I'm planning a trip to Iceland later this year and really want to capture some amazing shots of the aurora borealis. I have a Canon EOS R5 and am wondering what lens you'd recommend for northern lights photography? I want wide angles but also the ability to zoom in on details. Let me know your suggestions!
When shooting the northern lights, you'll want a lens that can capture wide fields of view and perform well in low-light conditions.
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM: This lens is a favorite among astrophotographers for its wide aperture of f/2.8, which allows for greater light intake.
Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM: If you're using a Canon mirrorless system, this lens is an outstanding choice. The image stabilization feature helps counteract any camera shake, which is advantageous when shooting long exposures of the northern lights, enhancing your ability to capture clear and vibrant images.
Both lenses provide excellent optical quality and performance in low-light situations, making them ideal for capturing the beauty of the northern lights.
Since you'll be shooting on a Canon EOS R5, you have lots of great lens options. For aurora photography, I'd recommend the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens. Here's why:
- Ultra wide 15-35mm focal length lets you capture expansive views of the aurora
- Fast f/2.8 maximum aperture excels in low light scenarios
- Optical stabilization helps keep stars/aurora sharp with long exposures
- "L series" lens with superb sharpness, contrast, and weather sealing
The 15-35mm zoom range lets you shoot wide scenic views of the entire aurora band stretching across the sky. You can also zoom in to compose more detailed shots of light formations.
For night sky photography, the wide f/2.8 aperture gathers a lot of light allowing fast shutter speeds. This reduces star trailing while still capturing the northern lights brightly. And the stabilization counters minor camera shake for crisper details.
As a pro-grade Canon L lens it's robustly built with weather sealing to withstand Iceland's cold, wet conditions. Image quality is fantastic with minimal distortions.
Alternatively, the Canon RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM lens is also a great choice if you want to save some money and weight. The tradeoffs are a slightly narrower focal length range and slower aperture without IS.
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM is OK! It is excellent for wide-angle shots with a fast aperture, allowing for great low-light performance.
Ive been using my R5 for a long time now and its honestly a beast for this kind of work! The technical performance is just fantastic when youre pushing those long exposures. If you want the absolute best data on which glass to pick, you should really do a quick search for these:
- Hit up YouTube and search for canon r5 aurora lens comparison because there is an amazing video that compares corner sharpness and coma for all the top options.
- Check out the Canon professional site for their technical white papers on astro photography since they break down the optics perfectly.
- Look through the photography subreddits for R5 raw files so you can see the vignetting and detail for yourself before you buy anything. Its definitely better to see those high-res samples yourself so you can judge the technical specs!
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When it comes to shooting the Northern Lights, a few key factors influence the choice of lens: wide aperture, focal length, and image quality. For these reasons, Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM and the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM are among the best options for this type of photography.
Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM is another excellent choice for Canon Mirrorless cameras for shooting the Northern Lights.
For photographing the Northern Lights with your Canon EOS R6 Mark II, the best single lens is the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM.
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RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM lens is currently best choice for shooting Northern lights.