The best Canon kit for low-light and night photography

Canon's state-of-the-art EOS R System cameras and RF lenses are highly capable whatever the weather, but their advanced technologies make them an outstanding choice particularly for low-light photography. This is the case even in extreme situations where retaining image quality and all-round performance has long been problematic, such as shooting at night without artificial lighting or down a coal mine when the whole aim is depicting the ambient conditions and flash would be inappropriate.

"The main technical challenge of night photography is the difference between what the eye can see and what the camera can capture," says Mike Burnhill, Senior Product Specialist at Canon Europe. "With the hugely wide dynamic range of human vision, we can pick out really fine detail in near-darkness, but replicating that in a camera system is a real challenge.

"That said, Canon EOS R System cameras retain unprecedented levels of fine detail and texture in low-light shooting, while keeping image noise to an absolute minimum. The brightness of their electronic viewfinders is adjustable, so you can literally see in the dark. What's more, exposure simulation gives you an accurate preview of exposure levels and other settings you have applied. On top of that, the cameras can autofocus in almost complete darkness, which can make all the difference between getting the shot and missing it altogether because your eyes can't see what is in focus."

"Our f/1.4 hybrid prime lenses feature large maximum apertures that let in plenty of light, and they provide impressive edge-to-edge quality. The RF 14mm F1.4L VCM is a feat of optical engineering – ultra-wide, ultra-sharp and ultra-bright, ideal for stunning low-light landscapes and astrophotography.

"Other fast lenses, such as the Canon RF 45mm F1.2 STM, Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM and Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM, also let more light into the camera. Combined with advanced sensor technology, it’s possible to capture images with less noise and achieve accurate autofocus in very low light. For example, the Canon EOS R6 Mark III can focus in light levels as low as a half-moon."

Here, Tibor and Mike reveal the best Canon mirrorless cameras for night photography and the kit that should be in every low-light photography enthusiast's kitbag.

"All EOS R System cameras perform extremely well for low-light landscape photography, but I favour the Canon EOS R5 Mark II," Mike says. "It has a high megapixel count for retaining ultra-fine detail, plus advanced image stabilisation that's rated up to 8.5-stops at the centre, enabling you to shoot handheld and explore angles in conditions that were previously prohibitive.

"Image quality at high ISO settings isn't quite as noise-free as that of the Canon EOS R6 Mark III, but, because you have such high resolution, you can downsize the images if necessary – say from 45 to 30 megapixels – where resampling further reduces the appearance of noise. You also have the option to use in-camera neural network noise reduction, which applies deep learning to achieve cleaner results."

There’s a wealth of RF lenses that are ideal for low-light landscape and nightscape photography. The RF 14mm F1.4L VCM and RF 20mm F1.4L VCM, with their fast apertures, wide fields of view and excellent image quality are standout prime lens options, while the Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM zoom brings added flexibility, offering a broad range of focal lengths alongside a fast, fixed f/2 aperture. Although the Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM doesn't have optical image stabilisation, pairing it with the EOS R5 Mark II can still deliver up to 8-stops of stabilisation (IBIS). Thanks to the comparatively large image circle, there is ample room for the in-body IS to move the sensor and stabilise the image without risk of the image edges being cut off.

Alternatively, for capturing wider scenes, the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM offers a greater angle of view on a full-frame camera than the RF 28-70mm F2L USM. Combined with its fast aperture, 7-stop Image Stabilizer (combined OIS + IBIS) and L-series weather-resistant construction, it's built for low-light photography in the great outdoors.

Tibor favours the Canon EOS R6 Mark III as one of the best cameras for low-light portrait photography. "It shares a lot of the EOS R5 Mark II's finer points, including autofocus that’s sensitive right down to -6.5EV," he says. "The intelligent face-detection and eye-detection autofocus technology powered by deep-learning AI keeps on working really well even under very low lighting. This means accurate focusing in portrait photography with a really shallow depth of field is no longer a worry, so you can just concentrate on the creative elements, like the pose and the composition that make for a great shot. You can also use Register People Priority to find and prioritise specific people within a scene, making it ideal for group portraits where you want to focus on specific people – such as the bride and groom at a wedding. Again, highly effective image stabilisation offers the freedom of handheld shooting.

"The Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM is a favourite for portrait photography at weddings and events, thanks to its range of focal lengths and excellent image quality. But my absolute top choice is the Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS. It's optimised for shooting wide-open and its 'defocus smoothing' enhancement gives a really soft outline to classic bokeh discs created from defocused light sources.

Tibor recommends the Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM as another outstanding low-light lens for portraits. "The bright aperture and telephoto compression are key here," he says. "You get a beautiful separation between your background, foreground and the main subject, and the image quality of this lens is outstanding." The RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM is equipped with a 5.5-stop Optical Image Stabilizer which further enhances its low-light photography capabilities.

"For popping a bit of extra illumination into low-light portraits, a flash can come in really handy," Mike adds. "The Canon Speedlite EL-1 (Ver.2) is amazing, as it has a really low minimum output of 1/8192th of the maximum power. This lets you add just a little light without losing the ambience of the surroundings and background." The Canon Speedlite EL-5 is Canon’s other professional Speedlite designed for EOS R System cameras equipped with a Multi-Function shoe, while offering seamless wireless compatibility with previous-generation cameras and EX-series Speedlites.

The sheer tonal range of night-time cityscapes can be a challenge for any camera. "There's often a massive difference between brightly lit areas and near-black shadows," Tibor points out.

"The Canon EOS R8 comes with advanced in-camera HDR (High Dynamic Range) options, including a moving subject HDR shooting mode that avoids the ghosting typically caused by subject motion. This makes it particularly useful when shooting in busy urban environments. With a wide native ISO range of 100-102,400 and accurate autofocus in light as low as -6.5 EV when used with an f/1.2 lens, it’s well suited to challenging low-light conditions."

"To squeeze sprawling cityscapes into the frame, the Canon RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM is very compact for an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens and offers up to 7-stops of stabilisation when paired with cameras featuring IBIS," says Mike. For even wider views, the Canon RF 10-20mm F4L IS STM delivers beautiful, expansive images with low distortion. "That 10mm focal length is ideal for narrow streets, enabling you to frame the scene in a dramatic way, while keeping lines and structures straight."

For photographers looking for a versatile option for low-light city photography, the Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM is a strong all-rounder. "It doesn’t go as wide," says Mike, "but it gives you greater telephoto reach with a constant f/4 aperture, which is fast enough for night cityscapes and street photography."

For capturing light trails and painting with light, Mike says there aren't really any specific criteria for camera and lens choice. "You'll be using long exposures, so you don't need a lens with a fast aperture. However, operating the camera remotely can be a big advantage, so it's great using a camera like the Canon EOS R8 with the Canon Camera Connect app. You can fully control the camera from your smartphone, via Bluetooth or by creating a Wi-Fi hotspot. So, for light painting, you can get into place and then start and stop the exposure, as well as checking the results, without having to run back and forth to the camera each time. For light trails, remote operation avoids the risk of vibrations caused by touching the camera.

"For astrophotography I'd definitely go for the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, with its high resolution," says Mike. "It's often vital to retain as much fine detail as possible in the sky. If small stars disappear from the image, that's a major concern. It's amazing how much detail this camera can capture in the night sky."

Generally in astrophotography, you need to keep shutter speeds relatively fast to avoid stars smearing across the sky. Wide viewing angles with wide apertures are the ideal combination, and the RF 14MM F1.4L VCM is the most obvious choice. Not only does it combine an immense 114° diagonal angle of view with an ultra-bright f/1.4 maximum aperture, it also only weighs around 578g – so it won’t slow you down when you’re travelling to a dark sky site.

The Canon EOS R8 is a great entry point into astrophotography with a full-frame camera, suggests Tibor. "You've got the same sensor and improved sensitivity as the Canon EOS R6 Mark II, yet it's in a smaller, more lightweight body. Any weight-saving is going to be an advantage if you have to carry gear to a remote location for astrophotography."

Pairing the EOS R8 with the Canon RF 10-20mm F4L IS STM opens up the opportunity to capture more of the night sky than ever before, adds Tibor. "This is the widest full-frame lens in our range that isn't a fisheye and it delivers super corner-to-corner sharpness with little distortion."

For some night sky subjects, going long is more important than going wide. This is where an APS-C camera such as the Canon EOS R7 or EOS R10 can be an advantage for astrophotography. "If you want to punch in a little more on the Moon for example, you can exploit the 1.6x crop factor of these cameras to give you that additional reach," says Tibor. "The EOS R7 has a relatively high resolution of 32.5MP as well, which allows you to record more detail."

To capture more open shots of the sky on an APS-C camera, you need to choose an ultra-wide lens. "The RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM is a good choice," says Tibor. "Even with the 1.6x crop, the shortest focal length of this zoom provides the equivalent view of 16mm on a full-frame camera, which still gives you an ultra-wide shot."

For the ultimate in all-round versatility and performance when shooting both stills and video, Tibor recommends Canon’s hybrid prime and zoom lenses. "These are superb low-light photography lenses, with large maximum apertures that deliver excellent performance in low light and creative control over depth of field. Image quality is outstanding, and they have added features for shooting professional video, such as minimal focus breathing and 11-blade circular apertures."

He recommends pairing the Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z hybrid zoom lens with the Canon EOS R6 Mark III. "The EOS R6 Mark III offers exceptional image quality at very high ISO settings, while the Dual Nano USM autofocus is not only super-fast for stills, but smooth and silent for video focus transitions. When shooting video, you can adjust the autofocus transition speed, allowing focus-pull effects with exactly the look and feel you're after.

"All of our AI solutions are designed to help you improve your image quality, and they can expand your photographic possibilities when shooting at night. The first month of the subscription is free and as you have nothing to lose, it is worth giving it a try."

Tibor highlights the Canon EOS R7 as another of the best Canon cameras for low-light photography and video. "Like the EOS R6 Mark III, it's able to focus accurately in very low light and it delivers low noise at high ISO sensitivities." Both cameras are equipped with IBIS, he points out, and they are capable of capturing excellent detail, colour and dynamic range in darker conditions: "They're great all-rounders with all the technology that is needed to produce high-quality low-light photography and video."