Wow. Stunning shot. Love the colors and composition here. More on reddit.com

Sony had a head start on full frame mirrorless, which let them build market share. And they disclosed the mount specs to third parties, so they have a wide selection of good but affordable lenses. Canon and Nikon were later to the game (and don’t share specs) but they’ve made up a lot of ground. The reality is that they now all make great full frame mirrorless cameras capable of doing more than most of us need most of the time. Frankly, I’d prefer a Canon or Nikon, but I chose Sony for the lens selection. Also, fwiw, saying Panasonic MFT is an “abomination to all of cameras” is rather absurd, and shows that you probably don’t have much (any?) experience with the MFT system. Is it Panasonic MFT specifically? What about Olympus? What, in your experience, makes it such an “abomination” to photography? EDIT: Also, don’t get caught up on the brand/gear. Most people don’t know—and don’t care—what you used to take a picture/video. The final product speaks for itself. More on reddit.com

Digital cameras continue to improve even over the last few years. Key improvements include better Quantum Efficiency (QE), lower noise floor, lower dark current, better low signal uniformity, and lower pattern noise.

Avoid cameras that filter raw data. Variations in filtered raw data vary from deleting stars to turning star color to green or magenta (there are no green or magenta stars). For a partial list of camera models known to filter raw data see the links in this page: Image Quality and Filtered Raw Data

Large vs small pixels. Online one often sees the myth that larger pixels are more sensitive. However, adding signal from multiple small pixels to form a larger pixel gives about the same total signal as a large pixel of the same area. Cameras with large pixels tend to show more pattern noise, e.g. banding. Higher megapixel cameras, especially recent models, which have smaller pixels, tend to have less pattern noise and better low end uniformity.

Mirrorless cameras and shutters. Choose camera models with a shutter. If there is no shutter, the sensor is exposed and will attract dust. I have many cameras, including Canon 7D. 7D Mark II, 6D, 6D Mark II (2 bodies), 90D and R5. All have shutters and I have never once had to clean any of the sensors. Several cameras have been multiple times to the dusty Serengeti and other locations around the world, and never a dust problem.

Choose models that have a self-cleaning sensor unit (ultrasonic vibration of the filters over the sensor). Set up the camera to automatically clean the sensor when it is turned on or off. Run the cleaning process before a long imaging session. Minimize the time the camera is exposed with no lens or body cap on. For example: Minimize Dust Contamination

Circa 2008 a new pixel design started to be introduced in consumer digital cameras that reduced the effects of dark current. It is called On-Sensor Dark Current Suppression Technology. In better implementations the so-called amp glow seen in long exposures is gone and astrophotographers no longer need to take dark frames because the dark current is measured and removed in hardware in the pixel during the exposure on your subject. Circa 2014 the technology was getting pretty good, so if buying a used camera, select models produced after about 2013, but even more recent models show improvements. It took longer for some entry-level cameras to gain this technology.

Random noise from dark current is still an issue (the dark current suppression technology blocks accumulating signal levels (e.g. amp glow and offsets), but not random noise. So finding a low dark current camera is important for better performance. But also important is keeping the camera from heating up. Dark current doubles every increase of 5 to 6 degrees Centigrade, so random noise doubles every 10 to 12 degrees Centigrade. One trend that is appearing is that cameras with flip-out LCD screens move a heat source and mass away from the sensor, so the camera may run cooler and/or not heat up as much as models with no movable LCD, thus the random noise from dark current may be lower. The flip-out LCD screen helps with viewing in unusual positions too.

Camera models from the last 2 or 3 years show significant improvements over earlier models and have better low light uniformity, low dark current, excellent dark current suppression technology and more models with flip-out screens to better dissipate heat. Mirrorless and DSLR models that do high rate 4K video may also have improved heat dissipation.

Bottom line is to buy the most recent camera models you can afford. Many are excellent for astrophotography as well as regular daytime photography, and sports and wildlife photography.

More info at: Characteristics of Best Digital Cameras and Lenses for Nightscape, Astro, and Low Light Photography Note: this is not a list of specific models, but what to look for in a camera.

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I'll probably get down-voted but I know Sony but your post was too long to read

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