wildlife equipment

mickster · Jan 29, 2013

hi! am new to the photo forum and very new to digital cameras! was wondering if anyone has any suggestions about shooting wildlife(colorado elk,deer,fox,bear,etc...etc..!?) am very inexperienced with cameras and shooting wildlife,but i have a background of artistic values!(am a pencil artist) and also an avid outdoorsman(hunter,hiker,fisherman,etc..) just very intrigued with the camera world. what would be a good camera to start with for beginners? am looking at the nikon d90 to start with! and what beginner lenses to go with? looking to spend around 1000.00 or less(more so less).any suggestions on websites or stores for really great new/refurbished/maybe used gear?more so new! am on a budget!? just would like a good camera that will last a long time for the money,if that makes sense. thanks!

Overread · Jan 29, 2013

Wildlife photography is one of the most demanding areas, mostly because it requires two sets of skills (photographer and tracker) and because with a general lack of control over your subject (or limited control) you often have to work in less than ideal conditions and from a great distance which puts great demand upon your equipment.

It is one area of photography where the costs can get very large very quick (unless you're Steve Irwin good at getting close).

I tend to favour suggesting Canon as a viable path into Wildlife photography simply because they offer a 100-400mm, a 300mm f4 and a 400mm f5.6 lens in the rough same price bracket which is generally considered "affordable" for most people over time whilst also delivering a very good level of image quality.
Nikon on the other hand only has their current 300mm f4 in this rough price bracket - however they do have more affordable options in their older lens series and some of these are very good choices (sadly I can't advise on these as I don't know the older Nikon range well enough).

Both companies also have access to 3rd party options from Tokina, Tamron and Sigma who make a range of lenses which can also fit into lower priced budgets like the Sigma 200-400mm and the 50-500mm etc... These can provide cheaper options into the longer focal lengths.

Either Canon or Nikon will offer you good camera bodies to choose from and whilst many can sit and split hairs about which are "the best" in the current market both brands will do well (at present Nikon tends to be agreed to have the edge). Further whilst a good camera body will be of use a cheaper body is better if you can put more toward the lens since the glass itself is very defining as to the quality of light that you have to work with.

shefjr · Jan 29, 2013

Overhead is correct in that the cost of wildlife gear is extremely high. You can buy used 3rd party lenses for a fairly good deal and acquire good photos. With that said, it takes a real skill to be able to capture great images. It's not something that you can just pick up a camera take a walk and capture great images.

shefjr · Jan 29, 2013

Additionally, folks who want to shoot wildlife always want more distance. I purchased what some would call the affordable poor mans lens. A sigma 150-500 that alone was $1000 and the camera that I got was the Nikon d7000(which I prefer because unlike the d90 you fine tune the AF system) that was also around $1000. So for me this was a cheap set up and it was still $2000. There are others on here who have logos quality setups that cost a little less but, just wanted to let you see that even trying to do it cheaply isn't all that cheap.
also, good luck and welcome to the forum!

dxqcanada · Jan 29, 2013

If you have worked with rifle scopes, this can give you an idea of the focal length you think you want.

An 8x scope is a 400mm (8x50mm) full frame lens.
I think the D90 is APS-C so that would be a 264mm (8x33mm) in DX format.

You will need to invest a greater proportion on the lens.
Hi image quality long focal length lenses are required, wide max aperture is a benefit, and fast focusing ... all this adds up to lots of money, much more than you will spend on the camera body.

I started with cheap lenses ... and eventually ended up in the $1000.00+ lenses because of image quality. Too many images were wasted because of the poor quality of the lens.

mickster · Jan 29, 2013

thanks guys! will put all the input i get off here to good use! i just do not know how/where to start!? my opinion will be trial and error!? just looking to get the best bang for the buck! am wanting to "BUILD UP" my gear as i go.

shefjr · Jan 29, 2013

For me if I had it to do ever again, I wouldn't waste my money on lesser glass. And the problem for you is, if you get serious with wildlife photography, you won't know what you need till you get into it. There is a lot of information to learn. If I could force your hand to do one thing it would be to invest in quality glass. (I speak from experience) I wasted $1500 in glass that I don't use.

Overread · Jan 29, 2013

Building up is certainly a viable option and the most recommended for one new to the field before spending vast amounts. Generally I would say start looking at lenses of 300mm or longer in focal length, consider nothing shorter. Ideally you want to get to 400mm if you can. Of course the big thing here is how much you're going to spend now and how much you can feel you can put aside to save for the future upgrades (if indeed you find that you enjoy photography enough to want to make future upgrades).

It's a very individual thing and some will want to save others will want to spend - consider how long it will take you to save - if its going to be a very long time then I'd invest what you have now to get the best you can afford since you'll be using it for a long long time.

KmH · Jan 29, 2013

shefjr said:
Overhead is correct ......

Hey Overhead! :lol:

Uh, Overread!

mickster · Jan 29, 2013

so,would i do good with a lower end nikon body and a more expensive lense? or would i be good with the d90 and a moderate lense?

shefjr · Jan 29, 2013

KmH said:
shefjr said:

Overhead is correct ......

Click to expand...

Hey Overhead!
Uh, Overread!

Lol! Damn auto correct on the iPad!:lmao:

Overread · Jan 29, 2013

Glass first - a lower end camera body with a higher end lens will get you far more than the reverse when it comes to wildlife photography. Whilst a good body will have improved AF performance and improved high ISO performance, the glass itself is going to be a bigger effect on the image quality.

dxqcanada · Jan 29, 2013

As Overhead ( ;^} ) ... Ok, as Overread stated look for lens availability.
If xxx lens mount has a large variety of large focal length lenses (fixed or zoom), branded or third party, then that should point you at the camera body.

Third party lens manufactures tend to make their lenses in all popular lens mounts.
The camera manufactures may not have a good variety of lenses that they make ... or have affordable lenses that you want/need.

shefjr · Jan 29, 2013

Again, I agree with Overread. Quality glass will hold great value.
However, it really is a decision that you have to ultimately make. If you think this is going to be a short hobby then you may not want to spend big cash. Especially if you're not sure that you will enjoy it. There is one photog on here that has purchased a lens for like $500 used and he produces great images. So it can be done with lesser glass. It's just a lot more difficult.