Hi Rob, I've been away from my computer for awhile so I haven't had a chance to respond to you. I was thinking of getting a wide-angle lens for milky way shots. These lenses are very forgiving as far as tracking errors go. I don't think I'll have a problem if I get my polar scope aligned right. I was reading in "Spendors of the Universe" that a wide-angle lens will be one of the most used lenses for piggy-back astrophotography. I hear I can take exposures for 15-20 minutes if there is no light pollution. I was thinking about spending the night up at Kolob Reservoir. At 8000 ft it is nice and dark and cool up there. We are into the 100s right now so I like a little altitude gain. I'm just going to try and experiment with different lenses and see what I get. Hopefully I will be more successful than the last time I attempted to do piggy-back astrophotography. I'll try looking for the Fuji Provia 400 slide film at a couple of camera stores in town. I'm looking on Ebay for a 28mm f2.8 lens. I want the faster f2.8 rather than the f.3.5, right? Good luck with your trip to the southern skies. Debbie