Best lenses for astrophotography

December 20, 2021 CX3 1,101 Comments astrophotography, lenses

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Astrophotography is something you can do with a basic DSLR or mirrorless camera and its kit lens. Without one of the best lenses for astrophotography, however, your results might not be quite what you imagined and you’ll soon be looking around for upgrades.

Once you’re ready for a new lens, apertures of f2.8 and wider are what you’re looking for, to let as much light reach your camera’s sensor as possible. If you’re serious about the hobby, investing in one of the best cameras for astrophotography is also a no-brainer — when you’re set-up with a good body and a solid lens, you’ll see some serious improvements in your images.

There are plenty of other astro accessories worth throwing in your kit bag too, from small things like lens heaters, intervalometers to larger bits of kit like star trackers. However, you’ll notice much more of an improvement when using a good quality lens, so start there if you can.

Third party lens manufacturers such as Sigma come into their own when you’re looking for astrophotography lenses, as not only are their lenses often cheaper, but they tend to create lenses that fill niches overlooked by the camera manufacturers. Whether primes or zoom lenses, there’s an astro lens to fit every sort of budget. In fact, some of the cheaper manual-focus lenses can outclass their more sophisticated competition, as you don’t necessarily need AF when focusing on the stars.

Best lens for astrophotography overall

Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art

(Image credit: Sigma)

Stunning image quality with extra-wide aperture but a little heavy

Specifications

Type: 14mm prime lens for full-frame and APS-C sensor cameras

Compatibility: Canon EF, Nikon F-mount, Sony E-mount, L-mount

Focal range: 14mm fixed focal length

Aperture range: f/1.8 – f/16

Autofocus: Yes. Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM)

Thread size: No filter thread

Weight: 2.58 Ibs / 1,170g

Reasons to buy

+Very well built+Phenomenal image quality +Ultra-big maximum aperture

Reasons to avoid

–Heavy–Niche focal length–No filter thread

The first thing you’ll notice when handling this lens for the first time is its weight. At 2.58 lbs on the scales, this is a heavyweight lens, but the good news is that this is also matched by a heavyweight performance. Build quality is excellent and the lens is also weather sealed, however, this is not an important consideration for astrophotography. The fixed focal length and extra-wide field of view is also ideal for capturing expansive vistas of the landscape and night sky.

Performance in the field is nothing short of exceptional. Stars appear pin-sharp, even when the aperture is opened up to its impressive f/1.8 maximum, although stopping down the aperture a little will improve the coma that appears towards the corners of the image frame at its widest opening. Chromatic aberration (fringing) is well controlled when shooting at wide apertures and image distortion is handled equally well – not something you will find with all ultra-wide lenses.

It’s worth noting that the lens doesn’t have a filter thread due to the bulbous nature of its front element. This may not be a deal-breaker for astrophotography, but it’s a consideration to keep in mind if you also plan to use this lens for daytime shoots. For an ultra-wide lens, the performance of the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art is top class.