The website Capture the Atlas has released the winners of its annual Milky Way Photographer of the Year awards.
26 images from different photographers were selected – including Mihail Minkov and Rositsa Dimitrova.
The gear used by each photographer was shared so we have done some analysis to give us insight into the camera, lenses, trackers and tripods being used by some of the best astrophotographers in 2024.
(This is much like our popular Astronomy Photographer of the Year Gear Analysis.) Enjoy!
Cameras
All the winning images were taken with Sony, Canon or Nikon cameras, with Sony the most popular:
The models used are (in most popular order):
- Sony A7 III – 21%
- Sony A7 IV – 14%
- Canon EOS R6 – 11%
- Canon EOS 6D – 7%
- Canon EOS R5 – 7%
- Nikon D810a – 7%
- Nikon Z6 – 7%
- Sony A7S III – 7%
- Canon EOS R – 4%
- Nikon D810 – 4%
- Nikon Z7 – 4%
- Sony A7R III – 4%
- Sony A7S – 4%
This means that the vast majority are using mirrorless models.
Only the Canon EOS 6D, Nikon D810 and Nikon D810a are DSLRs in that list.
Every single one was a full-frame sensor camera:
Also noteworthy is that the vast majority of winners use astro-modified cameras:
(Note, we have ignored the camera used for the foreground when comparing whether they were astro-modified or not.)
Lenses
Sigma lenses are the most commonly used, followed by Sony and Tamron:
There are no dominant individual lens models used but the list includes:
All lenses fit the characteristics you would expect for Milky Way photography:
- Wide-Angle to enable you to capture a wide expanse of the sky (from 12mm to 35mm)
- Fast Aperture for better capture in low light (from F/1.4 to F/2.8)
Star Trackers
The star trackers used are led by the popular iOptron and Sky-Watcher models:
- iOptron SkyGuider Pro – 27%
- Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer – 27%
- iOptron Sky Tracker Pro – 13%
- Benro Polaris – 13%
- Fornax Mount LighTrack II – 7%
- MoveShootMove NOMAD – 7%
- Omegon MiniTrack LX2 – 7%
Tripods
There are no dominant tripods but they are mostly carbon fiber models including:
- Sunwayfoto T3640 CM
- Sirui AM-254
- Rollei C6i
- Really Right Stuff TVC-24 Versa Series MK2
- Manfrotto 290xtra
- Innorel RT80C
- Benro Tortoise
- Artcise AS85C
Final words and methodology
This is not a particularly scientific study, more just for fun.
It’s just 26 photos, which is a pretty small number to draw too many conclusions from but hopefully you found it useful.
As far as I can tell the winners seem to just be selected by the site’s editors, rather than any formal application and judging process. Therefore this is subject to their individual preferences. However, they are all great images from great astrophotographers who are active in 2024.
Head over to Capture the Atlas to see all the photos: Milky Way Photographer of the Year and let us know if you have any comments or questions below.
