Messing About With the 135mm - Pleiades 10/08/21

A Joy to Use

The nights are getting longer here in the North and the shooting conditions are really pleasant when the skies are clear.  The temperature is cooler but very comfortable and the light breeze that rolls through carries a hint of warmness.  My backyard has become my astrophotography lab and despite the heavy light pollution, it's just nice to be able to step out at a moment's notice to take some snaps.  Which is exactly what I was able to do this evening.

After messing about with the Samyang for a few days, I can say that this lens is a joy to photograph with.  While this is an entirely manual lens, there is nothing difficult at all about using it.  And the quality of the photos is really impressive - even without a lot of post-processing.

What a Difference Darkness Makes - Andromeda 08/04/21

Hoping for the Best

After a long day on the road, we rolled up to Kopalino and I'll bet I spent more time looking at the sky than I did the village.  Lots of clouds but I was hoping they'll blow out after sunset.  Mind you, Kopalino is another 5 degrees North of Krakow, so the sunsets were late and long.

My son and I headed out on our first night in town to find a spot away from the streetlights.  There was a nice breeze and sure enough, the clouds ended up rolling out.  We were tired, so the plan was to just take a few snaps and then head in for the evening. 

Once the sun went down, man, it was a totally different scene than in Krakow.  The difference in light pollution was pretty stark.  The Milky Way was faint but clearly visible in the sky above us.  And Andromeda was ripe for shooting.  Here is a recap of our week.