Imaging Equipment
Photography • Astrophotography • Field Work
This field and astronomical imaging equipment page outlines the cameras and lenses used for night sky landscapes, aurora, storm structure and deep sky imaging.
📷 Cameras
A precision imaging system designed around landscape astrophotography, aurora chasing, nightscape timelapse work and wildlife photography — combining lightweight portability, exceptional low-light performance and professional hybrid capability across two full-frame mirrorless bodies, a flagship DX DSLR for native F-mount wildlife work, plus a compact action camera for field timelapse and POV work, supported by an extensive collection of adapted and native glass.
Canon EOS R8
Full-frame mirrorless • 24MP BSI sensor • approx. 461 g body weight • compact low-light camera with excellent high-ISO image quality and very low read noise • highly portable body suited to lightweight astrophotography, aurora trips, travel landscape work and nightscape timelapse setups where minimizing carry weight matters • despite its small size, image quality remains extremely competitive for Milky Way and dark-sky photography
Nikon Z6 III
Full-frame mirrorless • 24.5MP partially stacked BSI sensor • approx. 760 g body weight • Nikon's advanced hybrid low-light field camera combining strong autofocus performance, fast sensor readout and professional video capability • designed for demanding nightscape timelapse, aurora filming, wildlife photography and difficult weather conditions • features Starlight View for composing in near-total darkness, excellent IBIS, high-speed burst shooting and reliable subject tracking for both wildlife and handheld night video work • primary hybrid body for landscape astrophotography, storms and adapted telephoto field use
Nikon D500
APS-C (DX) DSLR • 20.9MP CMOS sensor • approx. 860 g body weight • flagship Nikon DX body with professional weather sealing and 10 fps burst • native F-mount for 300mm f/4E PF and teleconverters without adapters — 1.5× crop extends telephoto reach for wildlife and bird photography • 153-point AF with Group-Area AF and strong DSLR-era tracking • pairs with the Z6 III as a dedicated DX wildlife and native-F telephoto body while the Z6 III handles hybrid astro, video and adapted Z/F work
Insta360 Ace Pro
Action camera • 1/1.3-inch sensor • Leica SUMMARIT lens • approx. 180 g • co-engineered Leica optics with 48MP stills, 4K120fps video and AI PureVideo for improved low-light clarity • ideal for starlapse, timelapse, behind-the-scenes aurora footage, POV field video and ultra-portable night-sky setups where a full-frame body is impractical • flip touchscreen and rugged action-cam form factor for cold-weather and handheld use
📸 Lenses
Current field and astrophotography lenses — from ultra-wide primes through telephoto zooms — used across the Canon EOS R8, Nikon Z6 III and Nikon D500. Mount badges indicate native fit; adapted use (EF–RF, Fringer EF–NZ, Viltrox NF–Z, FTZ II) is detailed in the Adapters section.
Canon RF • Size: ~76 × 99 mm • 515 g • ultra-fast wide-angle prime designed for astrophotography and night landscapes • excellent coma control, strong corner sharpness and high low-light performance • primary Milky Way, aurora and night timelapse lens on the R8 • filter: 67mm
Irix 15 mm f/2.4 Firefly
Nikon F • Size: ~100 × 114 mm • 653 g • ultra-wide manual focus prime designed for landscape astrophotography with very strong coma correction and excellent corner performance • Z6 III via Viltrox NF–Z; native on D500; occasional R8 use via F-mount adapter • filter: 95mm
Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 15 mm f/2.8 ZF.2
Nikon F • Size: ~94 × 103 mm • 730 g • ultra-wide Distagon prime with exceptional sharpness, strong micro-contrast and classic Zeiss colour • aurora, atmospheric nightscapes and detailed foregrounds on the Z6 III via Viltrox NF–Z • complements the Irix 15mm at f/2.8 • filter: 95mm
Tamron SP 35 mm f/1.4 Di USD (Canon EF)
Canon EF • Size: ~101 × 80 mm • 815 g • high-resolution prime for astro panoramas and detailed night landscapes • R8 via EF–RF; Z6 III via Fringer EF–NZ II • pairs with the RF 20mm for stitched nightscapes and storm work • filter: 72mm
Nikon Nikkor Z 50 mm f/1.8 S
Nikon Z • Size: ~76 × 87 mm • 415 g • native S-Line standard prime with excellent coma control and strong corner sharpness from f/2–f/2.8 • constellation fields, tighter nightscapes and native Z6 III field work • filter: 62mm
Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35 mm f/1.8 G
Nikon F (DX) • Size: ~70 × 52.5 mm • 200 g • compact AF-S prime with strong DXOMARK performance on the D500 (score 28) • native walk-around and environmental wildlife lens on the D500 (~52 mm FF equivalent) • Z6 III via FTZ II in DX crop mode • filter: 52mm
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70–200 mm f/4G ED VR
Nikon F • Size: ~78.5 × 178.5 mm • ~850 g • lightweight constant f/4 telephoto zoom with VR • native on the D500; Z6 III via FTZ II • storms, wildlife, portraits and handheld tele field work • shares the iShoot RT-1 tripod collar with the 300 mm PF • filter: 67mm
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300 mm f/4E PF ED VR
Nikon F • Size: ~89 × 147 mm • 755 g • ultra-compact Phase Fresnel telephoto prime with VR • one of the sharpest telephoto lenses Nikon has produced • wildlife, compression and lightweight long-lens field work on the Z6 III and D500 • filter: 77mm • tripod collar: iShoot RT-1 (Arca-compatible)
🔌 Adapters & Extenders
Electronic autofocus adapter • EF to Nikon Z mount • enables Canon EF lenses to communicate with Nikon Z bodies (autofocus, aperture control, EXIF support) • best option for adapting EF glass to Z6 III with high compatibility
Electronic autofocus adapter • Nikon F (AF-S / AF-P lenses) to Nikon Z mount • enables autofocus and electronic aperture control depending on lens compatibility • budget-friendly alternative to Nikon FTZ adapters
Nikon F to Z mount • fully electronic • primary adapter for AF-S and AF-P F-mount lenses on the Z6 III including 70–200 FL and DX 35 mm in crop mode
340 g • 1.4x magnification • Nikon F mount • extends 300mm f/4E PF to 420mm f/5.6 • fully compatible with E-type electronic aperture lenses • maintains autofocus and VR communication • primary teleconverter for wildlife reach on D500 (native F) and Z6 III (between 300mm f/4E PF and Viltrox NF-Z adapter)
330 g • 2× magnification • Nikon F mount • extends 300mm f/4E PF to 600mm f/8 • aspherical optics • maintains metering, VR and EXIF • autofocus on f/8-capable Z bodies in AF-S mode • maximum-reach wildlife and distant subject work on D500 (native F) and Z6 III (between 300mm f/4E PF and Viltrox NF-Z adapter)
110 g • EF to RF mount adapter • fully electronic pass-through • no optical elements • maintains autofocus, stabilization and metadata when using EF lenses on Canon RF bodies
Drop-in EF to RF adapter system • allows use of rear-mounted filters (Clear, CPL, Variable ND) inside the adapter body • useful for ultra-wide EF lenses without front filter threads or for long exposure control
Passive mount adapter • Nikon F (DSLR) to Canon RF mount • no electronic communication • used for manual focus operation of Nikon F glass on Canon RF bodies • primary use: Irix 15mm f/2.4 Firefly on Canon EOS R8
Nikon F to Canon EF mount adapter • mechanical aperture control • manual focus • high-precision Novoflex build • adapts Nikon F glass to Canon EF bodies
🧪 Filters & Accessories
CPL + adapter rings (82, 77, 72, 67, 95, 55 mm)
Dedicated filter holder designed specifically for the Nikkor Z 14–24mm f/2.8 S • compatible with NiSi 100mm filter system
112mm • light pollution reduction filter designed for the Nikkor Z 14–24mm f/2.8 S • reduces urban skyglow and sodium vapour interference for cleaner nightscape and astrophotography results
Light ND filter
Medium ND filter
Long exposure ND filter
Light pollution reduction filter
Circular polariser
Adjustable neutral density
Soft highlight diffusion
Multi-size adapter kit
Protective UV filter
Protective UV filter
Protective UV filter
White-light solar imaging filter
High-quality polariser
Backup ND filter
Large diameter polariser
ND filter
Dew prevention for lenses and optics
Microfibre cloths, blower, filter pouch
🎥 Insta360 Ace Pro System
Mount conversion
External microphone support
Invisible support system
Protective cage with cold shoe
Tempered glass protection set
Protective storage case
🛩️ Aerial Imaging
Fly More Combo configuration
Standard controller
Extended flight set
Multi-battery charging system
Video/data transmission
Safety and training use
Charging and data
iOS connectivity
Transport protection
🎬 Video Monitoring & Streaming
Field monitor
iPhone streaming interface
High-capacity batteries
Mid-capacity batteries
Multi-output HDMI
Short angled cable
Flexible cable
Short cable
High-speed HDMI cable
4K decode / 1080p output
250 g • Wireless audio system
Audio patch cables
🎥 Support & Motion
2,700 g • Heavy-duty tripod
1,320 g • Travel tripod
1,050 g • Monopod
Compact ball head with RC2 quick release • monopod and lighter telephoto setups
~1,430 g • 20 kg load • Arca-type quick release • primary wildlife head for 300mm PF + RT-1 on Gitzo
~165 g • Dedicated tripod collar for AF-S 300mm f/4E PF ED VR • Arca-Swiss compatible foot • balances the lens on gimbal or ball head instead of stressing the camera mount • iShoot alternative to the Nikon RT-1
590 g • Ball head
500 g • Secondary head
420 g • Ball head
1,350 g • Panoramic system
Precision detented panoramic rotation unit • repeatable angular increments for consistent multi-panel astrophotography panoramas • ideal for Milky Way core sequences with the MSM Nomad
1,600 g • Video head
795 g • Gimbal stabiliser
1,324 g • Astrophotography tracker
150 g • Lightning/storm trigger
🔋 Power & Storage
R8 camera batteries
Z6 III and D500 batteries • shared EN-EL15 family • MH-25a charger
240 g • Charging system
450 g • Power bank
650 g • Backup power
30 g • High-speed storage
20 g • SD storage
🔭 Telescopes & Astrophotography
1,840 g • Primary imaging refractor
Motorised focusing system
~4,200 g • Visual + imaging refractor
Solar surface and prominences
~450 g • Active solar tracking
🤖 Smart Telescopes
Outreach and travel
Educational portable telescope
⚙️ Mounts & Alignment
5,500 g • Primary astro mount
~1,300 g • Travel mount
~2,600 g • Travel/eclipses
🔭 Astronomy Cameras
700 g • Deep-sky imaging
130 g • Solar/lunar/planetary
~140 g • Global shutter imaging
🎛 Control & Automation
Primary astrophotography control unit • full system automation, plate solving, guiding and imaging control
Compact control system • lightweight travel and field setup with full wireless operation
