Best Nikon Cameras for Astrophotography (2023)

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We examined nearly 700 images shortlisted for the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition in the past five years to find the cameras being used to produce the most stunning astrophotography photos.

Our data recommends the Nikon D750 as the best Nikon for astrophotography:

From five years of data, the Nikon D750 is the most successfully used Nikon camera for astrophotography. It is a DSLR with a full-frame, 24.5 megapixel sensor.

The upgrade pick is the Nikon D850:

In 2022, this was the most used Nikon model. It is a professional-level DSLR and has a 45.7-megapixel sensor.

It is more expensive than the Nikon D750, which is why it is our upgrade pick.

If you prefer a newer and/or mirrorless model, then our recommendation is the Nikon Z6 II:

The Nikon Z6 was the second most successful Nikon camera in the competition in 2022, but we are recommending the Nikon Z6 II as it is the upgrade to the original Z6 that fixed a number of issues and it is cheaper than the Nikon Z7 II (which does have higher resolution).

Read on to see all the data and for more information about Nikon cameras for astrophotography.

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Nikon Astrophotography Cameras

In our research to find the best camera for astrophotography, we analyzed 685 images shortlisted in the past five years for the world’s most prestigious annual astrophotography competition – Royal Museums Greenwich Astronomy Photographer of the Year.

When we look at the data for which DSLR and Mirrorless brands were used, we can see that Nikon has been the most successful camera manufacturer in the competition in the past three years:

Nikon overtook Canon in 2020 and has held this spot since, despite an increase in the use of Sony cameras.

Best Nikon for Astrophotography

Over the five years, 125 shortlisted images were taken with Nikon cameras and 19 different models have been used.

The top five most successful models are:

1. Nikon D750
2. Nikon D850
3. Nikon D810A
4. Nikon D810
5. Nikon Z6

You can see an extended list here:

This shows that the D750 is the most successfully used Nikon camera, followed by the D850 and then the D810A.

These are all DSLRs, but if look at just the data for 2022 then the mirrorless Nikon Z6 is the second highest, with the Nikon Z6 II in fifth as use of the newer mirrorless models has increased:

This leads us to DSLR vs mirrorless Nikon cameras for astrophotography.

Nikon DSLR vs Mirrorless for Astrophotography

The vast majority of Nikon cameras used in the competition from 2018 to 2022 have been DSLRs:

This makes sense historically, as Nikon’s mirrorless range is relatively new.

However, if we isolate just the 2022 data, then it is a split of:

• 72% DSLR
• 28% Mirrorless

So you can see that mirrorless use is increasing, as you might expect with the wider trend in photography of growing mirrorless popularity.

See DSLR vs Mirrorless Cameras for Astrophotography if you want more analysis on this.

Nikon Full Frame vs APS-C for Astrophotography

The final thing to look at is sensor size.

As you can see, the Nikon cameras used are overwhelmingly full frame sensor models, rather than crop sensor APS-C models:

This makes sense because:

1. Full frame sensors are better in low light conditions (like night sky photography)
2. Have a wider field of view which is best for landscape astrophotography where you want to capture as wide an expanse of night sky as possible

This is why all the cameras that we recommend in this article are full-frame models.

See Full Frame vs APS-C for Astrophotography if you want to understand more about this.

Let’s look now at each of our recommended cameras.

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Nikon D750

Best Nikon for Astrophotography in the last five years

Based on our findings, the best Nikon for astrophotography is the Nikon D750.

It is a full-frame DSLR that is perfect for amateur astrophotography and landing milky way shots.

It falls in the mid-range price bracket and that likely accounts for some of its popularity – the D850 and D810A outlined below are in the more premium price bracket (at least when bought new).

Yet, the D750 can clearly perform for astrophotography and is being used today by some of the best astrophotographers in the world.

For us, this camera can perform as well as any for astrophotography and is perfect if you don’t want to be limited by your camera but also have a budget that won’t stretch for the professional level models (like the D850).

What’s awesome, is that given that this camera was originally released in 2014 you can easily find used models on sale (see links below).

If you do want a newer Nikon DSLR, then the Nikon D780 was released in 2020 as the upgrade to the D750. It is a more modern version, but naturally more expsenive.

Nikon D850

Upgrade Pick – Best Nikon for Astrophotography in 2022

The Nikon D850 is the second most successfully used Nikon camera in our findings.

This is a professional-level full-frame DSLR in a slightly higher price bracket.

Compared to the D750 it is more versatile and better suited for things like video.

Despite being in a premium price range, it is also not a new camera (it was released in 2017) and so there are often good deals to be found.

Nikon Z6 II

Best Nikon Mirrorless for Astrophotography

Our recommendation if you want a newer Nikon model, and/or would prefer to go for a mirrorless camera, is the Nikon Z6 II.

Nikon came out with the Z6 and Z7 in 2018, but then updated them both in 2020 with the Mark II versions to fix a number of practical issues that people had with the first iterations.

The Z6 and Z6 II have the same sensor but among the upgrades are two features that are particularly good for astrophotography:

1. The Z6 II allows you to take long exposures of up to 15 minutes without using an external intervalometer, whereas the original Z6 has this capped at 30 seconds, which is quite limiting for long-exposure photography in low light.
2. When you turn the Z6 II off and back on again it remembers your last focus settings. This is great if you are using it mostly for astrophotography and want to be able to pick up where you left off on a previous night.

Therefore it is worth going for the Z6 II if you have the budget, but you can save some money by going for the older version and living without the above tweaks (the first point is remedied by using an intervalometer).

The Z6 II is lower resolution than the Nikon Z7 II but is substantially cheaper and proven for astrophotography and so it makes our top recommendations. If you have the budget and want higher megapixels, then the Nikon Z7 II might be your preferred option.

Nikon D810A

Lastly, we need to mention the Nikon D810A as it is the only Nikon camera specifically optimized for astrophotography (the “A” is for astrophotography).

This means that it has had its sensor adjusted so that it doesn’t filter out specific types of light that are emitted by objects in deep space – any normal DSLR filters this out. The result is that astrophotography images taken with this camera.

You can read more about the Nikon D810A here. The only other mass-market camera tailored for astrophotography available to buy currently is the Canon EOS Ra (where, again, the “A” stands for “astrophotography”).

It’s very hard to find new models on sale anymore but you can find it used (click the buttons below to check).

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Other Nikon cameras for astrophotography

The other most successfully used Nikon cameras in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition are:

1. Nikon D810 – This is the non-astrophotography tweaked version of the D810A covered above. It’s a premium full-frame DSLR.
2. Nikon D610 – A versatile full-frame DSLR in the mid-range price bracket.
3. Nikon D600 – An older mid-range DSLR that was superseded by the D610 above.
4. Nikon D3400 – An entry-level DSLR that would suit those with lower budgets.
5. Nikon D5300 – A beginners-level Nikon DSLR that has superseded by the versatile D5600
6. Nikon D800 – An older full-frame DSLR that was updated by the D850.
7. Nikon Z7 – This is Nikon’s premium full-frame sensor mirrorless camera.
8. Nikon D7100 – A entry-level/mid-range DSLR with an APS-C sensor that has been upgraded by the D7500
9. Nikon D800E – Like the D800, this is an older camera superseded by the D850.
10. Nikon Z6 – Nikon’s mid-range mirrorless camera. Released in 2018.

Just to quickly note some things about these findings – being higher on the list does not necessarily mean it is a better camera for astrophotography, it just means it has been more frequently used.

These findings, therefore, balance what is just the “best” camera with value for money as well as age.

For example, the D850 is a more expensive and higher bracket camera than the D750, yet the D750 is higher in these findings. It is likely that more people own the D750 as it’s cheaper and it can obviously perform for astrophotography.

In addition, older models will be higher on the list because they have been around for longer and are well trusted by their owners who are rarely going to be buying a new camera every year.

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Final Word – What’s the Best Nikon Camera for Astrophotography?

So the best Nikon camera for astrophotography for you depends on what you are looking for:

• If you just want something specifically for astrophotography, then the D750 might be the best option, and there are real bargains to be found if you are happy to buy a used model.
• If you want a camera that is the best at everything (for example, video as well as all-round photography), then the D850 might be for you.
• If you want a premium Nikon DSLR that has been optimized just for astrophotography, then see if you can find a D810a for sale (it might be hard).
• If you want to go mirrorless, then the Nikon Z6 II is proven and great value

Note that these are all full-frame sensor cameras (as opposed to crop/APS-C sensor cameras) as these are generally what is best for landscape astrophotography (i.e. shots of the milky way above the earth).

This is due to their better low-light performance and capacity to capture wider expanses of the sky (a crop sensor camera will literally crop the image). See more about this in our article on the best cameras for astrophotography.

For us, the D750 is a perfect option for most amateur astrophotographers and the model that I use myself.

If buying new now I might consider the D780 or go for the mirrorless Z6 II, but I am currently very happy with my D750 and think that will remain the case for at least a few more years.