For portrait or landscape photography, you do not need the camera to have any special characteristics, but not all photographic equipment will work for capturing animals. If this question is interesting to you, it is worth understanding it.
Every photographer has pictures of pets, birds, or even forest dwellers. For some, this is just a memory of events and certain moments, but this is a strong hobby for many photographers. There is a separate direction in photography for capturing animals. Previously, this type of photography was called photo hunting, but now it is commonly called photo animalistic.
Subjects of shooting
The first thing to do is to determine the working conditions and get acquainted with the peculiarities of the shooting objects.
Any animals rarely sit still, only if they are awake. They are very mobile, and it is very difficult to predict the trajectory of their movement. Many animals, seeing a person, begin to pay attention to him, which negatively affects the naturalness of the images. When photographing wild animals, it is necessary to remain unnoticed.
General characteristics of the required equipment
Must-do animal photography very quickly. If you hesitate even a little, you can miss the moment. The animal will either run away or no longer assume a suitable position. The camera should be very fast. Autofocus should be very fast, and the shutter should respond instantly to the press of the shutter button. It is also advisable to take many pictures to get a chance that at least one of the series will be successful. For this, the camera must have a high “rate of fire.”
To take a close-up photo of an animal, you must use a telephoto lens. It will allow you to get a good shot from a distance. It is best to use high-aperture lenses. It will make it possible to reduce the shutter speed when shooting, and the shallow depth of field will separate the animal from the background. In addition, Best affordable camera for landscape photography high-aperture lenses can take better photos in the dark.
What should a lens be able to do?
The lens must have a focal length of at least 200-300 mm. it will make it possible to shoot small animals and birds close up from a great distance. Lenses with a shorter focal length are suitable for photographing pets. It is advisable to use lenses with mechanical focal length adjustment. This will allow you to frame the frame with one hand and press the shutter button with the other. In the case of electronic regulation of the FR, all actions will have to be performed sequentially, which is a waste of time and, accordingly, the opportunity to miss the moment.
A rule says that in order to get a sharp picture, the shutter speed should be equal to the value inverse of the focal length of the lens. This means that when shooting at a focal length of 300 mm, the shutter speed must be 1/300 second or less to obtain a sharp image. If the lens is equipped with a stabilizer, the shutter speed can be 2 or 3 times slower. If there is no stabilizer, it is advisable to use a tripod.
For successful in-camera photography, a Servo AF system is required. This will allow the camera to lock onto your subject and keep it in focus until the shot has been taken. Also useful will be selecting the focus area and spot focusing, which will allow you to focus only on the subject and not on its surroundings.
As a result, a device for photographing animals must meet the following requirements:
- Have a telephoto lens;
- Create little noise in pictures at high ISO values;
- Respond quickly to the actions of the photographer;
- Work with accurate and fast autofocus system;
- Have a high burst speed;
Reporting DSLRs, mirrorless cameras with telephoto lenses, and nimble, compact ultrazoom are best suited for the purposes described in the article.
Animal DSLR Equipment
If the cost of equipment is not an issue, then a DSLR is a great choice. Accordingly, such a camera needs a good telezoom. super zoom
A good telephoto lens can cost more than a camera, so consider this in advance. You can save money and use fixed focal length lenses, but this will limit your shooting options.
When using lenses on cropped cameras, the focal length of the optics is increased due to the crop factor. should also take this into account. A teleconverter is a great inexpensive addition to your lens. With it, a 300mm lens can become 672mm. should take the camera in view of the fact that it can be used with modern optics. This will allow you to grow professionally without having to buy a new camera. The disadvantages of SLR cameras are their high cost, heavyweight, and size. It is necessary to use special bags for carrying equipment.
Mirrorless in photo animalistic equipment
The characteristics of mirrorless cameras are close to those of DSLRs. Mirrorless cameras are compact and lightweight. The quality of the pictures is not inferior to budget SLR cameras, but they cannot compete with expensive DSLRs.
Mirrorless cameras can shoot quickly enough due to the lack of a movable mirror. Detachable lenses allow these cameras to be used in a variety of conditions. It is worth choosing a mirrorless camera carefully, as some models do not have enough telephoto lenses suitable for shooting animals. Due to their compactness, many mirrorless cameras have received small sensors, which affects the quality of photographs, but there are also full-frame mirrorless cameras.
Superzoom for shooting animals and birds
Compact super zooms may not qualify for professional photography, but they are good devices to start a big hobby.
Compact cameras are suitable for those who do not plan to publish their images in print or print on large posters. Not the best picture quality is compensated by the cost of the camera, lightness, convenience, and a powerful zoom lens.
