An Astrophotographers kit for imaging the Milky Way

Cameras 

Sony a7iii: My ever first Sony camera, the camera that made me fall in love with the Sony system. Every astrophotographer needs the best low light camera, and the Sony a7iii system ticks all those boxes for me. The dynamic range and low noise levels allows me to take those Milkway images that show every detail. From enhancing the color in nebula to crisp sharp images of the stars, it never disappoints. I leave this on Manual all the time and rely on my custom settings when in the dark. I recently had this camera astro modified, removing the IR filter which enhances the faint red emission nebulasI even have a second a7iii as a back up to take timelapses using the inbuilt intervalometer. 

Sony a7siii A camera that I use to capture video and tell the story of each of my images. With the amazing low light capabilities of its sensor with clean high ISO, it is able to capture some of the most amazing images even though only 12mp. I can literally see in the dark with this camera.

Lens

Sony 14mm f1.8 GM: A new addition to my kit and it’s added a whole new style of taking Nightscape images. The clarity and depth achieved at 14mm is amazing. The edge to edge sharpness and little to no distortion is perfect for the astrophotographer. It has not left my camera since I’ve started using it.

Sony 20mm 1.8G: If I could only choose one lens to take out at night, it would be this one. The perfect focal length of not being too wide but enough to enhance the fine details of the milkyway. The sharpness of the stars through this lens is mind blowing. It so light and compact it makes taking images so much more enjoyable. This lens lives on my camera.

Sony 24mm 1.4GM: At an aperture of f1.4, this lens is a low light beast. If my 20mm is being used for timelapse or video I will use this lens to capture the milkyway. At 24mm focal length, it increases the level of contrast of the dark lanes of the milkway and color in the nightsky. 

Sigma 35mm Art f1.4: At 35mm focal length is the perfect lens for enhancing the deep space objects but not too narrow a focal length to put the demand having perfect mount setup. Using this for multi layer panoramas take the images to the next level.

Sony 100-400mm GM: I use this lens if wanting to capture a full moon rising or silhouetting an object /person against the night sky. The clarity of this lens on deep sky objects is amazing and comparable to high quality telescopes in a lighter package. I also own the 2x teleconverter if wanting to increase my focal length to 800mm and capture the moon in all its detail. 

Accessories

Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Star Tracker: The one accessory I could not live without. Being able to have pin point stars and increase my exposures to beyond 1 minute turns normal images into award winning works of art. 

Nitecore NU25: Every astrophotographer needs a reliable headlamp and I cant leave the house without my Nitecore NU25. Red light to protect my night vision and a bright enough white light to protect myself if needed. 

Fotopro Tripod: A tripod is the foundation of every nightscape photographers kit. I trust and use the Fotopro carbon fibre range of tripods. Love the leveling head of the E7 series when using the star tracker. 

Alyn Wallace StarGlow Filter: A great addition to the nightscape photographers kit. It creates a different style of composition enhancing the brightest stars giving them a glow effect. A unique style of shooting and something I’m using more on each trip.