, lots of confusion and misinformation in the comment section. 1) There is no such thing as a Samyang/Rokinon 14mm F/2.0. You have the 14mm F/2.8 for full frame, and the 12mm F/2.0 for APS-C. 2) The Venus Optics Laowa 15mm F/2.0 is not 14mm. It's a 15mm.
Samyang products are also sold under a wide variety of different brand names. Some examples are Rokinon, Bower, Opteka, Vivitar, Phoenix and Quantaray. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samyang_Optics I own the Samyang branded 14mm f2.4
I think I didn't emphasize this in the video enough, but I think the Samyang/Rokinon corner performance looks better mostly because the lenses are so soft in the corners. The Sigma is so sharp, the abberations are more defined. I'm not disappointed with it though. Pretty amazing lens!
@@NebulaPhotos well actually no😂....but i have seen a lot of reviews of that lens and all of them said it was really really amazing for astro. It had noticeably lesser coma and better edge sharpness when compared to the already great sigma 14mm lens!
I have a question, I am a beginner in astrophotography! I am interested since November 2020 but only have a phone to do astrophotography that is very bad:/ And I have a budget of 600€!! I wanted to ask if you could suggest a DSLR cam that is good for photography and that is able to do astrophotography too:) Not just wide angle from all the stars but a cam that is able to do pictures of deep sky objects. I think it is literally impossible because of the budget:(
Do you mean your total budget is 600 Euro? You could certainly get a good DSLR for astrophotography with that budget (Used Nikon D5300 or Canon 600D), but getting a suitable lens that isn't wide angle may be harder without some eBay luck. I'd look at adapting an old m42 soviet lens with that budget.
Gotta say, Nico, your channel is *invaluable* for someone who is past the initial astrophoto stage where you shoot with what you have and are trying to look around for better gear. I've heard so much praise for Sigma Art, that it led me to believe those lenses are just perfect in any respect. Thanks to your video, I now know what exactly do you pay for when going for one. Thank you.
The winner is all of us for this great review, thanks!
As always love your extremely scientific approach to your reviews complete with background, methods, results, conclusion and your own spin! Don't know any other reviewer that does as high-quality reviews on anything.
Thank you! Glad you like them :)
2 years ago, I pulled the trigger on the Sigma Art and I never looked back. The Samyang is cheaper, but I read comments about people getting "bad" units and had to return up to 4 times. I'm not about that and decided to spend the money and boy oh boy, this lens did not disappoint. I used it on a Rebel T6 and now with an EOS-R and it's an absolute light magnet and really does not require a tracker for spectacular milky-way captures. Its also a fantastic landscape lens. Everything Nico said about it in his beautiful comparison is true and it's an absolute beauty. If you are getting into astro, and on the fence about which lens to get.. Nico hit the nail on the head here. Great video man!
I have the new Samyang 14mm f2.4. I live in Australia and need this lens for astro. I bought it new in early January 2021 but the lens was faulty, both with excessive edge coma and failing to reach infinity focus. I returned it under warranty. A repair, which acknowledged the coma problem, was done by returning the lens to the imported and then to the factory in Hong Kong, a process that took nine weeks. On return I found the focus issue had not been fixed. This seems to necessitate another round trip to Hong Kong. It is now almost eight months since purchase,and likely to take another two months. The thing will have spent ten months of its 12 month warranty "in the mail".
@@frankcarroll2812 Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry to hear this.. That has to be so frustrating.
i've used the sigma 14 for several years and it's taken my MW shots to the next level. love that lens
@@frankcarroll2812 Same problem here in Chile. Bought it at BH photovideo while in the trip in the US. Once back home, I took some sky images and could not reach focus. Sent an email to elitebrands (the people in the US who take care of Samyang lenses) told them I could not reach infinity, even when "past infinity" (the lens fully rotated counterclockwise) and the answer stated : "The lens is not made for astrophotography and these issues are not considered manufacturer defects for this particular lens. " and they told me to return the lens to BH. So, according to them, it's normal that a lens cannot focus at infinity... I could have sent it to BH, except from Chile, it take months, and money. So I did it myself, not that complicated with the right, small, good quality screwdrivers. At least now it's good. I have had other lenses from Samyang/Rokinon where there was tilt, and this is not easy/almost impossible to correct. So best way is to purchase the lens, test it as soon as possible, while in the US, and ship it if it's a lemon. Their lenses are usually very good, very often better than the Canon L series, but quality control needs to be improved a lot. While planning a trip to Iceland to see and photograph aurora borealis, I purchased a Canon 24mm F/1.4. At full aperture, it was catastrophic, giving seagull images of stars in the corner. Shipped it back to Canon, and like a month later, the technical service of Canon France answered me that they had tested the lens, and it was within the quality expected, and the advised me to stop it down to F/4 for the problem to dissapear. Idiots, if I bought a F/1.4 lens it's not to use it at F/4... So I never used it, and bought a Samyang, which, maybe by luck was good. The trip to Iceland was cloudy anyway :(
I got the 12mm Samyang 2.0 on a Sony A6000 (so, APS-C) and could not be any happier taking photos of the night sky.
Thanks for another great video, I could listen to you talk about your passion for hours - keep it up!
That milky way shot is stunning!
Beautiful work and excellent way to explain all the processes!
Hey Nico!
Picked up the Samyang a few months ago at its all time low in price. Got me hooked capturing the milky way again and thats how i found your channel.
Thanks for the videos, they are equally entertaining as they are informative.
Cheers
That's great to hear! It's a really nice lens for the price. Glad you like the videos!
Another great video! I always pick up a thing or two and appreciate the shorter videos!
Nice, detailed comparison! Great!
Still, I wish I knew how the Sony 14mm F1.8 GM compares to these...
like the Sigma minus the stigmatism
Beats them all by a considerable margin (I've had Samyang 14mm, both standard and XP, plus the Sigma 14-24, 14mm f1.8).
Love the sigma 14 1.8 art. It is one of my most used night lenses on the wide end. Using it on a tracker a lot....and on it's own on longer hikes.
I recently got the Samyang and while time, schedule and rain (for the one night I finally had open) have so far gotten in my way of getting a Milky Way image, I’ve been happy with it for the sky pics I have taken.
Have you tried cine lenses for astrophotography? I was looking up the difference between cine lenses and normal (as in common, not 50mm, though it might be 50mm) lenses.
While spendy, they sound excellent for astrophotography. Wide apertures, flat images. very even light distribution, resulting in little to no vignetting. Little to no chromatic aberrations. very precise manual focus. And they are weatherized and very sturdy.
Sammy/rokinon 14mm XP/SP lens is great! Tho I prefer doing panoramas with 35mm for much much better details.
I don't have much experience with wide-angle panos, but that's the same advice I got. I have the Sigma Art 40mm, but my early pano attempts were only so-so. I need to practice :)
There are variations in the quality of the Samyang lenses. The first one of these I received had terrible coma in the centre. I sent it back and in the second sample I received it was not there. I’ve seen others have the same experience. If you can get a good one it’s worth it if you only occasionally shoot this wide.
Another very useful review! Thanks a lot for the energy and time you put in all your videos Nico.
Samyang is definitely not as good as the others, but I’ve had a great experience with my 14mm. It even does pretty decent as a landscape lens. I was just using it for supercell storm photos last week. Great lens for the price.
I have 24mm and 16mm of samyang and i'm very happy for the price. surely it's not a g-master or a L series lens, but the result is really comparable
Excellent comparison
Thanks Alex! Nice video about astrophotography on 35mm film the other week. I have the exact same camera (Canon Elan 7e) and was hoping to try that some time.
It's so hard lol. As soon as the clouds here pass I'll be out again
about to buy the 14mm samyang f2 looks good to me
Great video! I just purchased second hand A7Sii and need widefield lens.
I wish to learn n process on yr next video!! Great job
you really need to try, test, and compare the Irix 15mm/f2.4 BlackStone (or even Firefly - budget version).. the Irix excels in night sky photography.. i love the focus locking ring.. the sharpness/IQ, weather sealed (BlackStone) and other cool features..
Thanks for the recommendation!
Excellent work Niko.
Hello my friend, very nice and informative video, as always! As Nikon user, i found that the best lenses for astro were sigma's art 14mm and 135mm! I still use the 135mm but i sold the 14mm art for the news "kings" for astro, z 20mm f1.8 and the z 14-24mm f2.8
When it comes to UWA lenses mirrorless are really ahead in this area.
Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 DN and Sony 14mm f1.8 GM would probably take the cake in the area.
there are also the really expensive Nikon Z 14-24mm f2.8 and sony 12-24mm f2.8 but those are out the price bracket considered on this video.
Nice Comparisons..I have the Rokinon 14mm 2.8, most of the time i use my Sigma 20mm 1.4dg for my Astro and lightning photos.
I've got the Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 EF mount on my Canon EOS R and is my most used lens for daytime or nighttime at present. You can buy light pollution filters to fit into the standard EF-RF mount adapter or get the ones that fit into the body in front of the sensor. I might consider the Sigma 14mm F1.8, but I wonder if it's worth it considering I have the other Sigma lens?
Venus Optics Laowa f2 15mm RF is fantastic as well
I am intrested in the Laowa too. Could you please do a review of it and maybe the 12mm 2.8 too?
Hi Nico.
Your channel is great I’ve learnt so much thank you.
I have the sigma 14-24mm f2.8 and like the 14mm prime this is an amazingly sharp lens which I have stated using for Astro. Thanks to your videos I’m starting to get some good results.
I have one of that but is the 135mm, no color aberration, almost no distortion and blur in the corners, preaty pointy stars. A little bit of vigneting but with my D850 i can compensate that.
I lived only about 30 minutes north of Hunts (Topsfield) and patronized them. They sent out my Canon 100-400/F4L to be cleaned after a trip to Egypt... LOTS of dust... ($350). I now use my Canon 10-22 3.5/5.6... but I also now have a 22/2.0 for my M50... I have enough lenses for now :-) Thanks! Oh, what's better than roses on a piano? 2 lips on an organ :-)
Would love to see 14GM added to the comparison.
Yes, would be great to see how the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art compares as well.
boring, the gm will crush all others.
I got it and it’s amazing!
@@tkermi the Sigma 14-24 DG DN is comparable to the Sigma 14mm f1.8 set at f2.8, with vignette being the only real difference. 14mm GM beats them all.
@@timwhite1111 Oh, interesting that so different lens constructions have that identical performance. I guess that at least bokeh too has differences. Thanks for the info.
Great video and very timely. I recently rented the the Sigma lens from Lens Rental and problems with the aberration on the edges, I don’t know if it was a focusing problem with me, or using a rental lens. Anyway, since these lenses have tulip hoods how do you precision focusing. Based on previous videos from you the Bahtinov mask isn’t practical, for the ultra wide lens. Thanks
Bill
With my Canon EOS Ra, I have 30x zoom in live view which helps see the small stars and then I simply focus by making the stars as small as possible. I then take a test exposure, and zoom all the way in. I can tell by the appearance of the small stars if I'm in focus or not. Before I had the Ra, I would use 10x zoom in live view with the screen brightness all the way up, and a 2.5x optical loupe. Another option many use is a tethered laptop (bigger screen, or can use software that measures the size of the stars like BackyardEOS, NINA, or SGP), but usually when I'm going this wide, I don't want to use a laptop.
I get the pixel peeping as it shows the individual lenses issues. I was hoping you would have done a finished photograph with each lens to show the differences in the quality you'd get since everyone doesn't have $1600 for the most preferred option. I'd really like to see a photo with the Rokinon 14mm f/2.4 up against the Sigma.
Yeah, wish I had time for that too. I live in a place with very limited clear, dark sky time unfortunately. I can tell you from experience that the finished photos between the Rokinon SP and the Sigma would look very similar if everything was set the same (for example, at f/2.8 or f/4). The Sigma's big advantage is that it's usable at f/2, which is huge for shooting milky way without a tracker.
Absolutely fantastic video and comparison! Thank you so much!
IRIX 15mm f2.8 Blackstone was my upgrade from the Rokinon 14mm. Love the fine adjustment of the IRIX, and glass quality is great. I'm just to cheap to buy the Sigma.
have the Samyang 14mm. Also found that you pretty much have to use it at F4, but luckily I use a star tracker for most work so i don't mind
Hey Nico! Can you do some more untracked dslr deep sky astrophotography tutorials? They are so fun!
Definitely! I have an idea for a new twist on that style of video. Should come out before August
@@NebulaPhotos Yessss!
I have a Venus Optics 12mm f/2.8 which is also not fish eye
Do you like it for astrophotography? I'm always looking for new lenses to check out.
@@NebulaPhotos Yes. I like it but I am not sure if the results are at the same level of those because it is f/2.8 instead f/1.8. However, its horizontal distortion is zero (A series of lens by Venus Optics called D-Zero). It is very very sharp for all type of photography. It is also cheap and you gain more angle for sure. I am not sure if it worths for this increment in the view angle but loosing light compared to these f/1.8 you've shown. It would be interesting to compare them. Since I steach a lot the effect of the f is reduced. However, I use the 20mm Sony f/1.8 and 25mm Zeiss f/2 much more. Hope you could get one to test. My suggest if you get one for testing would be using a compostion where the view is really important to be a fare comparison where the advantages of each one counts.
@@NebulaPhotos Nico, I also use the same lens as Raphael (above) I generally use it for shooting real estate interiors, and it is pretty much Zero Distortion. It's about £900 over here, so in US$ probably a bit cheaper, and I must say, very well made. It feels solid.
This is a shot from two weeks back in a Bortle 2/3 area in Northern England using that lens and a Nikon D850 - flic.kr/p/2m5TdMg
Hi there Nico! I really appreciate your posts. I have learned SO much. I know this is an older video but I'm looking at purchasing a 14mm lens. Anyways, this questions is about the image you have at 4:40 of the Sky Watcher tracker. You have something mounted below the camera in what looks like the polar alignment scope? Is that an eyepiece or assist lens to polar align easier? or? I understand if this response falls through the cracks, but hopefully not!! Thanks! I appreciate it!
Also, if you want to go even wider without going fisheye, you can with the Laowa 12mm T/2.9 and the Rokinon SP 10mm f/3.5 (which I believe is the widest rectilinear full frame lens you can get)
Don't forget the recently released Sony FE 14 mm F1.8 GM.. an excellent choice for Sony FE users imho. Price of the Sigma 14 mm F1.8 is the same, but the Sony is considerably lighter, so easier to carry in the field
Love watching your videos and gear reviews. I’m okay Astro photographer but newbie for tracking. What tracker do you recommend for a beginning that will hike miles to find a nice spot? light weight is appreciated. Thanks in advance
One thing about Samyang is big sample variance. My first Samyang 14/2.8 was very sharp. But the focus thread seized, so it was replaced. This was not as good as the first lens, but was still sharper than a friends EF 14/2.8L. Maybe yours was a bad one.
Have you looked at the sub-14mm “Zero Distortion” lenses from Laowa / Venus Optics?
I use one (12mm Zero D) for real estate photography with a D850 for the day job, but got some great results with it on the Milky Way the other week in a Bortle 2 area. I didn't do such an in depth analysis though, but it looked decent on screen.
@@michaeldutsonlandscapephot2184 Thanks. I’ll take that as another box tick.
To me the winner here is the Samyang f/2.8, but only because it's so cheap. Ofc, the Sigma lens is the best optically, but I don't think it's 6.5 times as good. Also depends on what you wanna do really, for tracked shots, the lower f-stop of the samyang (assuming you're using at the better f/4) really isn't that big of a deal. Without a tracker, the Sigma might be worth it, I guess?
Also I'm a student, so I might be biased to cheap but still decent stuff lmao
Yes, it depends what you are looking for, but I agree the Samyang the best deal if okay with stopping down to f/4 to make it a bit sharper
I have the Rokinon version of that lens, I happened to get it under $200 on amazon during a prime day deal. It's worth getting to start out for sure.
Thanks Nico. Just delivering today to me is the 14mm Rokinon Cine DSX version of the lens you reviewed. I have seen that these lenses vary in their quality control and I'm hoping I'm getting a good copy since I do not have the budget to go Sigma although I have the Sigma 18-35 and I do love it. I am also in the Boston area and battle the light polluted skies often in my backyard. Do you add filters to these and how do you suggest adding a light pollution filter to either of these lenses? I am also receiving an EOS R camera today with the RF mount version of the Rokinon thanks to your great videos.
Excelente objetivos amigo Nico yo tengo el 18/55mm canon con cámara canon EOS Rebel T3 haber que sale a 18mm saludos....
gosh what a difference. At this example price makes a difference. At 1.8 its much sharper than Sammy at 2.8. Sigma produces insane ART lenses. They are the masters of precision optics.
What a great video. Thanks. You proved the old adage that you get what you pay for. I just bought the Samyang 14mm and am very happy with its performance. What's the difference? I am not shooting astrophotography. As you said in the video, you shoot point source lights and thus, you find all the little flaws in a lens. I shoot architectural photography at lower resolution and with plenty of light, so the f5.6 is just fine for my work. Again, pay more, get more. Thanks so much!
I've noticed that you are not using the standard polar illuminator from Sky Watcher at 4:20. What is that thing in the middle of your l-bracket?
It's a piece for connecting my QHY polemaster, an electronic polar scope. Don't use it all the time with star adventurer, but for important stuff like this, I take the time
Great Depth Review!!👍
Thanks! They take a while to put together, so I hope people find the info useful 😁
@@NebulaPhotos Definitely Useful!! I guess the Sigma F2.8 Lens is On my list for The Price Range :)! This was informative!
I think any lens with proper post processing would be good enough for most but my problem is… I’m terrible at post processing lol. Can’t wait until next week’s video!!!
I use Samyang 10mm f/2.8, and it's not quite fish-eye yet, too.
Do you use it with APS-C sized sensor or Full Frame? What do you think, does it look as good as the 14mm I tested here?
@@NebulaPhotos I didn't have a chance to test it on Milky Way yet, just bought it a couple months ago, now we have white nights so there's no Milky Way till at least beginning of August where I live. And I doubt my picture would be as good as yours :)
@@NebulaPhotos It's for Canon and I have 50D (not full frame), I had to plug the lens to my Sony a7s which is a full frame, but I had to activate APS-C mode with it, otherwise the adaptor covered part of the frame. So I don't think it's full frame.
I holde on to the samyang :) Its work perfect for astro and milkyway (14mm 24mm 135mm) I only use tracker, because than i can fix the rest in photoshop. :) IF you are a beginner, just buy samyang and go from there. I have use the samyang for years. Mabe it is just me? :) Dont really understand why to buy expencive lenses.
good video Nico, im loving your videos recently. high quality, good info and your really good at making things make sense, thank you:)
I have both the sigma 14mm and 20mm and the 20mm is even better again. Love my sigma lenses
Have you tried/compared them against Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art? All great lenses so I'm trying to figure out the best for me, thanks 🙂.
@@tkermi No I haven't sorry, I have the 24-105 Art F4.0 and it is also super sharp, I don't think you can go wrong with a Sigma Art lens.
Hey Nico!Can you do a tutorial for the moon untracked??With PIPP and the stuff
I picked up a Viltrox 13mm F1.4 over the holidays for my Fuji crop sensor and have found it very sharp, making me wonder how it would compare here. It's listing for about $460 now and is also available for Sony E and Nikon Z, curious if it's on your radar at all?
I really need to get out and do some more Milky Way projects with my Samyang 14mm f/2.8...but it's been cloudy almost every weekend lately! 😩
Great video!! Do you know, if the sigma 14mm f/1.8 works with the Canon R5?
Yes, you just need the RF to EF adapter and it will work great. I've tested it with the Canon R extensively.
I use to have access to a Sigma 24mm 1.4 art and I love it for Milky Way but once I moved on I recently got myself the Samyang 14mm f/2.8, but I haven’t been the most impressed by it. Recently got a tracker so I need to work on getting some tracked shots. I’ll be looking forward to seeing that stack next week cuz I’m curious how well you shot that untracked over that many light frames.
I think you will find the Samyang better stopped down and on a tracker. Untracked is pretty easy with an ultra-wide, I think I only re-centered once over the course of an hour
I got myself an "Irix 15mm f/2.4 'Blackstone'" after reading many reviews and watching reviews by Dustin Abbott and Christopher Frost. I would say it´s a good alternative to the lenses you reviewed in your video.
Great video. So it looks like you used about an hour, hour and a half to get that final shot, correct? It is untracked, so how did you make sure to have a good reframing. I assume you moved the camera every few minutes?
I did re-center using the bright stars in sagittarius to frame, but not that often since it was so wide. Maybe every 10 minutes or so. After aligning the shots using the stars (free software: sequator or deep sky stacker) there will be some noisy parts around the edge, but you can crop those off.
@@NebulaPhotos excellent thanks! You are my favorite youtube astro guy! :)
The Rokinon or Sigma both good. Unfortunately I have to use the FTX adapter for lenses made for Nikon as they haven’t yet released the Z style for others to make after market lenses. Nikon keeps letting me down. I have the Z6II now
Those sigma 14mm Art 1.8 are holding their values 3 years later. Best used price I see is around $900. The Canon EF 14mm f 2.8 L II is around $600 for a minty lens.
I wonder how the ttartisan 11mm you reviewed in a previous video compares to the Samyang here. Being similar in terms of price, I'm considering one or the other for sony full frame.
The TTArtisan is better IMO, at least the copy I got
I just received my TTartisan 11mm f2.8 yesterday, looks very sharp for a uwa even wide open. But, only tested during the day atm, due to cloud
In anticipation of next week's post please compare and contrast this 355 stacked image at 8s, f/2, ISO3200 to a tracked image of 47 mins at ISO 80 (if I did the math right?, anyway you get the idea) Thanks
If I'm going to use the lens in landacape, can the distortion caused by the 14mm fixed in LR?
Thank you!
I am not sure why it wasn't said in the video, that 14mm lenses are classic lenses for full frame cameras, and 14mm focal length is also min. focal length for full frame before going fisheye.
Anybody who owns crop sensor camera (and most beginners do) should go for Samyang 10mm f/2.8 (and similar optimized for crop sensor)) rather than 14mm to get most from camera/lens combo especially for wide field Milky Way shots from a fixed tripod.
To me clearly the Sigma is the winner, if cost is not the main unit of measure. I would rather pay more for the Sigma because the AF makes it usable to me in daylight for creative activities not just for astro. I do own Sigma 24mm 1.4, 50mm 1.4, 70-200mm 2.8, 150-600mm 5.0-6.3 ... so probably I am biased enough... but I find sigma Art and Sports series equivalent or even better than Canon EF counterpart lenses at a fraction of the cost. I would like to see an astro comparison between 14mm prime, 24mm prime and their zoom 14-24 f2.8. Although the zoom variant is 2.8, sharpness and aberration wise it's almost as good as the primes and if you need more than one in that range perhaps it makes sense.
You missed a great lens out - Samyang 12mm f2.0 Which is a fantastic super wide lens and does not fisheye, had mine for years and love it.😊
Hey, the Samyang 12mm is an amazing Lens for APS-c, which is an 18mm equivalent on Full Frame, which this Video is talking about.
The Samyang 12mm f2 is a APSC crop lens and has an 18mm FF Equivalent Field of view, ie, is not a wide lens.
Know your lens before you bring it up like people don't know
I still don't know which Lens I should get for Milky Way shots.
Did you have a chance to test out the Laowa 15mm f2 Cero D?
If not, maybe you could make a review/comparison with it as well, would be great. :)
At the moment I use my Laowa 15mm f4 Macro for Milky Way, but let's be honest, this is simply neither made for it, nor does it look good.
I haven't yet, but it's on my list to test.
Between the issuing of this video and Aug 2024, Sigma have released the new 14/1.4, which blows the 1.8 version out of the water
To me, definitely worth the price
The only problem is that to use it on my Z-mount I’ll have to buy an adapter
And they are a mixed bag…
Yes, I reviewed it and compared it to the 1.8 with the same tests as in this video here: ruclips.net/video/zGzDrLCDYEI/видео.html I agree that it is worth the price if one is after technical perfection. I’ve heard the Sony 14mm is very good too and much lighter, but I don’t have a way to test it.
I purchased a Rokinon 14mm 2.8. ED as if umc on eBay it said for Canon but it doesn't fit my 4000d it's a EF/efs mount...is there an adapter of some I can purchase to solve my issue?
Sharp lenses are almost ALWAYS worth the extra $$$. They save the photographer sooo much time and produce images you can count on.
Hey man I turn off all distortion control in camera if I am going to stack subs, is that proper? 😁
Yes, that's what I usually do, but it's worth some experimentation as every camera is different. That's why I didn't go any deeper about the in-camera corrections, as there are too many camera-specific differences to make many general statements.
comparing with these Lens,
What you think about have a Canon 14mm f/2.8 II , regardless of the budget ?!
Can`t wait tutorial as got some my own samples of MW.
*Sony 14mm f/1.8 GM enters the chat*
I bought this lens a few day ago 😁👍🏼 absolutely love it!
Why not sony 11 mm 1.8 apsc using in crop mode in full frame...will give around 14-16 mm 2.7 ....and it's much cheaper..
@@drashutoshshrivastava771 , maybe because he wants the f1.8 and because the APS-C mode crops and image down from 24mp to 10.66mp on the Sony a7iii
R.I.P. Alyn…😢
Rip Alyn
Samyang/Rokinon lenses have notoriously poor quality control between samples. If you get a good Samyang 14mm f/2.8, it's a keeper for its modest price, as many users will attest.
Yep, forgot to mention that I've had 3 copies of the lens over the years. First one I had was pretty good, but I sold it for some reason. Next one I got was pretty poor, and I returned it. This one is decent, maybe not the best they come, but I think a pretty fair middle ground for what to expect.
@@NebulaPhotos Thank you Nico. Small samples are always dodgy - and I'm not remotely a statistician. Anyway, I'm very keen to hear your views on my recent comment elsewhere on your channel as to "old school" views on telescope aperture versus today's imaging technology - technology which seems to debunk the old adage, namely that "you can't ignore the laws of physics". It seems that we can, nowadays. Best wishes, Ant.
Hi thanks for this comparison, much appreciated. Those Sigma ART lenses are something else, I use the 50 & 85 mainly for portraiture. May I ask a question, question, 2 of the 3 lenses that you tested came good at f4, the Sigma was good even wider. I have a Pano 16-35 f4 which I use mainly for landscape, as someone looking at getting into astro, would the Pano be a suitable lens or more importantly a capable lens with a max f4? You may not have experience of this lens but in principle, maybe?!! Like your style in your videos, dependable straight to talk, subscribing for even more learning. Thank you.
If you can't find any detailed samples online, you'll just have to try it to find out. I haven't had much luck with f/4 lenses wide open, but you never know.
0:38 nah just go on mpb or keh and get a used lens for less than 100.
Are all the photos that are shown in this video pre-processing or post-processing?
I have the sony 12-24 2.8 gm. Hopefully thats good for this!
Wow, the more money you spend, the better the lens is... Shocking! 😀
I have the Rokinon 14mm f2.8 AF lens, any suggestions on how to focus that lens when shooting the milky way ?
As with all manual lenses. You have to focus on a distant lightsource (with live view punched in) OR focus during daytime on the horizon and lock the focus somehow.
I been wanting to buy this lens for my Sony A7 III to do Astro photography but the price kind of scared me lol
Thanks a lot for your information. I have a big problem with one of my Milky Way shots. I'm working on it since two years now. I love this picture, but with every attempt to process it it gets worse. Can I reach you in any way?
yes: nicocarver at gmail dot com
6:48 sigma with f/2.8, there's a shooting star in the middle of the picture 😂😂😂
Make a video on nebula photography with a newtonian and a phone plssss
This guy knows his stuff….
Wow, lots of confusion and misinformation in the comment section. 1) There is no such thing as a Samyang/Rokinon 14mm F/2.0. You have the 14mm F/2.8 for full frame, and the 12mm F/2.0 for APS-C. 2) The Venus Optics Laowa 15mm F/2.0 is not 14mm. It's a 15mm.
Samyang products are also sold under a wide variety of different brand names. Some examples are Rokinon, Bower, Opteka, Vivitar, Phoenix and Quantaray. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samyang_Optics
I own the Samyang branded 14mm f2.4
I think the Fujinon 10-24 f/4 wins ;), Disappointed with the Sigma Art lens as my experience with other Art lenses has proved great
I think I didn't emphasize this in the video enough, but I think the Samyang/Rokinon corner performance looks better mostly because the lenses are so soft in the corners. The Sigma is so sharp, the abberations are more defined. I'm not disappointed with it though. Pretty amazing lens!
Is the vdslr II 14mm t3.1 good?
The astrobin link in the description is broken. It's loading an error 404
Thanks you! fixed :)
I feel like the sony 14mm f1.8 GM is the best ultra wide angle lens for astrophotography
I'd love to try it, but need to get a Sony camera first 😂 Have you tried it for astrophotography?
@@NebulaPhotos well actually no😂....but i have seen a lot of reviews of that lens and all of them said it was really really amazing for astro. It had noticeably lesser coma and better edge sharpness when compared to the already great sigma 14mm lens!
Would any of these be good for Real Estate photography?
What's about Sony 14mm 1,8 GM?
I have a question, I am a beginner in astrophotography! I am interested since November 2020 but only have a phone to do astrophotography that is very bad:/ And I have a budget of 600€!!
I wanted to ask if you could suggest a DSLR cam that is good for photography and that is able to do astrophotography too:) Not just wide angle from all the stars but a cam that is able to do pictures of deep sky objects.
I think it is literally impossible because of the budget:(
Do you mean your total budget is 600 Euro? You could certainly get a good DSLR for astrophotography with that budget (Used Nikon D5300 or Canon 600D), but getting a suitable lens that isn't wide angle may be harder without some eBay luck. I'd look at adapting an old m42 soviet lens with that budget.
@@NebulaPhotos thanks man!!