Most legends tell that the most fantastic beings arise under the protection of the moonlight. Apparently, when the sun stops heating and mutis through the forum or, what is the same, disappears behind the horizon line, from its hiding place goblins, fairies and other magical beings, the fireflies dance to the sound of the song of the chicharras in the field, while in the cities everything is covered with lights, white or of different colors. Everything happens under the watchful eye of an army of stars and their captain, the moon. The nights are magical, that is clear, what happens is that sometimes we forget because we get carried away by fatigue and routine. And with that that photography requires light, of course ... even more we forget everything wonderful that can give us the night as far as photography is concerned. Nevertheless, at night there is also light, artificial or natural light, that of the moon, what happens is that it is very scarce and we need more time to "hunt it", so we resort to long exposures. But that is not the topic today, in this article I want to tell you what are the best objectives to capture the night magic. No matter if you are from the countryside or from the city, the night seduces everyone equally. You stay?
When making night photography, there are two most important aspects in one objective: that it is bright and that it is wide angle. Perhaps the focal length becomes more important , since in night photography, in order to capture the sky and landscapes, it is important to cover all the possible field of vision. In the following scheme you can see the objectives classified according to their focal length and viewing angle.
TOKINA 12-24MM F / 4
A wide angle and very bright, offering excellent results. To give you an idea I leave a night image. You can find it for Canon and Nikon ( for less than 500 euros on Amazon ).TOKINA 11-16MM F / 2.8
This is the evolution of the previous one, around 600 euros in Amazon . If you want to take photos indoors, you may be more interested in this which is somewhat brighter, for outdoors you will not notice the difference so much. You can see more images taken with this objective in this link .SONY SEL 10-18MM F / 4 OSS
Do you have a Sony camera? Check out this wide angle with quick autofocus and very clear results. Indoors, I would need some corrections but it is a perfect extreme angle for landscape lovers. It has a fixed f / 4 aperture and an integrated image stabilizer that allows shooting without a tripod in low light conditions with detailed results. Its price is around 800 euros . You can see images taken with him in this flickr group .SIGMA 10-20MM F / 3.5
With mount for Canon , Nikon , Pentax . For four thirds check out this . The geometric distortion is a bit high and the sharpness at the edges can be improved, but it offers great sharpness in the center and a good contrast. Here is an example.SAMYANG 14 MM F / 2.8
It is an objective that despite being somewhat rudimentary offers excellent results. And the rudimentary thing is because it has no automatic focus (which makes it difficult to use it in another type of more "moved" photography) or automatic aperture, so you have to focus first at maximum aperture. In the case of night photography, it is normally shot at maximum aperture and is manually focused so that this is not a problem and performs very well from the center to the edges even at maximum aperture. It costs about 350 euros on Amazon .NIKKOR 12-24 MM F / 4
With the same aperture and focal length, you find the original for Nikon. It is perfect for large outdoor buildings and nature landscapes. If you want incredibly sharp images that have no color aberration or distortions in the lines, this is your goal. When writing this, it is on offer at Amazon ( 1,150 euros ) If you can afford it, go ahead, if the price is a problem for you and you do not dedicate yourself professionally to night photography ... I recommend you consider the Tokina, because the price difference is important and the results are also fantastic. To see images taken with this objective, click here .CANON 10-22 MM F / 3.5-4.5 EF-S USM
It is a super wide angle with great distortion control and fast and precise focus. It offers excellent sharpness in different planes. For less than 600 euros you find it on Amazon .SIGMA 8-16 MM F / 4.5-5.6 DC HSM
With mount for Canon , Nikon , Pentax and Sony , it costs about 700 euros. It is one of the most extreme angles and offers brilliant results. Exaggerate the perspective in a way that emphasizes the subject to be photographed. Here you have an image gallery . As you can see, a whole world of possibilities opens before you. Before deciding on your goal, assess what you need, what your level of demand is in terms of quality, or if you are looking for more versatility. The price is also important, so it is good to consider compatible alternative brands such as the ones I have shown you. If you have doubts among several, you may read this article or it will help you. And always remember that the tools help to achieve better images but it is not they who do the work, but you. It is you who puts creativity, the photographic eye and passion, the goal is a mere tool, do not forget it . If you got here, thank you! And if you also found it useful, you may have known yours who can also serve you, help them by sharing this article. Thank you and see you soon!