Ironically all the sample images in this post are painfully soft. Great lens, but I can't understand why Canon can't control quality. You can use Stellarium to preview the image scale with the 135mm lens and your DSLR. Samyang 135 f/2 astrophotography gallery Below some pictures I made using Samyang 135 lens with QHY163 mono camera and iOptron Smart EQ Pro mount. It is fantastic on my old 5d. It's tiny compared to almost everything else in the 85-135 range, and used properly, it can produce results that hold up to my DC (all other factors being equal such as subject distance, f-stop, lighting, etc.). 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. Perhaps I missed it, but did you use a clip-in light pollution filter with your 60D and this lens? This lens provides all of these requirements. Or just get a zoom that is 24-200mm and you are covered. In this post, Ill share my results using an affordable prime telephoto lens for astrophotography, the Rokinon 135mm F/2.0 ED UMC. I ordered this lens on Amazon, utilizing my Amazon Prime membership. The finish and texture of the Rokinon 135mm F/2 is a step up from the 14mm F/2.8 I ordered a few years ago. The colder temperatures will make DSLR astrophotography much more practical, and there are plenty of great targets to choose from. The thing is, on my APS-C body the 100mm is challenging enough. I've owned nice SLR gear since 1976, and am normally a wide angle shooter this is my favorite lens, of all time. This lens is available for several camera mounts, including Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Samsung, and Fuji. Yet the Jaegers becomes essentially color free when stopped down to 3in. This way you get both lenses with only one! The latter are designed for crop sensor cameras and the back of the lens sticks too far into the body of the camera and would hit the EOS-clip filter. In the highest contrast situations there's a hint of both purple and green fringing but both are minor and easy to remove with software. This is so annoying that I intend to replace the Canon lens cap with a Tamron cap. My point is that we must never lose the joy of photography. "That is why when SLRs came along the 200mm became the big seller and the 135 was largely forgotten"Did you notice that this 135mm F2 lens on an APS-C camera is more or less equivalent to a 200mm F2.8 lens on an FF camera ?So this lens can be seen as the 200mm F2.8 lens for APS-C camera users. Samyang should definitely make 135 f2 with the same optical formula and AF for Sony EFF and also Nikon F plus Canon EF mount if possible. I cant wait to try this lens out during the winter months on some wide-field targets in Orion. Typical L construction. Let's the games begin! Unfortunately I haven't more the Canon lens. In fact, a light-weight 200/2.8 seems more interesting to own (e.g., the Minolta 200/2.8). AF ring feels loose compared to my other L lenses. ", I'd no problem with that. Other times, like the Witch Head Nebula, I love seeing the star responsible for the object in all its glaring glory! When I was on my way home after purchasing my first 135mm lens (the Samyang/Rokinon one) I took a few quick snapshots just to try out the lens. Canon 300/4 ED IF AF (non-IS) The Rokinon 135mm F/2.0 ED UMC lens is a fantastic companion for the Canon 60Da, as it offers a useful "mid-range" focal length for a variety of deep-sky projects. - posted in Beginning Deep Sky Imaging: I have recently received my star adventurer and as of now only have the star adventurer, benro tripod (super stable), and a unmodded canon t2i with only a 18-55mm lens. I wish every lens was this good!! Many lenses lose their appeal after time, but not this one. It would not surprise me if modern lenses were useable at full aperture. This brings me to my question. Really excels as indoor sports lens on a crop camera. And only the cat photo has something OK (but it is a cat shot You easily get them look good). I had both for a while. Thanks.. Stage photography is another good use for the 135 L. After the first exposure in M mode, the camera throws an error saying Error please press the shutter button again. I don't know about other photographers but I do not have many applications for this focal length. The version I have has the mount for Canon EOS camera bodies, but there are several different lens mounts available on Amazon. The Image Sensor Frame tool lets you enter in the size of your camera sensor, and focal length of your lens (or telescope) to display a frame over the star map. This new, affordable wide zoom for L-mount is capable of some excellent landscapes. Olympus 75mm f1.82. What's the best camera for shooting sports and action? A single, 90-second exposure using the Rokinon 135mm F/2.0 ED UMC at F/4. Exterem apertures are extrems (wether it's full open or closed) that should be reserved for extrem cases. Because it's an L-series lens by Canon, you can be sure that the image quality and performance of the 24-105mm meet the demanding aspects of astrophotography such as focus and star quality. Explore the sky, try frame some targets and see what works well with your DSLR and lens combination. I heard it's very sharp and well corrected. No, Mr. What next, an article extolling the virtues of 43mm, or 70mm? We always expect to see some drop in performance (particularly corner sharpness) when we move from testing on a sub-frame to a full-frame camera, but the 135mm f/2L turned in a really remarkable performance even at full-frame. Wonderful image quality, lots of detail, contrasty, subject separation, fast and accurate AF, bright viewfinder, solid construction, unobtrusive in use, No weather sealing, makes all my other lenses look poor (even the 'L' zooms that, when I first got them, imagined could hardly be improved on). Such "full spectrum" cameras are somewhat more sensitive in the ultraviolet, but much more sensitive in the deep red and infrared. What is it like shooting with one today? BTW, the 300-mm Tele-Tessar you describe -- what camera was it made for? What's it got and what's it like to use? There are a lot of photo/video cameras that have found a role as B-cameras on professional film productions or even A-cameras for amateur and independent productions. To actually learn to compose the photos so that the background complements the image instead of being something that must be blurred away. (on a full frame camera)Wonderful lens for some portraiture applications, sporting events and candids at a party or event. Last time I used a 135mm f2 was decades ago on a Canon F1. It starts out very sharp at f/2.0, gets even sharper at f/2.8, and softens only slightly at f/11. #light_bulb I would disagree. There was no reason to test any other because, when stopped down to 49mm, F6.1, this lens is simply perfect, comparable to any APO on the market. With this lens you don't need to do much if any post processing. How well do Fujifilm's film simulations match up to their film counterparts? A series of such images can be digitally stacked to produce excellent results. I almost bought one, but couldn't manage that focal length and DoF with moving subjects and manual focus. These were just a tad less sharp at the corners than their Canon competition, but certainly extremely sharp all over the field if closed down one stop or even half a stop. They create a beautiful, mesmerizing dreamscape in their photos, and their secret weapon, besides an impeccable sense for aesthetics, is the 135mm F2 lens. I love the lens for my modified Sony a6000! Hi Thomas As far as I know, the Nikon D500 is not modified for astrophotography out of the box (it includes a built in IR cut filter that blocks much of the 656nm wavelength). It seems lazy to me. The duck and cat are really the only good shots. This free website's biggest source of support is when you use these links, especially these directly to it at Adorama or at Amazon, when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Also, we ought never question or diminish the joy of others. Images that sing. How's that for an endorsement? You're sour grapes man, you wish it were you who wrote the article. There are a total of 8 stops actually written on the lens. Proper composition, light and retouching are much prefferable to crazy gooey bokeh. I would! modest cost for "L" series, wonderful optics and fast speed, nitpicking, but not a circular aperature and no weather sealing. This is one of the sharpest lens i've ever owned. Thanks Gary! At a local amateur soccer game using the 135 f/2 the action was almost always too close, or too far away. You currently have javascript disabled. In 3 months I got loosy focus ring. Then you should have tried the 180mm nikkor ED, the old one, which is the favorite tool of a lot of astrophotographers. I typically shoot with Canon lenses, but the potential for low light photography (whether thats astrophotography or the ability to film at dusk) caught my interest. Thanks.. or.. Clear Skies! The 135mm f2 is by all accounts one of their better and more reliable lenses however I believe the chance of a defective lens is lower with the Canon. Since i am totally new in this field, i would like to start with astrophotography but using my existing camera (Fuji XT-30). But I would argue that a 135mm F2 lens produces even greater bokeh, thanks to the long focal length that compresses the background far more than the 85mm lens. Some reviewers have listed lack of IS as a "Con". With weather sealing this would be a 10. All lenses mentioned below are adaptable to Canon EOS cameras with slim EOS adapters which allow the lenses to focus just slightly past infinity. He has quite a breadth photos many of which are quite good. It seems they are now quite comparable in quality to prime lenses. Nikon 300/4 ED IF, Sigma 50/2.8 DG Macro (not a telephoto, but good). One of my very best lenses! A specialist lens, at best, though I did enjoy the cat image. Especially for beginning astrophotographers, who should first invest most of their finances into a good telescope mount, telephoto lenses are an excellent and affordable solution. The full extent of the relationship between Rokinon and Samyang is unknown to me, but the packaging on my lens says Technology by Samyang Optics. Thanks to you I got a Rokinon 14mm f2.8 and a 24mm f 1.4 and am considering this lens at the moment, but wonder how it compares to the Canon 135 mm f/2. My only complaint about this lens is that the depth of the lens shade forces me to remove the shade in order to remove or replace the lens cap (my hands are fairly large). 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. The lens has 14 stops when turning the aperture. Again, there's no context. I used Canon's 135 f/2 for ten years. Interesting that ancient, low-tech (no ED glass, no special coatings) non-apo telephotos could produce decent results compared to something modern. I know taste is subjective, but it seems to me that some people have become obsessed with blur and bokeh. We sell a wide variety of digital cameras from all the top brands like Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, Olympus, Fujifilm, Pentax, Leica, Samsung, and more. (purchased for $1,000), reviewed January 1st, 2007 The lenses I listed are certainly not the ONLY exceptional lenses made over the years. Based on my handful of experiences with this lens in the backyard, I have found these traits to hold true. This lens is one of canons finest lenses i have ever used. Im currently shooting with a Canon 60D. MCovington, my Zeiss 300/4 is the full thickness barrel version, made in West Germany, serial number 5990836. One very popular lens for bokeh fiends is the Canon 85mm F1.2it can produce extremely creamy out of focus backgrounds. The flat lens hood is great for taking flat frames after a night of astrophotography. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for shooting sports and action, and recommended the best. I have a 135mm f2.8 lens I've used for wide DSOs but mostly I use 200mm. The Rokinon 14mm F/2.8 was the first lens I had ever used like this, and these aspects do not hinder the astrophotography experience whatsoever. I have used and still use the 135MM F/2 l lens. And yet this review is on front page of DPReview prompting me to go and buy this lens -- so surely it must be a professional , well grounded review, right? fast, sharp wide open, excellent bokeh, value for money, very fast, sharp, gorgeous background blur, world class lens. The California Nebula. Fantastic IQ & Bokeh. And if you want autofocus, I would recommend the Canon 135mm f2.0L, which is incredibly light for its performance at just 750g. I stopped reading after the part where someone I don't know told me I "should" be doing something. I have taken some of the coolest photos with this lens on a canon mark III which shoots ten frames per second. CP+ 2023: Sigma has announced it is bringing its trio of DC DN APS-C prime lenses to Nikon's Z mount: its first lenses for Nikon's mirrorless system. You got a criticism fine say it politely, and too the point. I was blown away when I loaded the photos into my computer. But do some experimenting before you decide. Before I go any further, Id like to share a photo from Gabriel Millou of the Andromeda Galaxy using a Canon 1300D. Cost. The Samyang 135mm f/2 lens is very wide in astrophotography terms. Round one of polls are now open, pick your winners and share your voice. Focusing a wide open F/2 lens is demanding of the optics, especially on a field of stars in the night sky. Your first serious portrait lens should be a modern stabilized 70-200 f/2.8. 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. Hey Trevor, great article! I found with the 70-200 made me lazy. The best 200mm lens is precisely the older 200mm F4 SMC Takumar, which comes with the M42 camera thread, and requires the M42-EOS adapter. This is a fully manual lens, meaning that it does not have autofocus, and you must manually select the f-stop . But the Rokinon f/2 version fits into a different market. 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. Used on a crop body the results are still splendid but you gain on DOF, making it a great combination for wedding/event and ambient/available light. Seems to me that Michael is pretty new to using long telephoto lenses, he writes that the Samyang is the first he has owned. Amazing for portraits, easily fast enough for indoor sports. never mind.. confirmed from others that F19 is indeed the one that is excluded on this lens! You will see why. When coupled with my Canon DSLR camera, the entire system weighs just over 3 pounds. 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. I owned this lens for a long time, then traded it for the 70-200 2.8IS II. The Japanese word "bokeh" can be translated into English as "blur". however i started to realise how every subject might actually be a cardboard cutout being photographed. I also find the other photos not very good. But when holes in text prompt me to look at the work of the writer, there is nothing professional there either. Sharp without being harsh. The main problem with the old lenses is spherical aberration and colour error, especially pronounced on digital sensors. However, I am convinced that its large aperture and fast F ratio would perform exceptionally well in three color or narrow band H-alpha and OIII photography. But you just know that there is the professionalism that is lacking here -- and the writer's Instagram page confirms that. The difference between modern and old telephoto lenses is probably similar to the difference between my APO and an old Jaegers 5in F5. Selecting between it and the 200mm Takumar was not an easy choice but, in the end, I chose the Takumar because it seemed to have slightly better contrast. The first telephoto lens of choice, especially recommended for beginners, is the 135mm F2.5 SMC Pentax. It is by far the fastest focusing, best bokeh, and lowest light lens you will ever find. Samyang 85mm f1.83. Diffraction from the cheap EF-s kit zoom lens was uneven. Neutral yet very nice colours. Material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted or otherwise used without the prior written consent of The Imaging Resource.