Dslr for milkway/landscape HELP

[Calzune]

Hi! I have a astromodded Canon eos 1100d with stock lens (18-55mm) I want to start doing some (nightime) landscape milkway photography.

 

Im not sure If I should invest in a new DSLR or just a new lens (SAMYANG 14 mm f / 2.8)

 

Im not good with dslrs and there are tons of different versions of them... I want Canon and there are 5D,6D 7D, Eos 500d, Eos 600d, Eos 700d etc...

My budget is around 400 usd, Fulframe is the "best" but also the more expensive ones... but how much better are there than cropped sensor? What would you search for on the used market?

[Shimrod]

10 hours ago, Calzune said:

Hi! I have a astromodded Canon eos 1100d with stock lens (18-55mm) I want to start doing some (nightime) landscape milkway photography.

 

Im not sure If I should invest in a new DSLR or just a new lens (SAMYANG 14 mm f / 2.8)

 

Im not good with dslrs and there are tons of different versions of them... I want Canon and there are 5D,6D 7D, Eos 500d, Eos 600d, Eos 700d etc...

My budget is around 400 usd, Fulframe is the "best" but also the more expensive ones... but how much better are there than cropped sensor? What would you search for on the used market?

I use a Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 with my Canon 7dmk2 for my night landscapes and aurora. The Canon 10-18mm or Canon 10-22mm are both well regarded but slower and the 10-18 is well within budget even new - it will give you wider shots although you will need to expose a bit longer.

I think you would get a lot more value out of a new lens than a new camera - if you want this primarily for nighttime photography you would be paying for lots of features that would just not be necessary. Use a tablet (with a cable) or intervalometer to provide hands-free shooting.

Note - if you use Canon EF-S lenses then you cannot use clip-in filters, but you can with the Sigma lenses.

[Jonk]

If you're used to Canon and have other Canon gear and lenses, I would look for a used 6D.

Full frame, large pixels, large dynamic range and if you're lucky, you can find one for even as low as £350 (around $500) which may be above your budget.

If you get a 'cropped' sensor camera, I reckon the 6D will still beat them all quality wise, so perhaps save a little longer and buy better?

I have a 6D (full) and 70D (cropped), also using 1100D, 450D, 30D (all cropped) in the past and the 6D is easily the best in this lineup.

I also have a Samyang 14mm f2.8 and 24mm f1.4 and the 24mm is better for the Milky Way in my opinion. The 14mm is a bit soft wide open and a bit slow stopped down.

If you're on a fixed tripod, this really matters but if you have a star adventurer or similar, then you may get away with the 14mm stopped down.

Milky way shots are not easy, as I found out when I tried many times!

[nfotis]

Since you seem to have only EF-S lenses, going to a full frame camera is a bit of a problem (you will need a new lens for covering the full sensor, and EF-S lenses are precluded from being mounted on full frame bodies).

Your budget doesn't permit getting both a full frame body and a suitable lens. On the other hand, you can even find astromodified 6D bodies for 400 pounds or so (I recall seeing an ad here).

Personally, I have both an 6D and an 80D, and only full frame lenses shared between both bodies (most were bought since film days, so I am "married" to Canon bodies).

N.F.