ZWO ASI 1600 & wide field lens.

[Astrith]

Due to limited horizons..... I need to venture out with a light weight rig and start imaging wide field  ( wider than my 72 ED allows ) . I have a Zwo 1600 cool , however I have no idea which lens I should attach to the camera .  Could any one please point me in the right direction......Many thanks for reading. Alan.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Any short telephoto lens would do, I suppose. There are good 135mm F/2.8 lenses to be had for relatively little money. Depending on how wide you want to go, a "nifty fifty" would give you a nice wide field with a very fast lens.

[Astrith]

6 minutes ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

Any short telephoto lens would do, I suppose. There are good 135mm F/2.8 lenses to be had for relatively little money. Depending on how wide you want to go, a "nifty fifty" would give you a nice wide field with a very fast lens.

Many thanks..Michael for pointing me in the right direction....I shall start searching .

 

[John78]

the defacto gold standard is the Samyang 135mm f2

[Astrith]

1 minute ago, John78 said:

the defacto gold standard is the Samyang 135mm f2

Cheers John. Will research this one also.

 

[Alien 13]

The only lenses to avoid are any of the "fly by wire" STM types as they need to be powered from the camera, the Samyang range are good but pricey, alternatives are old M42 Takumars with an adapter.

Alan

[Astrith]

5 minutes ago, Alien 13 said:

The only lenses to avoid are any of the "fly by wire" STM types as they need to be powered from the camera, the Samyang range are good but pricey, alternatives are old M42 Takumars with an adapter.

Alan

Thanks..Alan. If I managed to source one ....would I need to buy the adapter separately .....I guess I would ....Regards..Alan. 

[Gina]

You can just about get away without an adapter for the old M42 Pentax thread lenses with T2, as the thread size is the same but the pitch is different - Asahi Pentax is 1mm and T2 at 0.75mm.  The lens will usually screw in two or three turns.   You will need suitable extension tubes to get focus.  I have used the Super Takumar or similar lenses with great success.  135mm f2.8 is good as is 105mm f2.8 and 55mm f1.8 depending on the FOV you want.  I've gone down as far as 28mm f3.5 which covers whole constellations.  The big advantage of lenses as opposed to telescopes is the much wider aperture available resulting in shorter exposures and ability to capture much more data in a given time.

[Astrith]

1 hour ago, Gina said:

You can just about get away without an adapter for the old M42 Pentax thread lenses with T2, as the thread size is the same but the pitch is different - Asahi Pentax is 1mm and T2 at 0.75mm.  The lens will usually screw in two or three turns.   You will need suitable extension tubes to get focus.  I have used the Super Takumar or similar lenses with great success.  135mm f2.8 is good as is 105mm f2.8 and 55mm f1.8 depending on the FOV you want.  I've gone down as far as 28mm f3.5 which covers whole constellations.  The big advantage of lenses as opposed to telescopes is the much wider aperture available resulting in shorter exposures and ability to capture much more data in a given time.

So glad you replied Gina . I knew you had a lens set up with your mono cool ,  and wondered about it. Thanks very much for the information ...its what I was hoping for. I can now make a more informed decision . Again  SGL  delivers !! ....Big Thanks. Alan.

 

[Alien 13]

23 minutes ago, Astrith said:

So glad you replied Gina . I knew you had a lens set up with your mono cool ,  and wondered about it. Thanks very much for the information ...its what I was hoping for. I can now make a more informed decision . Again  SGL  delivers !! ....Big Thanks. Alan.

 

As Gina has said the M42 and T2 threads will often screw together but its best to make the connection permanent if you can with a secondary thin T spacer.

Alan

[Astrith]

2 minutes ago, Alien 13 said:

As Gina has said the M42 and T2 threads will often screw together but its best to make the connection permanent if you can with a secondary thin T spacer.

Alan

Thanks..Alan. Have you any Idea where I may find the Asahi pentax or Super Takumar....searching ebay at the moment. Regards..Alan.

 

[Alien 13]

7 minutes ago, Astrith said:

Thanks..Alan. Have you any Idea where I may find the Asahi pentax or Super Takumar....searching ebay at the moment. Regards..Alan.

 

Ebay is the best place but people are aware of the fact that they can be used with modern DSLRs so prices and availability are not what they used to be, its worth looking in general at other M42 lenses too and they often turn up in charity/other shops for little money.

Alan

[Astrith]

Again..Thanks.

[Gina]

I got mine from Ebay but I too have noticed the reduction in availability lately.  The history of these lenses was Takumar, Super Takumar and SMC (Super Multi Coated) Takumar. 

[Astrith]

Thanks Gina......Still searching. Best Regards..Alan.