Night photography settings depend on the subject. Use these as starting points on a modern full-frame camera, then check your histogram and zoom into the stars.
Quick reference
| Subject | Aperture | Shutter | ISO | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milky Way (20 mm) | f/1.8–2.8 | NPF limit, ~8–15 s | 3200–6400 | New moon, dark sky |
| Milky Way (14 mm) | f/2.8 | 15–20 s | 3200–6400 | Wider lens allows longer exposures |
| Star trails | f/4–5.6 | 30 s × many | 400–1600 | Stack frames |
| Aurora (active) | f/2.8 | 2–8 s | 1600–3200 | Short to keep structure |
| Aurora (faint) | f/2.8 | 10–15 s | 3200 | Longer for glow |
| Meteor shower | f/2.8 | 15–25 s | 1600–6400 | Intervalometer all night |
| Full moon | f/8–11 | 1/ISO at f/11 | 100–200 | Looney 11 rule |
| Moonlit landscape | f/4 | 20–60 s | 400–800 | Looks like daylight |
| Blue-hour cityscape | f/8 | 2–10 s | 100 | Lights on, sky still blue |
How to adjust
- Shutter speed for sharp stars: the NPF rule calculator gives the longest exposure for your pixel size and focal length. The old 500 rule is too generous on modern sensors.
- Trail length: see the star trail length calculator.
- Moon exposure: the moon exposure calculator adjusts the Looney 11 rule for phase.
White balance
- Milky Way: 3800–4200 K for a neutral sky.
- Aurora: 3500–4000 K keeps greens natural.
- Moonlit scenes: 4500–5500 K.
Shoot RAW so you can adjust later.
Other settings
- Long exposure noise reduction: off for sequences (it doubles each exposure time); on for single long exposures if you can wait.
- Image stabilization: off on a tripod.
- Manual focus — see how to focus at night.
- Exposure delay / 2-second timer to avoid vibration.
Check your results
Zoom to 100% on stars near the edges: trails mean a shorter shutter; noisy shadows mean more exposure or stacking (the stacking calculator shows the noise gain).
About 1 min read · Updated 2026-10-20