Nightscape using Sony a7R2 and Zeiss Batis 25mm

[gregbradley]

The Zeiss Batis 25m F2 lens made for Sony emount is about the best lens I have ever used. Its awesome.

I have also since gotten the Zeiss Loxia 21mm F2.8 for Sony e-mount and it is rapidly establishing itself as one of the best 21mm lenses ever.
These 2 will be my goto lenses for nightscapes.

Here is one I took over Easter in the 1 hour before the nearly full moon rose.

Zeiss Batis 25mm, Sony a7R2, Polarie, 2 shots one tracked for the stars and one untracked for a sharper landscape.

The a7R2 is a fabulous camera but long exposures at high ISO beyond 30 seconds is not as good as it could be. A7r was better but a7R2 is still very good. Needs a bit more noise reduction as colour noise seems to intrude in the dim areas which was always a Sony strong area. But the a7R2 has very high QE being a backside illuminated CMOS sensor and it seems ISO3200 is as bright as ISO6400 was in the past or at least that is my impression.

http://www.pbase.com/image/162922130/large

Greg.

[Ross G]

Hi Greg,

A great looking wide field photo.

Love the composition and landscape.

Was the tracked photo 30 seconds exposure also or longer?

Good luck with the new lens...amazing optics!

Ross.

[gregbradley]

Hi Ross,

Thanks for the compliments. Yes the both the tracked and untracked were 30 seconds same exposure so that they would blend together.

It took me a little while to figure out how to blend them but I got there in the end. A hide all mask in Photoshop did the trick.

Greg.

[CapturingTheNight (Greg)]

That lens looks like it is nice and sharp indeed. Was this done wide open at F/2? Nice image Greg.

[gregbradley]

Thanks Greg. Yes it was. Although I took several shots and most were around F3.2. The QE of the Sony camera is very high so F3.6 still is plenty bright even with only ISO3200.

Zeiss Batis 25 lens is an amazing daylight lens so is the Zeiss Loxia 21mm F2.8. They're also quite expensive and hard to get. But then expensive lenses don't always perform so its nice when they do.

Greg.

[RickS (Rick)]

Very sharp and very fast. Quite amazing, Greg!

[gregbradley]

Thanks Rick.

I got a good polar alignment as well.

For polar alignment a simple approach I made up is to draw mental line between the axis of the southern cross and across the sky to Canopus. Halfway between that line and a bit below it is the SCP. So I then look in that area using the polar alignment scope looking for the Octanes Trapezium, line it up with the reticle (I wish the Polarie had an illuminated reticle) and its spot on.

I also use a USB power pack to power the Polarie as it tends to chew up batteries.

Greg.