Wildlife Photography: The Camera

Mar 25

What is the right camera?

Some basics first

Do I need a DSLR or DSLM (mirrorless) system, or is it better to use a compact camera with a fixed lens? And what about my iPhone 13? Last but not least, let’s not forget to talk about the sensor size - which one is the best? Fullframe (FF), APSC or even a smaller Micro For Thirds (MFT)? Sooo many questions ….

The only correct answer is, it depends ;-)

I know, that’s not what most of you wanted to hear, but it is the honest truth. As long as you’re just taking snapshots, or you’re just a simple hobbyist, the camera itself is definitely an overrated & overhyped topic. And let’s face it, not to many years ago, all professionals shot award winning wildlife photographs with cameras, that we would call “entry level” gear nowadays - crazy hu?

What you really needs depends on you. It depends on your level of expectations, your level of expertise, your photographic goals, your budget and so on. An expensive professional camera definitely helps to get solid shots easier, with a much higher keeper rate than you’re used to. But it’s not compensating for the lack of photographic knowledge, experience, patience, persistence, knowledge about animal behaviour or your deficiensies in composition and framing. Even with the best and most expensive camera + lenscombo, it’s still hard work to get fantastic shots that differentiate from the board masses. But is has definitely gotten simpler to get the same average pictures everyone else gets - it’s easier to reach a certain level of technical quality of the pictures. You can see this all over social media like Facebook, Instagram etc. The “middle-class” has become much broader over the last 3-5 years.

Which type of camera (DSLR vs. DSLM)

Fact is, DSLM (mirrorless) cameras are the future and more and more brands just focus on these. DSLR are not dead as many people say, but they are definitely nothing camera manufactures will focus on and invest a lot of money in developments in the future. But you prefer DSLR’s over DSLM because you don’t yet trust the newest tech? No problem, that is absolutely fine. Canon 5D MIV, Nikon D850, Nikon D500 (just to name a few brands and models!) or the big DSLR flagshipp models like Canon 1DX MII/III or Nikon D5/D6 are still amazing and more than just capable cameras, also for wildlife.

The advance of a DSLM camera is that what you see on the screen/viewfinder, is what you get (exposure), the AF is covering 65- 100% of the frame, the AF is much faster and more reliable, tracking of subjects is sticky like glue, in many models you can use electronic shutter in silent mode (no click noises), more and more cameras offer a more or less reliable animal eye autofocus and at least one camera does not even have a mechanical shutter anymore (Nikon Z9) etc. The list of advantages over DSLR’s is long, and one of the very few (relevant) features which is better in DSLR, is basically the battery life. But also here, with DSLM it’s getting better with every new generation of cameras or new advanced battery technology.

Sensor size

For sensor sizes there is a simple average formula (not always 100% correct for every brand or every model):

Full Frame (FF) =

+ best low light capabilities (noise), best separation (object vs. backdrop), highest megapixel counts up to 61MP (April 2022)

- most expensive, heaviest, biggest and if you want full advantage of the bigger sensor, you also have to invest in big & expensive lenses

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APSC=

+ more theoretical reach (focal length) with the crop-factor, big selection of good glas, slightly smaller and lighter bodies, megapixel on average between 20-24MP which is a great start and enough for most people and use cases, lenses are relatively light and cheap when compared to FF.

-bit less good in low light (noise), separation not as good as FF (depth of field), sometimes 20-24MP might not be enough

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Micro Four Thirds (MFT)=

+ even more theoretical reach when compared to APSC due to the higher crop-factor, in-body-stabilization (IBIS) on some of the MFT DSLM’s is the best in the world, camera’s are maybe slightly smaller and lighter than the APSC competition but not by much because they are also full of the newest tech and otherwise handling & usability would deteriorate (small and light is not always better), lenses can be build much smaller and more compact, which means a MFT Combo is probably the best and lightest to travel with.

-most of the systems are not really competitive in low light scenarios, subject separation is even less good as in APSC (depth of field), systems only offer around 16-24MP.

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So far so technical ;-) I feel sorry for that, but you really have to understand this and need to allign these info with your expectations, personal preferences, your shooting style, your mode of travel, your physical capabilities, your budget etc.

So if you are 75 years of age and like to hike and sometimes you feel your back, knees or your hips, I do not see you walking around with a FF-camera and a big tele photo lens. You’d probably prefer to travel light, with a small backpack and a easy handholdable combo like a MFT System for example.

If you are you and fresh, travelling a lot by plane, always struggle with he weight of your hand luggage. You probably also don’t want to travel with the big and heavy gear. Maybe an APSC-System could be right choice for you?
If you want to have the maximum of creative freedom, best possible subject separation, best low light capabilities and weight or size of the equipment is not a deal breaker for you? In this situation you might find a Full Frame system the best available option.

And remember, with all these systems you can get amazing photographs, which might win in one of the very big international photographic competitions. At the end of the day, YOU are the photographer and YOU capture the moment and create the composition. The camera is basically just a tool and some key features might help to support your specific needs like high frame rates, or best low light performance, most megapixels etc.

Wildlife camera recommendation (technical specifications)

go mirrorless and get yourself a DSLM (if you can or want)
APSC or Full Frame camera if you can
at least 20 MP, my personal sweet spot is probably somewhere between 24-45MP (ideally 33-36MP)
burstmode with at least 8-10 FPS (frames per second) would be great. More is better
AF points should at least cover 65% of the frame. Also here, more coverage is better ;-)
would be great if you could add a separate battery grip (for better handling and more battery capacity)
a flippy screen would be amazing (trust me, I always hated them, since I have one I would not want go back)

Wildlife camera recommendation (brands and models)

CANON R6 (FF-DSLM) Best entry level camera for the price
CANON R5 (FF-DSLM) Value for money winner, semi-pro level camera
NIKON Z9 (FF-DSLM) Great value for money, flagshipp camera and the only NIKON DSLM I can recommend for Wildlife
CANON R3 (FF-DSLM) High priced pro-level camera (although Canon says it’s no flagshipp, for me it is one)
SONY A1 (FF-DSLM) Most expensive flagshipp camera on the market today, probably still the winner for photography only (For Video R5, R3 and Z9 are slightly better)
SONY A9/A9ii (FF-DSLM) Great value for money, semi-pro level camera (comparable to R5, AF little bit behind Canon R5)
SONY A7IV (FF-DSLM) Very good value for money, entry level camera with the perfect MP-count (33MP), comparable to R6 but slower FPS.
FUJI XT-4 (APSC-DSLM) Good value for money, entry level APSC camera with good MP-count (26MP), autofocus is ok but not really good for fast action.
SONY A6500/6600 (APSC-DSLM) Good value for money, Sony entry level APSC, usability bit limited to the competitors, button layout not really good
NIKON D500 (APSC-DSLR) Very good value for money, probably still the best wildlife DSLR- APSC on the market, fast and reliable
NIKON D7500 (APSC-DSLR) Good value for money, entry level wildlife DSLR-APSC, durable, reliable
NIKON D5/D6 (FF-DSLR) Good value for money, two of the best DSLR flagships in the market, build like bricks, fast and reliable
NIKON D850 (FF-DSLR) Very good value for money, probably the best DSLR camera of all times. FPS without battery grip bit low, AF system a bit on the slower side, amazing image quality with about 45MP
CANON 5D Mark IV (FF-DSLR) Very good value for money, the best semi-pro level DSLR of CANON, like the D850 it’s a bit on the slower side, but not as good with high dynamic range situations
QM-System OM-1 (MFT-DSLM) Very good value for money, new stacked sensor, best MFT system in there market, great AF-system, best IBIS on the market today, very light and durable. Weather sealing probably the best as well.

I am well aware of the fact, that not every brand and every relevant model is represented here, it’s not a complete list of all of the possible options on the market. But it is a list of some of the best options available to date. But do not forget, many of the DSLR cameras I mentioned, are not longer being produced - same goes for the Sony A6000 series as well which is a DSLM.

The choice is your’s

With ALL brands and models mentioned, it is possible to take amazing wildlife photographs. With a few of them, it’s even possible to create high quality 4K or sometimes even 8K video footage.

But there is no such thing as THE best camera! The best camera is the one which covers all your needs as good as possible. Every photo- or videographer’s got different requirements and needs. There is not one camera, that could cover them all - at least not yet ;-)

I was a NIKON shooter for many years. I started with a low priced NIKON Coolpix and the adventure endet with a Z6 plus D850. During that time, I got my hands on a SONY A7III in summer of 2019, and was amazed by the new possibilities of this camera. So when SONY announced their A9ii for November 2019, I preordered one unseen and untested. What can I say, SONY did not disappoint and I decided to initiate a full switch to SONY ALPHA fullframe cameras. I am currently a happy user of the SONY A1 for stills, a A7IV as my second stills camera and a A7SIII for my video content.

Last but not least it’s also very important to think about the lens options available, currently the market for third party lenses for native SONY E-Mount is really good, while for CANON RF and NIKON Z the options are extremely limited and mostly on manual focus lenses. On the other hand, CANON and NIKON do both have a great market for used lenses of the older mount systems, and they can br attached to the new DSLM’s almost without any limitations.

But that is just for me, if you are more into CANON or you prefer NIKON, go for it. You can’t go wrong either, there is noch such thing like a superior brand or model anymore.

If you are not sure, go and rent/test 2-3 different models of different brands. Take them with you, compare them and decide for yourself what fit’s the best for you.

Good luck with your decision, and don’t forget to go out and have fun :-)

Marco

Marco Buegel