Choosing Wildlife Photography Cameras

Wildlife photography is probably the favourite of most photographers; may be, followed by landscape photography . It should be noted that ...

Wildlife photography is probably the favourite of most photographers; may be, followed by landscape photography. It should be noted that pets are not considered 'wildlife'. Every year, during Wildlife Special, I write about this genre of photography in general but this time 1 would like to be more specific and talk about the type of wildlife photography cameras, sensor format, lenses, ISOs, apertures and shutter speeds crucial to this topic.

Image Source: Pixabay

Type of Wildlife Photography Camera

Actually, and as long as you understand the limitations of your equipment, you can use any type of camera be it a bridge camera, a D-SLR or a mirrorless model. Bridge cameras generally offer very long focal lengths at very affordable costs, and hence it could be the 'starter camera' for those on a strict budget. Bridge cameras are also lightweight and compact, thus adding to the comfort zone of the user.

On the disadvantage side, the lens is almost always 'slow' and not interchangeable. Another drawback is its small imaging sensor size. D-SLRs, though comparatively more expensive and heavier, have been the preferred choice of most users, including professionals. The main advantage is the ability to interchange the lenses to suit the shooting conditions. On the negative side, the flipping of the reflex mirror causes minute vibrations that rob the image of its optimum sharpness. There is also the question of'shutter shock', which also adds to the loss of critical sharpness ( unless you use the Electronic Front Curtain Shutter, if the camera has this feature).

Mirrorless models offer certain advantages. Since there is no reflex mirror, the mirror-induced vibrations that cause some loss in sharpness with D-SLRs is completely eliminated. Mirrorless models also offer EFCS (Electronic Front Curtain Shutter) that helps in avoiding the shutter shock and thus improves on image sharpness. Another advantage of the mirrorless models is the Electronic View Finder (though not everyone will agree with me here). The EVF allows you to record video easily (without resorting to Live View). Since the camera is at the eye level when using the EVF, the camera is more stable since it presses against the forehead for extra support. EVF also makes it easier to focus in low-light situations, but since the image in the EVF appears brighter than what it is actually, some users feel that they will go wrong with the exposure.

Wildlife Photography Camera: Sensor format 

The size of the imaging sensor in your camera plays a very important role in achieving high image quality. Everything else being equal, the larger the sensor, the better the image quality.

ISO 

Try to use the lowest ISO that your camera offers (generally, ISO 100). As you increase the ISO sensitivity, not only do you get more digital noise, the dynamic range of the imaging sensor is also reduced.

Shutter speed 

When photographing wildlife, it is advisable to use higher shutter speeds to prevent any camera shake and/or subject movement. The rule of the thumb, when using the camera without a stable support, is to use a shutter speed that is the reciprocal of the effective focal length. For the uninitiated, effective focal length is the actual focal length multiplied by the crop factor. So, if you are using a crop sensor D-SLR camera, you have to multiply the actual focal length by 1.6 (Canon cameras) or by 1.5 (Nikon, Sony, Pentax cameras) to arrive at the effective focal length. As an example, if you are using a 400 mm lens (or a zoom lens at 400 mm setting), the effective focal length is 640 mm (Canon) or 600 mm (Nikon). Hence, as per the thumb-rule, your shutter speed when using the 400 mm lens handheld would be 1/640 sec or 1/600 sec, as the case may be.

My suggestion, however, is to err on the higher side and use a shutter speed that is twice the focal length, especially if you are using a high-resolution camera (I would consider 24 megapixels and higher as 'high resolution').

Someone may ask, if higher shutter speed is recommended for wildlife photography, then why not always use the fastest shutter speed available? Remember that high shutter speeds for a given aperture require good light or an increase in the ISO sensitivity. Increasing ISO sensitivity beyond a certain point will makeyour images noisy, as well as reduce the dynamic range of the imaging sensor. Hence, remember not to go all out and use the highest available shutter speed (unless the high shutter speed is really required). Using a high shutter speed calls for subjective judgement from the photographer. Consider photographing a deer running at a good speed. Let us assume that for that particular shot, a shutter speed of 1/500 sec is the optimum. Instead, you use, say, 1/4000 sec. The running deer will appear frozen and will not give the viewer an idea that the deer was running. What you require (for a correct representation of the deer's speed) is that the body should be sharp but there should be some blurring of the articulated feet.

Wildlife Photography Camera: Aperture 

All lenses including 'pro' lenses offer better resolution when stopped down a bit. With non-pro lenses, the best resolution is often found about two stops down from the widest. With 'pro' lenses, though you get very good sharpness at wide open aperture, you still get a little better sharpness if stopped down a bit, say one stop. Hence with fast lenses, you get the advantage of good sharpness when used wide open, plus the advantage of being able to use a higher shutter speed for freezing the action.

Lenses 

When it comes to wildlife, 'fast' lenses are preferred to 'slower' ones. Fast lenses (those offering a wider maximum aperture) allow you to (a) focus faster, (b) focus more accurately, (c) help you in throwing the background out of focus for a better 'bokeh' and ( d) allow you to use higher shutter speeds without increasing the ISO.

Fast lenses (read that as 'pro' lenses) are designed to offer very good sharpness even when used at wide open aperture - something that slower lenses do not generally offer (e.g., Nikon 500 mm f/4, Canon 600 mm f/4).

Some more considerations 

Supporting the camera 

As far as possible, use a stable support under the camera. This could be a bean­bag, a monopod or a tripod. Personally speaking, I consider the monopod the least steady of the three; it prevents the up/down movements but it does not effectively prevent the side-to-side or front-to-back movements, unless the monopod is resting against something immovable. Even then, it is better than hand-holding the camera with a long, heavy lens.

Coming to hand-holding the camera with a long, heavy lens, I am just not in favour of it. Yes, occasionally, you might get some sharp images, but that's not my idea of using the camera optimally. If you need proof, try photographing a still subject 20 times using a long, heavy lens hand-held, at slow shutter speeds and then repeat the shots using a firm tripod. See how many of your hand-held shots are tack sharp at 100 percent!

IS /VRetc 

When possible, use the vibration reduction feature (IS / VR etc). If you are using a tripod and all knobs are tightened, please switch off the vibration reduction. If you prefer to keep all knobs loose (there is advantage in that), you may keep the vibration reduction feature set to 'On'. However; theory says that if your shutter speed is 1/500 sec or faster; the vibration reduction should be switched off. However; in my limited trials, I have not noticed any difference with either method!

Heat waves and image softness 

Heat waves between the camera and the subject can cause softness in your images. The funny thing is that sometimes we can notice the waviness caused by heat waves, and sometimes we just cannot. When that happens, you are likely to blame your lens!

Strong breeze 

Strong breeze can be a reason why your images are not as sharp as you would have liked, even when the camera is tripod mounted. The culprit here, very often, is the large lens hood on long lenses like the 500 / 600 mm f/4. These large lens hoods act like a sail, providing a lot of area for the breeze to shake the camera. In such circumstances, if the subject is lit with the light coming from behind you or if the light is unlikely to cause flare, the lens hood may be removed before taking the shots. Such simple precautions, as mentioned here, will help you in getting sharper wildlife images.