Best Camera For Astrophotography in 2020

The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh elucidates the fascination human beings had for the night sky. That was during the nineteenth century. We have been stargazing for at least 3000 years and learning the secrets of our universe. The night sky has had an aura of mystery and fantasy, which attracts scientists and artists. Astrophotography is the photography of astronomical objects like planets, stars. And celestial events like an eclipse or aurora borealis or a meteor shower happening in the sky. It wouldn’t be possible without the best camera for astrophotography.

We didn’t have a photo of the moon before the 19th century. But the recent technological advancement allows capture of stars, nebulae and galaxies invisible to naked eye.

Types of Astrophotography:

Landscape photography at Night: Imagine landscapes like a mountain, a tree, a river or everything put into one, lit by stars and moon in the night sky. It is an example of landscape astrophotography. The heavenly bodies become the backdrop and source of light for the objects in the foreground. Capturing it through the lens of a good camera which absorbs more light than a human eye can be magical and surreal.

Time-lapse Astrophotography: Have you imagined a particular landscape like milky way, moon , the sun will look like during different periods of the day and night? Extrapolate this idea to different seasons of a year or a decade or a century or a millennium. The capturing of a sequence of images with changing backgrounds (time of the day/night or Seasons in a year). And aggregating them into a single video. There you have, the time-lapse astrophotography. Don’t believe this is a cakewalk. Wait until you get into the nitty-gritty (preparation and scouting), it is difficult than it sounds.

Solar system Astrophotography: Gazing farther into the sky and capturing the sun, moon and other planets. If you are serious about this astrophotography, it starts getting technical and expensive due to the involvement of a telescope. There are super-telephoto lenses which can capture planets and some constellations with some ease, but they cannot be direct replacements to a telescope. The output of using super-telephoto lens pales in comparison to the images shot using a telescope. They have their limitations concerning astrophotography. But it comes to preferences and requirements of the person.

Deep Space Astrophotography: The images of galaxies, nebulae enamoured by rare hues of distant skies that we witness, is the product of deep-space astrophotography. It is the most technical and difficult of the lot. The telescope is an integral part of this photography. The setup for deep-space photography involves a camera, an astronomical telescope, a mount and a laptop connected to the camera.

Best Camera For Astrophotography

1. Canon EOS Ra – Best Canon Camera For Astrophotography

Mega Pixels: 30.3 MP

Sensor Size: Full Frame

Type: Mirrorless

Weight: 660g

The Canon EOS Ra comes with an optical IR filter before the sensor to photograph nebulae and celestial objects. The EOS Ra provides improved transmission and sensitivity to H-alpha wavelengths to cut out infrared disturbances.

EOS Ra features a 30.3 MegaPixel sensor and the recent DIGIC 8 image processor which offers quality imagery up to an ISO 40000. In addition to that, a 30x live view magnification ensures precision on focusing distant objects.

The camera tailor-made for astrophotography sports a Dual Pixel CMOS sensor. The auto focus system with 5655 customisable sensitive points up to EV -6, works in dark/low light conditions.

A 3.69 million dots electronic viewfinder offers a clear view coupled with a 3.15 inch LCD  swivel touchscreen to work in multiple angles. The magnesium alloy body makes sure the camera can handle tough environments and harsh climate conditions.

2. Sony A7 III – Best Pro Camera For Astrophotography

Mega Pixels: 24 MP

Sensor Size: Full Frame

Type: Mirrorless

Weight: 650g

The updated sensor design in Sony’s Alpha A7 III Mirrorless Digital Camera makes the camera excel in its speed and low-light performance. The full-frame 24.2 MegaPixel CMOS sensor and the powerful BIONZ X image processor can shoot continuous up to 10-fps . The processor produces images of great clarity and reduced noise up to ISO 50-204800. The camera comes with a 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilisation that minimizes the motion blur occurring due to camera shakes.

Autofocus system uses 693 phase-detection points and 425 contrast-detection to improve the focus during different lighting conditions.

Sony A7III comes with a rear 3-inch touchscreen LCD with a tilting design that enables shooting at multiple angles. The magnesium-alloy body ensures that A7 III is robust, weather-resistant.

3. Fujifilm X-E3

Mega Pixels: 24 MP

Sensor Size: APS-C

Type: Mirrorless

Weight: 337g

The black FUJIFILM X-E3 is a ranger-style mirrorless camera with their trademark classic design. With a 24.3 MegaPixel, APS-C X-Trans CMOS III sensor and strong X-Processor Pro image processor produces sharp and low noise images. The quick processor enables continuous shooting up to 14 fps with an extended sensitivity range up to ISO 51200.

X-E3 comes with a high-resolution 2.36 million dot electronic viewfinder and 3.0 inch rear LCD  touchscreen. The camera offers a decent dynamic range which enhances its low light performance. Its wireless capabilities include a Bluetooth low power image transfer and Wi-Fi enabled remote control by a mobile device. The magnesium alloy body offers classic appeal to rugged weather-resistant camera.

4. Sony A7R III

Mega Pixels: 42 MP

Sensor Size: Full Frame

Type: Mirrorless

Weight: 657 g

Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital Camera brings speed, resolution and high-quality video performance to the table. The full-frame 42.4 MegaPixel sensor and the latest BIONZ X image processor ensures speed and quality output.

The Auto Focus system with a 399 phase-detection and 425 contrast-detection areas delivers quality focus and subject tracking in low light condition. The camera delivers output range32000, expandable 50-102400.

Standard 5-axis SteadyShot INSIDE IS offers multiple stop image stabilisation. To reduce the impact of different climatic conditions, the A7R III comes with a magnesium alloy chassis and a weather sealing. The rear 3-inch tilting design touchscreen LCD  makes it suitable for working in high and low angles.

5. Sony A9

Mega Pixels: 24 MP

Sensor Size: Full Frame

Type: Mirrorless

Weight: 588g

A 24.2 MegaPixel full-frame CMOS sensor and the powerful BIONZ X image processor makes Sony A9 one of the fastest cameras. It can amplify gains of ISO up to 204,800.

The hybrid autofocus system comes with an customisable phase-detection points to cover 93% of the area for tracking and shooting in low light conditions. The INSIDE IS reduces the impact of shakes during handheld shoots with 5-stop inbuilt image stabilisation.

A 3.68 million dot Quad-VGA OLED Tru-Finder with a refresh rate of 120 frames per second makes your viewing experience pleasant. The 3-inch touchscreen LCD simplifies shooting at high and low angles. The enhanced Zebra function allows you to monitor different levels of contrast exposure.

6. Nikon Z6 – Best Nikon Camera For Astrophotography

Mega Pixels: 24.5 MP

Sensor Size: Full Frame

Type: Mirrorless

Weight: 675g

The Z 6 Mirrorless full-frame Camera comes with a revolutionary Z Mount. It allows Nikon to create compact and lightweight cameras without any compromise in the image quality.  The Nikon Z6 has a 24.5 MegaPixel BSI CMOS sensor and powerful EXPEED 6 Image Processing Engine. It delivers high-resolution images with speed in the range of ISO 100-51200.

The sensor has a 273-point phase-detection autofocus system which covers 90% of the area. This camera features a 3.6 million dot Electronic viewfinder with a .80 x magnification, and 3.2 inch LCD touchscreen. It helps to focus and track subjects in multiple angles. The magnesium alloy body makes the camera weather resistant. It features an ergonomic grip with an anti-slip material and a joystick to unhindered setting control.

7. Olympus E-M1 Mark II

Mega Pixels: 20.4 MP

Sensor Size: Micro four thirds

Type: Mirrorless

Weight: 574g

The E-M1 Mark II from Olympus is a Micro Four Thirds sensor size mirrorless camera. It has a 20.4 Mega Pixel Live MOS sensor and  TruePic image processor. The electronic shutter enables the camera to shoot at 60-frames per second. The sensor comes with 121 phase-detection focus points to track subjects.

Being a compact lightweight hand-held camera, it has 5-axis image stabilization to reduce the impact of camera shake. It can record videos at a resolution up to DCI and Ultra HD 4K. The sensor can amplify gains up to ISO 25600, which is essential for low light conditions.

This Olympus camera has a magnesium alloy chassis keeping it durable and weather-resistant. The inbuilt Wi-Fi and dual SD card slots support remote operations, quick & wireless data transfer. Despite being a tad expensive, this is one of the best in the mirror four-thirds sensor section.

8. ZWO ASI294MC Pro – Best Astronomy Camera

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Mega Pixels: 11.3 MP

Sensor Size: four thirds

Type: Astronomy camera

Weight: 420g

The ASI294MC Pro from ZWO has a first of its type Sony IMX294CJK CMOS Sensor supporting the 4/3 format is a dedicated astronomy camera.  It can produce a pixel output of 4K resolution at the rate of 120 frames per second. The extended optical sensor accommodates low light operations.

The camera comes with a full-well capacity of 63700e which can handle long exposures, and produce a high signal to noise ratio. The USB 2.0 port ensures connectivity to accessories like filter wheels and electronic focusing device. The 256 GB buffer reduces the amp glow, which occurs due to low transfer speeds.

The camera circumvents the dew issues and can handle extreme humid conditions. The wireless accessories can simplify the operations.

9. ZWO ASI183MM Pro

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Mega Pixels: 20.1 MP

Type: Astronomy camera

Weight: 410g

The ASI183 Monochrome can record full 20.2 MP videos at 19 frames per second. It can capture sun, and planets like Jupiter, Saturn etc.

The Sony CMOS Sensor offers high resolution better than 4K quality, high Q.E and signal to noise ratio.

The Sony CMOS sensor comes with a 12 bit ADC with 12 stops of dynamic range. The monochrome sensor with back-illuminated technology offers brilliant performance for deep sky imaging can work in humid conditions. Its high frame per second suits lunar and solar imaging. With different filters, it can offer high-resolution colour photos with its light absorption capacity.

Best DSLR for Astrophotography

10. Canon 5D Mark IV – Best Canon DSLR Camera For Astrophotography

Mega Pixels: 30 MP

Sensor Size: Full Frame

Type: DSLR

Weight: 800g

Canon’s 5D Mark IV DSLR comes with the new 30.4MP full-frame CMOS sensor powered by a DIGIC 6+ image processor. The camera can amplify gains up in the range of ISO 100-32000, that is expandable up to 50-102400. It gives extra sharp images, enhancing low-light performance and sensitivity.

61-point phase-detection autofocus improves the speed through tracking subjects in an efficient manner. The 3.2-inch touch screen LCD simplifies shooting at high and low angles. The wide 24-100 mm lens with a maximum aperture of f/4 gives an excellent zoom range. The camera comes with in-built Wi-Fi, NFC connectivity, and GPS.

11. Pentax K-1 Mark II

Mega Pixels: 36 MP

Sensor Size: Full Frame

Type: DSLR

Weight: 1010g

The K-1 Mark II from Pentax is full-frame DSLR with a 36.4MP CMOS sensor, and PRIME IV image processor. This produces high-resolution photos up to 4.4 fps. The 14-bit image processor has a Ricoh-developed Accelerator Unit. It reduces noise, and can amplify gains up to ISO 819200 making it suitable for low-light conditions.

The 5-axis Shake Reduction system minimizes the effects of camera vibration during handheld shooting. This image stabilization system comes with a Pixel Shift Resolution II, which gives greater colour detail and resolution to the photos.

The K-1 Mark II has a stainless steel and magnesium-alloy body which gives a classic look to this sturdy camera. The pentaprism optical viewfinder enables a 100% frame coverage and a  0.7x magnification. The 3.2 inch LCD touchscreen comes with a tilting design that simplifies shooting at multiple angles. The built-in Wi-Fi gives a wireless remote operation option and data transfer.

12. Nikon D750

Mega Pixels: 24.3 MP

Sensor Size: Full Frame

Type: DSLR

Weight: 755g

Nikon’s D750 DSLR, featuring a 24.3 Mega Pixel CMOS sensor and the EXPEED 4 image processor. It is capable of high-resolution imaging with reduced noise up to ISO range of 51200. The 3.2 inches wide LCD screen simplifies shooting in multiple angles. To enable remote shooting, the D750 comes with a built-in Wi-Fi.

In addition to that, the D750 has a 51-point Auto Focus system has enhanced subject recognition and tracking capability. The 3D Color Matrix Metering system coupled with the 91,000-pixel RGB sensor works with an array of subjects and light conditions. The D750 supports the generation of time-lapse movies and features picture control profiles to manage the colour and tonality of the images.

13. Nikon D7500

Mega Pixels: 20.9 MP

Sensor Size: APS-C

Type:  DSLR

Weight: 640g

The D7500 camera is one of a lightweight DSLR camera with a robust and weather-resistant body to work in different climatic conditions. Nikon D7500 comes with a 20.9 MegaPixel CMOS sensor and a powerful EXPEED 5 image processor.

The 3.2-inch touchscreen makes shooting in multiple high and low angles a lot easier. SnapBridge Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enables wireless transfer and remote operations. The Pentaprism optical viewfinder comes with .94x magnification helps with the focusing in low light. It has a 51-point Multi-CAM 3500 FX II autofocus system to focus and track subjects.

This Nikon is one of the affordable DSLR cameras with an APS-C sensor. It has an array of features making it a value for money buy at this price.

Picking Your Gear for Astrophotography

DSLR: The DSLR cameras come across as the first choice among amateurs and professionals owing to their versatility. There are DSLR cameras available in the market with excellent low light performance. The high-end DSLR’s tend to be expensive, heavy and bulky. Nevertheless, the cameras come with a vast range of lenses, making it suitable for different kinds of photography.

Mirrorless: Mirrorless cameras are the recent compact and lightweight alternative to the DSLR,  owing to the absence of a mirror inside the camera body. The simple mechanism allows a mirrorless camera to shoot more photos. While DSLR cameras can work without the LCD screen/viewfinder, the EVF in mirrorless drains the battery . But the cameras come with removable batteries which simplify the issue. Since they are recent technology, they don’t have a wide array of lenses and accessories.

Astrophotography camera: There are a large number of telescope cameras which are tailor-made for capturing deep space images of nebulae, galaxies etc.

These cameras employ a powerful cooling system to counter the long exposure times required for deep sky imaging.

Lens: If you are shooting for the stars in a dim-lit sky, you would need a lens with a large aperture. The aperture allows the light to reach the sensor. A wide-angle lens with a good DSLR camera can offer you some great landscape/time-lapse imagery. Although the smaller lenses don’t require the mount, the heavier ones are much easier to operate with an equatorial mount.

Filters: Photographers use specific filters in advance levels of astrophotography to pick up the light of different wavelengths. There are filters to avoid light pollution in the cities, to enable astrophotography within the city limits. We do have narrowband filters, solar filters and colour filters each designed to serve a particular purpose.

Telescope: For capturing planets in our solar system or nebulae or other galaxies in the sky, a telescope becomes essential. It’s an unsettled dispute that super-telephoto lens can replace a telescope to a certain extent, and it is a matter of personal choice. But a telescope with some filters will get you some great deep sky imagery.

Tripod: A stable tripod is an essential part of your photography gear. We are looking at exposure times ranging from 10 seconds to thirty seconds. Unless you are catching a star trail or capturing the deep space. Slightest of the movement can negate hours of hard work in astrophotography. Using a tripod makes sure the efforts doesn’t go down the drain. The tripods used for video recording are sturdier/stabler than the ones made for photography.

Tracking Mount: For deep space imagery, a tracking mount becomes mandatory. Deep-sky imaging requires long exposures which enable the camera to capture the details of a faraway galaxy. Being in a stationary tripod means the earth rotation will lead to image blurs and streaks. Aligning the mount is to earth rotation reduces the risk of blurred images.

Features essentials for Astrophotography

Aperture: The size of the aperture decides the amount of light hits the sensor. In any form of low-light astrophotography, it’s imperative to maximise the light inflow. The aperture range(Low-High) becomes essential, as much as the levels in between to control the amount of light hitting the sensor.

Exposure and ISO Performance: At night, the amount of light in the sky is limited. One has to use it diligently. Exposure is essential for low light photography, and for astrophotography, it’s more valuable.

The ISO determines the gain levels after the light gets recorded in the sensor, which is an output of the exposure of the camera. Higher the ISO range and performance of the camera, better the output while capturing glimpses of the sky.

Dynamic Range: From darkness to light, there are several colour tones of the light. Dynamic range is the capacity of a camera to capture and reproduce different colour tones. The ability to handle the dark and bright areas in a frame during the night translates into the photo quality.

Sensor Size: The digital sensor in the camera consists of tiny units called pixels. Each pixel records the intensity of the light from the source. The bigger the sensor, the higher the ability to measure the intensity of light. The pixel size of a full-frame sensor is more, which increase its ability to measure light. It outperforms all the smaller sensors. It doesn’t mean the smaller sensors doesn’t work for astrophotography. There are a lot of models with a smaller sensor that works for astrophotography at affordable prices. But as the complexity of photography increases, the preference moves towards full-frame sensors.

Picking your next camera for Astrophotography

The best fit camera depends on the type of astrophotography and budget limitations. For starters, the landscape and time-lapse photography wouldn’t require professional-level cameras. But for solar system imaging and deep-sky astrophotography, there are DSLR and Mirrorless cameras. If coupled with the telescope, they become a great piece of equipment for astrophotography.

Fullframe vs APS-C vs Micro four thirds

The full-frame cameras by default are better equipment because of the larger sensors, but they are expensive. Unless you are serious about astrophotography, there are various options in APS-C sensors and micro four thirds which are great alternatives within the budget. The Olympus E-M Mark II is expensive but comes with a decent dynamic range and low light performance. It can act as landscape astrophotography equipment with an excellent macro photography performance. Sony has come with some full-frame sensor cameras offering high resolution at low light conditions, but they come at a premium. The Sony A7 III offers a high ISO performance and dynamic range for the price. The Canon EOS Ra is the standout astrophotography camera which is tailor-made for capturing celestial objects with extra filters.

Mirrorless vs DSLR vs Telescope cameras

The telescope cameras from ZWO are excellent astronomy cameras, but they require a computer. They don’t offer the mobility and versatility of mirrorless or DSLR cameras. If solar or lunar imaging is your area of interest. The astronomy cameras are unbeatable in their performance and come at a cheaper rate compared to other cameras. The ASI183MM Pro with a couple of extra filters can capture some brilliant images for galaxies, planets and nebulae.

The Nikon D750 is the best value for a money DSLR camera. Despite being an old model, it offers the necessary dynamic range and ISO performance for low light photography. The DSLR cameras are preferred owing to the range of lenses in the market for an upgrade. Be it daylight or night time photography Canon 5D Mark V packs a punch and it is the best DSLR for astrophotography.

Mirrorless cameras are compact, lightweight counterparts of DSLR. Since they are a recent technology, they lack an array of lenses like DSLR. But recent technological developments are minimising the gap between Mirrorless and DSLR cameras.

CCD vs CMOS

CCD and CMOS are image sensors used in the digital camera. The CCD uses a complicated manufacturing process to produce high-quality sensors which can in turn capture high-quality images with minimal noise. The manufacturing process makes the CCD costlier.

CMOS sensor uses a production method similar to microchips, which makes them a cheaper alternative to CCD cameras. The CMOS sensor requires more light to create a low noise image. But technology has reduced the gap between CCD and CMOS sensors. Although they are closing upon quality of CCD, the CMOS cameras are cheap and come with long battery life. It is a matter of time until they catch up with the quality levels of CCD cameras.

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