Advice on Canon fit lens for astrophotography

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Barry
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I'm looking to purchase a lens for astrophography and looking for folks opinion on the two lenses I'm looking at.

Feel free to suggest any others.

I'm currently working off a Canon 80d and have been looking at either:

sigma 17-50mm f/2.8
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8

I'm aware the sigma will be cropped due to my sensor that why I'm looking at the Tokina.

All advice and suggestions welcome.
Thanks in advance
 
Most ( but not all) zoom lenses do not work well for Astrophotography due to the increased number of glass elements and that zoom lenses are generally a compromise in a number of optical areas.
If I was to advise you it would be to look at a prime lens, they have less glass elements and it's easier for the manufacturer to produce a near optical perfect lens for a moderate price. Look for the shortest focal length you can afford and one with a wide aperture - f2.8 or faster. Since you are not going to use autofocus in shooting the stars then all manual lens like the Samyang 14mm f2.8 or similar should prove to be very useful.
Best of luck
James
 
If by 'astrophotography' you mean a wide field image of the Milky Way arching right across the sky, with a foreground, and you want a lens dedicated to it, then decide what focal length you want and go for a fast prime. James is correct in theory in that the fewer bits of glass between the starlight and the sensor the better, however I use a Tamron 17-50mm with perfectly acceptable results (I'm not going for an extreme wide field), and a Sigma 150-600mm for the larger galaxies, nebulae etc. You need to be specific about what sort of image you want, as 'astrophotography' covers a huge range.
 
Are you looking at those two as in, they are two you want to get, or you are trying to choose one or the other? They are obviously very different that's all.
Out of the 2, the 11-16 wide angle would be my choice every day, but would depend on your intended use.
 
I had initially looked at the Sigma but found the Tokina which has a better focal length and both are 2.8. So had wondered if the Tokina would have been better on a crop frame.

By astro photography I meant landscapes with stars and milky way.
 
Googles said:
I had initially looked at the Sigma but found the Tokina which has a better focal length and both are 2.8. So had wondered if the Tokina would have been better on a crop frame.
Click to expand...
The Sigma is designed as a "standard" zoom for APS-C type camera. The Tokina is a (Ultra) Wide Angle for APS-C cameras.

Both are good lenses but for different purposes.
 
I managed to find a Tamron 14mm f/2.8. Fast, wide, FF compatible/coverage, fully AF and auto aperture. More regular distortion than the Samyang. Already have the Sigma 12-24 but wanted the extra stop or 2 that the prime gives me.
 
Googles said:
I'm looking to purchase a lens for astrophography and looking for folks opinion on the two lenses I'm looking at.

Feel free to suggest any others.

I'm currently working off a Canon 80d and have been looking at either:

sigma 17-50mm f/2.8
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8

I'm aware the sigma will be cropped due to my sensor that why I'm looking at the Tokina.

All advice and suggestions welcome.
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Both lenses will be "cropped" on a crop sensor!
 
Arguably the best lens for Astro photography is not a lens at all but a tracker. Be it a polarie or astrotrac for example.

I think the sigma arts are good for Astro in a canon, the 20mm f1.4 is optically perfect at f2.8 for Astro. The 35mm is perfect before then and has a very large clear aperture but it's not wide enough for you. I'm going to try some panos with mine in full frame when I get somewhere dark.
 
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