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What are the Best Cameras for Astrophotography
Want to capture the stunning beauty of the night sky? Do you simply love clicking the twinkling cosmos at night?
A simple point-and-shoot camera or smartphone camera is not made to capture the intense beauty of the nocturnal sky. You will need to have advanced equipment for astrophotography.
Everyone knows how tricky it is to capture clear photos in broad daylight, so you can imagine how strong the camera has to be to capture lights from stars that are hundreds of billions of miles away.
Earlier, astrophotography was useful only to scientists and astronomers.
However, today, Astro-imaging has become a popular hobby for many professional and budding photographers worldwide.
Fortunately, photography equipment has become increasingly advanced in the past few years.
Astrophotography is growing in popularity because of the availability of appropriate camera equipment.
Top 5 Best Cameras for Astrophotography
Here’s our selection of the best cameras for astrophotography:
1 – Canon EOS Ra
The Canon EOS Ra ranks first on our list of the best cameras for astrophotography. It is the first full-frame camera from Canon designed mainly for astrophotography.
It comes with a significant 30 MP full-frame image sensor which is itself rare in astrophotography.
Although the camera is not equipped with a stock sensor, it has an incredibly powerful infrared-cutting filter, which is designed to allow 4 times the amount of hydrogen 656 nm alpha-rays.
This allows higher transmission of deep-red IR rays without the need for special optic filters or accessories.
Highlighting Features & Specs of Canon EOS Ra
- Sensor – Full-frame 30.3 MP CMOS (6720 x 4480) 36 x 24 mm
- Pixel Size – 5.36 micron
- Video capture rate – 4k @ 30 fps / 1080p @ 60 fps
- Capture file formats – RAW, JPEG
- Power – Li-Ion Battery LP-E6 / LP-E6N
- Specialized full-frame sensor
- 30 x Live View & viewfinder zoom
- 4K video quality
2 – Sony A7 III
The Sony A7 III comes with an incredibly advanced all-rounder full-frame ISO, which helps capture stunning images in low-light conditions.
This makes it one of the best cameras for astrophotography today. It is one of the best mirrorless astrophotography cameras available in the market.
The A7 III by Sony combines the effectiveness of a full-frame sensor with extremely high ISO capacity. One of the best features of the Sony A7 III is its unique sensor that allows the user to expand the ISO to an astonishing 204,800.
Highlighting Features & Specs of Sony A7 III
- Sensor – Full-frame Exmor R CMOS
- Megapixels – 24.2 MP
- Lens mount – Sony-E
- Screen – 3.0-inch tilting touchscreen (921,600 dots)
- Viewfinder – XGA OLED
- Max video resolution – 4K UHD @ 30 / 24 fps
3 – Canon EOS 6D Mark II Digital SLR Camera
The Canon EOS 6D Mark II Digital SLR Camera is another excellent piece of equipment to capture stunning nightscapes. It has incredibly flexible features that ensure maximum light-capturing abilities.
It is a full-frame camera with an expandable ISO range. This camera comes with a wide range of lenses that are designed especially for astrophotography.
Highlighting Features & Specs of Canon EOS 6D Mark II Digital SLR Camera
- Type – Full-frame DSLR camera
- Megapixels – 25.2 MP
- Sensor – Dual Pixel CMOS sensor
- ISO range – 100 – 40000
- Touchscreen – Vary-Angle Touchscreen
4 – Nikon D7500 DX-Format Digital SLR
The Nikon D7500 DX-Format DSLR camera is also an excellent choice of camera for professional astrophotography. Comparatively, this camera is simple and easier to use, even by amateur standards.
However, its simplicity belies its ability to capture stunning, crystal-clear photos of the night sky. It is equipped with a unique DX-Format sensor which is designed to offer ultimate clarity.
This model is extremely durable, too and can be used by mounting on a tripod or attaching it to a telescope.
Highlighting Features & Specs of Nikon D7500 DX-Format Digital SLR
- Type – APS-C camera
- Sensor – DX-Format image sensor
- Megapixels – 20.9 MP
- ISO Range – 100 – 51200
- Focus – 51-point autofocus
5 – Canon EOS Rebel T6 Digital SLR
Yet another great camera for astrophotography from Canon, the EOS Rebel T6 DSLR, is another excellent camera for astrophotography.
Although it comes equipped with a smaller crop sensor, it makes up for it with a huge ISO range and an incredibly powerful CMOS sensor. It also has fast Wi-Fi connectivity which allows you to save and share images instantly.
Highlighting Features & Specs of Canon EOS Rebel T6 Digital SLR
- Type – APS-C
- Sensor – CMOS
- Megapixel – 18 MP
- ISO range – 100 – 6400
Conclusion
This is our selection of the 5 best cameras for astrophotography.
Make sure to do in-depth research and read the reviews for each model before making your final decision to buy the perfect camera for astrophotography.
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