Key takeaways
A kit lens at its widest focal length works for a first night out; a fast wide prime, such as a 12mm f/2, gathers about three times as much light as a kit zoom at f/3.5.
Keep exposures short enough to avoid star trails: the 500 rule gives about 18 seconds at 18mm on an APS-C camera, and the stricter NPF rule gives less.
Focus manually on a bright star using magnified live view, then tape the focus ring so it can't move.
Shoot around the new moon, which falls on November 9 and December 8, 2026, from the darkest place you can reach.
The Milky Way's bright core is out of reach in November in the Northern Hemisphere, so winter targets such as Orion, the Pleiades and star trails are a better first project.
What you need
An interchangeable-lens camera that shoots RAW and has a manual mode. Any entry-level mirrorless or DSLR from the last decade works.
The kit lens, or a fast wide-angle prime if you have one.
A sturdy tripod. A light travel tripod can work if you hang your bag from its center hook in wind.
A remote release, or the camera's 2-second self-timer.
Spare batteries, since cold drains them quickly, and a headlamp with a red light setting to protect your night vision.
Step 1: Pick the night and the place
Light pollution costs you more stars than any camera setting can win back. Use lightpollutionmap.info to find a dark area within reach, ideally Bortle 4 or darker on the 1 to 9 Bortle scale, where 1 is the darkest sky and 9 is an inner city.
Plan around the moon. A bright moon washes out faint stars, so aim for the days around a new moon: November 9 and December 8 in 2026. Check cloud cover before you leave; Clear Outside is a free forecast app built for astronomers, with cloud cover at low, medium and high altitude by the hour.
Know what will be up. The Milky Way's bright core is visible from the Northern Hemisphere from roughly February to October, and in November it sets soon after dusk. In late fall and winter, Orion, the Pleiades and the fainter winter Milky Way toward Gemini and Auriga are good targets, and a long series pointed at Polaris makes star trails. Stellarium (free) shows where everything will be at a given time, and PhotoPills ($10.99 one-time on iOS and Android) plans shots against the landscape.
Step 2: Set up the camera
1. Switch to manual mode (M) and set the image format to RAW.
2. Zoom the kit lens to its widest setting, usually 18mm on APS-C, and open the aperture all the way, usually f/3.5. Stopping down by a third of a stop can sharpen the corners.
3. Set ISO to 3200 as a starting point. Go up to 6400 if the sky is very dark, or down to 1600 if the image looks noisy or the sky has a glow.
4. Turn off image stabilization on a tripod, because it can add blur during long exposures.
5. Set white balance to around 3800 to 4000K for a natural blue-black sky. Since you're shooting RAW, you can change it later.
6. Set the 2-second timer so pressing the shutter doesn't shake the camera.
Step 3: Focus on a star
Autofocus can't lock on stars, and the infinity mark on most lenses is not exactly at infinity.
1. Switch the lens and camera to manual focus.
2. Point at the brightest star or planet you can see and magnify live view as far as it goes.
3. Turn the focus ring slowly until the star is as small and sharp as possible.
4. Take a test shot, zoom into it on the screen and adjust if the stars look soft.
5. Tape the focus ring in place with gaffer tape so it can't drift.
Step 4: Set the shutter speed
The Earth rotates, so stars start to streak if the shutter stays open too long. Two rules give the longest exposure that keeps them as points.
The 500 rule is the quick version: divide 500 by your focal length multiplied by your sensor's crop factor. At 18mm on a 1.5x APS-C camera, that's 500 ÷ 27, or about 18 seconds. On a Canon APS-C body with a 1.6x crop, it's about 17 seconds.
The NPF rule is stricter, because today's high-resolution sensors show trailing sooner. The formula is (35 × aperture + 30 × pixel pitch) ÷ focal length, with the actual focal length, not the full-frame equivalent. Pixel pitch is your sensor width in millimeters divided by its horizontal pixel count, times 1,000. A 24MP APS-C camera has a pitch of about 3.9 microns, so at 18mm and f/3.5 the rule gives about 13 seconds. PhotoPills calculates it for your exact camera.
Start with the NPF result, check a test shot zoomed in and lengthen the exposure only if the stars still look round.
Step 5: Shoot and check
1. Take a test frame and look at the histogram. The peak should sit about a third of the way from the left. If it's pressed against the left edge, raise ISO.
2. Zoom in on the screen to check that stars are sharp and round.
3. Turn on long exposure noise reduction for single shots. It doubles each exposure by taking a dark frame afterward, but it removes hot pixels. Turn it off if you plan to stack frames.
4. Include some foreground, such as a tree line, a ridge or a building, to give the sky scale.
5. Take several frames of each composition. You can stack them later to cut noise.
Step 6: Edit the RAW files
Open the files in a RAW editor. darktable is free and handles white balance, exposure, contrast and noise reduction, and it includes an astrophoto denoise module. Lift exposure gently, add a little contrast and clarity to the stars and pull the sky toward a neutral blue-black. To combine several frames for a cleaner result, Siril is a free stacking program for Windows, Mac and Linux. Our guide to reducing noise in night photos covers denoising and stacking in more depth.
Cheap upgrades worth buying first
Upgrade | Why it helps | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
Fast wide prime, such as the Rokinon/Samyang 12mm f/2 or Viltrox 13mm f/1.4 | Gathers far more light than a kit zoom, so you can use lower ISO | About $260 to $430 new, less used |
A sturdier tripod | Stops wind shake during 10- to 20-second exposures | From about $100 |
Intervalometer or remote | Runs long series for star trails and stacking | From about $20 |
USB dew heater strap | Keeps the lens from fogging on damp nights | From about $20 |
The Rokinon/Samyang 12mm f/2 is manual focus, which isn't a drawback here, since you focus by hand on stars anyway.
Common problems
Stars look like short lines: the exposure is too long for your focal length. Use the NPF result or zoom out.
Everything is soft: focus slipped or the tripod moved. Refocus on a star, tape the ring and use the timer.
An orange glow along the horizon: light pollution from a town. Shoot facing away from it or move farther out.
Grainy images: raise exposure in camera rather than in editing, and stack several frames.
Fogged lens: dew forms as the temperature drops. A dew heater strap or a hand warmer taped to the lens prevents it.
Frequently asked questions
Can you photograph stars with a kit lens?
Yes. A kit lens at its widest focal length and widest aperture, usually 18mm at f/3.5, can photograph stars from a dark site at ISO 3200 to 6400 with exposures of about 13 to 18 seconds. A fast prime gathers more light, but the kit lens is enough to start.
What are the best camera settings for night sky photography?
Shoot RAW in manual mode, open the aperture fully, set ISO between 1600 and 6400, focus manually on a bright star and keep the shutter to what the 500 or NPF rule allows, typically 10 to 20 seconds on a wide lens.
What is the 500 rule?
The 500 rule says the longest exposure before stars trail is 500 divided by the focal length times the crop factor. At 18mm on a 1.5x APS-C camera, that's about 18 seconds.
When is the best time to photograph the night sky?
Shoot on moonless nights near the new moon, at least an hour after sunset, from a dark site. In the Northern Hemisphere the Milky Way core is visible from roughly February to October; in November and December, Orion and star trails are better targets.
Do I need a star tracker?
No. A tracker allows much longer exposures at low ISO, but a tripod, a wide lens and short exposures are enough for good starry landscapes. Consider one once you want deep-sky targets or very clean files.