LENSES FOR ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY - Sigma 14mm f/1.8 REVIEW (4K)

Welcome to this new series of Vlogs dedicated to reviewing lenses for the sole purpose of astrophotography as the discipline becomes more and more popular.
I am very excited to be reviewing the new lens I just bought, the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG Art, which promises to be a top performer for astrophotography, and the first of its kind to get such a low native minimum f-stop.
In the video, I give my general first impressions about the lens, and they’re all rather positive! Secondly, I spend the rest of the video in what interests us the most: real-life RAW shot tests at night to assess the lens’
Brightness
Vignette
Distortion
Coma
Flare
Sharpness
General ability to do astro time-lapse
As a conclusion, Sigma has just produced a monster for astrophotography and a major improvement to the other 14mm f/2.8. It will enable you to get shorter but cleaner and sharper exposures. The only worry one could have is the coma, but it is really insignificant wide open, almost invisible at f2.2 at removed at f2.8, enabling astropanoramas previously impossible at 2.8. I would not hesitate recommending this lens for any amateur or professional astrophotographer to replace their old 14mm and get even higher quality shots. However some people might be scare off by its price, a mere 1600 bucks, so I would advise waiting a little bit for its price to fall, but I would definitely consider buying this astromonster of a lens in the future! I hope this review was useful and will enable you to make up your mind about buying for your next astrophotography adventures. Don’t hesitate to like, comment, share and of course subscribe to my channel for more videos and tutorials coming soon!
Link to my tutorial on noise, ISO and cameras: • ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY 101: ...
I would also appreciate if you could support me by becoming a patron on Patreon. You can help me in any way you can by making your way to / ampf and give your support to allow me to make more videos. In exchange, a lot of exclusive stuffs await you! Visit my profile!
For more information, you can also find me at:
Website: www.adphotography-online.com
Facebook: / adrienmaudui. .
Twitter: ADphotography24
Instagram: adphotography2410
KZbin: / amadrien21
ERRATUM:
-EV stands for Exposure Value and not Electron Volt of course
-f/1.8 - 2.8 is 1.5 stops and not 4!
Thanks for your input, support and corrections, I, too, am still learning :o

[@joakimolsson1024]

Nice review. But 1.8 -> 2.8 is not 4 stops, it is 1 and 1/3 stops :)

[@NightLightsFilms]

Thanks Joakim you are totally right, mistake on my end, thanks for that correction! :)

[@ah6559]

I own this lens to shoot Astro and it is truly flawless for that function. I was blown away by how sharp it is.

[@RynaxAlien]

Quartz lenses have somewhat better transparency than glass and are amazing for UV spectrum photography.

[@NightLightsFilms]

I do not know much about them. What is the difference between Quartz and glass, assuming we are not taking chemistry because they are of same chemical nature (SiO2). Thanks for your answer :)

[@alexj2744]

Quartz is in a crystalline structure where glass is amorphous.

[@charbeckvideo]

Super helpful! Thanks for putting the time into making this video!

[@ScenicMotion]

Excellent review Adrien. You convinced me to buy this lense. Thank You very much

[@NightLightsFilms]

Thanks a lot!! Yes you should, it's one hell of a lens for sure! I love it still soooo much!

[@mattltech]

I searched all over for the massive thumbs up, but all I found was the regular sized one. So that's what you got. 😁

[@NightLightsFilms]

Haha thanks! That will suffice ;)

[@chrlmn7372]

Superb and very review! Thumbs up! Now also a subscriber to your excellent YT-Channel sir! Wishing you both clear and starry night skies for your beautiful astro-photography! Wishing you all the very Best! /Best Regards from Sweden!

[@cheeholim2084]

Hi there, could you compare this to the Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 Zoom Lens ?

[@JakeStehliChaser]

I just got it! Can't wait.

[@ironian24]

Are you on fire as your so stoked :), thx for the video, I do astro photography and youtube videos about it, this lens is a real gem for the Milky Way on the Canon EOSR.

[@GreenRC24]

Great review, thank you! My Sigma 14mm 1.8 is shipping to me right now.

[@GreenRC24]

@Somewhere Down The Road I've already got it and I love it. Thanks! 🙂

[@JonasHholt]

Thank you for a great detailed and in-depth review, Adrien. Can't wait to replace my Samyang 14/2.8 with one of these some day!

[@NightLightsFilms]

No worries Jonas! Yes you should definitely, maybe when it's a bit cheaper :)

[@marprol_]

Me too... My old Samyang 14mm gave me a lot of happy moments when shooting at night, but need something 'a bit' better... :)

[@NightLightsFilms]

Yup! I feel you! Here is the answer! :)

[@Kgaurabdas]

hello sir do you have instagram id !!?

[@ttietsch]

Best test of this lense so far.

[@NightLightsFilms]

Tobias Tietsch thanks a lot :)

[@br2v]

Hi Adrien, thank you for this test. I considered this lens as a replacement for my Samyang UMC 14mm f2.8, but I chose the Irix 15mm f2.4 lens. I'm quite happy the Irix concerning the astro-timelapsing, coma is well controlled a bit better than the Samyang even at f2.4. THe Irix is optimized for distant subjects, it does perform a bit less at close-ups. An advantage is that you can get for 79€ a high quality filter (95mm) that won't be fogged after a night. :-) . So you pay less than 500€ for a Firefly + 95mm combo in Netherlands. The BW-filter from my 20mm f1,8 Nikkor got fogged, it was standing next to it during a Night session in the High Pyrenees. Like the other 14mm lenses, flare can be an issue. keep on going your good work Bjorn

[@NightLightsFilms]

Thanks for this useful information Bjorn! Do you have a due heater? I use hand warmers that work really well so no condensation arise. Yes you gain one stop of light with the f/2.4. I'd be happy to test it out some day! Cheers!!

[@br2v]

no I don't, I allready lug a lot of material into the mountains... ha nd warmers is a good idea. I think the Sigma is the best astro lens in this category.

[@NightLightsFilms]

Oh ok!! Good on you! Yes so do I! :)

[@CelebrityLyrics]

Whats the best lens for either Canon T8i or Canon 90D? I mean the best lens not best budget. THE BEST. I need the price to be under 1200$. Also is Canon T8i or Canon 90D good for Astrophotography? Which one between the two is better?

[@musamapk]

@4:45 You said extra electron volt (eV) which should be exposure value (EV). These two are entirely different terms!

[@NightLightsFilms]

Yes, sorry about that it is a rookie mistake on my end, I will post an erratum in the description, thanks a lot for the input and the correction! :)

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Thanks for a great video Adrien. I have been following your aurora photography for a while now and really enjoy your timelapse work. Question since I recently got this lens for my D850. I still have some coma at f2.8 but certainly not as obvious. Do you think maybe I just got a bad copy since you claim its completely gone at that aperture?

[@NightLightsFilms]

The Car Doctor hi mate! Thanks :) well that’s surprising for sure. It should really not be visible. Maybe extremely slightly. However sometimes it’s weird because I get unsharp corners and astigmatism (I think that’s what you meant by coma), even a 2.8

[@ThecardoctorTV]

@@NightLightsFilms Thank you Adrien! And thanks for the FB message as well. Its indeed a comet shaped tail on stars around the corners of the image even at f2.8 however less obvious than wide open. After I do a few more test shots im going to send you some examples if you don't mind. Thanks again for responding, im really horrible at that with my channels here especially when I get busy.

[@TerryMcGearyScotland]

Great comprehensive review thanks. I will remember this one. Maybe by the time I reach my 10,000 views (hopefully by the spring) the price will have dropped and I may treat myself! In the meantime I will have to practise with all the old gear I have and rarely use!

[@thewalrus1968]

this lens looks amazing .. i use the Irix 15mm f2.4 firefly with great results and at £400 gbp its imho a bargain .. maybe you could test it if you get a chance.

[@NightLightsFilms]

Yes I've never tested it, but I will try to get my hands on it soon! I'll let you know, but for the time being, recent tests in Iceland confirmed my theories about the lens!! :)

[@antdx316]

thx, definitely buying instead of the 14-24mm version

[@manelsoria2403]

Excellent review, thank you !

[@Leonardo.Ciace_Films]

What do you think would be better for astro photography/timelapse between this Sigma 14mm f/1.8 and Sony 12-24 f/2.8 G Master? Thanks in advance!

[@JorgeMorenoCGArtist]

Hi what about Sigma 14 24 DG DN for mirrorless?

[@icecorebaby]

Will be buying this for my Sony A7 iii!

[@Udayan12345]

Plz share your view with the DOF when you print an astro photo shot @ 1.8. I'm sure you must be shooting at infinity mode.

[@NightLightsFilms]

Yes, although I haven't had it long enough to tell you anything about it. Personally I don't think it will beat the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 in this regard! :) I will try and test it soon!

[@sonvfave]

scared off by price? heavy comparing it to other lenses that are not as fast... well its fast.. Maybe test vs the rockinon samyang series of fast wides

[@Labolas2Glasya]

what do you mean with coma? do you mean chromatic aberration?

[@petybor]

Yes don't know why btw

[@cosmictywlite]

At 4 Mins in you show some Photos of Deep space objects, just wondering what was that about,a 14mm Lens did`t shoot them Pics ! cheers:

[@NightLightsFilms]

Yes of course it hasn't been taken with this lens, it was just a random background that I chose :)

[@RyanLunaPhotography]

So...is this thing really worth $1,100 USD more than a Rokinon 14mm F/2.8?

[@NightLightsFilms]

Oh yes on so many points! I have spent a week in Iceland and all the aurora sequences on my most recent film Scintillation (you can watch it) are taken with this lens. I've never seen a sharper lens at 14mm, vignetting was in fact better than the Samyang even wide open, and the coma is present but negligible... It's become my new go-to astrophotolens if I should be honest!

[@highlycreativedigital5472]

I thank so the look of the lens is different. the look is unique. I think this lens is gone be use by cinematographers a lot

[@NightLightsFilms]

joshua green I have to agree! :)

[@Germannn]

love your video can you post some selfie or vlog style shoots or video ?

[@NightLightsFilms]

Edgardo German thanks! I do have VLOGs if you look down my channel man!

[@Germannn]

I mean with this Lens sigma 14mm

[@dien.nguyen]

the siren sounds remind me of Kill Bill lol, i just got this lens, very sharp at 1.8 :)

[@prashantnz]

Thanks a lot. Very helpful.

[@wildlaborg]

Excellent lens, but too expensive to me.

[@NightLightsFilms]

Yes it is very expensive indeed, but well worth the money!! :)

[@hakski8582]

Great video. I have a Sony A9 and am confused what Sigma wide 1.8 or 1.4 prime lenses are available. Can you direct me to the best lens without an adapter? Thanks!

[@NightLightsFilms]

Hakski thanks!! Well I don’t know the sigma line up off the top of my head but you can see on their website and choose your mount. If Sony is not available, it means you’re gonna have to own an adapter :)

[@ADILSONMARQUES1943]

Realmente pelos testes, parece excelente para astrofotografia.

[@mikemalloy1681]

I just purchased a Nikon D810a, with the Sigma 14 F/1.8. I love it, but I am having a problem with the manual focus. Basically I can't find the sharpest point. The mark of Infinity, does not always mean it is in focus. Any suggestion on how to find the sharpest point when shooting the stars with no other frame of reference? I have been using: "M" Bulb, @ F/2.2 at ISO 3200. Note: I think tomorrow night I will drop the ISO down a tad, maybe to 1200? It grasp light like a vacuum cleaner, but can't seem to find the correct focus.

[@NightLightsFilms]

Mike Malloy it’s very weird indeed... I had trouble finding the focus myself when I put it on metabones adapter to Sony a7rII in the beginning and I got very unsharp edges... but you’re not using any adapter are you? That’s super weird. To focus I never use the infinity mark because the infinity focus is almost always a tad off it. I always focus manually every time using a source of light in the far distance. When the light is at its sharpest (when it’s color slightly shifts colors), then you’re good! :) hope it helps!

[@mikemalloy1681]

Well, of course I am still learning this camera (Nikon D810a) after migrating from Canon to Nikon, but I think that I need to brighten the back screen so I can see the stars. That is one thing I have not done, so I was just approximating the focus at somewhere around infinity. Will let you know.

[@CJamesPhoto]

Excellent review man! too bd i can't afford it right now :P

[@NightLightsFilms]

CJamesPhoto thanks man! Yes it’s a must have but expensive... had to save a lot for it!

[@CJamesPhoto]

Adrien Mauduit I bet! too bad they dont have a sony mount and for now i will have to settle with a 14mm samyang

[@mi3rebus]

is it ok if i can use this on my Canon 80D? will there be a cut out frame for using the EF-S camera?

[@NightLightsFilms]

It should be okay with APS-c although you should double check, as I don't own any :)

[@Rana75khalid]

Isn’t dat if you use 1.8 .. u hv blurry image ? Help pls .. instead you shoot on above 8 to have all in view ?

[@alexabadi7458]

f/1.8 is the maximal aperture, not the minimal.

[@NightLightsFilms]

Alex Abadi yes it was a mistake obviously and it’s been corrected in the description!

[@ozzyguy6792]

Very useful...

[@NightLightsFilms]

Ozzy Guy thanks :)

[@TroyKelley517]

What time rate did you have your time lapses set at ? 30 seconds ?? I love this lens !!

[@NightLightsFilms]

Hey Troy! It totally depends what I am shooting. generally speaking I don't like having to wide intervals because I don't like missing things like shooting stars and whatnot, even if that means more pictures... I can always delete them afterwards. For milky way, I generally take a 3-5 second interval (just the time that the data is written onto the SD card), and for aurorae it can be less depending on the time of exposure :) And yes it's such a good lens!

[@TroyKelley517]

Adrien Mauduit hey, thanks for reply, curious if you’re doing a 10 second shutter wouldn’t the time lapse have to be at least 10 seconds ?!?

[@NightLightsFilms]

Troy Kelley well I’m theory that’s what ‘they’ say but I have experienced that it’s only true for very short shutter speed (

[@TroyKelley517]

Adrien Mauduit very cool, thank you !! My A6500 I’d have to adjust a little differently I can tell

[@NightLightsFilms]

Troy Kelley yes I think you can push it a bit below... you’d better run some tests to be sure of that :) every cam is different :)

[@sureslick1]

Can I use this gorgeous lens for my Nikon d5200?

[@NightLightsFilms]

Double check but the lens if for both Full Frame and APS-c sensors, so you should be good to go :)

[@Mara-xd7bg]

Every lens for FX also suits for DX. Just the focal legth will be different (x1.5).

[@sureslick1]

Cheers :-)

[@TorIvanBoine]

you can. but that would be a waste of money. You won't utilize all of the glass due to the crop factor.

[@sureslick1]

Maybe Adrien can do a side by side comparison upload.

[@JimmyLocoSlots]

Adrien, does this lens accept rear gelatin filters?

[@piertechinc]

Hi: Do you use a tracker for your astro shots? Or are you just on a tripod?

[@NightLightsFilms]

Hi Vito. No tracker for these shots, just a tripod :)

[@apoel11323]

9:08 is UFO?

[@Unicvr]

Airplane🤦‍♂️

[@skymakai1486]

You said "Sigma has made improvements from the 24mm f/1.4..." Did you mean the Sigma 20mm f/1.4? I've been looking at the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 as a good option for astrophotography.

[@NightLightsFilms]

Sky Doherty no they also have a 24mm f1.4 for full frame. Actually the 20mm f1.4 is a bit better than the 24mm, but the 14mm surpasses them all by far!

[@julioestebanperezescudero6246]

Sigma 20 mm 1.4 is not a good option for astrophotography. The edges are soft even when you stoped down to f8.😐

[@KreamPi]

and how’s the autofocus noise in continuous AF mode?

[@NightLightsFilms]

I don't know I never use it for astrophotography! :)

[@bhaskarpatel7233]

Nice

[@Kgaurabdas]

can i use this lens my canon 7d mark ii. !?? which one is best

[@CSNK2008]

Did you tell Electron-Volt?!?

[@vincencohan3626]

Nice home 👍🏻📷👍🏻

[@mangojack1487]

Can this lens be used on a Canon EOS R5 ?

[@phoenix7289]

Hey there, your link for your Facebook isn't working. :(

[@skymakai1486]

Serious question: If you get lens chroma at f/1.8 and go down to f/2.8 to resolve that, why not just get an f/2.8 lens?

[@NightLightsFilms]

Sky Doherty because you would get the same coma/abberation at f2.8 on your new lens than the one at f1.8, so you would now have to go to f4 at the very least to correct it, so that’s useless for Astrophotography. The whole point is to get a lens with the lowest native fstop so that you can stop it down to a bit higher fstop that is still good for astro (2.8 for example) :)

[@skymakai1486]

Thanks for your reply! I was just coming back to your video to re-watch it again! I can't find anything on why changing your aperture fixes chroma. Can you explain why that works? Thanks! EDIT: I realized after re-watching your video, I was misspelling it. It's 'coma', not 'chroma'. :)

[@NightLightsFilms]

Sky Doherty I have a video about this (how to chose the best lenses for Astrophotography). It’s mostly true for wide angles because the lens’ glass is bent on the edges, which bends the light also around the edges of the image on the sensor when it’s wide open. By closing the aperture down a bit, you reduce the area of entry and thus the light goes through an area that is lens bent, hence the better sharpness and coma reduction.

[@skymakai1486]

Is there a formula to know how much you have to stop down the aperture, or do you just go on trial and error?

[@NightLightsFilms]

Sky Doherty three half stop should be enough but it sometimes depends on the lens!

[@MilanKarakas]

Excellent lens, but the price... uh... I wish...

[@JohnLemieux]

At the 9 min mark did you say f/2.2 is 2 stops faster than f/2.8?

[@NightLightsFilms]

yes but it's obviously a mistake, I wrote an erratum in the description, sorry about that! :)

[@piertechinc]

Hi: Do you know if the Sony 16-35 mm f2.8 g master a good lens for astro?

[@NightLightsFilms]

I don’t know it personally but it should be sharp. I don’t know how it performs regarding vignette and distortion though...

[@tanos7331]

excellent thanks a lot ! best

[@NightLightsFilms]

diego perez ludueña thank you so much!! :)

[@OzGuadarrama]

the maximum aperture is 1.8, no 16, 16 is the minimum... minute 3:23

[@NightLightsFilms]

Yes It's a mistake, 1.8 is the maximum aperture and the minimum native f-stop, that's why I made the mistake.

[@prashantnz]

Thank you.

[@Nearest_Neighbor]

Dude, where's your second loudspeaker. 😳

[@koloasurf2012]

how did you do the motion of the stars moving with out star trailing.

[@NightLightsFilms]

koloasurf2012 you just have to keep a shutter speed under 20 seconds! :)

[@terrybrooks395]

Hmmm, stars arent pint point sharp with that horrible coma aberration, oh and 2.2 isnt two stops higher than 2.8 ?

[@NightLightsFilms]

Terry Brooks the coma is actually way better on this lens than a lot of other lenses, and the sharpness is unprecedented, I've now shot around 3000 images with it a different apertures, I've never witnessed more sharpness in a 14mm. Sorry that you don't feel the same way. :)

[@marywhore1]

you catch a UFO? 9:07

[@vicamaral]

yeh that was an ufo for sure ,9/12 that was sharp turn for sure.

[@fangxusun1723]

That is not minimum aperture of 1.8, but maximum.

[@NightLightsFilms]

fangxu sun yes it was a mistake and it’s been corrected in the erratum in the description!

[@Tubularjake]

...maximum aperture

[@ToneyFranco]

This is gonna go solid with my Ronin M on my Sony a6000! Lmao

[@flameout12345]

does the corner bend?

[@NightLightsFilms]

flameout12345 yes as in all 14mm’s but the distortion is well manageable

[@joaovtaveira]

Coma is cromatic aberation, right?

[@coffeeenthusiast8774]

Coma is Comatic aberration, not chromatic aberration. They're different imperfections

[@gotminnam]

nice videoand very handsome

[@NightLightsFilms]

Philippe Louis thx ;)

[@ARG000]

Who you are using samsang in viduo dont sigma??

[@4FIVEHD]

u cool bro good heart hope u gain as much subs as me ..i dont have near what you have i wish we could collab

[@mikey7326]

WTF was that at @9:12 ....UFO doing a u turn?

[@benwarner2003]

so this is no good for a sony a6500?

[@NightLightsFilms]

Why not? APS-c should be supported: www.sigmaphoto.com/14mm-f1-8-dg-hsm-a

[@benwarner2003]

oh cool! sorry still learning :/

[@NightLightsFilms]

No no that's okay, I wasn't sure either :)

[@mavfan1]

just about any lens that exists can work on a Sony with the use of an adapter.

[@flyingchris81]

Testing a low light glass in full moon?.....

[@NightLightsFilms]

It's still low light lol. Astrophotography is during all phases of the moon. I didn't name this review 'review for milky way'. As long as you can see stars across your frame, you can do the basic investigation to review the lens!

[@TorIvanBoine]

And then my Tamron 15-30 2.8 is no good haha.

[@mi3rebus]

is it ok if i can use this on my Canon 80D? will there be a cut out frame for using the EF-S camera?

[@aenraj]

Fullframe lenses work with crop cameras, crop lenses don't work with fullframe cameras