Lumix S 24mm F1.8 and The Night Sky
The Lumix S 24mm F1.8 Wide Prime Lens on the Lumix S1
I knew this last summer I would be in a section of Kyushu in Japan where the I could point almost in any direction and not have city lights affect a night sky photography shot. I also knew that I would have access late at night to the grounds of the ruins of Hara Castle. This was my chance to give astro photography a try. Even though the Milky Way shot would not be available during that time, the location still would allow for some interesting night photography.
I did not have a fast and wide prime in the kit yet. This of course feed the GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) problem and could only be fixed with a purchase. My two purchasing options at the time were the Lumix S 24mm F1.8 and the Sigma 14mm f1.8. The Sigma was almost twice the price and more than twice as heavy. My backpack was already going contain enough weight to kill me in the summer heat and I already had the Lumix S 50mm 1.8 which is very similar in size and weight. The 24mm was the simple choice then.
The Lumix 24mm F1.8
At just 10 more grams than the Lumix S 50mm 1.8, this 24mm prime was just the thing my photography kit called for. Simple, compact, priced right, and effective.
Specifications
Focal Length - 24mm
Maximum Aperture - F1.8
Minimum Aperture - F22
Lens Mount - Leica L
Angle of View - 84 Degrees
Minimum Focus Distance - 9.4” / 24 cm
Maximum Magnification - .15x
Optical Design - 12 Element in 11 Groups
Diaphragm Blades - 9, Rounded
Focus Type - Auto Focus
Filter Size - 67mm
Dimensions - 2.9 x 3.2” / 73.6 x 82mm
Weight - 10.9 oz / 310 grams
The auto focus switch with a nice, wide manual focus ring above it.
Just like on the Lumix S 50mm 1.8 the only option is to turn auto focus off. The construction, weight, and design of these F1.8 L Mount primes by Panasonic means that trading out prime lenses on gimbals requires no rebalancing. This is highly practical if you are shooting video with an L Mount based camera.
I’ve tried night sky photography before with the Panasonic Lumix S 16-35mm F4 lens. This was at the beach at Deception Pass State Park in the state of Washington. This location points out towards the water with very little city lights to interfere with the shot. I was happy with my first few tests.
Trying the Lumix 16-35mm F4 for night photography.
I was very lucky with this weather, but a trip to Japan is a much longer planning process. There was no guarantee the weather would comply with the several days scheduled to be there. As with all things in photography, if you don’t try, you don’t learn. Below is what I was able to capture with the Lumix 24mm F1.8 that August night at Hara Castle ruins.
Hara Castle Night Sky 1
Hara Castle Night Sky 2
Hara Castle Night Sky 3
Hara Castle Night Sky 4
Hara Castle Night Sky 5
The main difference between the beach night sky and the shots at Hara Castle is the lens and the body of the camera. The beach sky was done with the Lumix S1 which handles high ISO well. The shots at Hara Castle were done with the Lumix S1R. This high megapixel camera produces amazing images below ISO 1600, but for night sky images 1200 - 1600 ISO shots are normal. If you set the Lumix S1R up for a 60 seconds shot at ISO 100 the results are clean colors and definition. This Japan trip had a limit to what could be in the backpack. The second body of the S1 then did not make it.
The following weekend after coming back from Japan and still jet lagged I went out to Eastern Washington to try a few more night sky photography shots with this 24mm. This was a bit harder as the moon was so bright and there was smoke in the air from wild fires.
Dry Falls, Eastern Washington
Stopping before entering the galaxy…
At some point I would like to schedule a trip specifically targeted at being in a location for the right set of stars with the Lumix S1 and the 24mm F1.8.. Life, work, and family usually mean that I need to take whatever opportunity I have. Photography is an experiment with equipment to try to match a creative process. I look forward to the next chance to learn.