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Wildlife cameras and lenses

Size isn’t everything…

Me and my cameras

Canon or Nikon

When I bought my first DSLR camera and lenses, I asked a friend of mine which brand to get. He just said, “Canon or Nikon.”

As I didn’t want to buy my camera from people who made photocopiers, I ended up with Nikon…!

That story illustrates your basic choice: Canon or Nikon (or possibly Sony if you like mirrorless cameras).

The cameras and lenses from different manufacturers are not directly compatible with each other (unless you use a converter), so you pretty much have to choose one or the other for the rest of time.

That’s not terribly convenient, so I thought I’d write this article to try and help you out if you’re just about to take the plunge.

Note that I’m assuming you want a full-frame DSLR, so I haven’t included any of the myriad of mirrorless cameras that are so trendy these days.

Nikon

You can read all about my camera equipment in this blog post, but I basically have two main camera bodies and two main lenses:

That’s all I generally take on game drives (apart from a wide-angle lens, perhaps).

The D850 is probably Nikon’s premier wildlife photography camera with a 45.7Mp sensor and all the usual bells and whistles, but the frame rate is only 7fps (or 9fps with the MB-D18 battery grip).

Here’s a summary of its main features:

  • 45.7MP Megapixel Back-Side Illuminated Full Frame CMOS Sensor with no Optical Low-Pass/Anti-Aliasing Filter

  • 7 fps continuous shooting with AF/AE (9 fps with optional battery grip and EN-EL18a/b batteries) with 51 frame 14-bit RAW / 170 frame 12-bit RAW buffer

  • ISO 64-25600 with expansion up to 102400, down to 32

  • 153-point, Multi-Cam 20K AF system with 99 cross-type AF sensors, 15 points active at f/8

  • EV -4 AF sensitivity

  • 180,000-pixel, 3D color matrix metering sensor, sensitive to -3 EV

  • +/- 5 stops of exposure compensation

  • Various auto white balance options

  • 3.2" (8cm), approximately 2,360,000 dot tilting touchscreen LCD

  • Up to 4K video recording at 30 fps using full sensor width

  • Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

  • Dual memory card slots – XQD & SDXC (UHS-II compliant)

  • 8K Time-Lapse

  • Negative Digitizer Mode

  • 1/250 sec x-sync

  • Focus peaking

  • Backlighted buttons

  • In-camera Multiple Exposure, HDR, Interval Timer and Focus Shift modes

  • Active D-Lighting, Auto Distortion and Vignetting Corrections

  • 1,840 image battery life

I started out with a D800 then added a D810 and then ‘leapfrogged’ a generation by replacing my original D800 with a D850.

I’ll probably carry on doing that, replacing the D810 with the latest camera body in the same range, which will probably be the D880 either this year or next.

The alternative is the D5 or D6 (£6,299), which has traditionally been the professional’s choice in the Nikon range, but the superior frame rate only comes at the expense of sensor size, so I’ll probably avoid that unless I can beg, borrow or steal one from Park Cameras…!

The 800mm gives me great range and sharpness (although it’s too heavy to handhold) while the 80-400mm is a very flexible zoom for closer subjects (although not as sharp).

Here’s a quick summary of the 800mm lens:

  • Mount Type: Nikon F-Bayonet

  • Focal Length: 800mm

  • Maximum Aperture: f/5.6

  • Minimum Aperture f/32

  • Format: FX/35mm

  • Maximum Angle of View: (DX-format) 2°

  • Maximum Angle of View: (FX-format) 3°10′

  • Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1/6.6x

  • Lens Elements: 20

  • Lens Groups: 13

  • Compatible Format(s): FX, DX, 35mm Film

  • VR (Vibration Reduction) Image Stabilization: Yes

  • Diaphragm Blades: 9

  • Distance Information: Yes

  • Nano Crystal Coat: Yes

  • ED Glass Elements: 2

  • Super Integrated Coating: Yes

  • Autofocus: Yes

  • AF-S (Silent Wave Motor): Yes

  • Internal Focusing: Yes

  • Minimum Focus Distance: 5.9m

  • Focus Mode: Auto, Manual, Manual/Auto, Auto/Manual

  • G-type: Yes

  • Filter Size: 52mm

  • Accepts Filter Type: Slip-in

  • Dimensions (Approx.): 160mm x 461mm

  • Weight (Approx.): 4,590g

  • Supplied Accessories: AF-S Teleconverter TC800-1.25E ED, Slip-on Front Lens Cap, HK-38 Lens Hood, LF-4 Rear Lens Cap, 52mm Screw-on NC Filter, LN-2 Lens Strap, CT-801 Trunk Case, Monopod Collar

And here’s the same for the 80-400mm:

  • Focal length: 80-400mm

  • Maximum aperture: f/4.5-5.6

  • Minimum aperture: f/32-40

  • Lens construction: 20 elements in 12 groups (with 4 ED and Nano Crystal Coat-deposited lens elements)

  • Picture angle: 30°10′ – 6°10′ (20° – 4° with Nikon DX format)

  • Closest focusing distance: 5.74 ft. (1.75m)

  • No. of diaphragm blades: 9

  • Filter/attachment size: 77mm

  • Diameter x length (extension from lens mount): Approximately 95.5 x 203mm

  • Weight: Approximately 1570g

If you have the budget and want a faster lens, you might also consider splashing out on the Nikon 400mm f/2.8 FL ED VR (£11.999) or the AF-S 600mm f/4E FL ED VR (£10,999).

I also have a few other lenses, but the only one I’d definitely take with me on safari is the Nikon 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED (£699), which is handy for close-ups of large animals against a dramatic background such as elephants at sunset or during a storm.

Canon

I’m not an expert on Canon equipment, but their best wildlife camera body is probably the EOS-1D X Mark II (£5,759.80) or the recent Mark III (£6,999), which boasts 20fps and a fast and accurate autofocus system - although only a 20.2Mp sensor.

Here’s a quick summary of the Mark II’s main features:

  • 20.2 megapixel, 5472 x 3648px, 35mm Full Frame Canon CMOS sensor

  • Extremely fast 14 fps continuous shooting for up to 170 RAW frames, 16 fps in Live View

  • 4K 60P and Full HD 120P video with Movie Servo AF via Dual Pixel CMOS sensor

  • 4K Frame Grab for 8.8 mp still JPEG images from 60 fps capture

  • Improved 61-point High-Density Reticular AF II with expanded coverage

  • Up to 61 AF-points supported at f/8 max aperture

  • AF working range down to EV -3

  • Continuous red illumination of up-to all AF points within the camera’s Intelligent Viewfinder II

  • Improved AI Servo III+ predictive AF algorithm

  • Dual DIGIC 6+ Image Processors

  • ISO 100-51200 with expansion down to 50 and up to 409600

  • 360,000-pixel RGB+IR metering sensor with enhanced precision and performance

  • Flicker Mode adjusts shutter release timing to avoid flickering light issues

  • 3.2" (8.11cm) Clear View LCD II, approx. 1,620K dot LCD with limited touch capability

  • Customizable Quick Control Screen

  • Large, bright pentaprism viewfinder with approx. 100% coverage and 0.76x magnification

  • Dual-Axis Electronic Level with optional dedicated viewfinder display

  • Built-in GPS

  • Magnesium alloy body with Canon's most dust and weather resistant DSLR design

  • Shutter durability rated up to 400,000 cycles

  • Distortion Correction, Diffraction Correction and Digital Lens Optimizer available for in-camera aberration correction

  • Dual memory card slots supporting one CF (UDMA Mode 7) and one CFast (2.0) memory card

  • Super Speed USB 3.0 for high-speed tethering and image/movie transfer, Gigabit Ethernet support

  • New Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E8

  • New LP-E19 Battery Pack with LP-E4N and LP-E4 compatibility

The other Canon camera bodies you might consider include the following:

When it comes to lenses, the one that stands out for me is Canon’s EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM lens with 1.4x Extender (£11,209.99).

Andy Skillen and one or two other well known Canon wildlife photographers have this lens, and it’s a great combination of sharpness and usability: it produces great images, but it’s light enough to handhold, and the extender/teleconverter gives you the range you need.

Here’s a quick summary:

  • Mount Type: Canon EF

  • Focal Length Range: 200-400mm (280-560mm with extender engaged)

  • Maximum Aperture: f/4 (f/5.6 with extender engaged)

  • Minimum Aperture: f/32 (f/45 with extender engaged)

  • Lens (Elements): 25 (33 with extender)

  • Lens (Groups): 20 (24 with extender)

  • Compatible Format(s): EF, APS-C

  • VR (Vibration Reduction) Image Stabilization: Yes

  • Diaphragm Blades: 9

  • UD Glass Elements: 4

  • FL Glass Elements: 1

  • Autofocus: Yes

  • USM (Ultra Sonic Motor): Yes

  • Internal Focusing: Yes

  • Minimum Focus Distance: 6.56 ft (2 m)

  • Focus Mode: Manual, Manual / Auto

  • Filter Size: 52mm slip-in

  • Dimensions: 5.04 in. (128 mm) x 14.41 in. (366 mm)

  • Weight (Approx.): 7.98 lb (3.62 kg)

Conclusion

I hope all that was helpful.

If you’re looking for bargains on all kinds of photographic equipment and software, just head to my Offers page.

Sources: The Digital Picture, Photography Life, Canon, Ken Rockwell

If you’d like to order a framed print of one of my wildlife photographs, please visit the Prints page.

If you’d like to book a lesson or order an online photography course, please visit my Lessons and Courses pages.