After staying within my budget I bought the Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT, Canon’s EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens and a Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens.
The speedlite is a high speed flash that should help when I go to high school stadiums for night games with the newspaper. Exposure is always a concern especially when trying to capture action shots at night in dimly lit places.
With the flash the 100-400 lens should give me the reach I’ve been wanting for a long time. I have the Canon 7D and the Mark II version, which are crop sensor cameras. But the longest lens I had is the 70-200mm 2.8L lens. Even with the crop it wasn’t far enough when the action moved away from me. I haven’t used the 100-400 lens yet. But can’t wait to use it soon.
Lastly the Sigma Art Lens isn’t a lens I’ve been thinking about buying. While browsing YouTube lately I’ve been watching video on astrophotography and wanted to try it out. The only problem I had was the lens I have weren’t the greatest to give me what I think I want. What I’ve learned so far is you want a lens that can shot at least f/2.8 and under. I have a 50mm lens that will go down to f/1.8. I’ve also seen that wide lens are recommended. I have a 24mm lens that goes to f/2.8 but the widest zoom lens I own, starts at 20mm, only goes down to f/4.5.
I felt a dilemma and when I saw that the Sigma was $699 I decided to buy it. It gives me both the wide angle and the f/stop I was looking for. I plan to also use the 24mm lens and 50mm lens when I go out next month for my first astrophotography session. The new moon isn’t until July 12, 2018 which will give great conditions. I’m also traveling with friends to Copper Breaks State Park which “has been designated an International Dark Sky Park.”
The Bortle Scale rates how well you can see celestial objects in a certain place, taking into account light pollution and sky glow. Lower numbers indicate darker skies. For example, Big Bend Ranch State Park has a Bortle Scale rating of 1, while Cedar Hill State Park, near Dallas, has a Bortle rating of 8.
I’m very excited to give it a try. In the meantime I’ve been taking the Sigma out and seeing how it performs. So far I haven’t taken it off of my camera.