This is probably my first and only comment on YT so far, not much of a commentator... however in this case, I feel like I just need to, simply to tell you; good job! Great presentation skills, knowledge and delivery, all in all, great channel. Considering the channel is still in it's early days/numbers, figured a message like this will hopefully motivate you to keep up the good work. You certainly deserve way more subscribers and views and I'm sure you will with this level of quality content. Anyway, you get the gist, thank you for all your hard work and I wish you all the best Mike.
Thanks so much for your really kind words! I’ve been working hard on my videos to make them as clear and concise as possible (it bugs me when people don’t and waffle on about random stuff!). Messages like this definitely motivate me to keep going so I really appreciate it!! Lots more to come as well so stay tuned!! 😁👍
Excellent comparison, thanks. My favorite is the Batis 18mm 2.8. I think it is the perfect focal length, quite wide without extreme distortions. It is superbly sharp but it does come at a price.
Thanks Diego! The batis range is a fantastic set of lenses. I have the 25mm but haven’t used the 18mm. I bet it’s a fantastic lens for Astro. One thing I don’t like with the 14mm samyang is the distortion...there is so much at the edges! You definitely get what you pay for! 👍
All u need is the Laowa 15mm f2 for the Wide shot and use Crop mode (22.5mm equivalent) for portrait. Better amount of light and versatility. Thanks for the quality video anyway
The Laowa is a great lens but it is quite expensive. I'd prefer to use a 24mm instead of using the crop mode to get more detail in the finished image, but great to hear your thoughts. Thanks for watching. 👍
Muchas gracias por la información, creo que me quedo con el 24mm porque no me gusta la distorsión, una pasada las fotos de la vía láctea con el 14mm y con el 24mm, se pueden hacer buenos encuadres con ambos pero vigilando la distorsión, se ve que según la composición se acentuan más las distorsiones, bien explicado si señor y con imagenes que acompañan perfectamente, un grande.
Exceptionally great tip, regarding the working out the infinity point before going out in the dark. I've always been using a torch and focusing on an object and its been a real pain. So I am going to give this a whirl. Thank you very much. And All round great vid. Subscribed.
Thanks so much Jim! It's definitely worth working out that infinity point in the day...makes it much easier to confidently turn it to the place you know is the true infinity point. And thanks for the sub, for watching and for commenting, much appreciated. 😁👍
How about panorama with the 24mm? It combines best of both worlds: The faster aperture, and a wider field of view. And: Less distortion. What do you think?
I have the 24mm on order in Canon fit. Looking forward to using it on my GFX 50R with an adapter. Allowing for use of the 3:2 crop on the Fuji, plus a little bit of extra cropping to take out vignetting, it should give me the equivalent of around 20 mm, which should be a good compromise focal length. I agree with your views on the two focal lengths. I have both the Samyang 12mm and the 8 mm fisheye for my Fuji X system (aps-c sensor). I do find I’m reaching for the fisheye more often, and “de-fishing” in Photoshop where necessary for the aesthetics of the shot. The 14mm would be insane on the GFX, but I suspect the image circle would be just too small for the medium format sensor. A technically great video by the way; excellent audio and crisp, well planned dialogue.
14mm on a medium format would be so ridiculously wide, but would be fun to shoot with...but I think you're right, the image circle would probably be a little small for the sensor. Thanks very much! I have a lot of fun making these videos, and I try to make them as easy to digest as possible. 👍
Yeah, I’ve shot the stars with a 50mm. It works, you just have to think differently. Wide angles don’t have to be the only lens a photographer uses for everything.
Most definitely! It really got me thinking about the shot. I think it would work really well in the mountains on a clear night. It was really tricky in the desert when I shot my astro with a 50mm video...so much haze towards the horizon that there was no chance of getting any of the landscape in the shot.
My question would be. It appears as a lens the 24 1.4 is better in the corners. With such a small time investment, under 30 seconds, why not use the 24 and take 2 shots and stich them together? or 4 shots even, you can add distortion in post, you might not be able to add compression or rather the opposite that a wide angle gives. It would seem you want sharp corners, no coma . Which does that better? Personally, I would buy a 15mm diagonal fisheye if you want distortion for FF.
At 7:10, how are you able to do that? If you have to take a long exposure to get the milky way, how are you focused and not blurry? There's no way anyone could remain perfectly still for 15-30 seconds. I'm confused!!
Good question Thomas. If you had the original image and zoomed in, the person would show a little ghosting, but as a full image, it works ok. I just stayed as still as I possibly could. Sometimes you do have to take a few to get a good one but it is a fun one to try. 😁👍 Thanks for watching.
Superb video, Mike. I've been looking at these two lenses for a while and this is a great comparison. Great presenting style, all the facts and no waffle. Great work!
Thanks so much Neil, I really appreciate your comment! I really enjoy making these so there will be a lot more coming this year....and it’s all about the lack of waffle! 😆👍
This was a helpful video! One thing I was hoping to see was a comparison of both lenses wide open at the same ISO. I understand the shutter speed has to be different to avoid star trails but It would be cool to see a comparison of light gathering potential of both these lenses.
Good stuff! I just took my first milkyway time-lapse last week. I've got the Sigma 16mm f1.4 - but I'm using it on a Sony a6600 so it's a 24mm after crop. Still, super happy with the results. Looking forward to getting to some truly dark-sky regions and having more fun. :) Thanks for the info!
Awesome to hear. The A6600 and 16mm sigma is a great combination isn't it!! I got that setup for my vlogging camera recently and love it...cant wait to properly try it out under the stars...id like to do a comparison between that and the A7iii and 24mm 1.4 as well...it would be interesting to see how they compare. 😁👍
Unbiased opinion before watching the video: I'd pick the 24mm without question because of a simple reason: you can shoot a 24mm pano and get the same FOV as the 14mm, however if the f ratio is the same (which usually Isn't since 14mm tend to be less bright because of manufacturing costs) the 24mm will produce a FAR better image than the 14mm because you are capturing way more signal for a given area of sky due to the bigger physical aperture.
That’s a really good point. Panos definitely increase the megapixel count and therefore give you more detail! I’ve got a video coming out in the new year on astropanos with the 24mm and this is definitely a good reason to pick the 24mm over the 14mm. Thanks for the input!! 👍
It's true. A 24mm f/1.4 has a clear aperture of over 17mm compared with 5mm on the 14mm. Astronomers use aperture to measure their telescopes, rather than focal length because aperture decides the magnitude down to which you can see with it. F-stop doesn't really matter that much but it helps in two ways. First it helps to figure out what the clear aperture of your lens is and second it's usually a good guide in that faster lenses are usually better suited. This is not always the case but as a general rule, it works pretty well. At the moment I'm looking for an old OM Zuiko 24mm f/2...
14mm APS-C and 24mm full frame will give you almost the same field of view. I like the 24mm myself as I use a mount that tracks the sidereal rate of the Earth rotation so I can get much longer exposures. A 50mm is good for closer constellation shots if you use a tracking mount.
That's right Joe, and in using a tracker it definitely helps with exposure times...I've got some great images with the 85mm and the sky watcher star adventurer. When you have a tracker, it almost mitigates the need to have super fast lenses as well...although it is nicer having those extra f stops when you need them! Thanks for watching and commenting, much appreciated! 👍
Now you’re just making me envious!! That’s definitely one on my shopping list. 😁👍 I hire that and the 70-200mm gm when shooting events but haven’t got my own yet....it’s only a matter of time. 👍
Mike Smith I also have the Sony 24-70 F2.8 GM. It’s a great lens too but I prefer to shoot Astro wide! I fought that 16-35 used on eBay. It was one heck of a deal. I was thinking of getting that Sigma 14 F1.8 art! That looks like the ultimate Astro lens! That 70-200 GM looks like a beast!
Awesome! It’s always great when you get a deal on a fantastic lens! Yeah, the 70-200mm GM is a fantastic lens, I sulk every time I have to take it back to the hire shop! 😆 Yes, I was thinking either the sigma or the Laowa 15mm f2 manual lens... choices choices!!
Thanks dude!! Really appreciate the words of encouragement!! Lots more to come so keep coming back every Thursday! I’ll also be doing the “in under a minute” videos more from next month...they seemed to go down really well and I’ve got lots of ideas fro bite sized bits of info for everyone! 👍
I ended up buying the Laowa 12mm 2.8. I kinda wish I had bought the 15mm 2.0, but I am hoping the 2.8 will work for me. I have a Batis 18mm 2.0 that might work. The weather has been really crappy here. Just too miserable or overcast to get any astro shots. Thanks for another winning video.
I’ve been using the Laowa 12mm recently. It’s a solid lens for Astro and architecture. It does have a bit of vignetting wide open but nothing major. I’d really like to test the 12mm vs 15mm Laowa lenses, that would be an interesting comparison! How is the batis 18mm? I have the 25mm and it is by far my favourite lens!
@@mikesphotography I love the 18mm. So much that I bought the Batis 40mm (I don't have a 35mm prime and will use the 40, instead) and I bought the Batis 135mm (for portraits, my longest zoom lens is the 24-70GM). I kinda went Zeiss crazy, but not sorry. I'd love to see your expert review of the Laowa lenses. You do such a nice presentation, any comparison of any photo products will be great to see. I look forward to your vids.
Oh wow, You went batis crazy!! I bet the 135mm is a fantastic lens!!!....and all worth every penny! Definitely going to try and get the 15mm f2 Laowa for a test drive at least... Thanks so much for all the support Robert, it’s really appreciated and helps when things get hectic and deadlines are looming!! 😁👍
Hey Mike, Thank you for making the very informative video comparing the Rokinon 14mm to the Rokinon 24mm. What I would like to ask you is what your thoughts are about the middle of the road 20mm Rokinon f/1.8 lens would be? Thank you for your time and any opinion you may have of this lens. Brian
I'd say the 20mm would be a great compromise between the two. I haven't used it so I can't comment on any specific qualities of the lens, but I know a lot of people enjoy using the 20mm focal length, so it would be a great option. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Great comparison Mike. I have the 14mm Rokinon but am thinking of changing it to the 24mm since I find the 14mm too soft and a very specialist lens. What are your thoughts on shooting Milky way panoramas with the 24mm? Seems a good way to get similar frame of 14mm, and I can better use the 24mm for portraits and Street photography
Thanks Michael! The 24mm is a great lens. You’d have to stop it down a few clicks to avoid coma aberrations when doing panoramas, but it’s a great lens for that at around f2.0. You’d definitely be able to get the same angle by stitching images together...but it’s a much longer workflow. You’re right about the 14mm being a specialist lens, I rarely use it for anything but wide field astrophotography and the 24mm would be much more versatile especially for your needs. I hope that helps
Wonderful video, thanks a lot! I wanna see where to invest, 24mm seems more versatile to me as I would rather have something along with the stars in the image that looks more "natural". But that wide lens is mint, maybe get one later after that.
Thanks so much! They are both great lenses and well worth having. I'd start with the 24mm and then once you can afford it, get the wide angle. I use them both about the same amount and they both always come with me on shoots! 👍
Between these two lenses and the 20mm f1.8 from samyang, which one would you say is best for astrophotography on an APS-C camera? I like the wider 14mm especially considering the crop factor, however the 20mm's f1.8 also sounds good. Would love to hear your opinion.
Another wonderful tutorial, Mike. Quick question. When you use your torch (we call it a flashlight here in Canada, despite our shared heritage) do you "paint" your car with light, or merely hold the beam steady? Again, fabulous instruction. As a quick aside, I couldn't have updated the firmware to version 3.0 on my A7III without your gentle guidance. All the best.
Thanks so much Matthew, I generally paint the light in to the shot with strokes...you can also move your position to give the impression that the light is coming from a bigger source...this will then give it a softer look. 👍 Here's my light painting video: ruclips.net/video/kbCWZf2C13Q/видео.html&t That's great to hear the firmware update video helped...its very different to the canon firmware update process (which I prefer)!
Great video, great topic and great works as usual Mike ! i shoot real-state and restaurants a lot , I currently use Nikon 7200 and I'm thinking of upgrading to Sony 7iii since the majority of my works are videos. I use Sigma 8-16 mm on my dx body and I like how the 8 mm looks like! I like how it stretches the space and corners giving that drama to the image. So I think the 14mm will be needed for me, however I can afford only one of them and I dont know whether i can make it without any 24mm focal length in my bag !!
muhammad obaid real estate can be challenging at times but a lot of fun and you get to see lots of different homes and apartments! 👍 The 14mm would definitely give you a similar field of view however it does distort the image at the edges quite a bit. I’d see if you could try one out first before buying. Also with video you have the crop mode so it would give you the option of a tighter crop with the 14mm. 👍
I have sony a7iii as a professional I am advocate or I start short filmmaking business currently I have sony 28 or 50 mm lens 70mm sigma lens now which lens you suggest for future short film because I have normal light or accessories already but confuse in lens selection
For film, I'd suggest not getting the 14mm as there is so much distortion towards the edges for film making. I'd maybe go with something like the 18mm batis, the 20mm sony or the 15mm laowa. These all control the distortion a lot better and give you a nice wide shot for film making. If these are too expensive, go with the samyang 24mm. I hope that helps. 👍
That is true, but in reality, this would rarely be a problem for the average joe ... and in getting focus during the day, you will be able to learn how your lens works in good light. Thanks for watching 👍
I have seen this video at least 5 times and I cannot decide between the sony 24mm f1.4 gm and the sigma 14mm f1.8. Do you ave a clue? Same price here in luxembourg. I have a star tracker too. Know I have the samyang, but i am nit happy with the f2.8 results
Hi Paul, that is a tricky one. It does come down to personal preference. I really like the 14mm look when the milkyway is high in the sky. You can get the same shot with the 24mm by stitching shots together, but that’s a lot of work. On the other hand the 24mm does produce great looking images especially when the core of the milkyway is lower in the sky...and is more practical for other uses as well. I love using it to shoot b-roll and wide angle shallow depth shots. If you don’t mind stitching shots for wide angle astrophotography images, I’d recommend getting the 24mm gm, if you’re not that into stitching shots, get the 14mm. I hope that helps 👍
Great video mate. You've got pretty quality content for your sub count, hopefully that changes soon! I only have crop so I bought the 16mm F2. I wish I had FF though, the 24mm would give me that stop back, and the sensor is a least a stop or two better in ISO performance as well. But that's alright, the 16mm is fantastic. Have you tried the Sigma 14mm F1.8? That lens out to be a beast for astro.
Thanks! I really appreciate your kind words! I’m getting good growth on the channel at the mo and only be posting regularly for a year now so long may it continue!! Got loads more to come as well. 👍 Yeah, the 16mm f2 is a great lens!! Good to hear you’re getting good results with it! I haven’t tried the 14mm 1.8 yet but I’m definitely trying to get my hands on one!! I’d like to try the Laowa 15 f2 as well....would be a good test comparing those two! It would be like an ultimate beast test!!! 😆
Hello Mike! I am considering getting either of these lenses and I have a question for you. When using both lenses at the longest possible exposure time (let’s assume that’s using the 500 rule) and widest aperture (f/2.8 for the 14mm and f/1.4 for the 24mm), which enables you to use a lower ISO and how high is that? Thank you and well done for the excellent content.
Good question. So when you take into account the 500 rule and shutter speed, the 24mm lets in a stop and a half more light. Therefore the 24 will be brighter and therefore will cope with a lower iso. However did you see my video on iso invariance? This blew my mind as to how much can be recovered with the lower ISO’s. If you haven’t seen it check it out when you get some time: ruclips.net/video/FaUb5RshHEg/видео.html Thanks
Mike Smith Yes, I have and it has greatly helped me. After watching that video, I conducted some tests myself with my own camera, which resulted in getting the most out of it with my astro pictures!
Subscribed and love your videos Mike! Very useful and informative thank you! I'm a beginner, have a Canon SL2/200D and am heading to the Maldives for my honeymoon at the end of the month and would love to do some astrophotography there as well as some day to day wide lense shots. What lenses would you recommend in this situation? Comparing the images on your video, like yourself I prefer the wider image from the 14mm. Thanks and you are a life saver!
Awesome!! Glads I could help! Thats the updated version of what I used to shoot with a long time ago (the 600D)! It's a neat little camera and can produce some great results! If you prefer the wider image, I'd go for the sigma 10-20mm and shoot at 10mm....that's what I used to use with my 600D. It's a great first time wide lens and you should be able to get a second hand one at a reasonable price. Also it has the little window on the top of the lens showing where the focus is, so you can set it to the infinity point when manually focussing, before even turning the camera on, which is an absolute timesaver for astrophotography. It's also quite versatile being able to zoom to 20mm.....a little like the 16-35mm on a full frame camera. I hope that helps. 👍
Thanks Mike! That's the one I will get then! Can I just check though which (F) aperture option I should choose please? I have had a quick glance online and there seems to be a couple of different lense options (f3.5 or f4-5.6). Other astrophotography tutorials I have seen tend to recommend the lower number. Thanks again mate much appreciated, hopefully I'll get some great shots in the Maldives with it!
RecruiterTravels, I went with the f4-5.6 when I had my 600D. The two time lapses at the start of this video (ruclips.net/video/XPVEEiYZQCI/видео.html ) were shot with it. I did want to go with the f3.5.....and it will definitely give you a little more light when you open up the aperture........but I think the filter ring is 82mm and I had a whole set of 77mm filters so this tipped me over to getting the F4-5.6. Here a link to my old Flickr account......I didn't even know Flickr was still around😆.......anyway, all of these photos were taking with the 600D and the 10-20mm f4.5.6.....Looking back on them, I messed up my white balance (a little too much blue in the sky), but it shows you can get really good results with this combo. www.flickr.com/photos/miketigerfootsmith/albums/72157633794249028/with/9498349684/ The main thing is to find the darkest place to shoot from; if you pick your location wisely, you can get some great results with that combo. I hope that helps. 👍
RecruiterTravels Forgot to say: with your aperture lower is definitely better, but lower is also more expensive.......you could go for the samyang/rokinon 14mm f2.8 but this won't be very wide on your 200D......this was another reason I originally went for the 10-20mm sigma. And also if you're using it in the day, you'll probably want the versatility the zoom gives you. 👍
Again thanks Mike you've gone above and beyond and being a novice I really appreciate it. The time lapses look amazing! I don't have any filters to sway me one way or another, and in China where I live the 3.5 seems to be a reasonable price at around 3000RMB (about 330 GBP) so I will likely just go for the 3.5. Thanks again and if all goes to plan and I get some decent shots I will let you take a look! Cheers
I personally prefer the Samyang 21mm F1.4 ..Less distortion than 14mm but still captures a decent wide frame..Also set to F2.2 The images are significantly sharper.. Another option for your subscribers to consider..Nice comparison Mike..
Interesting, I haven’t used the 21mm but I think I’ll have to try it out after your recommendation. The 14mm is pretty bad for distortion and it really shows with any buildings, cars or people in the shot. Thanks for watching and commenting! 😁👍
Excellent...I'm starting to use my 25mm Batis more, but it does feel a little too tight, so the 21mm is definitely being added to my shopping list!! 😁👍
Now thats a hard decision to make.....what will you be shooting mostly? If it is solely for astrophotography, I'd get the Laowa but if you want to use if for other things, like landscape photography, then I'd say get the 16-35mm. They are both great lenses so you would get some amazing results with both.
No worries Olivier. It did help a little bit but you’ve still got to plan for it. The vertical shot I got next to the antenna was a funky shot but not really useable and this was down to the distortion. The Laowa 15mm might be a better option if you have the budget.
You video is amazing, super helpful. Appreciate that. I have a couple of questions need your help. 1. How do you think of Samyang 14mm F2.4? And compare to Laowa 15mm F2? 2. What adaptor do you use for you super wide angel lenses? Does it decrease the image quality of UWA lens, especially the corners?
Hey Ryan, I’m really happy that you’re liking my videos! 👍 To be honest, I haven’t tried those two lenses yet. I should be getting the Laowa 15mm for next years milkyway season so I’m looking forward to that. The samyang 14mm f2.4 is an autofocus lens isn’t it? Looks interesting but it would be good to see how it manual focusses as most autofocussing systems are rubbish in the dead of night. I use the sigma MC-11 adapter. My 14mm samyang distorts quite a bit on the edges but no more than it did on my canon 6d.
Mike Smith Thanks for the detailed reply. I considered the Laowa 15mm F2 before. However, after comparing it with Sigma 14mm 1.8 and Rokinon 14mm 2.4 (which is also a manual lens), I ended up going to choose the Rokinon 14mm 2.4. Its sharpness is amazing even wide open from edge to edge, even better than the Sigma. Also, it’s coma control is impressive for Astro photography, which is better than Sigma and Laowa. There are two major drawbacks of it. Distortion and Vegnett, but I think both can be fixed easily.
Ah cool. I didn’t realise the samyang 14 2.4 was a manual lens. That’s good to know so thanks for that info! Yeah a lot of the wide lenses do suffer from vignette and distortion....that’s why I mentioned the Laowa as it’s meant to be pretty good at controlling it.....it would be great to get all of the lenses together at once and spend a whole night shooting with all of them......I’m not sure my bank manager would like me abusing my account that much though!! 😆
Mike Smith Haha. Anyway, look forward to your every new video. I did not know your channel before. Since I watched your first one that recommended by RUclips, I immediately checked all tour videos and added them to my watch later list. Now I am still watching your videos one by one. Really appreciate your high quality works.
Thanks so much Ryan! And I really appreciate your support! 👍 Also if you’re interested I have started a weekly newsletter that has links to my latest videos, any sample images I have available for download to accompany the videos as well as any significant photo news that week.....one a week, no more than that. So if you’re interested, head over to my website and sign up at the bottom of my home page: www.boxheadmike.com No worries if not. 👍
It depends on what you are going to be using it for. If you do a lot of landscape and portrait photography, I'd say go for the A7riii, if you do a little bit of video as well as photography, go for the a7iii. 👍
@@mikesphotography Thanks ....just I forgot mention in my question about those cameras, what you recommend for astrophotography? jajajja my mistake ... thanks a lot
No worries...they are too close to pick between the two. You have the higher megapixels of the a7rii but then the a7iii has much better battery power. I'd probably base it on your budget...if you can afford the a7iii, get that, but if your budget is a little smaller, go for the A7rii. 👍
Hi mike I have been shooting light trails lately and want to get into astro this year. I have a 6d with the 50mm stm 1.8 and a samyang 24mm 1.4. I did some light trails with both and found the 50mm a breeze to work with but the 24 mm manual focus a pain especially when you move positions when it's getting darker so hard to tell if it's in focus. I'm a newbie to this any tips, Great content 👍
Hi Toby, I thought it would be the other way around. How did you focus the 50mm or did the autofocus work? With the samyang, I’m guessing it’s the manual focus model...what you want to do is work out where the infinity point is in the day by going to a high point so you can see far away to the horizon. Then focus on that point using the magnifier to get critical focus... After that either mark the lens or remember where the focus ring sits when it’s at infinity (mine is just inside the infinity marker). When you go out at night, you just put the focus ring back to that point and you’ll know it’s in focus. All you’ll have to do then is check it ever now and then. I hope that helps.
Whats the best lens for either Canon T8i or Canon 90D? I mean the best lens not best budget. THE BEST. I need the price to be under 1200$. Also is Canon T8i or Canon 90D good for Astrophotography? Which one between the two is better?
Even though the 90d has 8 more megapixels, they will both perform about the same for astrophotography. They are both crop sensor cameras and will give a similar amount of detail. As for the "best" lens for it...there is no such thing. The better the lens, the more expensive it will be. You could pay $10,000 for a lens and it will only be a little bit better than a $1000 lens...but it will make the job a lot easier, and this is why professionals will pay a lot of money for lenses. With your budget, I'd go for the Laowa 12mm f2.8 amzn.to/2Z3x3Jd ...or the sigma 14mm f1.8 art amzn.to/2NY7OSb Thanks for watching. 👍
Thanks! 👍 I haven’t had any experience with that lens yet, although as long as you get a good version, it would be a fantastic lens for astrophotography!
Sure, it is the Sony SEL16F28 E Mount - APS-C 16mm F2.8 Prime Lens. I have a Sony a6000. Here's a video link. (I mentioned 14mm by mistake) ruclips.net/video/4FTkbBlIcwI/видео.html
No worries, It should be ok as it is 2.8 and will let in a lot of light. Do you have it already or are you thinking of buying it? If you haven't got it yet, another one to think of is the 12mm samyamg 2.8. It's a little wider and will be better during the milkyway season. I hope that helps. 👍
Hey I have a budget of $3440 and I was planning to buy sony a7iii ,I shoot portraits only. Which lens should I buy keeping versatility and sharpness in mind ?
I’d say to get the a7iii and the either the 55mm 1.8 or the 85mm 1.8. If it’s purely portraits, the 85mm, if you want to get a bit of the environment in the background, the 55mm. I hope that helps.
Awesome! Thanks so much for the sub! Lots more to come so keep tuning in!! Also if you have any ideas for videos, let me know and I’ll see what I can do! 👍
Thanks so much Tony! I’m hoping to get my hands on some more lenses in the near future to do more of these. Hopefully the Laowa lenses as they seem really popular for astrophotography. 👍
I haven’t shot with the rokinon AF so I’m not sure. But looking at amazon reviews, it sounds like it’s a fantastic lens. A lot of really positive 5 star comments on it. For shooting Astro, focussing will be challenging though.
@jesuschrist2284 ... Ummm ok. So if I took into account the past and present actions of governments around the world and excluded any I didn't agree with... I'd pretty much have no where to go... except for maybe Iceland... The US and UK supply a lot of the world with arms to kill eachother as well as destabilisation of many different countries but probably best not go there as the secret service might come crashing through my window and arrest me for being a dissident 🤔🤦🏻♂️
Great video Mike, very good info! I would choose the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 instead of both those two lenses. I own the rokinon 14mm, and the IQ/sharpness does not come even close to the Tamron, you don't get any distortion, nor vignetting plus you get flawless autofocus! Want a wider shot? do panoramas. It's so easy to do panoramas In astrophotography ! in case you want to see an example shot: unsplash.com/photos/EAH3N7R-Ngs
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
This is probably my first and only comment on YT so far, not much of a commentator... however in this case, I feel like I just need to, simply to tell you; good job!
Great presentation skills, knowledge and delivery, all in all, great channel. Considering the channel is still in it's early days/numbers, figured a message like this will hopefully motivate you to keep up the good work. You certainly deserve way more subscribers and views and I'm sure you will with this level of quality content.
Anyway, you get the gist, thank you for all your hard work and I wish you all the best Mike.
Thanks so much for your really kind words! I’ve been working hard on my videos to make them as clear and concise as possible (it bugs me when people don’t and waffle on about random stuff!).
Messages like this definitely motivate me to keep going so I really appreciate it!!
Lots more to come as well so stay tuned!! 😁👍
I am just in the decision process for 14/15mm vs. 24 and this video was super helpful. Thank you.
Or the 24mm + a properly set up tripod for a multi-shot panorama :D
Excellent comparison, thanks. My favorite is the Batis 18mm 2.8. I think it is the perfect focal length, quite wide without extreme distortions. It is superbly sharp but it does come at a price.
Thanks Diego! The batis range is a fantastic set of lenses. I have the 25mm but haven’t used the 18mm. I bet it’s a fantastic lens for Astro. One thing I don’t like with the 14mm samyang is the distortion...there is so much at the edges!
You definitely get what you pay for! 👍
Finally someone gives an actual answer, thanks a lot mate! I'm a fan!
Thank you! Glad you like it!! Lots more to come this year so keep checking back. 👍
You did a real service to all us astrophotographers . Thanks so much.
I hope so! 😁 And thanks for watching.👍👍
All u need is the Laowa 15mm f2 for the Wide shot and use Crop mode (22.5mm equivalent) for portrait. Better amount of light and versatility. Thanks for the quality video anyway
The Laowa is a great lens but it is quite expensive. I'd prefer to use a 24mm instead of using the crop mode to get more detail in the finished image, but great to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for watching. 👍
Excellent information is exactly what I am looking for! Love your video and pictures! Thank you!
Thanks very much Jasmine! 😁👍
“I then walked to the top of the sand dune and changed lens”… balls of steel!
Haha!!! ... And then a few hours later I took my camera to the Sony store because it had to be cleaned...😆
Muchas gracias por la información, creo que me quedo con el 24mm porque no me gusta la distorsión, una pasada las fotos de la vía láctea con el 14mm y con el 24mm, se pueden hacer buenos encuadres con ambos pero vigilando la distorsión, se ve que según la composición se acentuan más las distorsiones, bien explicado si señor y con imagenes que acompañan perfectamente, un grande.
Exceptionally great tip, regarding the working out the infinity point before going out in the dark. I've always been using a torch and focusing on an object and its been a real pain. So I am going to give this a whirl. Thank you very much. And All round great vid. Subscribed.
Thanks so much Jim! It's definitely worth working out that infinity point in the day...makes it much easier to confidently turn it to the place you know is the true infinity point.
And thanks for the sub, for watching and for commenting, much appreciated. 😁👍
Great review! A photo with a watch up to the sky is amazing! I would place it as wallpaper on my phone)
Sounds like an awesome shot!! 😁👍
How about panorama with the 24mm? It combines best of both worlds: The faster aperture, and a wider field of view. And: Less distortion.
What do you think?
That would definitely work. It takes more time when editing, but you will get much higher resolution images.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
I have the 24mm on order in Canon fit. Looking forward to using it on my GFX 50R with an adapter. Allowing for use of the 3:2 crop on the Fuji, plus a little bit of extra cropping to take out vignetting, it should give me the equivalent of around 20 mm, which should be a good compromise focal length. I agree with your views on the two focal lengths. I have both the Samyang 12mm and the 8 mm fisheye for my Fuji X system (aps-c sensor). I do find I’m reaching for the fisheye more often, and “de-fishing” in Photoshop where necessary for the aesthetics of the shot. The 14mm would be insane on the GFX, but I suspect the image circle would be just too small for the medium format sensor. A technically great video by the way; excellent audio and crisp, well planned dialogue.
14mm on a medium format would be so ridiculously wide, but would be fun to shoot with...but I think you're right, the image circle would probably be a little small for the sensor.
Thanks very much! I have a lot of fun making these videos, and I try to make them as easy to digest as possible.
👍
Yeah, I’ve shot the stars with a 50mm. It works, you just have to think differently. Wide angles don’t have to be the only lens a photographer uses for everything.
Most definitely! It really got me thinking about the shot. I think it would work really well in the mountains on a clear night. It was really tricky in the desert when I shot my astro with a 50mm video...so much haze towards the horizon that there was no chance of getting any of the landscape in the shot.
My question would be. It appears as a lens the 24 1.4 is better in the corners. With such a small time investment, under 30 seconds, why not use the 24 and take 2 shots and stich them together? or 4 shots even, you can add distortion in post, you might not be able to add compression or rather the opposite that a wide angle gives. It would seem you want sharp corners, no coma . Which does that better? Personally, I would buy a 15mm diagonal fisheye if you want distortion for FF.
Nice, useful comparison. Thanks
No worries, thanks for watching. 😁👍
At 7:10, how are you able to do that? If you have to take a long exposure to get the milky way, how are you focused and not blurry? There's no way anyone could remain perfectly still for 15-30 seconds. I'm confused!!
Good question Thomas. If you had the original image and zoomed in, the person would show a little ghosting, but as a full image, it works ok. I just stayed as still as I possibly could. Sometimes you do have to take a few to get a good one but it is a fun one to try. 😁👍
Thanks for watching.
The exact video I was looking for, published on my birthday! Spoooky! Awesome stuff mate! Keep making more!
Haha! I timed it perfectly then!! 😁Thanks so much, I hope it helped!
Lots more to come so keep checking back. 👍
Superb video, Mike. I've been looking at these two lenses for a while and this is a great comparison. Great presenting style, all the facts and no waffle. Great work!
Thanks so much Neil, I really appreciate your comment! I really enjoy making these so there will be a lot more coming this year....and it’s all about the lack of waffle! 😆👍
This was a helpful video! One thing I was hoping to see was a comparison of both lenses wide open at the same ISO. I understand the shutter speed has to be different to avoid star trails but It would be cool to see a comparison of light gathering potential of both these lenses.
Thanks. Yes, that would have been a good comparison....Once I get the Laowa 15mm, I’ll do the test again and make sure I add that test to the list. 👍
I’d love to see such a comparison as well! Mike, well done for your well presented and informative videos!
No worries. Hopefully getting the Laowa in the new year so keep an eye out for that one!
Thanks for the support, much appreciated!! 😁👍
Thanks for the straightforward information. Good Video and nice shots.
Thanks so much Stefan, I'm glad you liked it. 😁👍
such a great captures! amasing.
Good stuff! I just took my first milkyway time-lapse last week. I've got the Sigma 16mm f1.4 - but I'm using it on a Sony a6600 so it's a 24mm after crop. Still, super happy with the results. Looking forward to getting to some truly dark-sky regions and having more fun. :) Thanks for the info!
Awesome to hear. The A6600 and 16mm sigma is a great combination isn't it!! I got that setup for my vlogging camera recently and love it...cant wait to properly try it out under the stars...id like to do a comparison between that and the A7iii and 24mm 1.4 as well...it would be interesting to see how they compare. 😁👍
Unbiased opinion before watching the video: I'd pick the 24mm without question because of a simple reason: you can shoot a 24mm pano and get the same FOV as the 14mm, however if the f ratio is the same (which usually Isn't since 14mm tend to be less bright because of manufacturing costs) the 24mm will produce a FAR better image than the 14mm because you are capturing way more signal for a given area of sky due to the bigger physical aperture.
That’s a really good point. Panos definitely increase the megapixel count and therefore give you more detail!
I’ve got a video coming out in the new year on astropanos with the 24mm and this is definitely a good reason to pick the 24mm over the 14mm.
Thanks for the input!! 👍
It's true. A 24mm f/1.4 has a clear aperture of over 17mm compared with 5mm on the 14mm. Astronomers use aperture to measure their telescopes, rather than focal length because aperture decides the magnitude down to which you can see with it. F-stop doesn't really matter that much but it helps in two ways. First it helps to figure out what the clear aperture of your lens is and second it's usually a good guide in that faster lenses are usually better suited. This is not always the case but as a general rule, it works pretty well.
At the moment I'm looking for an old OM Zuiko 24mm f/2...
14mm APS-C and 24mm full frame will give you almost the same field of view. I like the 24mm myself as I use a mount that tracks the sidereal rate of the Earth rotation so I can get much longer exposures. A 50mm is good for closer constellation shots if you use a tracking mount.
That's right Joe, and in using a tracker it definitely helps with exposure times...I've got some great images with the 85mm and the sky watcher star adventurer. When you have a tracker, it almost mitigates the need to have super fast lenses as well...although it is nicer having those extra f stops when you need them!
Thanks for watching and commenting, much appreciated! 👍
Cheers Mike, the question is if I'm tracking & stacking which one to get? (I'm not averse to pano stitch either)
No worries...If you're tracking and stacking, I'd get the 24mm...especially if you don't mind pano stitching. 😁
Thanks for watching. 👍
Very useful, thanks Mike.
Great review as always
Thanks very much!! 😁👍
Love my Sony FE 16-35 F2.8 GM for Astro!
Now you’re just making me envious!! That’s definitely one on my shopping list. 😁👍
I hire that and the 70-200mm gm when shooting events but haven’t got my own yet....it’s only a matter of time. 👍
Mike Smith I also have the Sony 24-70 F2.8 GM. It’s a great lens too but I prefer to shoot Astro wide! I fought that 16-35 used on eBay. It was one heck of a deal. I was thinking of getting that Sigma 14 F1.8 art! That looks like the ultimate Astro lens! That 70-200 GM looks like a beast!
Awesome! It’s always great when you get a deal on a fantastic lens!
Yeah, the 70-200mm GM is a fantastic lens, I sulk every time I have to take it back to the hire shop! 😆
Yes, I was thinking either the sigma or the Laowa 15mm f2 manual lens... choices choices!!
Same as the other comments mate, fantastic channel, really great videos - very professional!
Thanks dude!! Really appreciate the words of encouragement!! Lots more to come so keep coming back every Thursday!
I’ll also be doing the “in under a minute” videos more from next month...they seemed to go down really well and I’ve got lots of ideas fro bite sized bits of info for everyone! 👍
Mike Smith awesome, look forward to it, I've subscribed 👍
Excellent! Thanks for the sub! 👍
Hey mike how are you? Are you able to test the latest samyang 24mm 1.8? Many thanks from New Zealand
Hopefully I can get my hands on it soon to test out. 😁👍
@@mikesphotography cool thanks. Currently i got the 14mm 2.8 for my a7s... So that i dont need to buy the latest sony 14mm 1.8
I ended up buying the Laowa 12mm 2.8. I kinda wish I had bought the 15mm 2.0, but I am hoping the 2.8 will work for me. I have a Batis 18mm 2.0 that might work. The weather has been really crappy here. Just too miserable or overcast to get any astro shots. Thanks for another winning video.
I’ve been using the Laowa 12mm recently. It’s a solid lens for Astro and architecture. It does have a bit of vignetting wide open but nothing major.
I’d really like to test the 12mm vs 15mm Laowa lenses, that would be an interesting comparison!
How is the batis 18mm? I have the 25mm and it is by far my favourite lens!
@@mikesphotography I love the 18mm. So much that I bought the Batis 40mm (I don't have a 35mm prime and will use the 40, instead) and I bought the Batis 135mm (for portraits, my longest zoom lens is the 24-70GM). I kinda went Zeiss crazy, but not sorry. I'd love to see your expert review of the Laowa lenses. You do such a nice presentation, any comparison of any photo products will be great to see. I look forward to your vids.
Oh wow, You went batis crazy!! I bet the 135mm is a fantastic lens!!!....and all worth every penny!
Definitely going to try and get the 15mm f2 Laowa for a test drive at least...
Thanks so much for all the support Robert, it’s really appreciated and helps when things get hectic and deadlines are looming!! 😁👍
Hey Mike,
Thank you for making the very informative video comparing the Rokinon 14mm to the Rokinon 24mm. What I would like to ask you is what your thoughts are about the middle of the road 20mm Rokinon f/1.8 lens would be? Thank you for your time and any opinion you may have of this lens.
Brian
I'd say the 20mm would be a great compromise between the two. I haven't used it so I can't comment on any specific qualities of the lens, but I know a lot of people enjoy using the 20mm focal length, so it would be a great option.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Thank you!
And thank you for watching. 😁👍
Great comparison Mike. I have the 14mm Rokinon but am thinking of changing it to the 24mm since I find the 14mm too soft and a very specialist lens. What are your thoughts on shooting Milky way panoramas with the 24mm? Seems a good way to get similar frame of 14mm, and I can better use the 24mm for portraits and Street photography
Thanks Michael!
The 24mm is a great lens. You’d have to stop it down a few clicks to avoid coma aberrations when doing panoramas, but it’s a great lens for that at around f2.0. You’d definitely be able to get the same angle by stitching images together...but it’s a much longer workflow.
You’re right about the 14mm being a specialist lens, I rarely use it for anything but wide field astrophotography and the 24mm would be much more versatile especially for your needs.
I hope that helps
Wonderful video, thanks a lot! I wanna see where to invest, 24mm seems more versatile to me as I would rather have something along with the stars in the image that looks more "natural". But that wide lens is mint, maybe get one later after that.
Thanks so much! They are both great lenses and well worth having. I'd start with the 24mm and then once you can afford it, get the wide angle. I use them both about the same amount and they both always come with me on shoots! 👍
@@mikesphotography And you seem to be enjoying your time in Dubai. If you ever think of coming down to Salalah, Oman, I'll be around to help!
Between these two lenses and the 20mm f1.8 from samyang, which one would you say is best for astrophotography on an APS-C camera?
I like the wider 14mm especially considering the crop factor, however the 20mm's f1.8 also sounds good.
Would love to hear your opinion.
the photograph with the torch pointing to the milky way is epic
Thanks so much Valentin!! It was fun to do that one!!! 😁
Thanks for watching!! 👍
Hang on. What happens if you focus "past" the infinity point on your 14mm lens?
It goes blurry again. You'll find that a lot of lenses will be able to focus past the infinity point.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Another wonderful tutorial, Mike. Quick question. When you use your torch (we call it a flashlight here in Canada, despite our shared heritage) do you "paint" your car with light, or merely hold the beam steady? Again, fabulous instruction. As a quick aside, I couldn't have updated the firmware to version 3.0 on my A7III without your gentle guidance. All the best.
Thanks so much Matthew,
I generally paint the light in to the shot with strokes...you can also move your position to give the impression that the light is coming from a bigger source...this will then give it a softer look. 👍
Here's my light painting video:
ruclips.net/video/kbCWZf2C13Q/видео.html&t
That's great to hear the firmware update video helped...its very different to the canon firmware update process (which I prefer)!
Great video, great topic and great works as usual Mike !
i shoot real-state and restaurants a lot , I currently use Nikon 7200 and I'm thinking of upgrading to Sony 7iii since the majority of my works are videos.
I use Sigma 8-16 mm on my dx body and I like how the 8 mm looks like! I like how it stretches the space and corners giving that drama to the image.
So I think the 14mm will be needed for me, however I can afford only one of them and I dont know whether i can make it without any 24mm focal length in my bag !!
muhammad obaid real estate can be challenging at times but a lot of fun and you get to see lots of different homes and apartments! 👍
The 14mm would definitely give you a similar field of view however it does distort the image at the edges quite a bit. I’d see if you could try one out first before buying.
Also with video you have the crop mode so it would give you the option of a tighter crop with the 14mm. 👍
Happy with my Nikkor 20mm f1.8
Cool. I hear that lens is fantastic! 👍
this video is very very very useful and make me to a great decision. thank you so much. really appreciate Mr
Excellent! I'm glad I could help. 😁👍
Thanks a lot!
I have sony a7iii as a professional I am advocate or I start short filmmaking business currently I have sony 28 or 50 mm lens 70mm sigma lens now which lens you suggest for future short film because I have normal light or accessories already but confuse in lens selection
For film, I'd suggest not getting the 14mm as there is so much distortion towards the edges for film making. I'd maybe go with something like the 18mm batis, the 20mm sony or the 15mm laowa. These all control the distortion a lot better and give you a nice wide shot for film making. If these are too expensive, go with the samyang 24mm.
I hope that helps. 👍
I would never pre focus my lens during day time, if you have a big delta in temperature the infinity focus will definitely drift
That is true, but in reality, this would rarely be a problem for the average joe ... and in getting focus during the day, you will be able to learn how your lens works in good light.
Thanks for watching 👍
Thanks Mike, your videos are really great!
Thanks so much Alfonse, I really appreciate the support. 👍
I have seen this video at least 5 times and I cannot decide between the sony 24mm f1.4 gm and the sigma 14mm f1.8. Do you ave a clue? Same price here in luxembourg. I have a star tracker too. Know I have the samyang, but i am nit happy with the f2.8 results
Hi Paul, that is a tricky one. It does come down to personal preference.
I really like the 14mm look when the milkyway is high in the sky. You can get the same shot with the 24mm by stitching shots together, but that’s a lot of work.
On the other hand the 24mm does produce great looking images especially when the core of the milkyway is lower in the sky...and is more practical for other uses as well. I love using it to shoot b-roll and wide angle shallow depth shots.
If you don’t mind stitching shots for wide angle astrophotography images, I’d recommend getting the 24mm gm, if you’re not that into stitching shots, get the 14mm.
I hope that helps 👍
Thanks for your informative video.
I kindly appreciate your opinion re the new Yongnuo YN 14mm F2.8 Canon.
Thanks in advanced.
I really like the Dune shot w/ the 14mm! Thanks for the video!
Thank you! This is definitely one of my favourite shots from the UAE! 😁👍
Great video mate. You've got pretty quality content for your sub count, hopefully that changes soon! I only have crop so I bought the 16mm F2. I wish I had FF though, the 24mm would give me that stop back, and the sensor is a least a stop or two better in ISO performance as well. But that's alright, the 16mm is fantastic. Have you tried the Sigma 14mm F1.8? That lens out to be a beast for astro.
Thanks! I really appreciate your kind words! I’m getting good growth on the channel at the mo and only be posting regularly for a year now so long may it continue!! Got loads more to come as well. 👍
Yeah, the 16mm f2 is a great lens!! Good to hear you’re getting good results with it!
I haven’t tried the 14mm 1.8 yet but I’m definitely trying to get my hands on one!! I’d like to try the Laowa 15 f2 as well....would be a good test comparing those two! It would be like an ultimate beast test!!! 😆
Hello Mike! I am considering getting either of these lenses and I have a question for you. When using both lenses at the longest possible exposure time (let’s assume that’s using the 500 rule) and widest aperture (f/2.8 for the 14mm and f/1.4 for the 24mm), which enables you to use a lower ISO and how high is that? Thank you and well done for the excellent content.
Good question. So when you take into account the 500 rule and shutter speed, the 24mm lets in a stop and a half more light. Therefore the 24 will be brighter and therefore will cope with a lower iso.
However did you see my video on iso invariance? This blew my mind as to how much can be recovered with the lower ISO’s. If you haven’t seen it check it out when you get some time: ruclips.net/video/FaUb5RshHEg/видео.html
Thanks
Mike Smith Yes, I have and it has greatly helped me. After watching that video, I conducted some tests myself with my own camera, which resulted in getting the most out of it with my astro pictures!
Awesome!! Good to hear!! 👍
Subscribed and love your videos Mike! Very useful and informative thank you! I'm a beginner, have a Canon SL2/200D and am heading to the Maldives for my honeymoon at the end of the month and would love to do some astrophotography there as well as some day to day wide lense shots. What lenses would you recommend in this situation? Comparing the images on your video, like yourself I prefer the wider image from the 14mm. Thanks and you are a life saver!
Awesome!! Glads I could help!
Thats the updated version of what I used to shoot with a long time ago (the 600D)! It's a neat little camera and can produce some great results! If you prefer the wider image, I'd go for the sigma 10-20mm and shoot at 10mm....that's what I used to use with my 600D. It's a great first time wide lens and you should be able to get a second hand one at a reasonable price. Also it has the little window on the top of the lens showing where the focus is, so you can set it to the infinity point when manually focussing, before even turning the camera on, which is an absolute timesaver for astrophotography. It's also quite versatile being able to zoom to 20mm.....a little like the 16-35mm on a full frame camera.
I hope that helps. 👍
Thanks Mike! That's the one I will get then! Can I just check though which (F) aperture option I should choose please? I have had a quick glance online and there seems to be a couple of different lense options (f3.5 or f4-5.6). Other astrophotography tutorials I have seen tend to recommend the lower number. Thanks again mate much appreciated, hopefully I'll get some great shots in the Maldives with it!
RecruiterTravels, I went with the f4-5.6 when I had my 600D. The two time lapses at the start of this video (ruclips.net/video/XPVEEiYZQCI/видео.html ) were shot with it.
I did want to go with the f3.5.....and it will definitely give you a little more light when you open up the aperture........but I think the filter ring is 82mm and I had a whole set of 77mm filters so this tipped me over to getting the F4-5.6.
Here a link to my old Flickr account......I didn't even know Flickr was still around😆.......anyway, all of these photos were taking with the 600D and the 10-20mm f4.5.6.....Looking back on them, I messed up my white balance (a little too much blue in the sky), but it shows you can get really good results with this combo.
www.flickr.com/photos/miketigerfootsmith/albums/72157633794249028/with/9498349684/
The main thing is to find the darkest place to shoot from; if you pick your location wisely, you can get some great results with that combo.
I hope that helps. 👍
RecruiterTravels Forgot to say: with your aperture lower is definitely better, but lower is also more expensive.......you could go for the samyang/rokinon 14mm f2.8 but this won't be very wide on your 200D......this was another reason I originally went for the 10-20mm sigma. And also if you're using it in the day, you'll probably want the versatility the zoom gives you. 👍
Again thanks Mike you've gone above and beyond and being a novice I really appreciate it. The time lapses look amazing! I don't have any filters to sway me one way or another, and in China where I live the 3.5 seems to be a reasonable price at around 3000RMB (about 330 GBP) so I will likely just go for the 3.5. Thanks again and if all goes to plan and I get some decent shots I will let you take a look! Cheers
Fantastic stuff Mike!!
Thank you so much.
No worries Ian, I hope it helped! 👍
I’m slow to reply. It really did
I personally prefer the Samyang 21mm F1.4 ..Less distortion than 14mm but still captures a decent wide frame..Also set to F2.2 The images are significantly sharper.. Another option for your subscribers to consider..Nice comparison Mike..
Interesting, I haven’t used the 21mm but I think I’ll have to try it out after your recommendation.
The 14mm is pretty bad for distortion and it really shows with any buildings, cars or people in the shot.
Thanks for watching and commenting! 😁👍
@@mikesphotography Definitely the sweet spot for me..
Excellent...I'm starting to use my 25mm Batis more, but it does feel a little too tight, so the 21mm is definitely being added to my shopping list!! 😁👍
Think about the sony 16-35mm GM or the lawoa 15 f2 ? Which one should I go for ?
Now thats a hard decision to make.....what will you be shooting mostly? If it is solely for astrophotography, I'd get the Laowa but if you want to use if for other things, like landscape photography, then I'd say get the 16-35mm.
They are both great lenses so you would get some amazing results with both.
were these on a full frame sensor cam?
Yes, I think I mention my a7iii/a7rii when using these. For a crop sensor, it's best to go with a 10 or 12mm lens for a good widefield shot. 😁👍
Thanks for the video Mike, did you find the LR profile helps with the distortion of the 14mm?
cheers
No worries Olivier. It did help a little bit but you’ve still got to plan for it. The vertical shot I got next to the antenna was a funky shot but not really useable and this was down to the distortion.
The Laowa 15mm might be a better option if you have the budget.
You video is amazing, super helpful. Appreciate that. I have a couple of questions need your help.
1. How do you think of Samyang 14mm F2.4? And compare to Laowa 15mm F2?
2. What adaptor do you use for you super wide angel lenses? Does it decrease the image quality of UWA lens, especially the corners?
Hey Ryan, I’m really happy that you’re liking my videos! 👍
To be honest, I haven’t tried those two lenses yet. I should be getting the Laowa 15mm for next years milkyway season so I’m looking forward to that.
The samyang 14mm f2.4 is an autofocus lens isn’t it? Looks interesting but it would be good to see how it manual focusses as most autofocussing systems are rubbish in the dead of night.
I use the sigma MC-11 adapter. My 14mm samyang distorts quite a bit on the edges but no more than it did on my canon 6d.
Mike Smith Thanks for the detailed reply. I considered the Laowa 15mm F2 before. However, after comparing it with Sigma 14mm 1.8 and Rokinon 14mm 2.4 (which is also a manual lens), I ended up going to choose the Rokinon 14mm 2.4. Its sharpness is amazing even wide open from edge to edge, even better than the Sigma. Also, it’s coma control is impressive for Astro photography, which is better than Sigma and Laowa. There are two major drawbacks of it. Distortion and Vegnett, but I think both can be fixed easily.
Ah cool. I didn’t realise the samyang 14 2.4 was a manual lens. That’s good to know so thanks for that info!
Yeah a lot of the wide lenses do suffer from vignette and distortion....that’s why I mentioned the Laowa as it’s meant to be pretty good at controlling it.....it would be great to get all of the lenses together at once and spend a whole night shooting with all of them......I’m not sure my bank manager would like me abusing my account that much though!! 😆
Mike Smith Haha. Anyway, look forward to your every new video. I did not know your channel before. Since I watched your first one that recommended by RUclips, I immediately checked all tour videos and added them to my watch later list. Now I am still watching your videos one by one. Really appreciate your high quality works.
Thanks so much Ryan! And I really appreciate your support! 👍
Also if you’re interested I have started a weekly newsletter that has links to my latest videos, any sample images I have available for download to accompany the videos as well as any significant photo news that week.....one a week, no more than that. So if you’re interested, head over to my website and sign up at the bottom of my home page: www.boxheadmike.com
No worries if not. 👍
Great video. Thank you for your time and advices.
No worries Panos, I hope it helped! 👍
No worries Panos, I hope it helped! 👍
Hi... i can't find this answered please you can help me ... 7rIII or 7III ... thanks in advance
It depends on what you are going to be using it for. If you do a lot of landscape and portrait photography, I'd say go for the A7riii, if you do a little bit of video as well as photography, go for the a7iii. 👍
@@mikesphotography Thanks ....just I forgot mention in my question about those cameras, what you recommend for astrophotography? jajajja my mistake ... thanks a lot
No worries...they are too close to pick between the two. You have the higher megapixels of the a7rii but then the a7iii has much better battery power. I'd probably base it on your budget...if you can afford the a7iii, get that, but if your budget is a little smaller, go for the A7rii. 👍
Excellent astro tutorial...
Thank you! This was a really interesting test to do. 👍
Hi mike I have been shooting light trails lately and want to get into astro this year.
I have a 6d with the 50mm stm 1.8 and a samyang 24mm 1.4.
I did some light trails with both and found the 50mm a breeze to work with but the 24 mm manual focus a pain especially when you move positions when it's getting darker so hard to tell if it's in focus. I'm a newbie to this any tips,
Great content 👍
Hi Toby,
I thought it would be the other way around. How did you focus the 50mm or did the autofocus work?
With the samyang, I’m guessing it’s the manual focus model...what you want to do is work out where the infinity point is in the day by going to a high point so you can see far away to the horizon.
Then focus on that point using the magnifier to get critical focus...
After that either mark the lens or remember where the focus ring sits when it’s at infinity (mine is just inside the infinity marker).
When you go out at night, you just put the focus ring back to that point and you’ll know it’s in focus. All you’ll have to do then is check it ever now and then.
I hope that helps.
@@mikesphotography Yes the auto focus worked with the 50mm ..I was quite surprised too . Ok next I will give that a go. Thanks for your help...
No worries Toby, let me know how you get on. 👍
Whats the best lens for either Canon T8i or Canon 90D? I mean the best lens not best budget. THE BEST. I need the price to be under 1200$. Also is Canon T8i or Canon 90D good for Astrophotography? Which one between the two is better?
Even though the 90d has 8 more megapixels, they will both perform about the same for astrophotography. They are both crop sensor cameras and will give a similar amount of detail. As for the "best" lens for it...there is no such thing. The better the lens, the more expensive it will be. You could pay $10,000 for a lens and it will only be a little bit better than a $1000 lens...but it will make the job a lot easier, and this is why professionals will pay a lot of money for lenses.
With your budget, I'd go for the Laowa 12mm f2.8 amzn.to/2Z3x3Jd
...or the sigma 14mm f1.8 art amzn.to/2NY7OSb
Thanks for watching. 👍
Mike Smith What do you think about the Sony A7 iii mounted with Sigma 14-24 mm f/2.8 or mounted with Sony FE 24mm F1.4?
Great Video! What about the 20mm 1.8 of samyang? Do you have experience with it?
Thanks! 👍
I haven’t had any experience with that lens yet, although as long as you get a good version, it would be a fantastic lens for astrophotography!
Awesome astro videos! Great work
Thanks Mauricio! Glad you like them! 👍
Very clear, very helpful.thank you.
Thanks for your kind words, I’m glad I could help! 👍
Hey Mike, do you think the Sony 14mm pancake is a good lens for astro pics?
Hey Gautam, have you got a link to the lens? ... and what is the aperture?
Sure, it is the Sony SEL16F28 E Mount - APS-C 16mm F2.8 Prime Lens. I have a Sony a6000. Here's a video link. (I mentioned 14mm by mistake) ruclips.net/video/4FTkbBlIcwI/видео.html
No worries, It should be ok as it is 2.8 and will let in a lot of light. Do you have it already or are you thinking of buying it? If you haven't got it yet, another one to think of is the 12mm samyamg 2.8. It's a little wider and will be better during the milkyway season.
I hope that helps. 👍
Thanks for the reply. I haven't got it yet, so I'll definitely consider the Samyang🤩
Hey I have a budget of $3440 and I was planning to buy sony a7iii ,I shoot portraits only. Which lens should I buy keeping versatility and sharpness in mind ?
I’d say to get the a7iii and the either the 55mm 1.8 or the 85mm 1.8. If it’s purely portraits, the 85mm, if you want to get a bit of the environment in the background, the 55mm.
I hope that helps.
@@mikesphotography thanks man! And forgot to mention I'm your new subscriber and your videos are awesome👌 keep up the good work 👍
Awesome! Thanks so much for the sub! Lots more to come so keep tuning in!!
Also if you have any ideas for videos, let me know and I’ll see what I can do! 👍
85mm 1.8 or 1.4
Great video and quality!
Thanks Edgar! Really appreciate the comment! 👍
Very useful, thorough, review.
Thanks so much Tony!
I’m hoping to get my hands on some more lenses in the near future to do more of these. Hopefully the Laowa lenses as they seem really popular for astrophotography. 👍
What do the corners look like?????
The 24 is better than the 14mm in the corners, lots of distortion in the super wide lens.
Hey Mike is Dubai in your picture?
Yep, that is dubai. 😀👍
Thx for demo.
No worries, I hope it helped!
Thank you so much sir
I like what you do
Thank you Sofiane! 😁👍
Thank you sir, so good. Your speech can replace David Attinborough.
Haha!! Thanks so much...I’m not sure he’s ready to stop just yet! 😁👍
really helpfull, thanks
Thanks Alexandro, I'm glad I could help. 😁👍
Does anybody know if the Rokinon 14mm AF ($649) is as crispy as the MF one ($299)?
I haven’t shot with the rokinon AF so I’m not sure. But looking at amazon reviews, it sounds like it’s a fantastic lens. A lot of really positive 5 star comments on it.
For shooting Astro, focussing will be challenging though.
Where did you shoot this? Tahiti?
No, this was in the UAE, in the Middle east.
@@mikesphotography great human rights record they have
@jesuschrist2284 ... Ummm ok.
So if I took into account the past and present actions of governments around the world and excluded any I didn't agree with... I'd pretty much have no where to go... except for maybe Iceland...
The US and UK supply a lot of the world with arms to kill eachother as well as destabilisation of many different countries but probably best not go there as the secret service might come crashing through my window and arrest me for being a dissident 🤔🤦🏻♂️
Very good video.....
Thanks so much Ron! 👍
24mm f1.4 gathers the most light for astro per aperture ratio.
That is correct.
10 minutes video, in short: 24mm is narrower, 14mm is wider. Highly recommend!
Thanks for your feedback Alexey.
Great video.
Thanks Yazeed! 👍
the sand looks like its from a game lol
Haha!! It did come out looking a little cgi’d didn’t it! 😆
Have just won an ebay auction for a 14mm Samyang f2.8...guaranteed to come with a pack of clouds.....lol
Answer is 20 mm.
Great video Mike, very good info! I would choose the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 instead of both those two lenses. I own the rokinon 14mm, and the IQ/sharpness does not come even close to the Tamron, you don't get any distortion, nor vignetting plus you get flawless autofocus! Want a wider shot? do panoramas. It's so easy to do panoramas In astrophotography ! in case you want to see an example shot: unsplash.com/photos/EAH3N7R-Ngs