Wide angle for landscapes and astrophotography

Hi all,

I'm looking for some advice on what I should sell/pickup to meet my needs. I realize there is a very similar thread to this posted currently. I have a 17-40L which currently satisfies my landscape needs, but I want something with better astro and low-light-capability and I figure that should be one lens than can do both.

I have all the gear currently in my signature. I'm open to selling the 17-40L and possibly the 24-105L to fund the purchase. My only hesitation in selling the 24-105L is that I'm afraid I'll miss it for the occasional event that I shoot. The truth is, when it's practical, I always have a prime on my 6D.

I'm leaning towards a 16-35 f2.8 IS, in thinking that I can always throw that lens on my t4i body to get a sort of general purpose zoom functionality for events, meanwhile mounting primes on the 6D. When not shooting an event, it'd be a great wide angle/astro lens, right? I've also considered the Samyang/Rokinon 14mm f2.8 (with concern that this would be too wide -- I would hold onto the 24-105L in this instance) and the Samyang 24 f1.4 (with concern that I would miss 17mm). Any thoughts on those two ideas?

The truth is, I don't shoot many events. I have a wedding to second-shoot and a business gala sort of event booked for the near future. I mostly shoot portraits to make the money and landscapes for fun and to sell the occasional print.

Thanks for any advice!

Jason

The biggest (in my opinion) advantage of the Samyang lenses for astro work is that their coma characteristics are better than almost any comparable lens.

the 14 2.8 is awesome for night sky work (particularly with the 6D). The 24 1.4 is even better albeit with a narrower FOV.

If it was anything other than night sky/astro work I wouldn't really recommend them so highly (they are fully manual focus/aperture and the build quality is certainly not "L" quality) but if that is your main purpose for them then I'd definitely go that route. They are quite sharp lenses as well so they do have multiple uses of course, MF isn't a huge deal breaker for landscapes usually. Just not so convenient as the other lenses you've mentioned.

you may need to clarify what lens you are leaning to, because what you've written doesn't exist...is it the 16-35IS, or 16-35f2.8?

assuming the 11-24mm is out just due to price, you can also look at the tamron 15-30f2.8 VC

DreDaze wrote in post #17525123
you may need to clarify what lens you are leaning to, because what you've written doesn't exist...is it the 16-35IS, or 16-35f2.8?

assuming the 11-24mm is out just due to price, you can also look at the tamron 15-30f2.8 VC

Good call. I meant the 16-35mm f2.8. I will take a look at the Tamron. Thanks!

chexjc wrote in post #17524716
Hi all,

I'm looking for some advice on what I should sell/pickup to meet my needs. I realize there is a very similar thread to this posted currently. I have a 17-40L which currently satisfies my landscape needs, but I want something with better astro and low-light-capability and I figure that should be one lens than can do both.

I have all the gear currently in my signature. I'm open to selling the 17-40L and possibly the 24-105L to fund the purchase. My only hesitation in selling the 24-105L is that I'm afraid I'll miss it for the occasional event that I shoot. The truth is, when it's practical, I always have a prime on my 6D.

I'm leaning towards a 16-35 f2.8 IS, in thinking that I can always throw that lens on my t4i body to get a sort of general purpose zoom functionality for events, meanwhile mounting primes on the 6D. When not shooting an event, it'd be a great wide angle/astro lens, right? I've also considered the Samyang/Rokinon 14mm f2.8 (with concern that this would be too wide -- I would hold onto the 24-105L in this instance) and the Samyang 24 f1.4 (with concern that I would miss 17mm). Any thoughts on those two ideas?

The truth is, I don't shoot many events. I have a wedding to second-shoot and a business gala sort of event booked for the near future. I mostly shoot portraits to make the money and landscapes for fun and to sell the occasional print.

Thanks for any advice!

Jason

Heya,

Samyang 24mm F1.4. Sell nothing. This is your 6D's astro lens of choice, best coma control, fast, sharp. Affordable.

Very best,

Copidosoma wrote in post #17525092
The biggest (in my opinion) advantage of the Samyang lenses for astro work is that their coma characteristics are better than almost any comparable lens.

the 14 2.8 is awesome for night sky work (particularly with the 6D). The 24 1.4 is even better albeit with a narrower FOV.

If it was anything other than night sky/astro work I wouldn't really recommend them so highly (they are fully manual focus/aperture and the build quality is certainly not "L" quality) but if that is your main purpose for them then I'd definitely go that route. They are quite sharp lenses as well so they do have multiple uses of course, MF isn't a huge deal breaker for landscapes usually. Just not so convenient as the other lenses you've mentioned.

Thanks for the advice!I'm not really concerned so much about autofocus, because I am looking to use it mostly just for landcapes and the occasionally astro shot, where I typically will manually focus anyway.

MalVeauX wrote in post #17525708
Heya,

Samyang 24mm F1.4. Sell nothing. This is your 6D's astro lens of choice, best coma control, fast, sharp. Affordable.

Very best,

Haha, the owners of that lens really do seem to love it. I was kind of looking to sell something to pick something up for purposes of simplifiying the kit and saving some money. If I were going to buy a lens without selling anything, I may save for the 14mm, since that would open up a FL I don't have yet. Actually, one thing I notice is that there are WAY more 14s for sale used than there are 24s.

chexjc wrote in post #17526019
Actually, one thing I notice is that there are WAY more 14s for sale used than there are 24s.

Heya,

Ultrawide (14mm) is not for everything. It's distortive and is a whole different approach. It requires for you to be very close to large things to use them as foregrounds, otherwise, it's good for capturing extremely large things in a single frame, relative to distance to subject.

24mm on the other hand is wide, and has more applications for more users.

The 14 F2.8 is so popular because it's only $300. That's a common entry point for entry lenses all over the spectrum. More people bite on $300. When you increase to $500, suddenly there's a LOT less people buying in that tier. And again at the $750, $1k, etc. Make any tier grouping you want, and it's a simple pattern where less and less people are buying things in a price point. The 14 F2.8 is more common because it's a fast (F2.8) affordable ($300!) ultrawide.... in a time when ultrawides are peaking (before, an ultrawide this wide was not available to someone with an entry budget). It's a niche lens that is sharp, fast, and very affordable for people to try out what an ultrawide is all about. And as you can see, ultrawide is not for everyone.

When it comes to the Samyang 24mm F1.4, there's two things. One, it's a more recent lens in many respects to a lot of other primes/zooms, and it's third party for many platforms (not just Canon!). Two, it's a $500+ fully manual lens that scares the pants off most buyers who are not already very comfortable with both dropping $500 on a lens, and let alone, dropping it on a fully manual lens. It's truly a specialty lens in many respects. Most people buying this lens get it for a reason (remember, 24mm is fairly common now and present on MOST lenses that come with cameras these days, so not too many people are looking for a 24mm prime unless they have a specific reason, and it's usually for speed and other properties, like coma) because of it's specific properties and qualities in it's price point.

Very best,

MalVeauX wrote in post #17526024
Ultrawide (14mm) is not for everything. It's distortive and is a whole different approach. It requires for you to be very close to large things to use them as foregrounds, otherwise, it's good for capturing extremely large things in a single frame, relative to distance to subject.

Hey, great point. I think you're right, 14mm isn't something that I need.

Here's an idea...I sell the 24-105L and use the 17-40L on my t4i + a speedlite for event purposes (and again reserve the 6D to shoot with the primes and natural light on my other shoulder). The funds from selling the 24-105L would cover the cost of the 24mm f1.4. I've been looking for a way to justify the sale of the 24-105 for a while. I love it when it's convenient, but I rarely use it at all.