Sigma`s 14mm F1.8 Art lens makes it easier to get shots like this.ISO 5000 | 2 seconds | F1.8 | 14mm
Over the past couple years I`ve developed a strong interest in wide-field astrophotography. Specifically, I`ve become passionate about photographing the aurora borealis, commonly known as the northern lights.
The aurora is Mother Nature`s own special effects show, and it`s one of those things that makes you stop to just appreciate the magic of the universe. No photo, IMAX screen, or VR headset will ever replicate the experience of standing under the sky when she flips on the light switch, but maybe that`s why I`m so drawn to aurora photography in the first place: it requires me to go to where I can experience the magic in person.
There are a lot of good lenses out there for this purpose, and I`ve used quite a few of them including the legendary Nikon 14-24mm F2.8, the Rokinon 14mm F2.8, the Venus Optics Laowa 15mm F2, various 16-35mm F2.8 variants, and even Sigma`s own 20mm F1.4 Art, but once I tried the Sigma 14mm F1.8 it was game over. I knew I had found the one.
ISO 1600 | 3.2 seconds | F1.8 | 14mm
One thing you learn quickly when shooting aurora is that you need fast, wide lenses. Fast because you`re shooting at night (duh). Wide because the aurora typically covers a large portion of the sky. It also makes it easier to include some landscape to provide a sense of place. This is where the Sigma 14mm F1.8 Art lens comes in.
What makes this lens so special is the fast F1.8 aperture. That`s 1.3 EV faster than an F2.8 lens. Put another way, wide open the Sigma 14mm has a 2.5x light gathering advantage over F2.8 lenses. That`s huge.
One challenge when photographing the aurora is that it can dance around surprisingly fast at times. Even at high ISO values an exposure may be on the order of several seconds, making it difficult to capture the intricate structure you often see in person. That`s part of the reason time-lapse se ...
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