Vikas Chander is an astrophotographer based out of New Delhi, India. “I like to travel to off-beat locations around the world to capture the night sky framed against interesting foreground objects,” he explains. “I was hooked onto nightscape photography, as this genre is often referred to, back in 2018 when I visited the salt lakes of Sambhar in Rajasthan, India. Since then, I have travelled to various locations around the world such as Chad, Egypt, Canary Islands, Namibia and Botswana to name a few. Closer to home, the Himalayas beckon with its heights in Ladakh. For compelling nightscape imaging, minimal light pollution is a must, and my choice of location is always driven by this.” With four Alpha cameras and an arsenal of lenses, his kit can capture the deepest of skies. Keep reading as he shares what’s in his bag.
Shop This Kit:
Camera: Alpha 7R V
Lenses: 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master, 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master II, 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master, 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master, 135mm f/1.8 G Master, 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G
Accessories: RM-VPR1 Remote Control
Cameras
Alpha 7R V (Buy Now): My current cameras of choice are four Alpha 7R V’s. I have set them up for use for imaging, foreground elements, tracked skies, timelapses and star trails. I will sometimes set up all four cameras on location and it does become tricky to juggle all of them as they all require different settings.
Photo by Vikas Chander. Alpha 7R V. 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 300-sec., f/2.8, ISO 800
Any light source will ruin the long exposures used in nightscape photography as one has to operate the cameras in the dark. The comprehensive menu system of the Alpha 7RVs along with many shortcut and customizable buttons make operation in the dark a breeze. The excellent articulating screen makes it very comfortable when shooting close to the ground or when aiming the camera heavenwards. The large 61megapixel sensor helps capture a lot of details with minimal noise which is also essential for low light nightscape photography.
Photo by Vikas Chander. (Stack of 400 images) Alpha 7R V. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 30-sec., f/2.8, ISO 200
Lenses
16-35mm f/2.8 G Master (Buy Now) and 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master II (Buy Now): While I own almost all the prime lenses that Sony has offered in the past decade, when travelling to off-beat locations and with restrictions on airline baggage weight, I usually travel with zooms. The 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master and 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master II are excellent lenses and provide a wide field of view necessary for Milky Way photography. Its fast aperture and coma free corners render the stars and nebulae precisely.
Photo by Vikas Chander. Alpha 7R V. 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master II. 300, 480-sec., f/2.8, ISO 800
12-24mm f/2.8 G Master (Buy Now): The 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master lens offers a wide field of view which I use to capture foreground elements.
24-70mm f/2.8 G Master (Buy Now): I also use the 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master lens for a tighter field of view.
Photo by Vikas Chander. Alpha 7R V. 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master. 30, 300, 480-sec., f/2.8, ISO 800
135mm f/1.8 G Master (Buy Now) and 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G (Buy Now): The 135mm and the 200-600mm lens are used to capture deep sky images. The genre of deep sky imaging requires the shooting of many images which are then integrated together in specialized programs such as PixInsight to construct the final image. An image can contain 100’s of stacked images shot over multiple hours with long exposures. The high megapixel sensor of the Alpha 7R V and the sharp optics of the 135mm and 200-600mm lens always result in high quality images.
Photo by Vikas Chander. (Stack of 40 images) Alpha 7R V. 135mm f/1.8 G Master. 300-sec., f/2, ISO 1600
Photo by Vikas Chander. (Stack of 50 images) Alpha 7R V. 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G. 30-sec., f/6.3, ISO 1600
Accessories
RM-VPR1 Remote Control With Multi-Terminal Cable (Buy Now): This Sony remote offers an easy method to trigger images without introducing camera shake.
Mount Tracker & Guide Came: For imaging the night sky, whether widefield nightscape or deep sky images, an equatorial mount tracker is essential to prevent star trailing and deliver sharp images. The Rainbow astro is a lightweight mount which performs well and allows exposures up to 20 minutes without trailing. A Zwo Asi Air and a guidecam are essential tools to control the mount.
Tripod/Intervalometers: A sturdy tripod is a must as camera shake will result in blurred images as exposures tend to be very long in nightscape and Milky Way photography. Intervalometers are an essential tool for shooting timelapses and long bulb exposure.
Photo by Vikas Chander. Alpha 7R V. 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master. 30, 300, 480-sec., f/2.8, ISO 800
Headlamp: A headlight with a red LED is a must when shooting in the dark, to preserve night vision.
Filters: I use various filters including a clip-on H-alpha filter from Astronomik, to capture the red nebulosity which abound in targets such as Orion. A Kani fog filter is used to create a glowing dreamy effect around stars.
I do sometimes use a loupe to zoom in to the image when focusing on stars but the high-resolution screen of the Alpha 7R V is usually sufficient to achieve good focus on the stars.
Luxli LED Light Panel: Used for light painting foreground subjects and a laser helps in focusing on subjects in the distance. As I travel a lot to off grid locations a satellite phone is a must in case of an emergency.
The genre of nightscape Milky Way photography and deep sky imaging is not an easy one to master. The technology and ease of use behind the various Sony products do however make the task an easier one.
See more of Vikas Chander’s work on Instagram @vikaschanderastrophotography.
