Best Lenses for Milky Way Photography: Canon Astrophotographers

The most common question asked on Lonely Speck answered for Canon shooters!

What is the best lens for astrophotography? The one that collects the most light.

Below is a list of the highest scoring lenses for untracked nightscape photography and astrophotography. The score is a direct representation of light gathering capabilities based on the formula:

Score = (aperture area) × (angular area) × (suggested shutter speed)

Where the shutter speed is the longest suggested shutter speed in seconds based on the “500 Rule” (500/focal length). Aperture area is the surface area calculation of the clear aperture of the lens and the angular area is the angular field of view in square radians. This score is a mathematical calculation based purely on some simple physics. It doesn’t account for other considerations like the lens’s build quality or optical aberrations but it’s a good gauge of overall light gathering capability.  You can also see the complete list of scores here, complete with calculations and further explanation.

All of the lenses listed here are my personal suggestions for photographers looking to get the absolute best astrophotography results with their camera. If using the given camera mount, these are the lenses that I would use. Most of these lenses are manual focus lenses by Rokinon which also tend to be much more affordable than their autofocus Canon counterparts. Additionally, most of the Rokinon lenses are sharper and tend to exhibit less coma aberration than their Canon counterparts. If you’re willing to learn how to use manual focus, Rokinon lenses are spectacular performers.

If you would like to know more about the thoughts that went into creating this list, please read my article on how to pick a lens for Milky Way photography.

EF Mount (Full Frame and APS-C)

Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC
The Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC is the best full-frame lens for astrophotography.

24mm/1.4: Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC ( Amazon / B&H )

 

  • The best night photography and astrophotography lens you can buy. Excellently sharp, especially when stopped to f/2. Manual focus.
  • My full review of the Rokinon 24mm f/1.4
  • Score: 2869
  • This is my go-to lens for astrophotography on a full-frame DSLR. It’s fast, wide and shows very little aberration problems. Still my personal favorite for Canon full frame DSLRs like the 6D, 5D Mark III and 5DS/R cameras.
  • Sample from the Rokinon 24mm f/1.4:
rokinon-24m-f14-mt-shasta
Made with the Rokinon 24mm f/1.4

35mm/1.4: Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 US UMC ( Amazon / B&H )
or Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Amazon / B&H )

  • Standard wide angle for tighter landscapes or stitching multiple exposures into larger panoramas. Rokinon is manual focus, Sigma is autofocus.
  • Score: 2084

14mm/2.8: Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC ( Amazon / B&H )

Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 Review
The Rokinon 14mm f/2.8. Lots of glass for the money.
  • Essential ultra-wide angle for large sweeping landscapes. Manual focus. One of the most affordable full frame nightscape lenses.
  • My full review of the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8
  • Score: 1032
  • Sample image from the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8:
Canon-EOS-6D-Review-6
Made with the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8

 

EF-S Mount (APS-C Only)

Rokinon 16mm f/2.0 AS UMC CS
The Rokinon 16mm f/2.0 offers the best combination of wide field of view and large aperture for astrophotography with APS-C DSLRs.

16mm/2.0: Rokinon 16mm f/2.0 ED AS UMC CS ( Amazon / B&H )

  • The best combination of wide angle and large aperture. Manual focus.
  • Score: 1875

10mm/2.8: Rokinon 10mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS CS B&H )

  • APS-C alternative to the Rokinon 14mm/2.8. Excellent for ultra-wide angle landscapes. Manual focus.
  • Score: 1184

11mm/2.8: Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 AT-X PRO DX II ( Amazon / B&H )

  • Covers the same range as the two previous lenses combined. Excellent super wide angle zoom with autofocus.
  • Score: 1149 (at 11mm)

EF-M Mount (APS-C Mirrorless)

12mm/2.0: Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS ( Amazon / B&H )

Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS on Canon EOS M
The Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 my favorite lens for astrophotography on a mirrorless system. It’s both fast and wide and it’s very lightweight and compact in size.

 

  • Best lens for astrophotography on a mirrorless system. Nice and compact, best combination of super-wide field of view and large aperture.
  • Score: 2176
  • Sample image from the Rokinon 12mm f/2:
Rokinon-12mm-f2-NCS-CS-Review-Thumb-24
Made with the Rokinon 12mm f/2

22mm/2.0: Canon EF-M 22mm f/2.0 STM ( Amazon / B&H )

Canon EOS M
Canon EOS M and Canon EF-M 22mm f/2.0 lens
  • Surprisingly sharp and extremely compact lens. Also very cheap. Standard wide angle view makes it good for panorama stitches.
  • Score: 1505
  • Sample image from the Canon EF-M 22mm f/2 STM:
IMG_9682-Edit2-2
Made with the Canon EF-M 22mm f/2 STM

8mm/2.8: Rokinon 8mm/2.8 Fisheye II ( Amazon / B&H )

    • Ultra wide angle fisheye that both fast and extremely wide. Fisheye distortion requires you to keep the horizon in the center of the frame unless you want a curved horizon.
    • Excellent when defished.
    • Score: 1237
    • Sample image from the Rokinon 8mm f/2.8 Fisheye:
Alabama Hills Workshop
Made with the Rokinon 8mm f/2.8 Fisheye

235 Replies to “Best Lenses for Milky Way Photography: Canon Astrophotographers”

  1. Hi Ian – great round up, but I am still torn between a few possible choices for a lens for shooting the night sky!
    I have a 650d that I am very happy with, and currently two lenses:
    – Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
    – Sigma18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM
    They are both good in there way, but I am looking for something a little more ‘specific’ in it’s uses to get the best results at night, and I have read a lot of good things about the Rokinon prime lenses. As I have an APS-C sensor, I am naturally drawn to the two lens scored specifically there (Rokinon 16mm f/2.0 & 10mm f/2.8), but are these so much better suited to the cropped camera as to rule out the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8? Ideally the lens I end up buying would be used for daytime landscape shots too, so any further advice you could give would be greatly appreciated!
    Thanks,
    Duncan.

    1. Duncan, having an APS-C sensor does not rule out the 14mm/2.8. Even on the smaller sensor, it still offers a superwide field of view and makes for a great astrophoto lens. I think it’s a particularly good lens if you think you’ll eventually want to switch to a full-frame body too. For the price it’s hard to beat.

      The 16mm and 10mm stand on their own and would each provide something “specific” too: the 10mm/2.8 has a tremendous angle of view which really makes for an amazing landscape lens. If you want something that feels really “special” the ultra wide angle 10mm/2.8 might offer something unique because it’s so wide.

      The 16mm/2.0 is almost two stops faster than your Sigma 18-250 and is just a little bit wider so it will be a really great low-light lens in any situation. If you want the “best” night lens, the 16mm/2.0 would probably be my first choice for APS-C cameras.

      Lastly, the 14mm/2.8 is probably best if you’re on a really tight budget as it tends to be the cheapest in between the 10mm and 16mm in field of view.

    2. Ian,

      I followed your advice and went with the Rokinon 16mm/2.0 lens. I am so pleased with it and just wanted to thank you for the advice and guides you put up here – really fantastic. I’ve got some nice shots from the get-go with the setup, and things can only get better!

      Thanks again,

      Duncan

  2. Help needed, finally settled on the 24mm Samyang 1.4 to take the next step with Astro work, it arrived yesterday and I could barely contain myself until night fall, had a couple of hours before being called in to work, shots looked ok on review screen and fairly certain my focusing was ok using live view at 10x, reviewing the shots today I am concerned at the level of what I think is coma. I don’t know if Its something I have done or whether I have a dud version of the lens as I was certainly under the impression this lens had nearly no visible coma and certainly not on an APS-C sensor.
    Your opinion is greatly appreciated.
    http://tinypic.com/r/2n0em9/8

    1. OP or any other able to comment on whether this is an unreasonable amount of coma for this lens at 1.4? It seems to be quite asymmetrical which makes me more suspicious. I need to begin the process within 14 days if delivery to secure a refund/exchange/store credit so there a clock ticking.

    2. Robs, looks like a bad copy of the lens. I encountered a very similar problem on a recent Rokinon 24mm that I bought for my Sony a7S. My exchanged copy was much better. I recommend immediately exchanging it for a replacement if you can.

    3. Thank you for the reply, I am excited about the light gathering power, I got some Milky Way shots with more detail and light than I was getting with 10 shot stacked images previously. The slight loss of FOV from my current 18mm 3.5 zoom lens is making me consider getting a 16 or 14 vs biting the bullet and getting the 6D. Either way I have the wide aperture bug and getting one with pinpoint stars will just make a good thing great.

    4. Right my 24mm 1.4 is on the way back for replacement. I ended up deciding to upgrade to the 6D, fortunately my 6D arrived quickly and I had one weekend between the 6D arriving and the 24mm return being approved. Even with the coma I’m very excited about the potential of the combination. Almost full moon smack bang in the middle of the milky ways central bulge so no chance for Milky Way photography. Did get one star trail shot I was pretty happy with for a first effort with completely new gear. Hoping my replacement lens is here by the time I finish my run of night shifts in the middle of next week just in time for days off.
      http://tinypic.com/r/wu021z/8

  3. Hi,
    I enjoyed reading your descriptive write up about Astrophotography and i thank you for it. I found your site because i am so desperately trying to decide which wide angle lens to buy, I cannot decide between the canon 24mm 1.4 and the canon 2.8 IS. I am interested in Astrophotography so this site was going to be my deciding factor, but now you claim the Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC to be the better choice. Is this honestly the best choice over the canon 1.4? I understand having less coma aberration would be important for the perfect image of stars, are you getting paid more to sell Rokinon or do you genuinely think its better then the canon? thanks again for your excellent rendition.

    1. It’s not a subtle difference, the canon simply does jot correct for a coma and as a result even with perfect tracking or very short exposures the stars over much of the frame will be ugly little smears. Unlike with other lens adivce comparing Canon L glass to alternatives this is not the typical cost doesn’t justify the expense, this is the Canon lenses are not fit for purpose, the Rokinon/samyang/bowyer lenses are markedly better for astrophotography.
      http://www.extremeinstability.com/lenstestimages/nightcoma-canon14-57530.jpg
      http://www.extremeinstability.com/lenstestimages/nightcoma-samyang14-57525.jpg

    2. Bellringer, the Rokinon Lenses are definitely better than Canon’s offerings for astrophotography, RobD’s response is spot on.

      Any affiliate sales from a Canon lens would actually give a larger commission to the site than a Rokinon lenses as the Canon lenses are typically more expensive. (Lonely Speck receives a 4% commission on camera lenses from Amazon affiliated sales for example.) If I were looking to just make more money, pushing more expensive gear would be a way to do it but the more expensive canon lenses are actually just not as good for astro.

    3. Thank you for your replies, I will indeed buy a lens so you receive commission, I believe your advice deserves it.Sorry to ask again but i will anyway, so the Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC is in your opinion the best lens for Astrophotography? Can you also please offer advice on Wide angle lenses, which is better between the canon 24mm 1.4 and the canon 2.8 IS?. I will buy one lens especially for Astrophotography if i have to, but i also want the best Auto focus wide angle and have narrowed it down two those two. When shooting Astrophotography do you really shoot at the widest aperture, e.g. 1.4? I never would have thought to shoot that low/open until visiting this website.
      thanks

      Bellringer

    4. Bellringer, The Rokinon 24mm/1.4 is still my favorite lens for astrophotography. I almost always shoot with it wide open at f/1.4 but may stop down to f/2.0 if I need a little extra depth of field. I would not consider either of the Canon 24mm lenses for astrophotography as they do not properly correct for coma and astigmatism. As far which Canon is better for walkaround wide angle shots during the day, I would probably opt for the smaller lighter one.

  4. Hi Ian,
    Great site, thanks for the info ! however i now have a dilemma ! i want to buy a lens exclusively for shooting the milky way and night skies, it will always be for still images and never star trails. I shoot with a Canon EOS 5D mk3 full frame camera and a 17-40 F4 L lens which just doesn’t collect enough light but i do love the wide angle of 17mm. I have borrowed my search down to two lens now, the Rokinon 14mm F2.8 and the Rokinon 24mm F1.4, both have appealing factors, i love the 14mm wide angle but I’m worried that the F2.8 app will leave me wishing id gone for the 1.4 but at the same time the 24mm FOV just feels like it could be too small for this type of shot. The price difference is no issue as both are easily affordable but if it was your money then which would you go for to shoot the milky way ? is the wide angle worth the trade if aperture ? or is it better to collect more light and have a smaller FOV ? Thanks in advance,
    Danny

    1. The extra stop of light from the 14mm/2.8 will still be noticeably better than the 17-40mm/4L. I have never felt that the 14mm was too slow. If it’s a good copy, it will perform spectacularly at f/2.8.

      The field of view of the 24mm, while wide is definitely not as spectacular looking as the 14mm. That said, the extra two stops of light at f/1.4 will make some very clean photos with the 24mm and as a result, it’s my personal favorite for getting the cleanest Milky Way shots.

      If I was in your shoes, I would start with the 24mm/1.4. It will deliver the most substantial difference in your shots, just because it can hit f/1.4.

  5. I have a Canon 60D and was planning on using a Canon EF-S 10-22 mm F/3.5-4.5 USM Lens. Do you think that will be sufficient with the F/3.5 or is the shutter speed going to be too high (result in start trails).

    1. Mike, the 10-22mm should be a good starting lens for sure. Yes, it’s not the fastest lens out there but I think that it should be just fine. Also, at 30 seconds or so, star trails will be pretty short on a 10mm lens. My recommendation is to definitely try it out before shopping for something new.

  6. Hi,

    I have a 60D. Looking at your – frankly very good – analysis, it seems the best lens for me is the 16/2.0
    So, considering the fact that I already have an EF-S 17-55 f/2.8, how much would the 16/2.0 improve my ability to do star photography? I am mostly concerned of the wide-ness of my lens with my current set up. Of course the f/2 will be welcomed, but I was wondering if there is something else out there, or is this really the limit of having a crop factor body? 🙁

    z

    1. The 16mm/2.0 will give you a one stop advantage over the 17-55mm/2.8 of course which should allow you to use a lower ISO (maybe from ISO 6400 down to ISO 3200) so noise levels should be better at f/2.0 than f/2.8.

      The one less mm in length will probably not make a tangible difference in how wide the field of view is. If you want something wider, a 10mm f/2.8 would probably by my first choice.

    2. Also, don’t just discount your 17-55mm/2.8 it should be a pretty good lens to start with first!

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