1. The list in brief ↴
2. Best overall
3. Best Sony lens
4. Best Nikon Z-mount lens
5. Best widely compatible prime
6. Best Canon RF lens
7. Best Sony prime lens
8. Best for versatility
9. Best Canon EF lens
10. Best APS-C Sony lens
11. Best APS-C DSLR lens
12. Best Nikon DSLR lens
13. Best budget lens
14. Lenses for astro FAQs
15. How we test
Getting your hands on one of the best lenses for astrophotography will allow you to capture some incredible shots of the night sky, taking you far beyond the realm of anything you can achieve with a smartphone camera or basic digital camera. These lenses are specifically designed with wide maximum apertures to enable the image sensor on your camera to absorb more light while still maintaining a clear and sharp image.
The best lenses for astrophotography often come with increased size and weight, so it's important to think about what fits well with your particular setup. While they can be a substantial investment, we'll also highlight some more budget-friendly options. It's worth taking a moment to read the reviews from our experts who have thoroughly tested each lens on this list to ensure we're presenting you with the very best choices.
Newcomers to astrophotography can find lots of useful tips and advice on our astrophotography for beginners page. We also have a guide to the best cameras for astrophotography that will pair perfectly with some of the lenses here, and you may also want to invest in a reliable tripod or travel tripod to mount all of your kit on.
The quick list
Below we've summarized the most important information about our top picks among lenses for astrophotography, including their main characteristics and who they might be best for. If you want to know more about a product before you make a purchase, click 'Read more below' and you'll find more in-depth specs and performance reviews.
The best lens for astrophotography overall
As far as ultra-wide lenses go, the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is close to unbeatable in terms of its performance and quality.
Best Sony lens
If you're looking for the very best quality in your astrophotography images and can afford to splash out, then this Sony lens is a sure winner.
Best Nikon Z-mount lens
The Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S is a lightweight and compact lens that provides exceptional image quality, with little distortion and vignetting.
The best widely compatible prime lens
As far as ultra-wide lenses go, the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art is close to unbeatable in terms of its performance and quality.
Best Canon RF lens
The RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM is Canon’s best ultra-wide zoom lens which makes it a sound investment for photographers, but it's quite pricey.
Best Sony prime lens
This lens is ideal for seasoned astrophotographers or photographers who need a wide field of view combined with sharp optics and a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture.
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Best for versatility
The Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM ART easily holds its own against other high-end, wide-angle, big-aperture lenses and does so for a pretty impressive amount of money.
Best Canon EF lens
For more experienced photographers, this lens is certainly worthy of serious consideration if wide-field photography is one of your prime areas of interest. That said, it comes with a high price tag.
Best APS-C Sony lens
This lens is what APS-C Sony users have been waiting for. It's lightweight, compact and produces fantastic results. It's great for astrophotography thanks to it's ultra-wide focal length and fast f/1.8 aperture.
Best APS-C DSLR lens
For anyone seeking a fast, ultra-wide zoom lens for APS-C cameras, the Tokina atx-i 11-20mm f/2.8 CF is our top recommendation. It’s sleek, slim, lightweight, and brilliantly sharp.
Best Nikon DSLR lens
The Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8 ED is still a go-to for many professionals and amateurs alike. It provides sharp, clean, straight lines for landscape or interior photography but also works well in low light.
Best budget lens
If you’re looking for an inexpensive ultrawide lens for astrophotography or landscape/architecture use, then there's very little else on the market to touch the Rokinon/Samyang 14mm f/2.8 lens.
Best lenses for astrophotography we recommend in 2023
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The best lens for astrophotography overall
✅ You want the best: Optically, we think this might be the best lens for astrophotography out there.
✅ Maximum aperture is a deal-breaker: A maximum of f/1.4 is ideal for astro.
✅ Build quality is important: We feel like this lens is built to last.
❌ You need something lightweight: This lens is quite heavy and best used with a tripod.
❌ Zoom is important: The fixed 14mm focal length can be restrictive for some.
🔎 The Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens is staggeringly good for astrophotography. Better yet, its speedy autofocusing and ability to declick the aperture ring for video makes it useful for hybrid shooting as well. ★★★★★
Design: The lens is a remarkable achievement in lens design and optical performance. It’s also well designed, sturdy, well constructed and feels ergonomically pleasing to use. If you’re committed to a style of photography that uses a tripod, we wholeheartedly recommend it, but the relatively heavy weight of this lens would lead us to suggest that it’d be worth looking at in person and actually holding one before you decide to purchase.
Performance: The excellent low-light performance and sharp image quality make this lens an absolute joy for astrophotographers. It's versatile enough for various other photography genres, like architecture, portraiture or live events. We even found that the impressive f/1.4 aperture allows handheld shooting in some low-light conditions. Color rendition within the lens is excellent, as is distortion control.
Functionality: When we reviewed the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art Lens, we were impressed at the wide range of features included on the lens, again making it suitable for a number more types of photographers than you’d first imagine. There is a good approach to aperture control, and there is a manual ring with detents at every third of a stop, or there's an auto mode and even a switch to declick the control for videographers.
- Read our full Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art Lens review.
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Sturdy but bulky. |
| Performance | Incredible sharpness and no noticeable distortion. |
| Functionality | Fast aperture for night sky shooting. |
Best Sony lens
✅ You want exceptional image quality: this lens has incredible optical clarity.
✅ You want a large viewing angle: the shortest focal length gives an angle of 122 degrees.
❌ You're on a budget: this lens is one of the most expensive on this list.
❌ You use front filters: they are not supported on this lens due to the domed glass.
🔎 The Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM is great if you don't want to commit to one photography niche. It is versatile enough to have the option to use the wider 12mm for nighttime shots, while also being able to zoom in for daytime landscapes. ★★★★
Design: The Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM comes from Sony's elite 'G-Master' line of lenses, making it one of the best-quality lenses in this guide, but also the most expensive. Despite its compact size and lightweight design, this lens delivers exceptional performance with an f/2.8 aperture and an impressively wide field of view, all while weighing only 1.87 lbs.
This lens is a very attractive option for anyone looking for an ultra-wide-angle lens without the added weight, all while preserving excellent build quality. However, due to its large aperture and extremely wide field of view, it's worth noting that the front glass element is quite large and bulbous, which means you can't use traditional lens filters on it.
The glass is shielded by a petal-shaped integrated hood, although using a front filter isn't an option without spending money on an adapted filter system. The good news is that there's a slot on the back of the lens for gel filters.
Performance: The image quality from this lens is nothing less than spectacular. When we reviewed the Sony FE 12-24 f/2.8 GM lens stars appeared extremely sharp in the center of the image and still very sharp in the corners throughout the full focal length range, even at the widest aperture of f/2.8. Even for wide-angle landscape photography, this lens produced stunning images and we loved shooting with it.
Functionality: The shortest focal length of 12mm gives a whopping viewing angle of 122 degrees — this is perfect for capturing huge portions of the Milky Way and night sky landscape, which can only be achieved by taking panoramas with many other lenses.
If you want top-notch quality in your astrophotography and have the budget for it, this Sony lens is a winner. While the price is undoubtedly high, its versatility makes it a potential all-in-one wide-field astro lens. If your budget is tighter but you still want an ultra-wide-angle lens for astro, the next one on this list might be a better fit for you.
- Read our full Sony FE 12-24 f/2.8 GM lens review.
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Very sturdy and well-built, light for its size. |
| Performance | Incredibly sharp. |
| Functionality | Fixed f/2.8 aperture. |