The best lens focal length for Milky Way photography (Patreon)

In this update, I visually compare the field of view of six different focal lengths. I do this from one tripod location, where both the foreground and the background change together, and in the above series where I move the tripod so the foreground subject remains the same size, and only the background (the Milky Way) changes in size.

You'll also notice in the two enlargements that there is a considerable difference in distortion between the 14mm view and the 85mm view of the barn. With the 85mm lens (and even with a 50mm lens), you are so far away from the barn, that most of the keystone distortion is gone (because the sensor plane is almost parallel to the building, due to the distance).

Each focal length has its advantages and disadvantages. Ultra wide angle lens like the 14mm, 15mm and 16mm enable you to cover a maximum amount of sky in a single exposure, but this also makes the core of the Milky Way much smaller. Regular wide angle lens, like the 24mm and 35mm focal lengths produce larger and more dramatic galactic cores, but they also don't have the Depth of Field that ultra wides have.

PDF: Be sure to download (below) and view my latest Version 2.0 eBook update on lens focal length choices.

NOTE: My patrons can expect to see many more posts over the next few months, as I continue to "serialize" updates to my original, version 1.1 "Milky Way NightScapes" eBook. These advance updates will become available exclusively to my patrons, page-by-page, until my new version 2.0 eBook is completed and published in March 2024.

All "Milky Way NightScapes" eBook Version 2.0 updates are protected by copyright: © Royce Bair 2023