Astrophotography on a Budget: Capture the Milky Way for Under $500
You've seen those stunning Milky Way photos and wondered if you need a $10,000 setup to capture them. You don't. With the right technique and affordable gear, you can photograph the night sky for under $500. This guide shows you exactly how.
Expert Tested Gear & Affiliate Disclosure
This guide contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
01Understanding the Challenge
Night sky photography has two main challenges:
Light — Stars are dim. You need to gather as much light as possible, which means wide apertures (f/2.8 or wider) and high ISO settings.
Motion — The Earth rotates, causing stars to trail across the frame in long exposures. For wide-angle shots, you can use the "500 Rule": divide 500 by your lens focal length to get your maximum shutter speed. Example: 500 ÷ 14mm = 35 seconds max.
Location — Just like visual observing, dark skies are essential. Use our Light Pollution Map to find Bortle 3-4 locations.
The 500 Rule vs. The NPF Rule
02The Budget Astrophotography Kit
Here's a complete setup for under $500. I've used this exact kit to capture award-winning images of the galactic core.
Sony a6000 (Used)
“The lightweight king of budget astrophotography.”
Why we love it
Excellent high-ISO performance and a massive selection of affordable E-mount lenses.
03Camera Settings for the Milky Way
The Magic Settings:
- Aperture: f/2.8 (as wide as your lens goes)
- Shutter Speed: 20-30 seconds (use the 500 rule)
- ISO: 3200-6400 (start at 3200, increase if too dark)
- Focus: Manual, focused on a bright star (use Live View and zoom in)
Shoot RAW
Never shoot JPEGs for astro. You need the raw data for post-processing.
White Balance
Set to 4000K to give your sky a natural, professional deep blue tint.
Foreground
Include an interesting landscape element to give your photo scale and depth.
Level Up Your Astronomy Skills
Get our premium PDF guides with hundreds of pages of expert advice, gear recommendations, and step-by-step tutorials.
Browse All GuidesFind Your Darkest Sky
Use our real-time satellite maps to find locations with zero light pollution.
Launch Interactive Map