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Equipment for wildlife photography

Valerie

Updated: Sep 30, 2019


This serves as notes for myself, hence it is written in this format. You are welcome to share this with everyone.


Key elements in a camera body:


Sensor - Low light performance

  • Must perform in low light to allow the use of fast shutter speeds

  • This site shows a comparison on the performances of different models, categorized by brands for our convenience https://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/

Sensor - Dynamic range

  • Applies for photos shot in RAW.

  • Good dynamic range to retrieve details when boosting shadows and reducing highlights.

Sensor - Megapixels

  • Useful for cropping an image.

  • A high megapixel sensor will come at an expense to dynamic range and low light performance.


Sensor - Auto focus

  • Ability to choose a more accurate area to focus on (many focus points)

  • Auto-focus track

  • Ability to auto-focus in low light


Image stabilization

  • Image stabilization counters camera shake, allowing for lower shutter speeds when hand held


Frames per second

  • High


Customization

  • Ability to customize your camera body so that you can adjust each setting you need without taking your eye away from the viewfinder.


Crop factor

  • A crop sensor body has a crop factor which may be desirable for wildlife.

  • A full frame body allows more light in, provides for a shallower depth of field.


Durability

  • A well-build and weather sealing body to counter dust, wetness and temperature.


Key elements in a lens:


Aperture

F-stop is calculated by

F2/8 x 1.4 = f/4

f/4 x 1.4 = f/5.6

f/5.6 x 1.4 = f/8 etc.


Wide Aperture lens

  • Wide aperture (f/2.8) lens is known as a fast lens.

  • Costs more

  • Heavier and larger as compared to low apertures.

  • Isolate your subjects, making your shots clean


Distance (lens on a full frame body):

  • 400mm - Good for most animals

  • 500mm - Frame filling animal shots

  • 600mm - Smaller creatures like birds

  • 800mm - Frame filling small creatures

Naming

  • Canon crop-frame lenses are labelled as "EF-S" lenses

  • Canon's full frame "Pro" lenses are known as "L" lenses


Notes

  • Go with brands that have good long lenses that are sharp.

  • Lenses have an aperture that they will be sharp at.

  • Prime lenses tend to be sharper than zoom lenses

Converters

  • Allows you to increase your reach to the subject

  • Reduces the time it takes to auto-focus



Sources (information)

burrard lucas


Photo credit

sudhirshivaram

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