canon 135mm f2 astrophotography
I put quotes around the ones that are written on the lens. http://www.adstateagent.com | http://www.printradiant.com | http://www.hitsticker.com, I love this lens. Well, if you consider downloading a lens image from https://www.bhphotovideo.com, and photoshop it on top of my photos to cover mistakes, and demonstrate sharpness of a lens with a jpeg that is way oversharpened; if you call knowledge that "the long focal length compresses the background" , If you call blurr a bokeh just because it sounds better, and so on 1000 words would not be enough to point out what a mess this review is Then you are right, I absolutely do not know as much as he does. Built quality is wonderful, focus ring is well-damped. I am not really looking at buying anything else, though. Fast. This is a fully manual lens, meaning that it does not have autofocus, and you must manually select the f-stop . But for many of us, somewhere in between, are plenty of short to mid-tele lenses that will deliver solid service (in terms of subject separation) without carrying around still another kilo for the sake of more blur. The Rokinon 135mm F2.0 is considered to be a full-frame lens because it can accommodate a full-frame image sensor with its 18.8-degree angle of view. @ Juksu - you're pathologically clueless. I have only owned my 135mm for less then a year, but already it is one of my top three most used and most fun lenses. Canon 135mm f/2 L Review - Ken Rockwell Cost. You're right, but a headshot is exactly where I want to see all those megapixels I bought put to use! Well saturated but neutral. At the other end of the aperture range though, the 5D's larger pixels actually help matters, as the softening starts later (it's very sharp even at f/16), and is noticeably lower at f/32. I hope that this post has provided some practical insight into a popular camera lens for astrophotography. I hear great things about the Canon 200/2.8 L but do not have one. Equipment used was an astromodified Canon 700D, Samyang 135mm f2, SkyTech Triband filter, Star Adventurer 2i, ZWO mini finder with ASI120MM, guiding with PHD2 and polar alignment using sharpcap. Contrasty, saturated, nice colours. If the telescope mount is precisely aligned to the celestial north pole, unguided exposures of one to two minutes are possible. If you are a Nikon user, of course have a look at the Nikon AF Nikkor 135mm f/2D DC and compare it to the other lenses mentioned in this article. When you buy a lens with fantastic sharpness and image quality at all apertures, you typically expect it to cost $1,200 on up. It's not the most versatile lens, but it's very great for tight portrait shoots; background blur is creamy IMO; one of the best 'bokeh' lens. modest cost for "L" series, wonderful optics and fast speed, nitpicking, but not a circular aperature and no weather sealing. When stopped down to 37mm, at F5.4, it also produces perfect, small and round star images across the entire field. Why so salty? Can't argue with your reasoning, Juksu, about the framing of the article, but just stopping by to say I really liked that cat picture, am shopping for a new smartphone, struck that this type of photo is in another league - all newbie observations, of course, which sort of supports your thoughts that an article like this would be better framed as a "Love this new long lens stuff" sort of thing. Digital camera types . The combination of a wide aperture and very little light lost in transmission makes very high shutter speeds possible. We were very impressed with X-T5's 40-megapixel APS-C sensor, check out some full resolution images! In this review, however, I am using the lens on a crop sensor (APS-C) Canon EOS 60Da, which puts the field of view at 12.4 degrees. 10/10 (Editor's Choice) Check Price. Some of the primes have a special look to them, but only the 70-200 is indispensable. I can only guarantee that the TSAPO65Q would work very well. However, they can be perfectly corrected with narrow band H-alpha or OIII filters. $218.00 for 7 days. "Bokeru" is a verb, and it can apply equally to to optical and psychological effects, including the reduced mental clarity that can some with age. Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Rokinon 135mm F2.0 ED UMC Telephoto Lens When I got home and loaded the photo into Lightroom I was blown away by two things. I bought a Fotasy Minolta MD->EOSM adapter off ebay for $11, and then for about $20 each on craigs list really sharp, well built Minolta MC 28mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4, and 135mm f2.8 lenses that turned out to be great for astrophotography. To me it is a dead spot between 85 and 200. I am no stranger to the full manual control of this lens, for both aperture and focus. This thing is a beast in comparison. Today I want to talk about another such lens design: The 135mm F2 lens. Focus end stop. i too use the 135mm nikkor[ with a MB speed booster on fuji x for outstanding separation], also a samyang 85 mm 1.4 nikon mt with speedbooster also gives excellent separation, yes, I think I have read that the old Nikkor 135mm f3.5 was even sharper than the f2.8. The Rokinon 135mm F/2 ED UMC lens. You are entitled to your opinions, and I respect that! The 135L is half the weight of the 70-200 2.8IS. The focuser adjustment rotates roughly 270 degrees, meaning fine-tuning on a bright star is more precise. The aperture range of this lens is F/2 to F/22, with 9 diaphragm blades (aperture blades) that work in harmony to set your f-stop. The only downside with that lens is that it is manual focus, which might not be suitable for photographing sports or children. Camera tech for video has come a long way in recent years, with faster autofocus, subject tracking, eye tracking and smarter lenses that stabilize the frame. When you shoot a 135mm F2 lens at F2, your subject will stand out in this beautiful way, often without much work needed from you as the photographer. I need fast auto-focus, predictable focus lock and natural, vibrant color rendition. Best lenses for astrophotography: 50, 85 and 135mm - DSLR, Mirrorless & General-Purpose Digital Camera DSO Imaging - Cloudy Nights Cloudy Nights Astrophotography and Sketching DSLR, Mirrorless & General-Purpose Digital Camera DSO Imaging CNers have asked about a donation box for Cloudy Nights over the years, so here you go. No one yet mentioned a zoom lens, I had an opportunity to test my Canon 24-105L f/4 on M31 Andromeda Galaxy and received wonderful results with Canon 60D unmoded, I set it to 105mm, No vignatting, slight coma on the corners and no false color on bright stars. 8MP is plenty for the usual 8x10 or 16x20 portrait print. " Your images have a chance at remaining sharper once critical focus has been achieved, but now you have lost the extra light-gathering power you wanted. I've done comparisons between my brand-new Samyang 85/1.4 and the old big Apollo 135/1.8 lens I had lying around, and the shots were for all practical purposes identical (exept, obviously, for the pixel count once cropped). I use the word design, because although the available 135mm F2 lenses aren't the exact same optical formula, they share many important traits. Using the lens's diaphragm interferes with the light path and results in diffraction spikes which I find unattractive. At under 900USD, it's a steal. In this new review, I focus exclusively on the unprecedented Samyang 135mm f/2, which is primarily designed for portrait and wildlife. It starts out very sharp at f/2.0, gets even sharper at f/2.8, and softens only slightly at f/11. Second of all, the incredible sharpness of the photo: I have owned many lenses, most of which I bought because they were supposed to have world-class sharpness, but the Samyang 135mm still stands out to me. I'll take photo of Orion as soon as possible. Add To Cart. I've seen several listed but here are more to consider. As you'd expect though, distortion and light falloff are both higher with a full-frame image circle, but perhaps not as much as you'd normally expect. f/2! Andysea, those are great images on your website. Exterem apertures are extrems (wether it's full open or closed) that should be reserved for extrem cases. Also type the lens you are interested in into the search window on Astrobin to see examples shot with that lens. From my experience, the toughest test on a lense is its ability to function wide open. I do not presume to further decorate the universe, and perceive them for what they are: interference. In excellent condition, this lens retails for around $200. And only the cat photo has something OK (but it is a cat shot You easily get them look good). Together they still weight less than any modern 135mm :>. Whos Afraid of a Phantom: Istar Phantom 140mm F/6.5, that is? But will live with it as it provides good protection of the front element. Photography is art and technology, the latter serving the first.Photography is not something arty with a lot of gadgetry. This way the focus will favor the red light which is more objectionable within a star image than a bit of blue. Canon 135 mm is really E X T R A O R D I N A R Y lens. However, as I have no actual experience with the Baader filter, I would suggest that you consult other members on the particular APO - Baader filter combination you have in mind. The closest Ive been to the 135mm range is 105mm on my Canon 24-105 zoom. In the right hands this lens really does have "magic pixie dust", as a friend once described. IQ will rival any other lens. My tests on it are described on http://pikespeakphoto.com/tests/canonlens135.html, i have never been a prime lens fan, just seems to leave you feeling trapped in a single dimension. Image quality is great, it is tack-sharp wide-open even though for partraiture, a little bit of softness is needed. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.No disagreement here. ", I'd no problem with that. Really excels as indoor sports lens on a crop camera. For example, the legendary Canon 85mm F1.2L weighs in at 1025g, and the Sigma 85mm F1.4 Art isn't too light either at 1130g. It is NOT extremely sharp wide open, it often requires massive AF adjustment on DLSRs (sometimes beyond what the body allows as micro-adjustment) and AF is not reliable enough to consistently ensure sharp focus at full aperture. It also focuses really fast and accurate and is light. One of my very best lenses! (purchased for $725), reviewed March 26th, 2013 I had both for a while. AF is accurate and very fast. The Bokeh includes as well all that is in the focus, but mainly talked about how it comes visible in out of focus areas. I dont mean to be rude, but I fail to see any photographic comparison or test to display the quality of this lens against others, concerning coma or anything else, except considerations on the manual focusing, its shape and ergonomic. Particular properties of modern 135/2 lenses are resolution with e.g. For some reason Samyang makes lenses nobody is asking for. The cat is a case for the bit bucket i my opinion - it has no composition, a distracting background and a random parts of the body in focus - the same picture made with a smart phone could not look worse. Perhaps it's not a big thing, but for a L-graded lens this feature should be expected. No more inside shooting with flash! Simple fact is the Samyang 135/2 is a remarkably good lens for the price, and it offers a set of optical characteristics that typically cost 2-4x more. As you can see, the magnification of the lens used will dictate the type of projects you shoot. Meanwhile the ol' Canon 135/2 is still commanding a higher than average price on the used market (70%+ of MSRP isn't common), I guess the low weight and super easy resale have almost made it a high end commodity. When stopped down to 49mm it really is indistinguishable from an APO, except it shows red chromatic aberration with modified cameras even with the UV/IR block or CLS-CCD filter. The lens arrived next day, less than 24 hours after I hit the order button. Typical L construction. The interest of a f/1.4 is to be able to be perfect at f/2.8, while a f/1.8 or f/2 might need to be on f/4 to have the same sharpeness and overall IQ.They are not meant to be used wide open, except in rare moments. Probably you could get a very similar image with a 85mm 1.8. Lots of older lenses no longer satisfy. After a three-year hiatus, we've been at the return of the CP+ camera show in Yokohama, Japan. By the way, I still enjoy using my very sharp Sears 135mm, PKA mount lens. It is the lens I use as a reference point to compare all new lens acquisitions to after purchase to determine if they need to be returned for repair or replacement. One of the prime examples of such a design is the "nifty fifty"the 50mm F1.8 lens construction that many lens manufacturers provide. It really is about talent, creativity, and vision, not gear. We have come to accept that most lenses are strong in only one or two of these three factors, that I personally focus on when researching lenses to buy. If you want the best possible image quality, and you must have autofocus, and you don't care if it is a bit heavy (maybe you need it for studio use), buy the Sigma. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality. The full name of this lens is the Rokinon 135mm F/2 ED UMC, with "ED" standing for extra-low dispersion, and UMC referring to the "ultra multi-coated" optics. Were those taken with the Canon telephotos you spoke of, and the full spectrum modified camera and the clip in filter? Proper composition, light and retouching are much prefferable to crazy gooey bokeh. To remedy this, I reduced the star size in post, and I started shooting at F/4 to really tighten things up. The screws should be set sufficiently tightly to prevent shift, yet not so tightly as to interfere with fine focusing. Do you have a link to Yuri's photo stream? It's sharp, has very low aberrations, no real distortion and the bokeh is very nice. however i started to realise how every subject might actually be a cardboard cutout being photographed. (AVX). The focuser adjustment ring on the Rokinon 135mm F/2 is excellent, but fine-tuning your critical focus on a bright star at F/2 will take some trial and error to get right. IS would also help outside with wind. Otherwise this lens is absolutely incredible. If 135mm f2 works for you, then fine. He loves photography, and runs a YouTube channel with tutorials, lens reviews and photography inspiration. Thomas, I do have no experience with the Canon lens you mentioned but zoom lenses have limitations concerning aberrations while providing more flexibility.The Nikkor 70-200/4 that I like as a travel lens is a very good performer but the Zeiss 135/2 APO is in a different league. This article was originally published on Micael's blog, and is being republished in full with express permission. BTW, the 300-mm Tele-Tessar you describe -- what camera was it made for? The 200f2.8 L is excellent - I am using it right now. I own Samyang 135 f2 for Nikon Mount and indeed it is incredible value lens. Perhaps you have seen the photos of masterful Russian portrait photographers such as Elena Shumilova or Anka Zhuravleva. 24/28mm, 50mm, 100mm, 200mm. Seems like a great lens. Great looking lens, if you ever saw it from the front. You would be hard pressed to find any other lens on a full frame camera that produces creamier bokeh. Here's what I see from the photographs:#1: Woman in traffic. I recommend the author change the title of his article from "The Best Telephoto Lenses." to "Some Inexpensive Telephoto Lenses I Have Tested" The original title generates a claim and expectation in the reader that his article can't support that leads to reader frustration and just more questions; why didn't you test this one or do this etc. thanks for the tiring patronising lecture and then agreeing with me. (purchased for $900), reviewed April 15th, 2011 Fast continuous shooting, reliable autofocus and great battery life are just three of the most important factors. There are, of course, outlierssuch as the legendary unicorn lens Canon EF 200mm F2but that one isn't a great alternative unless you are cool with spending $5,700 and carrying around something about as wieldy as a fire hydrant. There are quite a few other excellent lenses out there, and nowadays, quite a few that can be used wide open. I do not think telephoto lenses would be suitable for use with your modified camera. This is huge for me, as it allows me to be much more nimble with getting the right composition and angle. Some people like these, and consider them decorative. Yes there's bokeh. 6 Reasons I Love the Canon 135mm f/2 Lens - YouTube Sony has added a full-frame 50mm F1.4 prime to its premium 'GM' range of E-mount lenses. And now important part: This lens can be stopped down if desired effect is not required and no, with 85/1.8 you will never get this effect. This is a stunning lens, clearly one of the very best lenses that Canon produces, this is in the same world class as the 35 1.4, 85 1.2 L lenses. Tamron has announced its 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD ultra-wide angle zoom will be made available for Fujifilm X-mount. The shot of the cat could certainly be improved through cropping, though. KevinS, in my experience stopping down dramatically improves image quality in terms of chromatic aberration, coma and astigmatism. Unfortunately it is not manufactured in a multicoated version, and produces prominent internal reflection artifacts on very bright stars. If you shoot things in motion on a Canon body, and need some reach without massive bulk, this is the one I recommend. People mistake "Bokeh" to blurry background, what is very very common mistake. Touching the telescope, even ever so slightly, will introduce vibrations which will ruin the photograph. Literally it means "blur" so you could just as well use the dictionary definition below the top match from Google search: Bokeh - the visual quality of the out-of-focus areas of a photographic image, especially as rendered by a particular lens. Recently, the FAA announced that recreational drone pilots in the USA can request LAANC authorization to fly in controlled airspace at night. As you know, camera lenses come in varying focal lengths, apertures, and optical quality. Nothing just makes sense about the review -- the writer does not really understand the lens he is reviewing, very basic concepts are wrong. Although your target audience is beginning DSLR imagers, much of your advice also applies to using lenses with CCD cameras. Now i have the f2.8 version, and while the resolution is better it s under no circumstance as good as the f/4 one. (purchased for $845), reviewed November 16th, 2005 They were not however designed to be bokeh monsters though that was just a side effect of making them fast and people bought them for speed with bokeh being the afterthought so not Bokeh for the sake of Bokeh as he said. Im so new to all of this so thank you for your insightful and educational posts. In my test, nikon have the same color correction than Canon and same sharpness. You can use Stellarium to preview the image scale with the 135mm lens and your DSLR. Not heavy like the white tele-zooms. The next 200mm lens of excellent quality is the 200mm F4 Nikkor F which requires the Nikon F to EOS adapter. Amazing colours, contrast, bokeh, everything! Colour and contrast is great. I've been using a vintage FD 135/3.5 on my A7R IV as a compact tele option, often alongside a tiny Samyang 75/1.8. They account for much of the disagreement that we see on-line (but not for the rudeness and viciousness of some of it). Beware others critical comments here about how flat these images look, the author has chosen specific topics and viewpoints to highlight f2 with this lens, so see the wow review for what it is please and the negative comments need placing in context. As such, it applies most directly here to areas of an image that are out of focus. Not only does it let you travel light, but impressive wide field projects are often more successful when captured under a dark sky. The lens is so crisp that the diaphragm blade pattern is visible on point light sources shot at large aperature. When i just judge by the indicator line as i click through, it seems like its 19 that gets skipped wondering if there is anything more definite? Also, I used to have a Nikon 180/2.8 ED IF AF and 300/4 ED IF AF. You may need to stop down to control star bloat, and thats exactly what Ive done with this 135. Juksu, your point is well taken. The flat lens hood design allows you to easily take flat frames with the Rokinon 135mm using the white t-shirt method or using a flat panel. Sure, that would be swellbut it doesn't matter with regard to how it performs. At a local amateur soccer game using the 135 f/2 the action was almost always too close, or too far away. Sme of the wide field are. Also, when shooting the heart nebula, is the sky tracker a must or not required? The Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex by Eric Cauble using the Samyang 135mm F/2 lens. . Yes, because it is not f/2. Exposure uniformity (vignetting) is also really excellent, reaching a maximum of 1/4 EV (on a camera with an APS-C size sensor) at f/2, and dropping to well under 1/10 EV at f/2.8 and above. First of all, the background separation and the bokeh: I had photographed lots of animals in bushes before, but never before had I seen the bush melt away in the way it did with the 135mm lens. CANON LENS FOR ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY. To achieve creamy bokeh, a lens should have a wide maximum aperture and a long focal length. $399 00. Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM Review - Imaging Resource Bokeh is buttery smooth, best you can get from a 135mm. I wanted to add my experience with some lenses that I thought worthy of being considered too, and some of the equipment that I have used. I'm thinking a modern (but expensive) Nikon 200mm f/2.0, 300mm f/4 or f/2.8 or a Borg telephoto/telescope would all be very good. I would! In general, prime telephotos should outperform zooms. If you have the 1.8 version, way to go. She's cold? Whatever lens you pick in the end, you will make a great purchase. With the high megapixel cameras, most people are going to ideally want to shoot at 1/200 or faster. Hate these presumptuous kinds of articles and headlines.