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 p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · GM 14mm f/1.8 or tracker and Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 for astrophotography? | |
I do not have any of the lenses mentioned, so just some general thoughts:
The 14mm GM will allow you to pack light and greatly simplify/speed up the image acquisition. Exposures up to 20s without visible trailing should be possible, meaning you can go down with the ISO quite a bit. This lens has a good reputation for UWA astro and personally I am also very interested in its performance as timelapse lens ()
The limitation will be in the detail level you can achieve. In my experience, tracking is superior to stacking - some fainter star colors/nebulaes only seem to come through if you have a minimum amount of exposure time.
For maximum detail/IQ in nightscape astro you need to look for the best signal to noise ratio, which with Sony Alpha cameras is typically somewhere around ISO 640-800 - too low to handle without tracking.
A tracker adds more weight and a lot more complexity to the whole process but you will get better results. Using your Sigma 14-24mm with a tracker seems like a reasonable choice - and you also keep flexibility as you can adapt the FL for even more detail if you don't need to go all the way to 14mm.
The route I took was:
UWA lens stacked/untracked --> UWA lens stacked+tracked --> medium FL (50mm+) tracked and stitched as panorama
Each of these steps significantly improved the end results and I would not go back. So personally I am glad I did not invest into another dedicated UWA for nightscapes as I hardly shoot UWA anymore. Not saying UWA lenses are not suitable for nightscapes, just pointing out their limitations and making you aware that if you ever want to go deeper into the hobby (=longer FL) you might want to skip the UWA investment - especially since you already have the Sigma.
Regarding the trackers, the iOptron is good as is the Sky Watcher Star adventurer line, which also comes with a counter weight. Since you mentioned a 200-600 lens you might also want to check out the Fornax LightTrack, which has superior tracking accuracy - ideal for deep space.
On the cheaper/lighter end, there is the Move-Shoot-Move tracker which is only around 200 USD - it's a great entry level option for people who are not sure yet if tracking is for them. This one is only for UWA/WA lenses though.
I am using the relatively new Vixen Polarie U. Apparently it can still be hard to get in the US but I heard of at least 3 people who got it there last year.
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