Nikon 180mm ED AIS vs Nikon 300mm ED f/4.5 version

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John W Colby avatar
Hello,

I'm new to astrophotography and I'm looking to purchase a lens. I've narrowed it down to the Nikon 180mm ED AIS f/2.8 and the Nikon 300mm ED f/4.5 AIS. Has anyone had experiences with these lenses? I'm also open to suggestions on lenses up to the $300.00 range. I'm on a tight budget, so I can't afford the nice gear. My camera is a Nikon d7000, but I will soon be getting an astromodded Canon 60d. My mount is a celestron slt that I put on a wedge. I'm able to do 60 sec subs with a telephoto lens at f5.6. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
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andrea tasselli avatar
I've tried both and own the AF version of the 180mm. The 180mm is a very nice flat lens with minimal aberrations but some lateral chromatic aberration and just little axial chromatic aberration when used wide open. The subsequent AF version is just a little better with regard to that but otherwise about the same. The 300mm f/4.5 was a fine lens in its heydays but now shows its age. My sample was well corrected (all this tested with APS-C sensor) across the field but with significant lateral chromatic aberration and visible chroma shifting (not corrected well in the NIR). Some astigmatism and more than a hint of spherical wide open. Field-correction-wise I found the 300mm f/4.5 Olympus OM a better contender. Obviously that won't work on a Nikon but would work on a Canon. If you plan to stick with Nikon lens then your best bet is an astro-modded D7500, way better than a 60D.
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John W Colby avatar
Thank you for the feedback