How to Level Your Camera in the Dark

You're hoping to capture a Milky Way landscape (left), but you'll be lucky to see even this much (right) in the viewfinder!

If you've taken the proper steps to adjust your eyes to the darkness and preserve your night vision, you might be able to see as clearly as the image on the right. Even then, the image through your camera's viewfinder is usually much dimmer.

Staying Level-headed at Night. There are so many simple things that we do in the light of the day that become much more difficult in the darkness of night. The first time I went to photograph a Milky Way landscape, I realized I could not see the horizon in my viewfinder. In fact, there were hardly any reference points I could see through the lens! I had to photograph the scene several times, review it on the LCD monitor, and make small adjustments to the tripod head just to get a general composition that I liked. After all this, I still wasn't sure if the horizon line was really level. When I check the final composition later on my computer monitor, I discovered that I needed to make a 5-degree leveling adjustment that cropped away some of the important areas of the image.

Nikon's "Virtual Horizon"

Electronic Leveling in the Camera: As early as 2008 Nikon began to offer Virtual Horizon on select DSLR models. VH is a feature used to verify that the camera is horizontally or vertically level. It appears that the Nikon D800 has a version of VH that now displays both tilt and roll. (I was unable to determine from Nikon's website which camera models have the Virtual Horizon feature and the newer version which displays two axis leveling.)

Canon was the first camera company to provide internal Dual Axis Electronic Level with the introduction of the Canon EOS 7D in October 2009. Dual Axis provides roll and pitch information within an accuracy of 1-degree. This information can be displayed on the rear LCD monitor or within the viewfinder. Dual Axis is now available on the Canon 5D Mark III and the Canon 1D X. Canon provides Single Axis Electronic Level with the EOS 6D and the EOS 60D.

Vello 2-Axis Bubble Level

External Bubble Levels: Even though both of my Canon cameras have internal electronic leveling, I often find myself using an old-fashioned bubble level attached to my camera's hot shoe when I am doing night photography. Maybe it's my construction background, but I can center a bubble faster than I can switch on the electronic leveling feature and align it in the viewfinder or on the LCD monitor! And for those of you with cameras not having an electronic leveling feature, a hot shoe bubble level is a must when working in the dark. I use the Vello Two-Axis Hot-Shoe Bubble Level. I also have the Manfrotto 337 2-Axis Flash Hot Shoe Double Bubble Level, which I bought at a local camera store when I temporarily misplaced my Vello. I paid more than twice as much for the Manfrotto as the Vello (about $37 vs. $18), and I can't see any difference in quality or accuracy. (Read my final paragraph, "Tripod Head Workflow", for suggestions on how to use this level.)

When shooting a horizontal subject, you attach the bubble level to your hot shoe in the manner.

When shooting in the vertical position, you attach the bubble level in this manner  ~ © Royce Bair

Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head

Making Adjustments for Composition with a Geared Head: If you are an occasional nightscape photographer, a standard tripod head will work just fine for you. As I have already mentioned in the beginning, there will be some frustrations in trying to compose your image in the dark because the viewfinder offers almost no feedback. This is why some astro-landscape shooters, like myself, have gone to using geared heads. A geared head not only gives your reference markings, but allows smooth and exact movements to those points.

Pan, Pitch, and Roll: Like an airplane, almost all tripod heads allow you to pan (yaw) left or right, tilt (pitch) up or down, and roll (lean) to the left or right (taking a vertical photograph requires a 90º roll to the left or right). A geared head will allow you to do the same things, but with precision and repeatability. When you make an adjustment with a regular tripod, you are just "shooting in the dark". As soon as you loosen the adjustments for any of your three axes, you have no reference for your movements. With a geared head, you can make an exact adjustment in any of the three axes. If you overshoot or undershoot your mark, you can go back or forward a few degrees.

The head I use is the Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head (one of my fellow nightscape photographers, Lincoln Harrison, uses the heftier Manfrotto 405 Pro Digital Geared Head). I also use a ball head (Manfrotto 496RC2 Compact Ball Head) between the camera and the geared head to extend the range of movement when I'm doing vertical shots. My tripod is the Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 3-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod.

Tripod Head Workflow: Whether you're using a regular tripod head or a geared one like mine, 1.) I always strive to null out the head (return any settings to zero, if it has markings) and level it if it has a bubble level. When the camera is attached to the head, its hot shoe bubble level should now read level as well. 2.) I then pan the head and re-check the hot shoe level throughout the pan, making any necessary fine-tune adjustments to the tripod to maintain a level pan (if you are taking a panoramic series of photographs to stitch together, this step is critical for best results). 3.) I then aim the camera in the general direction of nightscape subject and take a photograph (you can speed up these composition test exposures by using a higher ISO). 4.) After reviewing the image on the LCD monitor, I make further head adjustments until I am satisfied with the composition. 5.) I re-check my hot shoe bubble level one last time and make any "roll" level adjustments (if necessary) before making my final exposure.

Improving Your Outdoor Night Flash Photography

Using off-camera or bounce flash can improve your outdoor night photos ~ © Royce Bair (click for  specs)

Portable Flashes vs. Built-in Camera Flashes: Although built-in camera flashes are convenient, they are not only limited in power, but more importantly in movement. Unlike a separate flash unit, their output cannot be redirected or aimed somewhere else, or moved away from the camera! Being able to make adjustments to your portable, camera-mounted flash can greatly improve the quality of your outdoor night photographs.

Canon Speedlite 430EX II

What I use: For under $300, I have the Canon Speedlite 430EX II. It's fully compatible with Canon's E-TTL automated flash exposure system, as well as offering adjustable manual power output down to 1/64 power. The flash head can be moved up and to the right 90º, and to the left 180º. On the Nikon side, I recommend the Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight, or their more versatile, Nikon SB-910 AF Speedlight.

Getting the light source away from the camera: The unnatural part about most flash photography is that the light source is typically coming from the same direction as the camera's lens! Moving the light source away from your camera will improve almost any photo.

Bounce or extension: The moveable flash head allows me to bounce the flash off of ceilings and walls when I'm indoor, or off rocks, cliffs, and trees when I'm outdoors (see last the paragraph for an explanation). If the right object for bouncing is not available, I often hold the flash at arm's length (or have someone else hold it) using Canon's OC-E3 Off Camera Shoe Cord. That two or three feet extension can make a huge difference in the look of your flash photos.

For greater distances, I use another Canon flash (i.e. the more versatile Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT) to trigger the one doing the main lighting (you can set lighting ratios with the Canon Speedlites), or I can use the PocketWizard Plus X Transceiver to trigger a more distant flash. The key is get the light source away from the camera and at an angle that lights the subject in a more natural and pleasant way.

Dining under a red granite cliff

Compare the difference: This was the scene at an early evening meal, under a red granite cliff in the Grand Canyon. After dinner we had a campfire, and I made this on-camera flash exposure (below) with the Canon Speedlite 430EX). I programmed the shutter speed and f-stop so they would mix and balance correctly with the light output of the fire. The problem with this system is that the direction of light is unnatural, as it is always coming from the camera, and the fall-off is very fast (especially when using a wide angle lens—causing the foregrounds to always be over lighted and washed out).

Straight-on flash with Speedlite 430EX

The difference between this photo and the one at the top is the direction and quality of the light. The light in the top photo is no longer coming from the same direction as the camera. In the top photo, the adjustable flash head has been rotated and turned so that its light is bouncing off the granite cliff behind me (the bounced light is coming from above and from my left, helping to match the direction of fire's light). Normally, I would also cover the flash head with a warming gel to match the warm color of the fire, but in this case the red color of the granite has already done that for me! Bouncing off a dark granite wall greatly reduces the flash's output to the scene, so most of my shots had to have an ISO boost to 1600 or 3200. Although this is abnormally high ISO for flash photography, the excellent noise control of the Canon 5D Mark III is well-equipped to handle it!

The gels I use are made by Rosco, and the Rosco Strobist 55-Piece Filter Kit is an easy way to change the color of the light or match the ambient light, such as in the campfire situation. When I bounce my strobe off of an overhanging tree that has green leaves, I can put a complimentary shade of magenta over the flash to bring the white balance back to normal.

These 1.5"x3.25" sheets work perfectly to cover most portable flash heads, but for my larger lights (or where I need to cover several lights with the same color), I use the larger 20"x24" Rosco sheets.

Delicate Arch - lighted with two filtered lights, one w/o ~ © Royce Bair (click for more info)

Time-Lapse Earth ~ Edited by Bruce W. Berry

Milky Way stars and lightning storms over Africa (click any image to see video)

Sarychev Volcano

Get ready to be dazzled by the Earth's night show! All of these images were taken by astronauts onboard the International Space Station. (The ISS orbits our planet about once every 90 minutes and is about 350 Km / 217 miles above the earth.) Many of the images were shot at one frame per second. While this image of the Sarychev Volcano and one other scene was shot in the daytime, all other scenes in this clip were photographed at night. There are images of the Aurora Borealis, moonglow, city lights, stars, and lightning storms. The yellow/greenish line you see above the earth (in the photos below) is Airglow.

Video "Time-lapse EARTH": Although all the time-lapse sequences were taken by the astronauts, and made available for public use, we owe this unique edited compilation to Bruce W. Berry. Berry took all the footage and color graded it, de-noised, de-flickered, slowed it down, and stabilized it into what you see on this video clip. The music for this video is "Manhatta", composed & performed by The Cinematic Orchestra. Here are other frames from this short (4:08) movie:

Preserving Your Starry Night Vision

Red LED headlamps and flashlights help preserve your night vision while you find, compose, and photograph your astro-landscapes.

It can take 30 minutes or more for your night vision to return after using bright lights ~ © Royce Bair

Using red lights in your photo equipment set-up will help in your night vision recovery (self-portrait)

"White" LEDs

I have found it necessary in my 'NightScape' work to have a headlamp or flashlight that has both a powerful white light and a dimmer red light. They should have a strong white light that will help you find your way to the shooting location, and a red light for helping you set up your tripod and adjust your camera while your eyes re-adjust to the darkness. It can often take as much as 30 minutes for you to get your "night vision" and clearly see the Milky Way after having been exposed to bright lights, especially in the blue-cyan wavelengths—which are most common with today's LED lights.

Using a red light will help to not only help preserve your night vision, but shorten the recovery time once you turn off the bright white lights. It is also good etiquette to use a red light when in a group setting, such as a workshop. Recent studies have indicated that intensity is just as important as the color of the light, so having a low-intensity or dimmable red light is also important.

Too many choices?

Choosing the right headlamp: Headlamps have become increasing popular in the past few years with hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts because they allow for hands-free use. LED headlamps are much more efficient than earlier tungsten lamps. They produce more lumens, burn much longer on even smaller batteries, and have "lightbulbs" that almost never need replacing. A few years ago, there were only a handful of companies making headlamps. Now there are scores of brands, with many models from each. Finding the right headlamp for night photography use can be a little confusing. When you limit your choices only to those that also have a red light, the field narrows considerably. However, to make it even simpler, I'm going to review just two brands—one that is a leader in the field (Petzl), and the other is a general, consumer product (Energizer 7 LED), available almost anywhere.

Petzl is company that has lead the way in quality and innovations. This French company is a world leader in the design and manufacture of vertical sports equipment (i.e mountaineering, climbing, work-at-height, and rescue), and headlamps. In this review, I will concentrate on only three headlamps in their Universal Series. These units are available at REI, LL Bean, BackCountry.com, GearCoop.com and Amazon.com.

Also available in black

Petzl Tikka XP 2 Headlamp (about $55 at REI). A single high-output LED provides even, white lighting. Advanced optics optimize the reach of the beam to 68 meters. A red LED positioned to the side of the white LED lets you preserve your night vision. One push-button is used to toggle through lighting modes and two colors. The headlamp tilts to point the light where needed. Three white lighting modes: maximum (80 lumens @ 70 hours), economic (13 lumens @ 190 hours) and strobe. Two red lighting modes: maximum (unpublished lumens @ 100 hours) and strobe. You can choose between wide or focused beams with a flip-up Wide Angle diffuser lens. Battery charge indicator light comes on @ 50% remaining power. Uses 3 AAA alkaline batteries (included). You can also purchase the optional CORE system lithium rechargeable battery (about $28 at Amazon) or purchase the Petzl Tikka XP 2 Core Headlamp (about $72 at Amazon). The Petzl Accu lithium battery is rechargeable up to 300 times, making it equivalent to 900 AAA alkaline batteries (the lithium battery is also operational in extreme temperatures from -40° to 140°F).  PROS: Powerful and efficient light/optics, with lots of advanced features and adaptability. Red LED is dim enough to preserve your night vision. CONS: Expensive. You must toggle through the lighting modes to get to the one (and color) you want, which could be somewhat blinding to yourself and annoying to others (although the Petzl Tikka XP 2 Core Headlamp does have a memory feature where the last color used remains in memory for the next use).

Also available in black

Petzl Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp (about $38 at Amazon). This headlamp is almost identical to the Tikka XP 2, except that it does NOT have the flip-up Wide Angle diffuser lens to change the beams between wide and focused; and it's power is slightly less: Advanced optics optimize the reach of the beam to 40m (vs. 68m for the XP 2). It's maximum white beam delivers 70 lumens vs. 80 lumens (@ 58 hours vs. 70 hours). It's economic mode delivers 10.5 lumens vs. 13 lumens (@ 185 hours vs. 190 hours). The red LED is still rated at 100 hours. You're going to save about $15 over the XP 2, but you'll lose a little power and efficiency; and the use of a wide Angle diffuser lens. Other than that, the pros and cons are still the same.

Also available in black

Petzel Tactikka Plus Headlamp (about $41 at Amazon). This headlamp uses an older, 4-LED design with 4 lighting modes (via a single button) and a red flip filter to change lighting color. Maximum light output is 35 lumens @ 100 hours, with a maximum beam reach of 32 meters. It has 3 other modes: Optimum (23m beam reach @ 120 hours), Economic (15m beam reach @ 150 hours) and strobe. Headlamp tilts to point light where needed. Uses 3 AAA alkaline batteries, which are included (it is not compatible with the CORE lithium system). PROS: The red polycarbonate flip filter allows quick change between white and red lighting, and therefore gives the red lighting all the economic modes and dimmable benefits! CONS: The low-tech design is not as powerful or as adaptable as the more advanced Tikka series, and it has only one beam pattern: wide. Despite this, it is a very durable product with run time specs that are high for its class.

20" spot circle @ 6 ft.

Energizer 7 LED Headlight (about $16 at Amazon). The Energizer pivots to aim light where needed. It uses seven LEDs and a push button switch to offer 4 light modes: spot (3 white LEDs with 21 hours of run time), flood (2 white LEDs with with 30 hours of run time), spot+flood (5 white LEDs with 16 hours of run time @ a maximum of 45 lumens), and red night vision (2 red LEDs with 30 hours of run time). The light patterns from these four modes are displayed here to the left (I took all photos from the same distance, with the same exposure, and white balance). It is powered by 3 AAA batteries (included). My measurements rate the two red LEDs at about 5 lumens, which is dim enough to protect your night vision. Note: Energizer may be in the process of updating this product, as some package specs have the white "area" (spot+flood) rated at 58 lumens, with a light beam reach of 30 meters, and a battery run time of 14 hours. PROS: You get quite a bit of power and options for your money, and the product is available almost everywhere sporting equipment and home improvement products are sold. If you are just an occasional night photographer, this would be my first choice. CONS: Like the Petzl Tikka models, you must toggle through the lighting modes to get to the red night vision mode. This requires you to shield your eyes, or the headlight from others standing near by as you click through all three white settings. I found the soft plastic lenses that cover the LEDs and focus the beams are easily scratched over time (if allowed to rattle around in your pocket or camera bag with hard objects) and can cloud and distort the beams. I'd suggest making a protective bag out of an old pair of socks (cut off the top part if the sock is too long). The plastic lenses also allow some stray light to glare into the eyes of people who are standing to the side of you (a little annoying at times for them).

Maximum Battery Life or Run Time: I think it's important to mention that these times are for total length of output, or until the battery is exhausted, and the LED fails to produce usable light. I typically will replace my alkaline batteries long before this time—usually halfway into the manufacturer's maximum number of run time hours. This is because alkaline batteries have a gradual decline in performance over time, and by the halfway mark I'm not getting enough light to satisfy my needs. For this reason, I always carry three extra AAA batteries in my camera bag. Petzl users who opt for the CORE system lithium rechargeable battery or who purchase the Petzl Tikka XP 2 Core will not experience the gradual decline in battery performance, as the lithium can be programmed (via the Petzl OS software) to run at peak output until the battery is exhausted—which is why I still carry the three extra alkaline batteries (as the Petzl Tikka series can switch back and forth from lithium to alkaline).

My Conclusion: I liked the Petzl Tikka XP 2 for its high-tech adaptability, its power, longevity, proper red LED output. However, most people don't want to pay this much for a headlamp unless they use it a lot. For those who are medium users, I would recommend the Petzel Tactikka Plus because it had the most control over the red night vision light (three different brightness settings and the most hassle-free way to change from white to red), and it still had decent white light power and longevity. It's biggest drawback for me was that it does not have a focused beam (spot) capability to reach out way ahead of me on the trails. However, for general use it is a great light. The Energizer 7 LED came in as a close second because of its many features and low price (the Energizer would be my first choice for the occasional night photographer).

How I work at Night: I use both a headlamp and a handheld flashlight. Because I like a lot of far-reaching power on my headlamp, with a long run time, and the ability to use lithium for cold winter photo shots, I use the Petzl Tikka XP 2 Core. As I near the end of a long hike, become comfortable with my surroundings, and start setting up my photo equipment, I switch to the red light. As I continue to make adjustments, or wait for weather conditions to change (especially when working around others), I sometimes will shut off the headlamp and switch to a low-power, handheld LED flashlight. Although it is not as convenient as a headlamp, a handheld flashlight offers more control.

My Red LED Flashlight: Smith & Wesson Galaxy 6 LED Flashlight (about $21 at Amazon) is a dual switch flashlight that utilizes two separate on-off push buttons, giving me a clear choice between the 3 White LED mode (12 lumens) and the 3 Red LED mode (5 lumens), without the confusion and safety hazards of a single switch mechanism. The shatterproof LED diodes last over 110,000 hours, and should never need replacing. The flashlight's length/diameter is 7"/1" and weighs 6 oz. with 2 AA batteries (included), providing a run time of 80 hours. The light is constructed of precision machined 6063 anodized aluminum, and includes a nylon holster. Some of my aviation associates had first brought this flashlight to my attention. They use the red light mode to check their maps while flying at night.

Australian Night Skies by Lincoln Harrison

The Pinnacles, Phillip Island VIC ~ © Lincoln Harrison - "The best location I've ever seen."

Some purist have criticize Lincoln Harrison for being "too colorful", but he continues to do things his way. Making his starry night Australian landscapes look "accurate" is not as important to Lincoln as it is to make it "…look as good as it can." The popularity of his images would indicate that most agree with Lincoln's point of view.

Lincoln, 37, is a self-taught photographer from Bendigo, Australia. Prior to photography, he spent most of my spare time racing off-road motorcycles. He's only been doing photography for the past two and a half years, when he bought his first DSLR to take shots of some ebay items. Somewhere along the way Lincoln got hooked on landscape and night photography, star trails in particular. "I was working nightshift when I got my first camera, so on my days off there wouldn't be much daylight left by the time I got out of bed. There's not much else to photograph around here at night other than the stars."

Apart from getting a nice image to hang on his wall, Lincoln enjoys the process of taking the shots, and being at nice locations under a starry sky. "I try to come up with new ideas and techniques rather than keep churning out different versions of the same basic image."

"Forgotten" - Old barn, Mitiamo VIC ~ © Lincoln Harrison (click to see larger)

"I've done a lot of milky way shots but this was the first time under a very dark sky. I drove around all day looking for a suitable foreground. I gave up and started heading home, and then I saw this old barn."

"Noctis" - Lighthouse, Cape Schanck, VIC ~ © Lincoln Harrison (click to see larger)

"I tried to get this shot three or four times, but the seas were always too fierce to venture down to the rocks at the bottom of the cliff.  I forgot to take my torch with me, and had to climb back up in the dark. I tumbled down the cliff a few times, [but] finally made it to the top after about 2 hours, covered in cuts and bruises."

Lincoln's biggest challenges come from the weather. "Quite often I'll drive for hours with clear skies the whole way, [and] ten minutes before I arrive at my location, the clouds roll in." On the 'Pinnacle' photo,  he was very lucky with the conditions, but for every other time he's been there it has rained non-stop!

"Fusion" - Dead Tree, Ravenswood VIC ~ © Lincoln Harrison (click to see larger)

"This location is a ten minute drive from home. I shoot there a lot. I love that tree. This was a test shoot when I got the D800E. It ended up hanging on my wall 50 inches wide."

Lincoln's Cannot-Do-Without Equipment List:

• Nikon D800E (Low Pass Filter w/Anti-Aliasing Removed)
• Nikkor 14-24mm Lens (AF-S Zoom Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF)
• Gitzo 3532s Tripod with a Manfrotto 405 Geared Head

Lincoln's Most Valuable Tools, Apps, and Software:

• On his iPad, he plans his shots with: The Photographer's Ephermeris, Google Earth, Dark Sky, Tides AU, and OZ Weather.
• On his PC, he does all his post processing with Adobe Photoshop CS6.

"Bib Bang" - Dead Tree, Ravenswood VIC ~ © Lincoln Harrison (click to see larger)

"I was doing some light painting tests at my favorite tree when I came up with this idea. Who says primes are better than zooms?"

More of Lincoln Harrison's work can be seen at his 500px page.

Milky Way from the bottom of the Grand Canyon

Milky Way above the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon ~ © Royce Bair

Because the Grand Canyon walls are so high and narrow, there is only about a one-hour window where the bulge of the Milky Way can be seen during the night. This photo was taken two weeks ago, at about 4:30 in the morning. The stars were starting to fade from view, because it was only about 90 minutes from sunrise. A few minutes later, and I would not have been able to capture this scene. I used the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 lens on my Canon 5D Mark III because of it's ultra wide 114º angle of view, with minimal barrel distortion. This lens is well-corrected for coma aberration, so it is perfect for star photography (not to mention its under $400 price tag). The Mark III gives me one to two stops less noise than my older Mark II at the high ISO's needed for a "nightscape" like this (ISO 5000 • f/2.8 • 30 seconds).

In order to show the walls of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River by starlight, it is necessary to produced a second exposure (4X or 120 seconds) and combine it with the sky exposure.

Here's a panorama of my camera position, taken with my iPhone 4s, two hours later.

Sand in sleeping bag from night storm

Photographing the Milky Way from the bottom of the Grand Canyon was a dream fulfilled when Western River Expeditions asked me to photograph one of their 7-day trips down the Grand Canyon. Preparing for this trip took considerable planning since all equipment had to be protected from the sand and water using small plastic bags, dry bags, and Pelican cases. (Changing lenses during a sand storm is NOT a good idea.) All my batteries had to be recharged several times, so a portable power station had to be devised. Here is some of the key equipment I took on this trip.

Sale Alert! Bower 14mm f/2.8 Lens for $329

One of my favorite lenses for starry night landscape photography is on sale at B&H (ending Tuesday, April 30, 2013)! This lens typically lists for $349 to $399, and is on sale for $329. This article that I wrote a couple of months ago will explain why I recommend this and two other lenses manufactured by Samyang Optics.

Bower 14mm f/2.8 Ultra Wide Angle Lens

(a.k.a. Samyang, Rokinon)

$329 thru April 30, 2013 @ B&H Photo Video

Bower 14mm f/2.8 Ultra Wide Angle Manual Focus Lens

The Bower lens is a branding of the Samyang (a.k.a "Rokinon") 14mm f/2.8 lens. All three lenses are made by Samyang and have the same specifications.

Concerns about optical quality: On the the B&H site, you'll read this information:

This bright lens provides an ultra wide 89° angle view in digital SLR cameras with APS-C size sensors and a 114° angle of view when used with full frame DSLRs* so you can capture sweeping vistas, dramatic architectural compositions and panoramas. Additionally, its minimum focusing distance of only 11" (0.28 m) will allow you to move in close on your subjects to achieve amazing perspectives. With a fast f/2.8 aperture photographers can create dynamic photographs that take full advantage of the characteristics of the lens.

* Note: Though this lens will cover the imaging sensor of a full-frame DSLR, it is better optimized for use with DSLRs containing smaller APS-C format sensors. As such you might notice softer focus and some light fall-off towards the edges of the frame when using a full-frame DSLR. If you do plan on using this lens with a full-frame DSLR we recommend you set the lens no wider (faster) than f/8 for optimum image quality.

Many night photographers have use this lens extensively on full-frame cameras. It is true that this lens suffers from some vignetting until stopped down to about f/5.6 or f/8, but this problem can easily be overcome with software in post production (my more expensive Canon lenses suffer similar vignetting problems). You can also overcome the slight softness on foreground landscape objects by shooting at smaller apertures and then stacking or layering those areas in post with your wide-open aperture exposure of the starry night sky. What you cannot do in post is fix the coma aberration problems that other, more expensive lenses exhibit. This lens has excellent correction for coma, even wide open at the f/2.8 aperture! My $800 Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens is a little sharper wide open than the Bower/Samyang/Rokinon 14mm lens, and it has a little less vignetting in the corners; however; this 14mm produces much sharper stars (points of light), especially in the corners than does my Canon 15mm. Overall, for "starry night landscape photography" this lens is best in its class, and I highly recommend it.

Yes, you can use it on cameras with smaller APS-C format sensors, and this will automatically eliminate most of the vignetting, but you'll also only get 89 degrees of view coverage vs. the 114 degrees of view coverage you'd get on a camera with a full-frame sensor.

< < This campfire photo (with moonglow and starry sky) was taken just last week with the Bower/Samyang/Rokinon 14mm lens (on a Canon 5D Mark III • f/2.8 • 8 seconds • ISO 3200). The people in the foreground are soft because they were moving during the 8-seconds exposure; however, the skyline and the stars are very sharp (click on image to enlarge).



Comparing Angle of View: Here's a quick comparison of the angle of view produced by the 24mm Bower/Samyang/Rokinon lens (84º), the Bower/Samyang/Rokinon 14mm lens (114º), and the Canon EF 15mm Fisheye lens (180º) — all on a full-frame sensor camera:

24mm, 14mm, and 15mm fisheye lens views (click to enlarge)

These were shot in my kitchen (my wife is upset that I didn't clean off the counters, first). All lenses views were aligned with the cupboard doors on the right side. You'll notice that the 14mm has considerable more coverage that the 24mm (30º more). Although the 15mm fisheye has more coverage, you get considerable barrel (curve) distortion as you get closer to the edges.

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