21mm for shooting stars

[Life By Stills]

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Hi all,

Hope everyone is well. I am thinking of picking up a 21mm to shoot some astrolandscapes. I am eyeing up the 1.4 from Voigtländer or the 3.4 super-elmar. I have an M10M so I'm don't think I need to be too worried about bumping up the ISO to make up for the difference in aperture.

I've seen Jack Takahashi show what the 1.4 CV can do shooting stars wide open, but wondering if anyone has tried with the 3.4 SE. I've been searching and struggling to see any comments about shooting stars with the SE.

Would love to know if you guys have tried etc, and how you found it.

Many thanks in advance!

[AntonPei]

Hey! I have tried it with the 3.4SE BUT in combination with my "old" M240. That doesn't work (high Iso = bending) 

In my opinion it should work with a M10M 🤞

[J S H]

The Voigtlander is by far the better choice. I owned the 21 Lux in the past, but sold it because I was unhappy with the performance wide open. The 21 3.4 is a wonderful lens, but a little slow for astro. The Voigtlander in my experience, is just a little better corrected than the 21 Lux and a great choice at a fraction of the cost. 

[Life By Stills]

1 hour ago, J S H said:

The Voigtlander is by far the better choice. I owned the 21 Lux in the past, but sold it because I was unhappy with the performance wide open. The 21 3.4 is a wonderful lens, but a little slow for astro. The Voigtlander in my experience, is just a little better corrected than the 21 Lux and a great choice at a fraction of the cost. 

Thanks @J S H. I thought the 1.4 might be a nice choice, although I am also thinking the 3.4's slower speed probably wouldn't matter to me so much as I have an M10M and so higher ISOs won't really bother me. But you're probably right that the CV 1.4 is probably more flexible generally, even if bulkier.

[Life By Stills]

2 hours ago, AntonPei said:

Hey! I have tried it with the 3.4SE BUT in combination with my "old" M240. That doesn't work (high Iso = bending) 

In my opinion it should work with a M10M 🤞

Ha, I have heard stories of the not-too-high ISO limit of the M240. Although having said that, it has still made me rather curious about it. But like you said, I think the M10M should be able to cope with the higher ISO needed even if I go for the 3.4. Part of me is still kind of thinking of the CV 1.4 only because it gives me more options with the wider aperture range, although it is bulkier. Hmmm the dilemma... lol.

[J S H]

2 hours ago, Life By Stills said:

Ha, I have heard stories of the not-too-high ISO limit of the M240. Although having said that, it has still made me rather curious about it. But like you said, I think the M10M should be able to cope with the higher ISO needed even if I go for the 3.4. Part of me is still kind of thinking of the CV 1.4 only because it gives me more options with the wider aperture range, although it is bulkier. Hmmm the dilemma... lol.

If astro is going to be the main use case, then the Voigtlander is really the only logical choice. Size won't be an issue if it's on a tripod. Truthfully, it shines for handheld low light use and is sharp wide open, so you may find that it is more useful than the 21 3.4 in other ways, as well. The size isn't a problem for me. If you need a fast lens, you need it and there is no substitute.

In the past, I have owned the 21 Lux and the 21 3.4. I now own the VM 21 1.4 and 21 3.5...these two are a much more useful combo for me. Good luck with your search.