Stargazing lenses
Light is arguably the most important raw material for photography, so things get a bit tricky when there’s not much to play with. Naturally, shooting outdoors in the middle of the night is particularly challenging, even when the subject in question is the Milky Way on a clear, star-studded evening.
The night sky is not only very dimly lit, but it’s also very large and constantly moving. You’ll have to choose a suitable lens wisely. To take in a generous portion of the Milky Way and avoid the further difficulty of stitching multiple images together, you’ll need a wide-angle prime or zoom lens. A focal length of around 7-10mm is ideal for Micro Four Thirds; or 10-14mm on an APS-C format camera; or around 14-20mm on a full-frame body. You’ll also need a wide aperture for sucking in as much light as possible. This avoids the need to send your camera’s ISO setting into the stratosphere while you try to keep exposures short. Matthew Richards
The contenders
1 Irix 15mm f/2.4 Blackstone £574/$675
2 Samyang 10mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS CS £379/$399
3 Samyang XP 14mm f/2.4 £899/$999
4 Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM | A £1,299/$1,599
5 Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM | A £1,169/$1,299
6 Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD £1,279/$1,299
