K i t Z o n e
ight is arguably the most
important raw material
for photography, so
things get a bit tricky
when there’s not much
to play with. Naturally,
shooting outdoors in
the middle of the night is particularly
challenging, even when the subject
in question is the Milky Way on a
clear, star-studded evening.
The night sky is not only very
dimly lit, but it’s also very large and
constantly moving. You’ll have to
choose a suitable lens wisely.To take in a generous portion of
the Milky Way and avoid the further
difficulty of stitching multiple images
together, you’ll need a wide-angle
prime or zoom lens. A focal length
of around 7-10mm is ideal for Micro
Four Thirds; or 10-14mm on an APS-C
format camera; or around 14-20mm
on a full-frame body. You’ll also need
a wide aperture for sucking in as
much light as possible. This avoids
the need to send your camera’s ISO
setting into the stratosphere while
you try to keep exposures short.
Matthew RichardsL
Here are the best-buy astrophotography
lenses for shooting a starry night sky, to
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Stargazing
lenses
The contenders
1 Irix 15mm f/2.4 Blackstone £574/$675
2 Samyang 10mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS CS £379/$399
3 Samyang XP 14mm f/2.4 £899/$999
4 Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM | A £1,299/$1,599
5 Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM | A £1,169/$1,299
6 Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD £1,279/$1,299
7 Tokina AT-X 11-20mm f/2.8 AF Pro DX £529/$469
8 Tokina Firin 20mm f/2 FE AF £799/$799118 DIGITAL CAMERA^ AUGUST 2019