Jupiter & Venus - Advice Please!

[Astrosurf]

I have a Canon EOS 40D, so a good camera, but the lenses are old. The better of the two is a Canon 70-210mm zoom EF. I tried my best, changing the ISO and exposure and came up with this one as the best, which isn't saying much. (1000 ISO, 1 second.) When the focusing went too far the image became distorted and highly coloured, so this is the best focusing I could get. Maybe I just need a better lens? Oh, for some money!

The image is cropped

Alexxx

[JB80]

I tried with my 70-300mm lens last night and at 300mm I was getting poor results too.

This pic is better than the ones I got at higher magnification.

[Astrosurf]

Thanks Pibbles. I do wonder if it's just a case of getting a much better-quality lens!

[LukeSkywatcher]

I got pretty much the same result using a Canon 70-300mm lens.

[Astrosurf]

I asked advice on another thread and Psychobilly suggested fixed focal length lenses rather than zoom. He said some of the ones from the old 35mm days are good, but I'd need an adaptor for the Canon. I'm having a look see.

[alex1978]

Prime lenses are definitely a great way to go - more bang for your buck as the development and manufacturing cost go mainly into the glass and aren't divvied up to incorporate the zoom mechanism. They are more often than not, faster lenses as well.

A GREAT starter prime for Canon is the 50mm 1.8 - feels ridiculously cheap but the money is all in the glass, not the housing!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-EF-50-1-8-Lens/dp/B00005K47X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331825627&sr=8-1

A good range of second hand lenses are the old Nikon AIS lenses - stunning (not to be confused with the cheaper AI lenses). The downside to these is they are completely manual and you will have to work harder to get the image in your mind! It does pay off though.

In my opinion, the best adaptors for these, or the older CanonFD lenses are made by a company called Fotodiox - expensive but rock solid fit.

Fotodiox Professional Photography Supplies and Equipment

It really IS worthing spending money on your lenses. The true investment in photography should be with the lenses - not the camera body. A camera is only as good as its lens and they will outlast the body by a long way!

[Astrosurf]

That's great Alex. Thanks so much for going to the trouble.