NightShotLens.pdf

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HOW TO CHOOSE A LENS FOR NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY
Quick Guide
Written by Aaron Seefeld
HOW TO CHOOSE A LENS FOR NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY //
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As the landscape gets swallowed by darkness
and the lights come on, there’s something
magical that happens. Trees and buildings fade
into the shadows, and the lights in the street and
sky make their presence known in the canvas
that surrounds us. The beauty of the night is
something to behold, but capturing that beauty
on camera with little to no help from the sun is
a tremendous undertaking. There are several
things we can do to compensate for the lack
of light, but choosing the right lens for the
job is one of the most important, and more
intimidating, tasks out there.
To not get your hopes up, I’m going to say this
right off the bat: I will not be recommending
any specific lenses in this guide. Every one of
us has our own set of requirements, priorities,
and preferences. The intention of this guide is to
help you decide what lens will work best as you
shoot outside of daylight hours.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the following:
• Things you need to consider before
researching lenses
• Qualities to look for in a lens used for
shooting in the dark
• How to choose a lens that will work for you
Photograph by Aaron Seefeld
HOW TO CHOOSE A LENS FOR NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY //
©
PHOTZY.COM
2
WHERE TO BEGIN
There is a myriad of lens choices out there, and it
can be overwhelming to wade through the list in
search of your holy grail. Before turning to your
search engine of choice, it’s important to consider
a few things that will help you narrow down your
options.
What camera(s) do you own?
This is a simple question, but it eliminates a number
of options right off the bat. It sounds obvious, but
limiting your search to options for your camera
system keeps you from wasting time researching
lenses that won’t work. For example, if you shoot
a full-frame Nikon DSLR, not only can you ignore
lenses made for the other manufacturers’ bodies, but
you can also ignore Nikon’s 1 NIKKOR and DX lines.
(Yes, I know that DX lenses work on FX bodies, but
why would you want to lose the benefit of the larger
sensor when every photon is critical at night?)
What do you plan to shoot with this lens?
Night photography is a vast subject, so think
about what you’re trying to photograph. If you
want to capture a moonlit landscape, the Aurora
Borealis or Aurora Australis, or the Milky Way, you’ll
probably want a wide to ultra-wide lens. Individual
constellations can often be captured with a wide
to standard focal length. Close-ups of the moon
require a telephoto lens, or even a small telescope!
Whatever you wish to photograph, make sure you
have a focal length that adequately frames your
subject.
Also consider whether you might use this lens to
shoot things in daylight or with artificial lighting.
Some lenses that are great for night shots are manual
focus only. Focusing manually in the dark can be
easier than trying to use auto focus, so that’s fine.
However, if you want to use the same lens in the
daylight, auto focus can be a huge time saver.
Recommended Reading:
If you want to
learn more about how to capture amazing
landscape photographs, take at look at Photzy’s
best-selling guide,
Complete Landscape
Photography
HOW TO CHOOSE A LENS FOR NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY //
©
PHOTZY.COM
3
What is your budget?
This is another question that can narrow
down your choices. If you’re like me and
can’t afford the flagship line of lenses
from your camera’s manufacturer, there
are less expensive options out there.
Many kit lenses are great for shooting
night cityscapes, moonlit landscapes with
star trails, or anything that doesn’t require
stopping motion. There are also some
more affordable prime and short-range
zoom lenses with fast apertures from
the major manufacturers. Don’t rule out
third-party and/or used lenses. You must
be a little more diligent to find a good
copy when pursuing third-party or used
options, but they can save a lot of money
and still produce excellent results.
Photograph by Aaron Seefeld
HOW TO CHOOSE A LENS FOR NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY //
©
PHOTZY.COM
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