GeoAmy

13 hours ago, Elp said:

The cheapest cost of entry commercial tracker I've come across is the Omegon LX, purely mechanical too which is a bonus. I didn't use it much (as I got the azgti soon after) but 2-3 minute subs with the SY14 was no problem.

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!!

8 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

14mm lens is suitable only for milky way wide field shots and constellations.

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.

1 hour ago, ollypenrice said:

All the lenses above will leave you undersampled (pixels too large to separate details which can be separated by the optics) but keeping to the longer end will give a smoother result

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?

1 hour ago, ollypenrice said:

Do you intend to use a tracking mount to 'unwind' the rotation of the earth?

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.

2 hours ago, Elp said:

Note the longer focal length you go you will need tracking if youre doing DSO imaging. Even at 50mm it becomes an issue. Less than say 10s images it should be fine.

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)?