ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY and the SONY 24mm f/1.4 GM Lens Real World Review
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- The Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 G Master is incredible for Astrophotography.
Available from B&H goo.gl/HjL1Kc
This weekend I was invited to Sedona, AZ for a Sony trip to use the 24mm f/1.4 gm to shoot the night sky. This lens is absolutely incredible - I've had the chance to use it before, but not in an astrophotography setting.
I compared the Sony 24mm against the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art and the Zeiss Otus 28mm f/1.4
We were joined by Stan Moniz and José Francisco Salgado - be sure to check out their work!
Stan Moniz / @stanmoniz
José Francisco Salgado josefrancisco.org/
What I love about the Sony 24mm f/1.4 G Master
• Excellent low-light performance
• beautiful depth of field
• almost no sagittal coma flare
• very low chromatic abberation even wide open
• light weight
• fast auto-focus
• reasonable price point - performs better than lenses 5 times as expesive
Check out my other videos:
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• How Good Are Sony Lenses? • How good are Sony lenses?
• Sony 400mm f/2.8 G Master • WORLD CUP lens of the ...
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* Sony invited me to Arizona and payed for my flight. There was no financial compensation and the opinions here are my own.
Ted Forbes
The Art of Photography
2830 S. Hulen, Studio 133
Fort Worth, TX 76109
US of A
Had to laugh at how excited you got over Andromeda - first step to getting hooked on night sky photography.
Good old Andromeda... were you aware that it is visible with the naked eye? Yes, you do need a dark sky, but it is the most distant thing you can see with the Mark I eyeball.
Haha mark 1 eyeball!
"Most Distant" you say? Can you SCIENTIFICALLY prove this violation of natural LAW: the inverse square law of light intensity? You do the math and/or scientific method and 'discover' if "most distant" makes any sense at all. Utmost blessings!
I have had it for about three weeks, and it's incredible. Worth every penny. Takes handheld shots to new levels.
Believe it or not, the light that you captured from Andromeda is 2.5 million years old!
it is 2.5 million light years away from earth . not 2.5 million years old. and I am not too sure that even that fact is correct..not sure if we have the ability to measure that distance ..either way, it is still very cool to capture it in a photo
yep, about.
@@uofmdad42goblue2 A light year is the distance light travels in one year. So the light we see from Andromeda today, left that galaxy 2.54M yrs ago.
@@uofmdad42goblue2 Since Andromeda is 2.5 million light years away from earth, it takes 2.5 million years for light to reach earth. When you look at Andromeda, those photons are old!
Counting from when a particle left Andromeda heading this way at light speed, it is 2.5 Myears older when it reaches us.
Astrophotography is addicting once you do it and start to get good at it. But yeah light pollution is a big problem. I've never been where it is very very dark. One day...anyway, nice little glimpse into your experience, thanks! Another guy to check out if you haven't before is Ben Canales, and all the guys at Uncage The Soul Productions. Ben's a great guy and a great photographer! Does some amazing time lapses of the night sky.
That kind of excitement is something I hope never goes away for me when it comes to shooting in general. Really great to see.
Awesome genuine review! Love how you talk about what you know and are transparent about what you don't. This lens is absolutely, 100% going to be mine. Braddah Stan got me hooked already haha.
For star photography death valley is probably one of the best places to photograph, you can actually see the edge of the milky way and it looks absolutely stunning.
still boggles my mind that the GM outperforms the Zeiss lens in astro!
We should have strapped on the 18 Batis man - I hear now its as good as the 24GM. In all fairness - you suggested it ;-)
OK, tech questions. 1) How does the 24mm GM compare to the 14mm GM for coma flare? 2) What resolution were you shooting? 3) What were the exposure settings? 4) Are you hooked? I was after one night out. Fortunately, I live within 1 or two hours of dark skies. If you really want a treat, check out Great Basin National Park.
I've been fiendishly researching photography, and videos like this inspired me to buy the 24mm GM as my first lens, and because I had to buy a camera too, I won't have any other glass for a while. I intend to get familiar with it.
First, love your videos and passion for photography. I have followed a number of your "documentary" on various photographers. Second: astrophotography is a big hobby of mine for a long time. It's incredible what one can shoot with a simple camera and lens (e.g. your Andromeda). Various coma is always an issue, even though to be fair.. it's in the corner and in the realm of pixel peeping. Overall composition, colors, perfect focus is probably more important (let's not even speak of field curvature !). But since the milky season will be starting soon.. I would encourage anyone having a 24 or 35mm to take multiple exposures of the same sky, stack them using Deep Sky Stacker, use Drizzle 2x or even 3x (if you have a lot of exposure) and be amazed by what you can actually see.. In essence, by stacking and with Drizzle, you can easily multiply the resolution by 2x or 3x, so you could start seeing dusts in the Andromeda Galaxy even with a 24mm.. Crazy in my opinion, and exciting too. I got a 240MP of the Milky Way with that method and a 35mm and I can actually see multiple nebulae and globular clusters.. Definitely a lot to try and a lot of fun to have while exploring the sky :)
Nice been wanting to see a review like this! I added this lens to my kit and now been using it non-stop on the a7r3. I programmed the custom button on the lens to switch to crop mode and love this setup for event photography.
you can shoot andromeda with a 16mm, when i saw that first time i was blown away, then i began to shoot it with a 50, a 85, a 200, now i m shooting it and beautiful nebulas with a 500mm , and a tracker, of course
With a 500mm lens, what's your maximum shutter speed you can get away with, and at what ISO? thanks
Don't forget to stack!
@@keithmitchell6548 not op but i would say 1 second untracked ("500" rule), with a tracker much more.
With a 500mm you have to track. Or 1 sec max and you can do almost nothing with 1 second exposure
Would love to see some samples of that! Got an URL?
Haha I noticed that you caught Andromeda when you first pulled up the image! Very cool. The light light that you captured from Andromeda was emitted two and a half million years ago and is _far_ older than any of the other light we see from stars/nebulae/etc. that are in the Milky Way. Which is basically everything else that you see in the image _other_ than Andromeda. Many of the largest stars that existed in Andromeda at the time when this light was emitted have since died off. Also interesting is that the light from the rear of the disk is actually a couple hundred thousand years older than the light coming from the front of the disk. Normally stuff that far away is invisible to anything except powerful telescopes (and certainly to the naked eye), but Andromeda is a galaxy as big or bigger than the Milky Way. Still, it's crazy to think that even with a trillion stars working together, that little blotch is all that remains of the journey.
I literally just watched the unveiling and the boat trip 'tryout' for the 24mm in San Fran and I continue to be blown away by this lens, which I am getting middle of this month. The versatility of what it can do is incredible! So glad I left Canon and got the A7III 😊
Great video! These things like the fact that you can see the Andromeda Galaxy through a simple camera, binoculars oraz even with a naked eye (when you know where to look for it) got me into astronomy and astrophotography. When you are able to capture something that is incredibly huge or beautiful like nebulae it is a great feeling. Try to follow the stars movement and keep the shutter open for like two minutes. Point it on Orion or even Pleiades and you will see some crazy stuff
It's fun to see your enthusiasm! Looking forward to that next video and more on the 24/1.4
At 3:03, those wing shaped stars on the corners of the image are not sagittal coma flare, that kind of aberration is called sagittal astigmatism. Stars with coma flare aberration get a comet tail like shape.
This lens is a gem, but the astro use for it is somewhat of an added bonus you get, I would not buy it just because of it's wide field astrophotography capability, for that I would rather go with the zeiss batis 18mm f/2.8, those 6mm difference will sure make you happier for those milky way shots, also f/2.8 is more than enough for astrophotography. What's going to be the difference in shutter speed for say a milky way shot? perhaps 8 to 12 seconds? Don't let that fool you. Now if we're talking about bokeh, then yes f/1.4 would rock!
Now, I would love to compare the aberration on both of these lenses, cause the aberration in the zeiss batis is imperceptible!
Hey Ted the question would you consider getting this lens if you already own the 24-70 GM and 35 Zeiss 1.4
That lack of aberration on the corners from the Sony lens samples you showed in this vid look really clean. I've had excellent copies of Rokinon 12mm, 14mm, 21mm, and 24mm. All of them have near perfect corners for astro, (when you get a good copy), and cost $250-$400 new, and they do a good job at normal landscape work too. Alternatively, I also started using an astro tracker last year. I just got a Fuji 16mm, and looking forward to stopping it down to F/2.8 or F/4 and getting 2-4 min exposures with it instead of using my Rokinons.
I tried this lens with Sony A7R3 and all my milky way shots came blurry....yes I was using Tripod and Manual Focus to infinity.
Are you going to post your comparisons between the Zeiss Otus 28mm 1.4 and the Sony you were taking with Steve Huff?
One lens i really wanted to test for Astro is the Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8
Have you ever noticed high pitch humming in the lens, not the blades or the rail system, but actually humming?
Great video Ted!
Thanks Raymond!
@@theartofphotography You've got a sweet cameo performance in the video about the trip that I posted on Leigh's channel today :D
Fun video and exciting to hear about you expanding your horizons and by extension, mine. Thank you.
I wish I could get my hands on one. Cant seem to find one for sale
Thanks. I have the 24mm f1.4 G-Master and am loving it. Haven't done astrophotography yet but I will. I have A7RIII, A7III and A6500. Cheers
Wow! I pre ordered the 24GM and have had it for sometime now maybe a month or so and let me say I can't take it off my camera and it's the best lens i use and i have a lot of native FF lenses. Totally agree its a one of a kind lens. Great video and good job Sony.
Oh man - you're making me jones for it!!! I've used it twice but I don't have one yet…
pentax is THE astrophotography camera -- wait for that 100 year anniversary mirrorless!!
Going to Sedona tomorrow, I’m a city guy from NYC. Bringing the 24GM with me for some Astro shots.
Yeah your Andromeda is soo clear can't believe it's shoot buy 24mm. very nice.
Nioce video ! Do you think you can get the same quality with the Sony Alpha 7 r4 , I mean shooting stars ...
I wonder how the Fuji 16mm f1.4 would do vs. these lenses??
Little fun fact about the Andromeda Galaxy: If we could see the entire galaxy at our night sky (we're only seeing its core from earth because the outter parts of it are too dark to spot by human eye or normal cameras/lenses) it would be larger than full moon.
waow, what do you mean by normal camera/lenses? Can a like 2k€ telescope capture around the bulb or only observatory telescopes?
Ok.. some technical questions.. what were your F stops, shutter lengths, ISO settings and were using a A7iii or A7riii? Or is that coming in the following video?
i think it would be like. f1. 4 10sec iso 640
I've caught Andromeda on a 14mm FF lens and it was very sharp and distinguishable. Also my first "wow" moment in astro many moons ago.
Has Sony said when the 24mm 1.4 will be in retail stores it has been either preordered or not in stock for quite some time now with all retailers?
Loved the video, waiting for the next video
And that's just the core of Andromeda! The entire thing is wider than 5 moons on the sky, a lot of work to photograph properly
That's amazing. It's 100,000 lightyears across, it's just a massive amount of stars to visualize in that space.
Jeez how the heck would you even do that!? like a 600MM lens? I would imagine it would require a telescope, at high altitudes, controlled by a computer or something... I'd love to hear back how you'd go for it.
Thanks Ted, interesting comparison. Enjoying the podcast too!
As usual I give my like BEFORE I watch the video. I am never dissapointed.
I'm curious - what sort of tracker( if any) did you use for the sky shots? Your results are making it even more challenging when going to select a mirrorless solution in the upcoming year.
Did....did you desaturate the blues in the video? (@home)
Astrophotography ideal for nerding out but more expensive than burning money. I love it!
I'm trying to decide between this and the Tokina Firin f2. Would save money with the Firin and also its a bit wider which is nice for astro.
I have a SONY A6600, I don’t shoot much video at all but am looking for a low light/portrait/street photography lens. Would you recommend this lens for that? I’m wondering if 24mm is capable of being that versatile.
Please give me some of your thoughts - I want a small wide angle prime for hiking, traveling and occasional astro (only stills). Currently I have an option of a 24mm GM priced similarly to a new 20mm 1.8. Which one would you recommend? I do have sigmas 35 but it's just too big for the mountains
I believe the zeiss distagon 21mm doesn’t suffer from coma effects. I own this lens but haven’t used it for Astro yet. Prob will. I’m still considering this Sony 24mm as the auto focus would be nice to have.
The loxia has coma… still a great lens though. Definitely check out the Sony 24mm.
The Art of Photography I will do. The Sony is 1/2 the weight, and auto focus so those are both wins for me
@@NickGranville You won't need much autofocus on the night sky :) Just Infinity.
Russian Severe Videos that’s true but I wouldn’t just use the lens on the night sky. As I said above I don’t really shot Astro at the moment. Autofocus would be a big help for what I do shoot: video, indoor music events, etc etc
What lens do you use to shoot these vlogs?
I shoot on Canon and I'm interested in the Sigma 24mm 1.4. Can you please give us your opinions on that piece of gear? :)
I remember the first time I found Andromeda, saw it on the back of the camera but didn't know what it was ... tried finding it through a telescope with no luck. Took until 2 days later before I realised what it actually was
Hey buddy
Did you ever buy this lens ?
I was going to pick one up finally but wanted to know if you still felt the same way about this lens
best regards, Rick
BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!
Thanks!
I'm not a geeky photographer but you make this very interesting!
Great video and information! What camera did you use this on?
Did someone say astrophotography?
Thanks. Did the experienced astro photographers feel it was wide enough for astro work?
I suggest The Steens Mountain/Alvord Desert area in southeastern Oregon for dark sky environments. Nothing out there but sheep and wild horses.
Will the Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 G Master lens allow me to change the aperture while the shutter is open?
I like to do astrophotography using a strobe to capture my foreground subject while having the Milky Way in the background. I manually focus on the stars at f/1.4 and then I stop the aperture down to f/16 to get the foreground in focus. Once I've captured my foreground subject with the flash, I open the aperture back up to f/1.4 while leaving the shutter open for another 20-30 seconds. I have a Sony Distagon FE 35mm f/1.4 that's great for astrophotography EXCEPT that I can't change the aperture once the shutter is open. Therefore I have to use lesser lenses that allow me to change the aperture while the shutter is open.
You really didn't get to the technical stuff. The video had a high-level overview of the lens. There was a comparison of the night time, but no technical particulars of the lens. Is there a video where you get into the settings you used for the lens and a series of nighttime shots made with it?
Does work with Lee Seven5 filters without vignetting? I am considering this lens and it would be really great if smaller form factor filters could be used.
Andromeda is five times larger than a full moon in the sky. It's huge!
Being amazed at things like that is the first step into the world of Astro :)
thank you for sharing !
Very cool. While I love all kinds of photography astro seems to be the closest to "magic" to me. It's really stunning how, especially with today's sensors, you can really capture amazing images that aren't visible to the human eye and are only possible with a camera, some knowledge, and patience.
Were you able to see Andromeda from the Sony lens?
there must be hundreds and hundreds of stars!
I think he means visually in the shot.. guess!
@@GoA7250 thinking of the "Farside" cartoon of Carl Sagan as a kid
Will this still be wide enough tho to get most of the milky way included while with at least some landscape? Thanks
Would you recon A7 (first series) is enough for Astro, I would be using Sigma f1.4 24mm
Great review. Content and delivery style A1.
I`m very tempted to retire my Rokinon 24mm 1.4 with its loose front element suggesting it probably has a "screw loose" so bad wide open.
The thought of getting some foreground detail with this purely from starlight on a moonless night has me drooling
Ted, I'm using the Hasselblad X1D with the XCD 30mm f/3.5 lens which is a 24mm full frame equivalent. I have not shot the Milky Way and just wondering if this lens would be appropriate? I know you have experimented with this camera and lens.
Trickiest part of that setup is f/3.5 - its not very wide. Its medium format too so getting stars to freeze will be dependent on high ISO. Star trails, on the other hand, would be quite awesome with that setup.
@@theartofphotography There's this general rule of thumb in Astro that goes "500 divided by focal length is the maximum shutter speed" - of course that's in full frame land. That said, my XCD 30mm is a 24mm full frame equivalent so if you do the math that's about 20 seconds however since i'm down close to 3 stops I would have to be at about ISO 800 which is not much of a problem for the X1D. It might work. Is my logic right?
That’s awesome man!
Sony ftw 😍
I have one, and I love it
Great narration ... even tho you talk fast it's so easy to listen too ...
I was freaking out the first time that I saw the Andromeda galaxy on my pictures.
Thanks brilliant video.
So, out of curiosity....what relevant camera settings were you using for your testing (ISO, SS, etc), and did you do any other techniques than slapping on a tripod and aiming up?
Manual focus for sure. ISO was at 800 - shutter speeds were 15-20 sec on all my shots and the lenses were wide open. Shutter speed is key - too long and you get lines in the stars.
I cut it from the video because it was a little long winded, but there's the 500 rule to avoid rotation movement. Divide your focal length from 500. In this case 500/24 is a little over 20 seconds. High megapixels play in - on the A7r III - 15 seconds was about all I had to play with.
Also Sony's are usually ISO invariant so it has 2 gain stages. On the A7R III the first stage ends at 800 I believe so you're super clean up to that.
@@theartofphotography by a tracker and the sky's the limit
No, typically a tracker is not used because you want to include the landscape to make the photo more interesting. A tracker would blur any foreground object in the shot.
Has anyone testet the zeiss batis 25mm F2 ?
4:52 is the androgens galaxy
Where is the cylde butcher episode
Is 24 wide enough?
Oh yea. On a full frame and even a crop sensor. 36mm
Next video ! Next video next videoooooo pleaseeeeeeee
Wrong time of the year to do Astro milky way. Try the summer months.
andromeda if brighter and or less light pollution would span 4 times the apparent diameter of the moon i think!
Astral mounts... simple.
I'm surprised that you keep calling this astrophotography.
Sarcastic trolling?
Sorry, not it was a rude comment.
Night photography
Asteri - Greek word for Star. Photo-graph = Greek for Writing with Light (Phos = Light | Grapho = I write). Astrophotography makes sense to me to describe making photos of the stars.
Sony is not perfect, but if you have a need for a wide lens a price point ok
Too bad you couldn't go on down to the Mojave for the reduction in light pollution.
Welcome to the dark side of the force :) Once you're hooked you will never be free of its clutches. A camera and a tripod are just the start. Soon enough, you'll get to experience aperture fever. And, the wrath of the cloud gods. Light pollution, stacking, rgb, narrowband imaging and empty bank a/c's will be your future once you go down this path :) :P As the old maxim says... "Teach your kids astrophotography and they'll never be able to afford drugs or alcohol" :)
Did anyone talk about how Elon Musk is screwing up the night sky with StarLink satellites?
The earth is flat!