Astrophotography requires some essentials before you get started. One of the vital essentials you need for successful astrophotography is a lense. Sadly, not all lenses are suitable for astrophotography. Of course, you won’t want to spend the whole night shooting the sky without impressive results.
To avoid this, you need the best lense for astrophotography. But, you may wonder, which are the best lenses for astrophotography? Don’t worry; this and many more questions will be answered as you read.
Which are the Best Lenses for Astrophotography?
Out of the entire lens on the market today, here are the top 5 lenses for astrophotography.
1. Samyang SYXP14-C XP 14mm Lens
You can’t but love the Samyang SYXP14-C XP 14mm Lens. With its aperture size ranging from F2.4 to F22 and focal length 14mm, you can never miss anything in the sky. You can be sure of a clear and impressive image at 50 Megapixels and 8K video resolution.
Interestingly, you will capture your target with little or no flare, coma, distortion, and aberration. This is because the full frame lens features three high refractive Index, two aspherical, two extra-low dispersion, and one hybrid aspherical lens element.
The downside of this lens is that you can only use it with Canon EF cameras. But that doesn’t erase the fact that the lens is one of the best you can get out there.
Pros
- Little or low coma, flare, and aberration
- Wide angle and aperture
- Fast and accurate
- 50 MP and 8K video resolution
Cons
- Compatible with only Canon EF cameras
2. Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 Lens
Even though it is a bit pricey, this lens will give you value for your money. Apart from the fact that you can shoot at an ultra-wide angle, you can always zoom the object. Of course, this will give you a good grasp of your image. The lens also offers a remarkable F2.8 brightness to complement its sharp image quality.
Another exciting thing about the lens is that each image is produced with little or no flare or distortion. Due to its splash-proof structure, you can choose to shoot when it rains cats and dogs out there. The structure of the lens is also made with oil-repellent; this makes the lense very easy to maintain, unlike many lense out there.
Pros
- Ultra-wide angle
- Outstanding brightness
- Very easy to maintain
- Splash-proof structure
Cons
- A bit expensive
3. Tamron SP 15-30mm Lens
The Tamron SP 15-30mm lens is a full frame lens with focal length and aperture size ranging from 15mm to 30 mm and F2.8 to F22, respectively. These are enough for you to shoot most astronomical bodies, especially the star and moon, at a swift pace.
The AX, eBAND, and BBAR coatings in the lense make it very easy to deliver an untainted image with low flare and coma. With this lens, you can count on a stable image because the lens features vibration compensation.
The water-resistant structure allows you to use the lens in all weather. The water-resistant structure also makes it rugged and durable. The lens is coated with dust and smear guard and comes with good cleaning accessories like lens pen cleaner, dust blower, and microfiber cloths, making maintaining it more fun.
Pros
- Coated with dust and smear guard
- Produce stable and untainted image
- It comes with good cleaning accessories
- Water-resistant structure
Cons
- A bit pricey
Compatible only with Canon EF cameras
4. SAMYANG 10mm f/2.8 Lens
It is no mistake that another lens from SAMYANG is on our list. Like any lens from SAMYANG, the SAMYANG 10mm f/2.8 Lens has a wide view angle. The lens has Nano Coating System, tight color matching, ED, and high refractive index element to deliver a sharp and impressive image with low coma, dispersion, aberration, and flare.
At f2.8, you count on the lens for fast and accurate shooting. Despite this, the lens is compact and lightweight, so you can easily make it your travel companion. And it will perfectly fit your Micro four-third cameras.
Sadly, unlike other lenses on this list, the lens doesn’t come with extra accessories. And the structure is not sturdy enough to withstand shooting in all weather. But to be honest, this is fair at its price.
Pros
- Nano coating system
- Wide view angle
- Compact and lightweight
- Fast and sharp image
Cons
- Not suitable for all weather
Suitable only for micro four third cameras
5. Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III Lens
This is the best lens you will see out there. The lens comes with all the appropriate accessories you need for successful sky shooting. Firstly, you will get a Canon EOS DSLR Camera when you purchase this lens. There is also a gadget shoulder bag in which you can stash the entire lens component. With this, you can continue shooting the sky from far and near home.
With its maximum aperture size of f2.8, you can capture your object without delay. The lens even arrives with a 64 GB SD memory card. Of course, with this, you will never miss any scene. Interestingly, the lens produces images with low coma, flares, or any form of background imperfection.
The front and rear parts of the lens are even coated with fluorine to reduce smear. So, you can see that the lense has everything to ensure your image is sharp and accurate.
Like many lense on this list, the lens is suitable for all weather. And it is very easy to maintain, thanks to its dust and water resistant structure.
Pros
- Smear and dust resistant
- It comes with a camera and 64 GB SD card
- Capture an image with no flares
- Wide view angle
Cons
- Support only Canon EF camera
How do you Choose a Lense for Astrophotography?
When it comes to astrophotography, you can’t use your regular lense. That means there are lenses specifically designed for the purpose. But, how will you choose this lens?
Choose a Lense with a Wide View Angle
Regardless of what you intend to shoot; you must purchase lense that can shoot at a wide view angle. The wider the view angle, the clearer and more detailed the image. The focal length of the lense usually determines how wide or narrow the view angle will be. And the shorter the focal length, the wider the view angle.
For a full-frame camera, a lens with a focal length of 35 mm will shoot at a wide angle. For APS-C cameras, any lens with a focal length ranging from 10 mm and 14 mm will also shoot at a wide view angle.
Choose a Lense with a Fast Shutter Speed
The shutter speed is also a crucial factor to consider when stocking a lense for astrophotography. A lens with a fast shutter will eliminate noise or any other forms of distortion from your image. A lens with an f/2.8 aperture size has a very fast shutter speed.
Brand
Like any device, lense for astrophotography is made by different brands. And each differs in quality from brand to brand. However, there are few brands you can count on for quality.
So whenever you want to buy your camera, go for brands like SAMYANG, Canon, Temron, to mention a few. Interestingly, all these brands feature on our list of best lense for astrophotography.
Budget
Generally, a good lense doesn’t come cheap. But that doesn’t mean you should break the bank to get one. You can also get a good lens at a low price, though not common. Some brands like SAMYANG offers good lens at a very affordable price.
Best Lense for Astrophotography FAQs
Which Lense is best for Milky Way?
Like we’ve earlier said, each lense is best for one thing in astrophotography. If you are keen on shooting the Milky Way, you should get a lense with a wide-angle view and fast shutter speed. A wide-angle view lens always has a short focal length, which will definitely give you a good grasp of the Milky Way.
The fast shutter speed will also reduce blur and noise while you capture the Milky Way. So, lens with an aperture size of f/2.8 is best for this.
What Size Lense do I need for Astrophotography?
Generally, there is no hard-and-fast rule to the size of lense for astrophotography. However, you should always go for lense with size ranging from 15 mm to 35 mm. These lenses are compact and lightweight.
Are Zoom Lenses good for Astrophotography?
Zoom lenses are good for astrophotography, though not as effective as the lense with fixed focal length. Unlike fixed focal length lenses, zoom lenses are very slow regarding focal ratio. This makes zoom lens second to fixed focal length lenses when capturing the sky at night.
Bottom Line
The best lenses for astrophotography are fast and can shoot at wide view angles. All the five lenses in this review are fast and can shoot at wide angles.
Meanwhile, some factors can undermine the proper functioning of your lense. And part of them is the lack of proper care. To maintain your lense, keep it in a dust-free environment, and clean the optical part with the appropriate material. We wish you a happy night sky shooting!