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Astrophotography lens with Lumix GX9 ?

Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Buying Advice Deep Sky
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TimB59 avatar
TimB59 avatar
Hello there,

I own a Lumix GX9 with a G Vario 12-60mm lens, a 7artisans 12mm f2.8, and the Star Adventurer mount. If you had a budget of up to 350-400 euros (second-hand is an option to find cheaper deals), which lens would you buy to photograph the simplest deep-sky objects to capture ( M31 for example ) ?

I think that the 7artisans 12mm f2.8 is able to take great photo of the milkyway but I think the focal is too large.

From what I understand, with a 4:3 sensor, you need to multiply by 2, so an 85mm lens such as the Samyang 85mm f1.4 ( with a 4:3 adapter that allow to buy a lens for Canon/Nikon mount ) would be equivalent to a 170mm lens on a Canon or Nikon, which could be quite useful for deep-sky objects ?

Thank you in advance for your feedback!
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andrea tasselli avatar
andrea tasselli avatar
The idea of "reach" doesn't actually work for astrophotograhy so a 85mm lens is still a 85mm lens, only with a more restricted field of view compared to standard APS-C cameras. I your camera supports at least 30s in bulb mode and can take sequences then you have at least the basics. Most of the lenses out there need to be stopped down to work well for subject at infinity and pointlike objects such as stars, which is an issues for both modern Canon or Nikon lenses. Older Nikon lens have manual aperture ring (such as the AIs or the D series) but Canon would most likely require a Canon camera to set the aperture (but I'm no expert with those). Modern "G" Nikon lenses require wedging the aperture tab with something like a piece of plastic of the right size so that gives you the intended aperture, not an easy task for the uninitiated.  Obviously any manual lens with manual aperture diaphragm will work, so a Samyang/Rokinon 135mm f/2 will be your best bet because it is both very good for astro work and because it is fully manual.
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TimB59 avatar
TimB59 avatar
andrea tasselli:
The idea of "reach" doesn't actually work for astrophotograhy so a 85mm lens is still a 85mm lens, only with a more restricted field of view compared to standard APS-C cameras. I your camera supports at least 30s in bulb mode and can take sequences then you have at least the basics. Most of the lenses out there need to be stopped down to work well for subject at infinity and pointlike objects such as stars, which is an issues for both modern Canon or Nikon lenses. Older Nikon lens have manual aperture ring (such as the AIs or the D series) but Canon would most likely require a Canon camera to set the aperture (but I'm no expert with those). Modern "G" Nikon lenses require wedging the aperture tab with something like a piece of plastic of the right size so that gives you the intended aperture, not an easy task for the uninitiated.  Obviously any manual lens with manual aperture diaphragm will work, so a Samyang/Rokinon 135mm f/2 will be your best bet because it is both very good for astro work and because it is fully manual.

Thanks !

Since it is completely manual, I can look for second-hand lenses with a Canon mount or other mounts and adapt the lens to my GX9 with an adapter. This would indeed be cheaper.

Thanks for clarifying the focal length issue. I didn't know that for astrophotography, multiplying the focal length by 2 to get the full-frame equivalent was not the rule.
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