These meerkats may look like
they
lined up for a group portrait and just waited for photographer Nico
Smit to
say "cheese." But, alas, wildlife photography is not quite so
easy.
Having the right equipment, however,
can help.
SINGLE LENS REFLEX CAMERAS
If you are interested in the full spectrum of nature photography - from
macro to action images of wildlife - a digital SLR (or 35mm film
camera) will offer you the greatest flexibility. These cameras
allow you to switch lenses - from ultra wide fisheyes to long
telephotos. Most DSLRs will also be faster and more responsive
than a digicam.
CROP FACTOR
In choosing a DSLR camera, it's useful to consider the camera's crop
factor. Digital cameras have sensors of varying sizes. Full
frame DSLR sensors have the same or very similar dimensions to the 24mm
x 36mm frame size of 35mm film
cameras and excel in low light, in capturing detail and in allowing for
shallow depth of field. But DSLRs with smaller sensors can prove
beneficial in wildlife photography - particularly if you don't
have thousands of dollars to spend on fast 500mm or 600mm telephoto
lenses
or simply want a smaller and lighter camera kit. That's because
the smaller camera sensor results in an in-camera crop. If you
use a DSLR with a 1.5x crop factor, for example, a 300mm lens will have
an effective focal length of 450mm. A 2x crop will give you an
effective focal length of 600mm using the same 300mm lens.
CROP FACTORS OF SELECTED MODELS (CURRENT AS OF 3/08)
Nikon D300, D200, D80, D60, D40x and earlier models
|
1.5x
|
| Nikon D3 |
FF
|
Fuji S5 Pro and earlier models.
|
1.5x |
Canon 40D, 30D, 20D and Rebel series
|
1.6x |
Canon EOS -1D Mark III
|
1.3x |
Canon EOS 5D 12 mp; EOS-1Ds Mark III
21.1 mp
|
FF |
|
|
| Olympus E3, 510, E410, E420 and earlier
models |
2x |
Pentax K10d, K20d, K100d, k200d and
earlier models (also true of Samsung models)
|
1.5x |
Sigma DSLRs
|
1.7x |
Sony a300, a350, a700 and earlier models
|
1.5x |
Sony a900 24.6 mp
(estimated 8/08 or 9/08 release)
|
FF |
U S E F U L F E A T U R E S
DEPTH OF FIELD PREVIEW
Most DSLRs now offer depth of field preview, and it's a feature well
worth having. It will let you see what elements of the image will
be in focus at your chosen exposure settings. If you want both the eyes
and nose of a frog in focus, depth of field preview will let you know
if you've accomplished your goal. If you haven't, you can try a
smaller f-stop.
MANUAL METERING/ FOCUS OPTION
You'll also want to be able to manually overide exposure and
focus. A camera's meter, no matter how sophisticated, still sees
the world differently than the human eye. In some situations, you
will need to adjust your exposure to avoid blown-out highlights or
loss of shadow detail. Manual overrides also allow you to be more
creative:
there may be times when you deliberately want to underexpose or
overexpose an image for effect or to use long exposure times.
Spot metering is another useful feature to have, and I personally
prefer a camera that allows me to automatically bracket exposures in
difficult
lighting situations.
ADJUSTMENTS TO WHITE BALANCE, SHARPNESS, CONTRAST AND SATURATION
Most digital SLRs will let you make some adjustments to white balance
and to sharpness, contrast and saturation presets. Some cameras
also have settings for black and white photography - including your
choice of simulated filter effects.
MIRROR
LOCKUP
This isn't required but can be useful, especially when you are using
moderately slow shutter
speeds on a tripod.
DUST
REMOVAL
This feature is helpful - particularly if you're frequently shooting in
dusty environments. Otherwise, you'll find yourself either
frequently cleaning
your sensor or correcting dust spots on your images during
post-processing.
IMAGE STABILIZATION
Camera manufacturers take different approaches to image
stabilization. Sony, Pentax, Samsung and Olympus offer in-body
image stabilization.
If you use Nikon. Fuji or Canon camera
bodies, you'll need to purchase lenses marked either
IS (Canon) or VR (Nikon) to gain the advantage of reduced camera shake.
LIVE VIEW
Olympus initiated live view on DSLRs, and all other major DSLR
camera
makers are now following suit. This can be a helpful feature,
especially
with macro photography. I personally don't use live view often -
though I'm more inspired to do so when I'm using a camera that has a
free angle or tilting LCD screen. The ease of using live view
also varies between manufacturers.
CAMERAS WITH LIVE VIEW
D300, D3
|
LV
|
Canon Rebel XSi,
Canon 40D,
EOS 1D-Mark 111
|
LV
|
Olympus E-510
(several earlier models also offer live view.)
|
LV |
Olympus E-3
|
LV
Free Angle
|
Pentax k20d
|
LV
|
Samsung
GX-20
|
LV
|
Sony a300, a350
|
LV
Tilting
|
Panasonic
LUmix
DMC-L10
|
LV
Free Angle
|
|
You
can take beautiful portraits of wildlife, up-close images of insects or
environmental landscapes without ever desiring autofocus, but if
you're interested in action photography, a DSLR with fast and effective
autofocus and focus tracking and/or predictive autofocus is a big plus. You'll also want to
consider frames per second if capturing fast action is your goal.
Frames per Second - Fastest DSLRs
(last update 3/08)
Canon 40D
|
6.5 fps
|
Canon EOS 1D Mark III
|
10 fps
|
Nikon D80
|
5 fps
|
Nikon D200
|
5 fps
|
Nikon D300
|
6 fps
8 fps with
optional battery grip
|
Nikon D3
|
9 fps
(11 fps DX crop)
|
Olympus E3
|
5 fps
|
Sony a700
|
5 fps
|
Most entry level DSLRs average 3 fps - which is certainly fast enough
to record action. But their buffers are often smaller (meaning
that you can't take as many images before the camera insists on a rest
to complete image processing), and their autofocus systems are often
less robust. Regardless of the frame rate, you'll miss action
shots if you are depending on autofocus and your camera is unable to
quickly lock on the correct focus point. So if capturing action
is your goal, check reviews before purchasing a camera. And, if
possible, try out the camera with your selected lenses before making
your final decision.
Is autofocus absolutely necessary for action photography?
No. Wonderful images were created before autofocus was
invented. But it can certainly increase the odds of getting the
shot.
LENS
CHOICE
Before buying a camera, look at the manufacturer's selection of
lenses. Do they make the lenses you need, or do third party
manufacturers produce acceptable substitutes?
Both Nikon and Canon have a wide range of lens choices - ranging from
extreme wide angles to fast, beautiful, long telephotos. Almost
all third party lenses (Sigma, Tamron, Tokina) are also available in
Canon or Nikon mounts.
Olympus also offers a range of lenses well suited to wildlife
photography. With the 2x crop factor of its cameras, Olympus lenses
have effective focal lengths ranging from 14mm to 600mm.
There are far fewer third party lenses available for Olympus cameras,
but Olympus and Leica both produce excellent lenses for the
four-thirds mount.
Pentax and Sony both offer some very sharp lenses, but their longest
non-reflex telephoto lens (Sony offers a 500/f8 reflex) is currently
300mm (effective focal length
of 450mm on the 1.5x crop bodies.) Pentax did produce longer
telephotos in the past, as did Minolta (consumed by Sony), so some
longer telephotos may be available on the secondary market.
Teleconverters can also be used to further extend focal length, but
they have some drawbacks, particularly when used with slower consumer
zooms. Third party manufactuers also make longer telephoto lenses
for both Pentax and Sony camera mounts.
WHICH CAMERA TO BUY
This is a choice best left to you. If possible, try out different
cameras before
making your decision. Some cameras are small and light; others
will help develop your biceps. If you're planning to buy big
glass, a heavier body is often desirable. But if you hike into remote
areas, have smaller hands or prefer stalking wildlife to sitting in
blinds, a lighter, more portable system may suit you well.
If you intend to use manual focus, make sure
that you can see through the camera's viewfinder well enough to
finely
adjust focus. And spend some time playing with camera
controls. Can you easily access the controls
that you will use most frequently? You may also want to check how
quickly the camera focuses with your chosen lens. As DSLRs get better and
better, digital noise is becoming less of an issue. But If you
will frequently be shooting at higher ISOs, test
how well the camera performs at ISO 800, 1600 or above or compare image
samples at dpreview.com.
|
To inspire you, here are
the links to a
few wildlife and nature photographers. Frans Lanting, John Shaw and Moose Peterson
use Nikon
equipment, as does my partner, Steven Holt Art Wolfe, Tim Fitzharris and Arthur Morris use
Canon cameras,
and Mitsuaki
Iwago and John
Isaac
use Olympus
gear. Images made with Pentax cameras can be viewed at the Pentax
Photo
Gallery.
ON A BUDGET
Beautiful images can be made with any of the DSLRs currently on the
market. Entry level DSLRs don't have the speed, durability,
viewfinders or weather proofing of their bigger brothers, but they are
much less expensive and several allow you to have significant creative
control over your final image. If you're on a limited budget,
it's
better to spend your money on a better lens than to immediately
purchase a camera which may be far more than you will initially need or
desire.
Another option. particularly if you're interested in action
photography, is to look for used or refurbished mid-level
DSLRs. Refurbished Canon 30Ds, for example, are currently selling
for
$649.95 at Adorama.
CAMERA REVIEWS
There are several sites that can assist you in your choice of a
camera. Dpjournal.com
provides summaries of camera reviews, while Dpreview.com offers its own
detailed camera reviews with
galleries
of sample images. Dpreview
also
hosts forums, allowing you to
obtain advice from scores of photographers. Just be forewarned
that some photographers are so blinded by loyalty to their own camera
brand that they are unable to acknowledge that others could or
should make a different choice.
KNOW YOUR CAMERA
Once you decide on a camera, spend time getting to know it.
You'll be able to be more creative when you photograph and will also be
more
likely to obtain the results you are after in the field.
LINKS TO SELECTED CAMERA MANUFACTURERS
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