GeoAmy

This and the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini were the two that I suggested so we shall see. My birthday is right after Christmas so I can sometimes get away with asking for something a little bit more expensive and split it across the two occasions, which is proving to be very handy for photography equipment!!

That's more than enough for now, I'm not kidding when I say I'm a total beginner. I haven't shot anything that didn't make use of the camera's auto settings so I think the simpler I can keep things to begin with, the better. I would rather opt for something that has form for AP but is going to be relatively forgiving while I learn the ropes and based on all of the advice here, this is the best lens for that at the price I've found it for

I've decided to go for the Samyang 14mm. Thanks again for all your input, this is a really great community and I'm glad I came across it

Amazing advice (as usual!), thank you all so much! I get very anxious about pretty much everything and so I struggle with worrying about making the wrong decision. I'm already about 3 weeks in to trying to work out the best option, but I really appreciate everyone taking the time to share their experiences and the pros/cons of different lenses. A lot of what I had read said that shorter than about 24mm is the best for AP which is why I'd kept the options to the shorter end. Having a quick look, there are a couple of Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM and a Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG. Would one of these give a better trade off? I'm hoping to, it all depends on what Santa brings 😂 joking aside, if I don't get one for Christmas then I'll go down the barn door route

Definitely sounds like a good lens to have in the kit regardless then! Thanks for replying

This is great info, thank you! I'll be using it out in the countryside mostly but there will likely be some instances where I'm in the back garden of a house in a cul-de-sac so a bit more residential. Is there one that you think would be a good option to use in both settings? In terms of the quality of images I want to produce, I don't expect anything incredible because I am very much a beginner. I'm more interested in getting a lens that performs well but isn't ONLY for astro work if that makes sense, even £200 is a lot of money for me so I'm trying to pick a versatile lens.

I currently have a Canon EOS 2000D which so far I only have a kit lens for. I’ve narrowed my next lens down to a few options and was hoping to get an idea of the best options for a total beginner to astrophotography. They are all second hand in order to keep them within my price point (hard max of £200). Thank you in advance! The ones I’m considering are: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II (also an STM variety, unsure of the difference) Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM (also a 40mm EF mount variety) Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM (also a 100mm variety) Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 DC HSM Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Samyang 16mm f/2 ED AS UMC CS Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ED AS IF UMC Samyang 14mm T/3.1 ED AS IF UMC II Samyang 24mm T/1.5 VDSLR ED AS IF UMC II Samyang 16mm T/2.2 ED AS UMC CS

Thank you for your response, it's been really helpful in guiding what I need to look for! A couple more questions: can the Samyang 135 f/2 give decent images even without tracking or would I need to decrease the focal length? I've found a selection of second hand lenses including some Samyang, Rokinon, Tokina, Sigma, and Canon. Are any of these brands ones that I should try to avoid in your experience?

I have the Canon EOS 2000D and so far have just been using the lens that came with it (EF-S 18-55mm IS II Lens). Will this lens produce decent quality astro shots, or is there a better one you can recommend for a complete beginner on a tight budget (no more than £200)?