Best Camera Lens For Wild Life Photography?
Uncategorized December 5th, 2009I am an armature photographer looking to buy a good lens for taking wildlife photos, any suggestions 
?
I am an armature photographer looking to buy a good lens for taking wildlife photos, any suggestions ?
December 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Min of a 135mm max of what is practical to carry and you can afford. Second feature is the the widest f stop possible in your budget. 2.0 would be great but not practical on a long lens. The wider f stop will allow the background to blur out better and cause less distractions in the picture. Otherwise it is photoshop time.
December 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Bruce fails to ask one question when making his recommendations and yes, I own one (600mm EDIF-D f/4 Nikkor).
What kind of wildlife?
Obviously, if you’re aspirations include photographing dragonflies (a form of wildlife), such a lens would be silly to be lugging around in the marsh.
The 600mm lens is a dream to own, a nightmare to pack and not suited for many occasions, and, at nearly $12,000.00, certainly not something you would run out to purchase on a beer budget.
Curious recommends a light tripod to hold your heavy lens… OH CONTRARE !!!
If you want to watch your lens topple over, buy a flimsy tripod. I suggest you forego that suggestion and realize that to hold stability on a top-heavy object, you don’t use leggos.
If you photograph armatures (????… aren’t they motor parts?) for a living, are you considering a career change to go from mechanical parts photography then on to wildlife?
Without knowing the wildlife you seek and the availability of places like ARC or other more sensible forums for doing decent condition images of wildlife (like most wildlife photographers do), I’d be stepping into a void to even begin to suggest such an expensive cash outlay.
More information is needed.
.
December 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Excellent points made above. You didn’t say what kind of camera or what kind of wildlife. If you feel like it, here are 167 examples of “wildlife” photography. Find a few that look like what YOU want to do and then click on “more properties” to see what focal length was used for those images.
Bear in mind that I am shooting on a cropped sensor, so a 300mm lens performs like a 450mm lens would on a full format sensor or 35mm film.http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstei…
On my cropped sensor, I would LOVE to have a 400mm lens, which would be the equivalent of a 600mm lens as mentioned by some others above this answer.
December 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Since you didn’t mention the type of camera you have or your budget, I’ll mirror you & make a general suggestion to select a long telephoto zoom lens. You could opt for a fixed length long lens, but the zoom will give you more flexibility.
Get the best lens of at least 400mm (up to 600-700mm+ would be best) you can. (Check dpreview.com once you’ve narrowed down make/model options to see what their testers think of your lens. Sites like epinions.com will give you a more consumer viewpt. for reviews).
You’ll need to stabilize such a long lens or your pics will be all blurred. A lightweight tripod (check out the Gitzo brand) will be critical to avoid blur. Here’s the Gitzo URL: http://www.gitzo.com/Jahia/
The lens and camera body will already weigh a lot, so keep the tripod weight down for the times you have to hike in to your wildlife. Have fun!
December 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
this guide should help you outhttp://www.photoguides.net/photographing…
It basically recommends a zoom lens and a monopod. Those are two essential pieces of equipment for a safari/wildlife photographer
Hope that helps
December 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Best one that all the wild life photographers I have talked with over the years… 600mm fixed lens by the maker of your camera. ie, Canon, Nikon, Olympus…
You ask.. second best. 300mm and add the 2x converter when you can afford it.
Yes you will need a HUGE tripod and heavy duty mono pod too.
December 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
I am not sure what the exact camera is but my friend does wildlife photography and won a competition. She uses a Canon DSLR in the £1000+ price range, with added lens, tripod etc so I would recommend a look at the Canon website.