Finally compared my old kit lens to a used 50mm prime for the Orion Nebula... the difference is night and day.

I've been using the 18-55mm that came with my camera for years, thinking 'good enough' for my backyard shots. Last month, I found a used nifty-fifty for $80 at a local shop. Tried it on M42 last night with the same 30 second exposures... The prime was just sharper, with way less chromatic aberration on the bright stars. The core detail it pulled out was insane compared to the fuzzy blob I usually get. Anyone have a favorite 'budget' lens that surprised them for astro?

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewgonzalez25d ago

Yeah I totally get that "night and day" feeling. For me it was an old 135mm f2.8 I found for like 50 bucks, manual focus and all. I pointed it at the Andromeda Galaxy and couldn't believe how much more detail I was getting compared to my zoom lens.

ray_mitchell3mo ago

My buddy had the same "night and day" shock with a cheap manual Samyang.

the_alice3mo ago

Yeah, "night and day" is a bit much for just a lens. The bigger jump is from a kit lens to any prime, not the brand.