Recommended Night Photography Equipment for Nikon Photographers

Updated February 6, 2024

A panoramic of the Milky Way arching over Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, and Government Camp as seen from Tom, Dick, and Harry mountain in the Columbia River Gorg
The Milky Way arches over Mount Hood - shot with a Nikon D800 and the Nikon 14-24 lens.

The question I get asked the most when people view my night photography is what kind of gear I use. I also receive many messages from folks asking for recommendations on what kind of camera and lenses they should invest money in. I've been doing night photography for about four years now and I think I can offer up some good recommendations for Nikon photographers. I have no first-hand knowledge of Fuji, Olympus, or other brands; therefore, I won't be providing any recommendations on those for you here. I'm going to try to offer up my suggestions in three categories - low budget, medium budget, and "budget is not an issue."

Before going into more depth on the recommendations, let's explore the variables that impact night photography:

  1. The camera sensor. Camera sensors can be made more or less sensitive to light by adjusting the ISO (meaning, the sensor becomes amplified as ISO increases). For night photography, you'll normally be shooting at very high ISO levels (I usually shoot at ISO 3200 or 6400 on a very dark night). Higher ISO usually yields a nasty side-effect - noise. Typically speaking, more expensive camera bodies have more sophisticated sensors that are better equipped at handling low light without adding significant noise to the photograph. This has to do with many factors, including the size of the photo sites on the sensor as well as the pixel density. I'm certainly no expert when it comes to all of the technical details; however, I can tell you that Nikon's camera bodies have improved dramatically over the past few years and do well in low light scenarios. Typically, Sony sensors are a bit better at handling low light; however, many of the higher end Nikon bodies are some of the best on the market as well since they use Sony sensors, not to mention they are equipped with the best dynamic range of any camera bodies on the market. Dynamic range is the ability of a camera sensor to capture highlights (bright areas) and shadows (dark areas) simultaneously.
  2. The lens. In the world of optics there are many things that can impact how well an lens will perform in low light situations, including the maximum aperture, maximum usable aperture, and coma. Aperture is simply how large the opening at the back of the lens can get (lower number f-stop = a larger opening). A large aperture (wide-open) allows more light to reach the camera's sensor and therefore is better for night photography. Not all lenses are made equally though, and so you'll have to understand the maximum usable aperture, which is simply the widest the aperture can get on a lens without compromising image quality significantly. And, yes you've guessed it - typically more expensive lenses have better usable maximum aperture. Coma, or comatic aberration, refers to aberration due to imperfection in the lens that results in off-axis point sources such as stars appearing distorted, appearing to have a tail (coma) like a comet. This is usually not a desirable effect; however, it is often not something you can easily identify unless you are pixel-peeping.
  3. Stability. It should go without saying that in order to do night photography you need to leave the shutter open for long periods of time, usually at least 20 seconds or 30 seconds. This will require you to have a good, solid tripod to keep the camera from moving. With cheaper tripods you will notice some unfortunate side-effect, especially in breezier conditions - your camera will shake and rattle and you'll notice blur and a lack of sharpness in your photos. So, investing in a decent tripod is an absolute must - do NOT skimp here.
The Perseid Meteor Shower as seen from the saddle between Pigeon Peak and Turret Peak in the Needle sub-range of the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.
Nikon D800 + Nikon 14-24

OK let's go ahead and move on to the recommendations!

Low-range Budget Options:

You would be surprised at the quality of photos you can achieve on some of the less expensive Nikon camera bodies.

Here is the Nikon equipment I'd recommend for someone just getting into the game of night photography:

  • Nikon Z6 II - This 24.5 megapixel camera is a great entry into the Nikon Mirrorless game and performs well at night.
  • Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 - It might be manual focus only, but it performs well at night, when auto-focus is not needed.

Mid-range Budget Options:

  • Nikon Z7 II - This 45.7 megapixel workhorse captures fantastic images of the night sky and is considered to be one of Nikon's best cameras.
  • Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8S - This lens is widely used by astrophotographers to capture amazing images of the night sky and could be one of the only lenses you'll need to make great images of the Milky Way.

High-range Budget Options:

  • Nikon Z8 - This is virtually the same camera as the Nikon Z9 (which is heavier and more expensive) in a smaller more compact package. This 45.7 megapixel powerhouse has in-camera focus-stacking and an easy-to-use bulb timer, crucial for night photography.
  • Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S - This versatile lens offers a fast 2.8 aperture in a sleek design, and will capture the night sky with ease.
  • Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S - This amazing lens might be the only lens you'll ever want to use for night photography and is used by Nikon professionals to capture stunning images of the Milky Way.
  • Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S - This small lens will give you a unique perspective of the night sky while offering a super fast aperture of 1.8 to freeze the stars and milky way in place.
A panorama of The Milky Way and stars over the Bisti Badlands of New Mexico.

For this April nightscape fine art panorama photograph of the Milky Way from New Mexico, I scouted the area in the day time on a separate trip and created a GPS track so I could find the exact spot again at night at a later date. Wandering in the dark in the hoodoo-strewn desert landscape of the Bisti Badlands and the De-Na-Zin Wilderness is such a surreal experience. No sounds. No light except from the stars. No other living animals. Just me and the night sky. About 30 minutes into my photo shoot I noticed the 35% lit moon rising on the horizon, which added some great ambient light to the scene.

Photo © copyright by Matt Payne.

Tripods:

Remember when I said earlier that you should not skimp on the tripod for night photography? I meant it! This is not where you want to sacrifice, as the tripod is crucial for stability at night for those juicy long exposures you're going to be taking with your new camera. The critical variables you'll want to weigh are cost vs. weight vs. stability. I personally have two different tripods that I use for night photography - a heavy-duty FLM tripod, and a much lighter, albeit less stable Feisol tripod for long hikes and backpacking trips. Both are amazing tripods; however, if weight is no concern, I always use the FLM. I also prefer using Arca-swiss style ball-heads for my photography, as I find them versatile and easy to adjust in the field as compared to the plasticy levers and toggles offered on other styles of mounting hardware.

With all this being said, here is my tripod and ball-head recommendation:

The Milky Way over the Cimarrons close to Ridgway, Colorado, including Uncompahgre Peak in the San Juan Mountains.

This nightscape is a photograph that I have been meaning to make for a very long time. Ever since first visiting this particular vantage point of the Cimarron Mountains (a sub-range of the San Juan Mountains of Colorado), I have been visualizing a way to photograph the Milky Way from here. Using PhotoPills, I visually confirmed that the Milky Way was visible here in the month of July, so my plans were made. I took my 12-year-old son up here this summer via a long backpacking trail and we both laid down and watched the stars for hours from here. Our visit corresponded with the Perseid Meteor Shower, although very few were seen this night. Also seen in this photograph is 14er Uncompahgre Peak, 13er Precipice Peak, and 14er Mount Sneffels in the far distance. This is a multi-row panorama using a 55mm lens and is comprised of over 50 images and the final image is a sizable 24,000 x 16,000 pixels - equating to 384 megapixels in size!

Photo © copyright by Matt Payne.

Recommended Accessories:

If you're to take this photography stuff seriously, I highly recommend a few accessories that will take your craft to the next level, improving your workflow and allowing for more creative outlets:

  • L-Bracket for your camera - L-Brackets are one of my favorite accessories - they allow for quick transfer from landscape to portrait mode on a tripod without adjusting anything on your tripod. This is a huge time-saver when composing shots. It also makes your camera a bit more sturdy and durable. I recommend Really Right Stuff L-Brackets for your Nikon Mirrorless Camera.
  • Cable shutter release: If you want some expanded controls to be able to do super-long exposures or easier star-trails capabilities - a cable shutter release is a must-have. It also keeps your hand off of the camera, preventing any unnecessary shaking.

If you have any questions about my choices or have other choices you think are good, please feel free to drop a comment below. Thanks for stopping in!

Posted in Gear and tagged Nikon, Night.