Vikas Chander Astrophotography
“Your astrophotography and timelapses are awesome…. what gear do you use?”
Many of you reach out to me asking me this question. And to be honest, it is actually very flattering. So I decided to document my list of camera gear and explain in brief how i put them to use in the various genres of astrophotography. I must confess, i am a gear addict. I must have the latest and best cameras and lenses, accessories and gadgets!! Did it tell you about my weakness for camera bags??!!! Motion and timelapse controllers, computers, drives and displays are all fair game. As a result of GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) i have a fairly extensive collection of gear accquired over the years…….some of which i may never put to use….
Lenses, lenses, lenses….!!!!
If you were to ask which camera one should buy for astrophotography, i would put that question on the back burner and feed you my spiel about lenses. Far more important than the camera you choose, is the lens you use as that can make or break your image. Astigmatism, coma, chromatic aberration vignetting can all combine and ruin your best efforts of standing under a starry sky in sub zero temperatures. To that end i would advise one to purchase the best lenses one can afford and in the quest for the perfect lens, i have ended up with a huge collection of zoom and prime lenses.
However, while my search for that perfect lens continues, my favorite has to be the Zeiss Otus lenses for Nikon F-mount. The 28mm and 55m F1.4 are sharp and exhibit very little coma at the corners even wide open. Chromatic aberration is non existent which is vital to achieve correct star color. The only disadvantage of these lenses are that they are heavy and one has to take that into consideration when packing light or tracking the skies. I also use the Zeiss Milvus range of lenses for focal lengths not available in the Otus lineup, and i do hope to have the Otus 85mm and 100m lenses in my arsenal soon…..