Camera lenses excel at wide-angle shots, such as Milky Way Photography and nightscapes. The key to capturing a great photo with a camera lens like this is the star tracker, which compensates for the rotation of the Earth and a moving sky.
Some of my favorite lenses for astrophotography include the Sigma 24mm F/1.4 Art series lens and the Rokinon 135mm F/2 mid-range telephoto.
The biggest difference between using a camera lens and a telescope for astrophotography is that camera lenses have a much more complicated design, incorporating many extra things that are not useful for long-exposure astrophotography (such as auto-focus).
A telescope (such as an apochromatic refractor) was designed to capture images of space without any chromatic aberration. The simplified design maximizes the field to create a flat image with stars that look great from edge to edge.
Not all lenses perform well at night, but with the right approach, even a cheap camera lens can produce incredible results.
If you already own a DSLR camera and lens, many suitable astrophotography projects exist. At a focal length of 150mm and above, the larger deep-sky objects begin to reveal themselves in a long exposure image.
See the posts listed below for more information, articles, and videos about using a camera lens for astrophotography (including the ones I recommend).
If you want to start taking incredible photos of the night sky, I highly recommend investing in a small star tracker. You can attach your existing camera and lens to a star tracker to take amazing photos of large nebulae and galaxies. Over the years, I have used many different star trackers, but the Sky-Watcher…
The SVBONY SV555 is a variable aperture prime focus lens/telescope designed for wide-field astrophotography. Many of you have been requesting a review of an SVBONY telescope for years, and today, I’m excited to share my thoughts on this one. The SV555 Petzval lens is an interesting option in the competitive market of wide-field refractor telescopes,…
Here are the exact camera settings I use to take pictures of stars with a DSLR camera and lens. The following steps will help ensure that your photos are clear and sharp and include plenty of stars in the night sky. Mount your DSLR to a tripod to avoid camera shake Set the aperture (f-stop)…
The Milky Way in the Southern Hemisphere is a sight to behold for any stargazer or casual observer. Not only does it contain constellations, nebulae, and stars not found in the northern hemisphere sky, but it also showcases the bright galactic center of the Milky Way overhead. From a dark sky location without the interference…
Taking impressive deep-sky astrophotography images is not reserved for those using an astronomical telescope. A budget camera lens can be used to take images of some of the best deep-sky objects in the night sky. A telephoto zoom lens can provide enough magnification to pull distant objects in space in for a closer look, but…
Nightscape photography involves capturing a landscape-style image at night. It can include the beautiful Milky Way, a starry sky, or your favorite constellation. This is a type of astrophotography where long exposure images are taken to reveal the beautiful light of a seemingly ‘dark’ sky. Star photography requires quality optics, and some camera lenses are better…
On this website, I do my best to share information and astrophotography tips that provide value. I could pat myself on the back about all of the great astrophotography images I took this year, but it is of little interest to anyone if I don’t explain how I took the shot. In this article, I’ll…
The Sigma 24mm F/1.4 lens is an interesting choice for astrophotography, particularly wide-angle Milky Way photography. With an f-ratio of F/1.4, this Sigma art series lens can pull in a lot of light under a dark night sky. While a few lenses in their art-series line-up are well-suited for low-light photography, I consider the 24mm…
The Double Cluster in Perseus The Double Cluster in Perseus (NGC 869 and NGC 884) are two open clusters in the constellation Perseus. Also named Caldwell 14 or simply “The Double Cluster”, both star clusters are very similar to each other in size, magnitude, and age. This pair of open clusters lie about 7,000 light-years…
In a recent video, I shared my results using a $200 DSLR for astrophotography. In a hobby known for being very expensive, I think it is very interesting that such results can be obtained using an old, inexpensive camera. In this post, I’ll prove to you that incredible astrophotography results are possible with an old,…
The Canon EOS Ra camera is Canon’s first full-frame mirrorless camera dedicated to astrophotography. It is suitable for deep-sky imaging with a telescope, and night sky photography with a camera lens. Based off of the extremely popular EOS R, the EOS Ra boasts unique features such as 30x magnification (viewfinder and Live View) for precise…
In this post, I’ll explain why I think the Rokinon 135mm F/2 is the perfect addition to an arsenal of astrophotography lenses. Deep-sky astrophotography is often associated with a camera and telescope, but the truth is there are a lot of great camera lenses for astrophotography out there. In the past, I’ve covered a number…