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Had to choose between a star tracker and a better lens for my astro setup
I've been shooting night skies for about two years now with just a basic DSLR and kit lens. Finally saved up enough to make an upgrade, but I could only afford one thing. I spent two weeks going back and forth between a sky tracker for longer exposures, or a fast wide angle lens like an f/2.8. The tracker would let me stack and get cleaner images of nebulae, but the lens would help me capture wider Milky Way shots right now. I went with the lens because I mostly shoot landscapes with the stars in the frame, not deep space targets. First night out I got a shot of the Milky Way core over a lake near my town that was way sharper than anything I've done before. Still wondering if I made the right call though or if the tracker would have opened up more options. Anyone else been stuck between these two choices?
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jordan1085mo ago
80mm f/2.8 on my crop sensor and that first clear night made me forget all about trackers for a while. The instant gratification of a clean single exposure is real, especially if you're like me and spend as much time hiking to spots as you do shooting. You'll end up with both down the road anyway, just like the rest of us broke astro nerds.
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