Night-sky photography needs a sensor that stays clean at ISO 3200–6400, plus a wide, fast lens around 14–24mm equivalent at f/2.8 or brighter. A sturdy tripod matters as much as the camera.
| Budget | Best setup | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under £500 | Canon EOS M50 + Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary | £490 | More options → |
| Under £1,000 | Sony Alpha A7 III + Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D (manual) | £970 | More options → |
| Under £1,500 | Sony Alpha A7C + Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G | £1,440 | More options → |
| Under £2,000 | Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX + Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art | £1,989 | More options → |
| Under £3,000 | Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX + Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art | £2,739 | More options → |
| Under £5,000 | Sony FX3 + Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art | £4,149 | More options → |
Video specialist with outstanding stabilisation and phase-detect AF. Strong stills too.
Superb video and stabilisation. Its contrast AF is slower than the S5 II's for moving subjects.
Low-resolution, huge-pixel sensor built for video and extreme low light.
Plentiful used. One of the cheapest ways into full frame with modern eye autofocus.
Nikon's affordable full frame with flagship-grade autofocus. Weather-sealed with two card slots.
Partially stacked sensor, a very bright viewfinder and pro video. A true all-rounder.
R6 Mark II sensor in a light body. A cheap, strong low-light full frame.
Excellent autofocus, IBIS and low-light performance. Now great value with the Mark III out.
Weather-sealed full-frame DSLR with Astrotracer and pixel shift.
Across all budgets, the Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX scores highest for astrophotography in our database, followed by the Panasonic Lumix S5 and Sony Alpha A7S III. The best choice depends on budget; see the setups by price below.
Night-sky photography needs a sensor that stays clean at ISO 3200–6400, plus a wide, fast lens around 14–24mm equivalent at f/2.8 or brighter. A sturdy tripod matters as much as the camera.
It helps, through cleaner high-ISO files and shallower depth of field, but a good lens on APS-C will still give excellent results.