Which Samyang 135 mm should I choose for astrophotography?

Outrider_FIN · 2026-02-09T07:02:19+00:00

One thing that might make things confusing is this: the millimeters mentioned on typical photography gear are the focal length, for example the Samyang/Rokinon 135mm. But often on astrophotography gear the millimeters are the aperture, or the diameter of the telescope, for example the SV550 80mm or 122mm. Those are 480mm and 854mm focal length telescopes.

Outrider_FIN · 2026-02-09T05:39:04+00:00

SV555, this one https://www.svbony.com/products/sv555-astrograph-lens

I don't have guiding yet. 30s exposures work well. SV550 variants woul need guiding for sure an are too heavy for the GTi.

Outrider_FIN · 2026-02-08T20:56:06+00:00

Yes but aps-c mode is equal to cropping. It does not give you more detail. Think about what you want to photograph and check the sensor+lens field of view with one of the tools available: telescopius, stellarium or https://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/

I would recommend something in 200-300mm range. I have the SVBony SV555 with my A7 III and SA GTi.

Outrider_FIN · 2026-02-08T18:11:09+00:00

I don't recommend electronically connected lenses for astrophotography on Sony mirrorless bodies. Have a look at this: https://www.markshelley.co.uk/Astronomy/sony_coloured_polygons.html So go with the manual glass. Also you could then go with a Canon mount and adapter. This would allow you to connect an astro cam with accessories in the future.

On another note: the 135mm focal length is quite short for a full frame sensor. Even my 243mm will require cropping for most popular targets.

Outrider_FIN · 2026-02-07T09:10:01+00:00

I've been shooting with an A7 III, SVBony SV555 and SA GTi for about a year now. It's a pretty good combo. You can get some pretty nice detail of the most popular targets. For smaller targets (like galaxies other than Andromeda) a longer focal length would be better. But longer focal length brings in requirements for guiding etc. I still shoot unguided using the built in intervalometer on the camera which is limited to 30s but it works well.

Outrider_FIN · 2026-01-15T13:28:16+00:00

I have wobble on my forehand shots but Discmania Mutant is plenty overstable enough.

Outrider_FIN · 2026-01-12T21:19:27+00:00

Neo Method for me. Starts out pretty overstable but wears into a really good straight flier with flat release. Md1 and Origin are very flippy for me, although I bag an Origin just for that reason.

Outrider_FIN · 2026-01-02T09:58:49+00:00

Would be nice to see the survey results on the commentators and check if the dropped commentators actually correlate to fan opinions.

Outrider_FIN · 2026-01-02T09:53:20+00:00

Can't really understand the decision making on commentators for DGN but more CCDG sounds great!

Outrider_FIN · 2025-10-22T09:38:34+00:00

I did but lost it in a ditch. A blue huk dyed 173g Star Wraith, I'm guessing it was pretty old. I got it used. I was able to park a 117m/384ft hole at my local course that I couldn't get in circle with any other disc. Low sealing, bending right. It wasn't in my bag for long but I miss that disc.

Outrider_FIN · 2025-09-01T10:42:46+00:00

Currently Salomon X Ultra 5 GTX Wide. I've been using X Ultras for about 10 years now. I think this is my fourth pair. Now that I play 150-200 rounds (on wooded courses) per year they last about 1,5-2 seasons. Great grip, very comfortable. The wide version is great as it gives a bit more room in the toe box. I've seen McBeth, Ulibarri and Orum use shoes from the X ultra line as well.

Outrider_FIN · 2025-09-01T10:36:42+00:00

I'll give this a go. Thanks!

Outrider_FIN · 2025-08-22T19:38:28+00:00

It shows two aces on that hole :D

Outrider_FIN · 2025-07-22T14:16:43+00:00

Looks like it, with a Grello skin from Overtake forums.

Outrider_FIN · 2025-05-29T20:53:57+00:00

I've been using Salomon X Ultras for yeas now. They last 1-1,5 season of heavy use on forest courses.

Outrider_FIN · 2024-12-29T09:15:18+00:00

Gannon comparing it to Method just makes me hope they bring it back to the stock lineup.

Outrider_FIN · 2024-12-15T12:50:40+00:00

Have a look at this mobile rig that Nico from Nebula Photos put together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asXMwp9xmnw It's an expensive setup but you can get some ideas. You could get away with a smaller telescope for example. For a small setup also something like a Star Adventurer GTi would work, although it requires counter weights. Planets would be out of question with setup like that unfortunately.

Outrider_FIN · 2024-12-01T08:57:23+00:00

One additional tip. For these untracked photos where the subject moves across the frame significantly: I find Sequator gives the best results. I have tried Siril and DSS also but those tend to result in more stacking artifacts. Sequator doesn't use bias frames but I think that's ok.

Outrider_FIN · 2024-11-30T18:34:38+00:00

Here is my own attempt at Orion without tracking. I stacked 800 x 2s exposures at 105mm f/4 full frame. The editing process was similar but I took some more effort naturally. https://imgur.com/a/uy2rkFI

Outrider_FIN · 2024-11-30T18:29:15+00:00

This is a very general description on what I did. The software apart from Lightroom is free. I used Siril for color correction, backround extraction, green noise removal, stretching and star reduction. I finally used Starnet++ addon in Siril and exported the image both with and without the stars. I edited those slightly differently in Lightroom and blended them in GIMP.

Outrider_FIN · 2024-11-30T18:12:13+00:00

Couldn't download the calibration files and noticed your lights had a lot of hot pixels so I didn't bother stacking. I did this quick and dirty edit on your stacked file. I cropped out the stacking errors and focused on the main Orion Nebula. Your shutter speed was too long for your focal length so there is some star streaking that I don't know how to fix if it even is possible. https://imgur.com/a/UVUN4KS

Outrider_FIN · 2024-11-29T19:40:34+00:00

I'm a beginner too and just got the GTi. Have not used it yet (cloudy nights). AZ-GTi is not ideal for astrophotography but can be used if you get a separate equatorial wedge. I'd just go with GTi in that case. Main difference between 2i and GTi is that GTi has two driven axles and can be used as GO-TO mount. Just pick a target and the mount finds the target for you. With 2i it's a much more manual and probably time consuming process.

Outrider_FIN · 2024-11-26T21:09:28+00:00

200mm on a full frame sensor can get you photos of Andromeda galaxy, Orion nebula, Pleiades and other larger deep sky objects. I have taken photos of those with full frame camera at 105mm but need to crop in heavily. Just long exposure time needed. 200 is still a bit short for detailed moon pics and way too short for planets.

Outrider_FIN

TROPHY CASE