I’m shooting with a Nikon Z6 II and I’m trying to get cleaner Milky Way + star field shots (no trails) on a tripod. I’m torn between going ultra-wide (like 14–24mm) vs something like 20/24/35mm, and I’m not sure how much I should prioritize a fast aperture (f/1.8 vs f/2.8) vs sharp corners and low coma. I’d also love a lens that focuses reliably at infinity and doesn’t have crazy vignetting wide open, since I’m stacking a few frames in post. Budget is around $800–$1500. What Z-mount (or adapted) lens would you recommend for astrophotography and stars, and why?
Ok adding this to my list of things to try. Thanks for the tip!
If you want a totally different perspective, honestly, look into the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 AF for Nikon Z. Everyone talks about the native S-line glass, but for astro, sometimes you dont need the extra bells and whistles of a super-expensive native lens. The Samyang is manual focus heaven for night skies because it has a nice, long throw, and it doesnt suffer from that annoying focus-by-wire drift when the camera goes to sleep. Its also super sharp across the frame once you stop it down to f/3.2, which is where I usually sit anyway. If you really crave f/1.8 speed and want to save some cash, check out the Viltrox 20mm f/1.8 FE adapted if you can find a solid deal. It basically eats light for breakfast. The corners need a bit of love in post, but for Milky Way stacks, the signal-to-noise ratio you get from that extra aperture is honestly hard to argue with. Sometimes you just need raw aperture over perfect corner sharpness.
