I would like to take photographs of wildlife,does anyone know a good camera and lens for the job?

Question

I go hillwalking and take various photographs of everything around,what i would like is more wildlife photographs,but the problem is i cannot get close enough for a good photo,does anyone know of a good camera,and the proper lenses to get photo,s at distance,i would prefer it to be digital.

Answer 1

Well I think it really depends on how much money you want to spend on a camera. I for one would of course recommend a digital camera. I really like Canon for camera, and currently I have a Canon EOS Rebel and I tend to use the 300 mm and a 55 mm lens. The 300 is great for taking pictures of lots of stuff; from Mt. St. Helen's, to Bald Eagles, even the McNaught Comet! ...it pretty much works on everything other than close-ups...which leads to the 55. I use the 55 quite frequently when I'm on vacation and stuff because it is great for the close ups on rocks and plants. Pretty much you want a camera that you change the lenses quite easily so that you can get different types of pictures.

Answer 2

Canon's are good, but I know Nikon's. I advised a friend on this exact question and he is well satisfied with his purchase.



Get a Nikon D200. The body is pretty well sealed up with good gaskets and it is made with a metal frame, so it can stand a bit of inevitable bumping around. It has extremely versatile focus and metering schemes that would be great for wildlife on the move. And sports.



Get a Nikon Zoom Telephoto AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR Autofocus Lens for about $500. This is what my friend bought, and he has used it for birds and deer and plans on taking it into bear country soon. One user review on B&H says that the autofocus is super-fast. You can carry a shorter lens if you like, but then you have the problem of trying to change lenses in the field without dropping something. The minimum focus is just under 5 feet, so you won't need any closer for animals.



300 mm on a digital Nikon is the equivalent of 450 mm on a 35 mm, so this is a decent length. If you just want it all, get a Nikon ED AF VR Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D lens. Rockwell says the autofocus isn't really fast, but I don't know how demanding he is about this.

Answer 3

The best camera for the job, in my opinion and considering that you have the sufficient finances to afford the equipment, is the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II. Especially when you're shooting outdoors, the EOS 1Ds Mark II is a camera that is quite safe with its environmental seals.



In terms of which lenses to get, you can try the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM which is quite versatile (you can zoom in and out while shooting at a stationary position). Even better are the EF 500mm f/4L IS USM or even lens with greater distance like Canon's EF 600mm f/4L IS USM.



For more information on Canon equipment, you can visit the Canon website at http://www.usa.canon.com/html/canonindex.html.

Answer 4

If you want a close up of the sun, zoom in with your 70-300mm. You can look through the viewfinder quite safely to take such a shot. The sun is not that bright at sunset or sunrise. To avoid over exposure, set the exposure in your camera. If you don't know how to do that, can I suggest reading the instruction manual. You will probably get the best results using manual mode, as you have full control of the aperture and shutter speed to be as creative as you want.

Answer 5

For this task, there's one thing I've learn't about Digital compact cameras: by the time you've got them fired up, and the motordriven zoom lens set.......... the wild animal you're trying to photograph has buggered off, and Digital compact cameras are therefore not really all that good for this task.



The next step up from this would be the digital cameras that are a next step up from Digital Compact camera's, but one step below a chuffing expensive Digital-SLR.

From the reviews I've read, 2 Digital cameras which look ideal for this task is the Fuji Finepix S5200/S5600 + the Fuji Finepix S9000/S9500/S9600..... both of which I believe you can set the the focus manually, making them more suited to wildlife photography.

As I'm skint, I'm currently thinking of getting the S5600 once my bank balance no longer has a minus sign next to it. Here's the reviews for both of them:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/fuji_s5200.html

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/s9000.html



The next step up would be a Digital SLR, but they usually have prices liable to give your bank manager a fatal heart attack...... there's a selection reviews of them here (the Nikon's are supposed to be best):

http://www.steves-digicams.com/cameras_digpro.html



For non-Digital, a good old fashioned film camera would suffice........ you'd probably be able to pick up an old 35mm SLR pretty cheaply on eBay now people are ditching them for digitals

Answer 6

You'll have to carry more weight.



Get a digital SLR.



Get the fastest telephoto lens you can afford.



Get a decent tripod and head. Get a wired/remote shutter control.



All big bucks.



One way you might be able to cut down on power of your lenses (and thus cost/weight), is to be more patient. Learn how to stalk and hunt, learn where the animals will be. Try to be there before they are, get close.



You can also experiment with using telescopes of various types as a lens. You need to get the proper T-ring and adapter to couple it to your SLR. I've just started experimenting with this because I already had a Celestron C90MAK and had recently bought a Canon EOS 30D. My problem so far is that I need a sturdier tripod.

Answer 7

Any camera and using 1000mm Lens

Answer 8

you can read reviews of camera lens by ebay members. here's a direct link