One question I run in to often, whether on social media, online forums, in workshops, etc, is “Which camera do you recommend I get?” And while I wish there was a simple answer to this question, we can start to narrow in on the seemingly endless options by focussing first on the type of photography you’re looking to do. In this case, we’ll look at aurora or “Northern Lights” photography.
To try to start simplifying “What’s the best camera and lens for aurora photography?” I’m going to list what I believe are the current best options for both lenses and camera bodies in order of my preferences. (DISCLAIMER: I am personally a Canon shooter so will always favor Canon, but I have similar experience with Sony and will say their gear is exceptional as well. I have less personal experience with Nikon so it’s hard for me to recommend, but I can pass on the info I’ve gained over the years from colleagues, etc.)
If you’re just getting the in game, buying your first camera, or upgrading to your first full-frame camera, what I usually recommend is renting a small kit for a week or two from a vendor that offers a rent-to-own option. That way, if you find you like the experience with some or all of the equipment you could apply some of your rental fees toward the purchase. The company I’ve used the most, highly recommend, and am an affiliate of is LensRentals.com, but of course there are many options to choose from.
If you do go this route, make sure you consider some additional accessories I’d recommend beyond just the camera, lens, and tripod such as extra battlers + charger, an external “dummy” battery, lens warmer, etc. Since the accessory list is often highly dependent on your location, temperatures, time of year, and many other factors, we’ll leave that out of this article for now, but feel free to drop any questions in the comments for follow up discussion.
So without further ado, here’s my list of recommended / best lenses and camera bodies with some notes:
| Brand | Lens | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sigma | 14mm f/1.8 DG | Apx. $1500 | GREAT wide angle lens overall. |
| Sigma | 14-24MM F/2.8 DG | Apx. $1300 | Offers flexibility in the range of focal length, but the slower aperture can introduce some extra noise in to the images (since you’ll need to increase the ISO more). |
| Tamron | SP 15-30mm f/2.8 | Apx. $640 | Wonderfully sharp lens throughout the focal range, but the f/2.8 max aperture can be a bit slow. (See note on noise and ISO above). |
| Rokinon | 14mm f/2.8 | Apx. $300 | Very sharp lens, great beginner option. Slower lens (see notes above) and is manual focus. Manual is always recommended for night photography, but can be difficult in other genres. |
| Canon | RF 15-35 f/2.8 L | Apx. $2300 | Good lens overall (daytime photography as well) but lacks some sharpness of the stars. Expensive. |
| Venus Optics | Laowa 15mm f/2 | Apx. $750 | I don’t have personal experience with this lens, but have read and heard excellent reviews of it. |
| Brand | Lens | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sony | 20mm f/1.8 G | Apx. $900 | Incredible all purpose wide angle lens. |
| Sigma | 14mm f/1.8 DG | Apx. $1500 | GREAT wide angle lens overall. |
| Sigma | 14-24MM F/2.8 DG | Apx. $1300 | Offers flexibility in the range of focal length, but the slower aperture can introduce some extra noise in to the images (since you’ll need to increase the ISO more). |
| Tamron | SP 15-30mm f/2.8 | Apx. $640 | Wonderfully sharp lens throughout the focal range, but the f/2.8 max aperture can be a bit slow. (See note on noise and ISO above). |
| Rokinon | 14mm f/2.8 | Apx. $300 | Very sharp lens, great beginner option. Slower lens (see notes above) and is manual focus. Manual is always recommended for night photography, but can be difficult in other genres. |
| Venus Optics | Laowa 15mm f/2 | Apx. $750 | I don’t have personal experience with this lens, but have read and heard excellent reviews of it. |
| Brand | Lens | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sigma | 14mm f/1.8 DG | Apx. $1500 | GREAT wide angle lens overall. |
| Sigma | 14-24MM F/2.8 DG | Apx. $1300 | Offers flexibility in the range of focal length, but the slower aperture can introduce some extra noise in to the images (since you’ll need to increase the ISO more). |
| Rokinon | 14mm f/2.8 | Apx. $300 | Very sharp lens, great beginner option. Slower lens (see notes above) and is manual focus. Manual is always recommended for night photography, but can be difficult in other genres. |
| Nikkor | Z 20 f/1.8 S | Apx. $1000 | |
| Tamron | SP 15-30mm f/2.8 | Apx. $640 | Wonderfully sharp lens throughout the focal range, but the f/2.8 max aperture can be a bit slow. (See note on noise and ISO above). |
| Venus Optics | Laowa 15mm f/2 | Apx. $750 | I don’t have personal experience with this lens, but have read and heard excellent reviews of it. |
| Brand | Body | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canon | EOS R6 | Apx. $2500 | Great overall mid-tier camera for general photography and some video use. |
| Canon | EOS Ra | Apx. $2500 | Very similar to the R6, but astro-modified to allow some Hydrogen-Alpha light in. In simple terms, you can capture more light at night, but can add a pink cast to daytime photography. |
| Canon | EOS R5 | Apx. $3900 | May be overkill for general photography use, but offers excellent video capabilities as well. |
| Brand | Body | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sony | A7SIII | Apx. $3500 | Excellent night performance, but more expensive. |
| Sony | A7IV | Apx. $2500 | |
| Sony | A7RIV | Apx. $2800 | Similar to the A7IV but higher resolution…which isn’t always a good thing for night / star photography, but be a great advantage for landscape / wildlife / general use photography. |
| Brand | Body | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nikon | Z6II | Apx. $2000 | |
| Nikon | Z7 II FX | Apx. $3000 |
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