The best Cameras for Night Photography 2020
The best cameras for Astro-landscape/ Milky way or low light photography. Jan 9, 2020
The winners:
When it comes to photography just like anything else, the gear is often over hyped. In any profession it is always the experience of the user that ultimately determines outcome. I know that you already know this, but I just wanted to emphasize this again here because I see a lot of gear worshiping in the photography world. In the end, regardless of the camera, the photographers knowledge of his tool and vision will pilot the image.
Now this isn’t to say that the equipment doesn’t matter, because when it comes to low light photography there are definite winners and losers in certain aspects of quality.
For this article we are starting with a baseline of assumptions that I used to create this list.
- First is the assumption that we are talking exclusively about photography and not video. All of the cameras listed here I am comparing solely by their performance and features when doing long exposure imaging.
- Second we are assuming that the type of photography we are talking about is wide field low light photography (as apposed to deep space imaging or studio lit imaging).
- Third we are assuming that we are only going to be using single exposures, not stacked, tracked, blended or images otherwise compensated for noise.
- Fourth we are talking specifically about DSLR interchangeable Full frame cameras only, not including crop sensor counterparts or other CCD type cameras.
A lot of this article is based on my research, experience and basic understanding of how cameras work. It should be noted that my opinion alone is not without bias as I am prone to fall in love with products that I enjoy using. It should also be noted that many of the reasons I list cameras in the order they are in is due to pure speculation as I personally have not done the kind of in depth testing others have. However with a considerably unhealthy obsession with astrophotography I feel somewhat qualified to give you my honest opinion.
What makes a good low light DSLR?
The first thing you need to know is that camera sensors come in different sizes. The two common DSLR sensor sizes are Full frame and Crop sensor. Full frame sensors are considered the standard for professional DSLR photo work, and the image sensor itself is based in size off of 35mm film. A crop sensor as the name implies is a crop of a full frame sensor.
Simply put if you where to use the exact same lens and focal length the crop sensor is 1.5x smaller and would give you this crop factor.
Because crop sensors are smaller than full frame sensors they tend to have lower megapixel counts and smaller pixel size.
Think of an image sensor like an Ice cube tray with the individual squares being the pixels. Now imagine the trays only come in two sizes. Small or Large. In theory you could have one tray that measures 5x10" and another that measures 7x14. Imagine that for this example they both hold a total of 20 ice cubes in two rows of 10. Though they have the same number of ice cubes the larger trays ice cubes would be bigger and capable of holding more water.
Convert the concept over to image sensors and image the water as light and the slots as pixels. Larger pixels can retain more light and color information. This is a huge advantage in low light photography because the larger pixels can absorb more light and detail. This is why full frames have a natural advantage over crop sensors in addition to many others.
Now take that same example but let’s say this time you have two large ice cube trays that are the same size, 7x14". However one of the trays has a total of 80 slots and the other has a total of 20. The first with 2 rows of 10 just like before but the new tray has 4 rows of 20.
In this case the first tray with less slots has far less total ice cubes, but each individual ice-cube will be much larger. This is a comparison of two full frame sensors with different megapixel counts. Now as you probably already realize megapixels determine resolution, and how large you can print an image without it becoming pixelated. There is a vast overhype in the photography world right now as camera companies market cameras to the general public with extreme megapixel counts. Mega meaning the total number of pixels on your sensor in millions. However this is the trade off you will have to consider, pixel depth to pixel count.
Of course with constantly improving sensor technology, higher megapixel cameras are increasing in dynamic range at a rate that may make one consider how much it really matters. However for the most part when you are talking about the sensors ability to specifically capture more information in low light scenarios you will want to look for cameras with large sensors and low pixel counts.
It should also be noted that having larger pixel depth means more light and information recorded which requires less electricity to go through the sensor for its ISO digital sensitivity to light. In many cases shallow pixels packed closely together have a tendency to produce much more image noise.
Though again this is constantly being improved in newer cameras, it cant hurt to stick to the sensors with a better native ability to absorb light.
The last reason for specifically wanting a low megapixel count DSLR is star trailing. On image sensors where there are more pixels you are inherently going to pick up more stars and be able to see micro movements much easier. When shooting the night sky with a high resolution sensor I ALWAYS track. Unless I am doing something like 10 second exposures or I am simply not worried about trailing, with higher pixel counts like I have on my Nikon D850, you will always have trailing at least a little in single exposures.
The extra stars that show up on a high resolution sensor can actually become distracting… there are so many of them that they actually begin to look like image noise.
This is something that I like to compensate for in post processing, which have some paid tutorials available on how I make this change:
I show this process in any of my milky way related tutorials with the exception of the “Dark Patriarch Processing tutorial”
In the end, I would strongly recommend sticking to large sensors with low megapixel counts unless you plan to do a lot of stacking or tracking, but lets get on with the list:
1: The Sony A7SII & A7SI
See the Sony A7sII on amazon: https://amzn.to/2T7k5rg
See the Sony A7S on amazon: https://amzn.to/35EG9fF
Sony A7sII Specs: https://www.cnet.com/products/sony-alpha-a7s-ii/specs/
I don’t think many (if anyone) would debate this in the astrophotography community except to push a paid partnership. (sorry, I had too) Sticking to my exceptions in the earlier section, if we are talking about just single exposures, this camera is the clear winner. I have yet to see anything compete for its place as the undisputed king of low light photography.
Pros:
- Mirrorless, lightweight and compact
- Low megapixel count with large sensor (Higher dynamic range and lower noise to signal ratio)
- Deep color and shadow depth that retain natural color making post processing easier
- lower pixel count decreases evident star trailing
- Mirrorless EV makes focusing on stars easy
- focus peaking
- considered by many to be the low light king
- can be powered by external USB power bank
Cons:
- Battery life
- Lower resolution for printing
I have had the opportunity to work with the A7sii and A7s on a few occasions and been blown away by the insane dynamic range and low noise to signal ratios at high ISO. I think it is safe to say that this camera performs the same at 12,800 ISO as my current Nikon D850 at at 6,400 ISO (though this isn’t a fair comparison by any means due to the Pixel count).
Like we went over above, having a large sensor with a low pixel count allows you to get excellent pixel depth and record far more light and color information per pixel. This cameras RAW’s are capable of some of the most insane shadow recovery on the planet.
Lens selection is something I did not want to put in the pro or cons list because I find the list of lenses available in native Sony E or available through an adaptor to be reasonable and acceptable but not extraordinary and not horrible.
Sony A7iii specs: https://www.cnet.com/products/sony-a7-iii/specs/
I know it probably looks a lot like I am sponsored by Sony right about now… however sadly this not the case (at the moment). Though if Sony wanted to ship me a camera in exchange for dumping the current love of my life (my Nikon D850) I probably wouldn’t turn them down 😉 🤫.
Pros:
- New sensor technology with advanced noise reduction
- Mid range pixel count makes it a great balance between resolution for printing and dynamic range
- can be powered by external USB battery back
- Light weight mirrorless
- improved battery life over the predecessors
Cons:
- Sony Star eater software (I am unsure if this still in these cameras but with the higher megapixel count this could be an issue)
- battery life (It’s still a mirrorless, cool things suck battery)
It’s debatable weather the A7SII or the A7III have better ISO performance due to the improved sensor technology of the A7III however I find the performance of the A7SII to be completely adequate and prefer the slightly sharper image that is seems to produce as a result of not using the built in noise reduction software found in the A7III… though the difference is very minor.
Here is a link to a video that showcases this difference pretty well
Really if you choose either of these top two cameras, you’re going to be really well off, and I dare say that aside from battery life these cameras are still the kings.
Nikon Z6 Specs: https://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/mirrorless/z_6/spec.htm
The Z6 is and EXTREMELY exciting new release from Nikon. Finally getting into the mirrorless game with the Z6 and Z7 shows some hope of actual mirrorless innovations and competition with the master, Sony.
From here on it’s kind of hard to say which cameras should be placed in what order so I would say that I do not have enough hands on experience to tell you the exact order these should be placed in. All I can go on is the overwhelming number of reviews, tech information, and tests hosted by other photographers.
My main reasoning for placing the Z6 next on the list falls into three categories:
- Newer sensor technology and ISO performance
- Lower — Moderate megapixel count
- Nikon native lens selection
Canon has a lot of excellent cameras for night photography… however they simply do not have the Nikkor 14–24, which for many landscape and astro-landscape photographers is the golden standard, workhorse lens for anything wide angle or low light. Now I personally prefer the sigma 14–24 or even Tamron 15–30 for various reasons but for the sake of options I had to give this place to the Z6. (It should be noted you need an adapter to mount the 14–24 original models to the z6)
Canon does have a lot of excellent wide angle lenses however I personally have noticed a but more coma, fringe or things like astigmatisms on their wide angles. (though I have not used all of them). I simply feel that the Nikkor 14–24 is tried and trusted.
Pros:
- Mirrorless
- Improved Battery Life
- Slightly larger resolution for printing
- Very sexy looking
- Trusted adaptable lenses
Cons:
- More megapixels means slightly smaller pixels (not really a big deal)
- Need adapters for the old DSLR Nikon lenses
You can find it here with the adaptor: https://amzn.to/39Q87Zf
Canon 6D MKII Specs: https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/products/details/cameras/eos-dslr-and-mirrorless-cameras/dslr/eos-6d-mark-ii
Ok so before you Nikon and Sony sponsored camera wizards hire someone to push me through mesa arch for this, remember we are talking exclusively about using single exposures. I think it’s more than fair to say that the canon 6D mark 1 was potentially the king of low light photography at one time… and from what it looks like the 6D mark II was a much deserved update.
Pros:
- Canon Natural White balance
- Mid range Megapixel count for larger prints and still retaining dynamic range
- Very easy to learn how to use
- Better Battery life than some Mirrorless cameras
- Optical View finder gives you a second method of focus
Cons:
- Native lens selection from canon for astrophotography isn’t as good as for Nikon (opinion)
- larger and maybe heavier
- no EV (electronic viewfinder)
Sticking to the theme of lower pixel counts for better low light images this would be the next on my list of cameras. Though in all honesty I am huge fan of the more natural and accurate in camera white balance canon seems to always produce, I am not a big fan of their wide angle lens selection EXCLUSIVELY for night photography… (gotta cover all my bases here) I know there are going to many who disagree, knowing that I am dancing through a mine field entering the holy war between Nikon and Canon.
However if you are currently canon and you’re thinking of switching over to the dark side with us Nikon people, the one thing you will definitely lose is that in camera natural color balance. Everything Nikon seems to always be soooooo green. I actually quite literally keep my white balance on custom with the tint at Magenta 2.0 (+2) to compensate.
Nikon D850 Specs:https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/d850-technical.page
I bet you where wondering when this bad boy was going to show up. Yes, the D850 is my current workhorse, and personal camera of choice. I have had the D850 since about November of 2017. When this thing came out I remember it being almost impossible to find them. I actually had to try multiple shops to finally get my hands on one. Since then several of the greats have switched to this monster, and theres a few reasons for that.
Pros:
- Very High Megapixel Count
- Touch Swivel screen is much better than the D810 and D750
- Impressive low light and dynamic range performance from this many pixels
- good battery life
- Sony XQD card compatible
- Great Native Lens Options
- Illuminated button display
Cons:
- Extreme pixel count makes trailing very obvious
- High ISOs create a lot of noise with that many pixels
- big and heavy
now you may be wondering WHY ON EARTH IS THIS #5??? well.. I did specifically say that we were talking about low light single exposures only, and even though I would love to put my baby on the top of the list, I think it simply wouldn’t make sense. As much as I love this camera I simply cannot debate that in a single exposure stand off between the monster D850 and the Low light King A7SII, my megapixel giant would suffer a sore loss.
I decided to put the D850 in this place on the list…
1: because I knew if I didn’t I would be that one guy who is deliberately shouldered off at the largest photo convention in America, mesa arch at sunrise. I can imagine I would probably have all of my shutter remote cords slashed and my lenses scratched by the hype fairy.
&
2: Because I think the camera is outstanding for some of the opposite reasons of the ones listed before. I think the D850 performs extremely well considering the stupid crazy number of pixels you have crammed in there.
Now some day I would truly like to add an A7SII or the rumored A7SIII to my bag since so much of my work is Astrophotography oriented. But for the time being the D850 is great because I am whiling to stack, track, blend, or composite to get the cleanest images possible and bypass that extra pixel issue.
However when we are not talking specifically about just low light single exposures, the D850 is an incredible choice because of the dynamic options it offers. I think it may be best suited for wildlife and landscape photographers, but manages to be a powerful tool in other forums of photography as well.
It should also be noted that specifically for low light performance the Nikon D850’s predecessors the D810 and D750 has much lower pixel counts and it is arguable that for single exposures at night only these may be better options.
Here are some of my Astro-Landscape images created using the D850:
Canon 5D MKIV Specs: https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/products/details/cameras/eos-dslr-and-mirrorless-cameras/dslr/eos-5d-mark-iv
The canon 5D MKIV is an all around great camera. Since its release it has been impressing many with its low light performance with its higher megapixel count. Though I do not have a lot of personal experience with the MKIV, This model is an absolute go too for so many photographers.
I can’t say much about it with such little experience but I know that you wouldn’t be disappointed in this workhorse of a camera with such a legacy behind the 5D series.
Pros:
- Longstanding reputation and fan base for the 5D series
- Canon’s natural in camera color balance
- higher resolution sensor
- good battery life
Cons:
- Slightly less low light performance due to higher pixel count
- canon native lens selection that does not include the nikkor 14–24
- bigger, heavier
Honorable mentions:
These are cameras that are also quite capable of excellent low light photography however I felt that they didn’t quite fit the list for one reason or another as my top choice either because of function or my lack of knowledge about them.
Pentax K1
See the Pentax K1 on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2FxZKnd
The Pentax K1 is one of the most interesting cameras on the market. With a built in star tracking function that I know absolutely nothing about, but have heard is quite impressive. This function alone could easily make it one of the greatest astro-landscape cameras of all time.
In all honesty I would really really like to get a chance to play with this camera a little but It is something that I always forget exists. I have no idea what the lens selection or battery life are like and I hope one day either this picks up or Nikon and Sony introduce this concept in one of their future cameras.
Nikon D810A
See the Nikon D810A on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2FAOtCr
The Nikon D810A is an interesting camera because it is an Astro modified version of the D810. As we mentioned earlier the D810 is a solid option for astro-landscape imaging but the D810A lacks many of the filters for wavelengths like infrared. This allows you to get much more vivid reds and colors in the night sky, however it makes images of more conventional things like landscapes look off. This would be an excellent choice for someone who is planning on doing professional high resolution deep space tracking.
Other honorable mentions:
- Canon EOSR
- Canon 6D MK1
- Nikon D810
- Nikon D850
- Sony A7RIV
- Nikon D750
The winners again:
Authors Portfolio:
Thanks for taking the time to read, or at least pretend to read through. Be sure to leave your impressions below and let me know if there is a camera you think I missed or miss placed on the list.
If you would like to see more of my images you can check them out on my site:
or on my instagram:
www.instagram.com/dereksturmanphotography
If you’re interested in learning how I create and edit my images, check out my site for future tutorials and workshops:
https://sturmanphoto.smugmug.com/Tutorials
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NightScaper Conference 2020
In case you didn’t know, This May 2020 I will be speaking during the annual Nightscaper Conference in Kanab Utah. Hosted by some of the most influential Night photographers in the world, this is the event of any astrophotographers dreams!
There are still a few slots open for the conference, which will feature 32 speakers including myself (and many photographers that are more interesting to listen to than me).
You can get $100 off of your admission instantly by using the code STURMAN100 at checkout.
I will also be hosting a post processing workshop at the conference and the seats are dwindling as we approach the big day! You can find the info on that workshop here:
and the RSVP page for the Conference here:
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