The Nikon 14-24mm Z lens is $2,400 and very expensive to just use at night. You need to choose a combination of exposure length and ISO so that the peak of the back-of-camera histogram is in the middle. However, although Nikon’s Z system offers a rapidly expanding range of superb quality glass, choosing the right Nikon Z lenses for astrophotography is not as straightforward as you might first imagine. Performance in this department only improves as the diaphragm is stopped down to f/2.8, where overall sharpness and contrast are truly amazing from edge to edge. Wel that looks nice - lots of dust - probably will modify my camera when I gather the courage. So I might return that too. Like Jerry said, can't go wrong with Z6. To be clear, it’s not entirely impossible to focus sharply on stars using AF. The earth’s rotation isn’t detectable to the naked eye, but if the exposure time is too long, it will clearly show up in a photograph of the night sky as blurred stars. Beyond great optics though, one of the primary selling points of this lens for astrophotography is that while the Sigma 40mm comes with highly capable autofocus capabilities, it also features genuine, mechanical, manual focus. But for now the problems caused by Nikon’s use of the focus-by-wire system far outweigh any advantages that Z-mount lenses may otherwise offer the astrophotographer. I … Community Forum Software by IP.BoardLicensed to: Cloudy Nights, DSLR, Mirrorless & General-Purpose Digital Camera DSO Imaging, This is not recommended for shared computers, Back to DSLR, Mirrorless & General-Purpose Digital Camera DSO Imaging, Bortle 3/4 - having fun with Rokinon 135 mm lens - Spaghetti, Flaming Star and Orion, Picatinny Rail Laser Pointer Mounting Options, New LX85 vs used Hypertuned CGEM for 22 lb payload, Sharpcap - Plate solving success does not center the object, Jerry Lodriguss, tkottary and Kevin_A like this. But for astrophotography, manual operation is generally more advisable. Despite the generally exceptional quality of Nikon’s native Z-mount lenses, choosing a Nikon Z lens for astrophotography is a surprisingly difficult affair. Too bad they didn't put a fully articulated screen on it. Will it be a good choice for it? The G2 improves upon this already excellent performance, spreading the sharpness right up into the corners. But stacked up and viewed in comparison with options such as the Samyang/Rokinon 14mm f/2.4 (above), they might be enough to swing the pendulum away from the Sigma 14mm. But perhaps on a Z50 or a D7500 I should get better results…. After first releasing their mirrorless Z system with the pro-oriented Z6 and Z7 back in 2018, Nikon followed-up with the APS-C flagship Z50. I blog and publish articles about camera lenses here at lensguide.io. The Nikon Z6 has a 6048 x 4024 pixel backside-illuminated sensor with 57 % quantum efficiency, a new, bigger lens mount, and an entirely new set of redesigned lenses. As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. If you intend to shoot very wide landscapes at night like a Milky Way or aurora, the more narrow field of view means you won’t be able to expose your images for as much time as with a full frame on equivalent lenses (that is the key point, equivalent lenses) This can always be fixed with a shorter focal length lens though. In short, the best Nikon Z lenses for astrophotography are mostly not Nikon Z lenses at all. Perhaps more importantly, though, it is crystal sharp in the center, and not far behind at the corners – even at f/1.4. The sigma Art is a truly great lens glad you liked the article! In my tests, all wide-angle lenses with an adapter perform worse, even Nikon 14-24mm. Wait for a while and DxO will test Z5. But here it happens for ISO 2000 and above which is most odd. First of all, the Nikon Z6 has a lower resolution sensor at 24.5 MP vs 45.7 MP on the Z7. Additionally there’s almost no chromatic aberration, and in terms of coma the performance is nothing less than spectacular; thus sealing the Rokinon 14mm f/2.4’s credentials as an outstanding lens for astrophotography. That ability to actually run the camera off USB-C is extraordinarily nice, because it is a pain in the tuchus to power the Z6 from an external battery. This “T-Ring” will couple your Mirrorless Camera to any T-Threaded Mount. The first Nikon CDS cooled Z6 mirrorless camera for astrophotography is now available for sale at Centralds – the company converted a regular Nikon Z6 to an Astro Z6 version. Even if to do so does present certain technical challenges (see the Focal Length section below for a full explanation of what those challenges are). Not a good solution. The good news is that Nikon’s FTZ adapter works very well and doesn’t result in any compromise in the performance of these lenses. Astrophotography has been around for almost as long as photography itself. In short, the ideal astrophotography lens is a truly manual focus lens. You cant put a normal 77mm filter on it for daytime polarizer use, so its not practical for daytime like for waterfalls. Of course, Nikkor S lenses also offer manual operation, don’t they? Other more interesting tech down the road, but it is a ways away. The single sub images were never clean and had weird noise until stacked, even at 180 seconds each. What’s more, as with all the Nikon Z lenses, the 20mm f/1.8 S is almost entirely free from comatic aberration, thus upping its astrophotography credentials. Cheers from Peru. The thread on this ring is Female 42mm (.75). Nikon Z6 vs Z7: The Z6 Has Better Video Quality. Meanwhile certain aspects of lens design and construction that are of only minor importance in other areas of photography become fundamental when photographing the night sky. Z 6, NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S, shot at 14mm focal length, 25 seconds, f/4, ISO 10000, manual exposure, 3D Color Matrix metering. Still, the optics are also on a par with Nikon’s offerings. Images produced using the 14mm f/2.4 are supremely sharp from center to edge, even wide open. Crux was only 3 frames, the other subs were too blurry. Most lenses tend to be fairly sharp at the center of the image, at least when used at medium apertures; indeed, if a lens can’t manage this basic feat, it’s unlikely that anyone will buy it. Despite the benefits of the newer Z5 I've decided to go with the known quantity Z6 for the more sensitive/lower noise sensor. Normally when data scaling takes place on a camera it happens at the very highest ISOs which are not ISOs we tend to use. Coma affects off-axis light, meaning that it tends to be more noticeable the further you move away from the center of the image. Note that this lens is superior to the Samyang 14mm f/2.8, and even the 14mm f/2.4 (below); both of which are less sharp and reportedly suffer from fairly frequent quality control issues. Rarer still are those lenses that are sharp from edge to edge even when used at their widest aperture. First of all, the Nikon Z6 has two big advantages over the Z5. The sharper and better defined those pinpricks are, the prettier they tend to look. The question is, should you buy one? To recap then, one of the most important attributes of a good astrophotography lens is a fast maximum aperture. For wide angle, landscape astrophotography, a full frame camera is going to get better results in general. What’s more, it’s also one of Sigma’s most expensive lenses. Faster and wider than the Tamron 15-30mm (above), it displays minimal flare, distortion, and vignetting, and remains sharp even at its widest aperture setting. Nikon Is well aware of what it takes to produce an excellent action/wildlife camera. A good astrophotography camera needs to have certain functionalities in order to get you the results you want. M42 looked fine but M45 had obvious concentric coloured ring banding. General Photography: Nikon NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S Lens Nikon Z 24-70mm F/2.8 S. Landscape & Astrophotography Photography: NIKKOR Z 14 … Besides adopting the latest full-frame 24.5 MP BSI-CMOS sensor, the Nikon Z 6 hosts a wide range of … There's something potentially worrying about those Z5 plots. While the Nikon D5 wasn’t designed especially for astrophotography (the Nikon D810A camera is specifically designed for astrophotography), this camera’s high ISO performance allows it to perform very well in extremely low-light scenarios. All images published at lensguide.io are either ours, authorized by the photographer, or published under creative commons commercial use license. Posted on February 24, 2020 by Jerry … It seems obvious that the Z7, and Z6 … In effect, astrophotography involves photographing tiny pinpricks of light. Nikon … Given that the Nikkor S line of lenses are generally excellent, this may come as something of a surprise to learn. The Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 is a fast, well-priced, and solidly-built wide angle lens, offering a field of view that is ideal for astrophotography on full frame cameras. Primary among them is good ISO performance, which needs to be considered on two different points. ... Landscape & Astrophotography … I own Nikon z50 and I am really interested in doing sky Photography. Beginners or experts can choose from wide angle lens to capture more sky or choose a lens that is fast (i.e.