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Anybody using MFT bodies for astrophotography?

Started Oct 8, 2016 | Discussions thread
Giiba
Giiba Regular Member • Posts: 414
Re: Anybody using MFT bodies for astrophotography?
1

Astrotripper wrote:

Wide angle astro landscapes

This is where all you need is a camera, a lens (and a tripod) and some nice scenery under dark sky. And this is where a smaller sensor of Micro 4/3 puts you at a significant disadvantage to a 35mm format DSLR. There's nothing in MFT that could rival something like a Nikon D810 with a Sigma 20/1.4. There are however lenses that close some of that sensor gap, like Panasonic 1.4/12. But that costs a lot. If you choose to shoot with fish-eyes, MFT pretty much matches FF, since there's Olympus 1.8/8. But judging from what you wrote, this is not what you want to pursue.

I maintain a spreadsheet of m4/3 lenses for this purpose, see:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-5JkMAHVcVV4zLsEH8xlxoSeuhYURLoJtuJn57N9ues/edit?usp=drive_web

I use the standard (clear aperture area) x (angular area of view) x (max exposure time, before trailing) formula. You'll notice m4/3 lenses score far lower than FF lenses and this is because of clear aperture area which is far larger for equivalent fov. Something like the Sigma mentioned would score:

(160.5 mm*mm) x (1.53°*°) x (20sec) = 4911'ish

The best of m4/3 scores 1200-2000. That being said you can still do it and I've found success using lenses that score over 650. My favorites are the 15/1.7 and 8/1.8 and while I cannot compete with the best I do get milkyway images I hang on my walls at 24x18".

An example with the Oly 8/1.8 fisheye:

July milkyway over Clearwater Lake

 Giiba's gear list:Giiba's gear list
Olympus E-M1 Olympus 40-150mm F2.8 Pro Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 15mm F1.7 ASPH Olympus 8mm F1.8 Fisheye Pro Panasonic 8-18mm F2.8-4 +1 more
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