5 Best Cameras For Wildlife Photography
You are here because you would love a very good and convenient camera for your wildlife photography expeditions. Our Photography Experts have listed below some of the important keynotes and best DSLR Cameras to Use for your wildlife photography while on a safari in Africa. Our recommendations on the best cameras for wildlife photography are not limited to the below one, there are others that are better.
First, let’s start with what you should be looking at in case you want to buy a Wildlife Camera.
- Speed:- While in any wild animal field, you will need a very fast camera to capture the activities wildlife are engaged in. Wildlife are notorious for not posing for a camera shot, they are always on the move, which makes photographers have cameras with good shutter speeds. This means that their camera needs to have a fast frame rate, to make sure they can capture several images in a fraction of a second. The camera also needs to have a decent shot buffer, meaning it can take a good number of images before needing to cool off.
- Autofocus:- Another huge consideration is autofocus. A camera with a large spread of autofocus points across its frame will be much more capable of locking onto wildlife. Also, more recent cameras tend to have more sophisticated autofocus systems with tracking mechanisms that can keep pace with a moving subject. This can prove crucial and can be the difference between nailing the shot and missing it altogether.
- Long Battery Life:- You will be spending a lot of time or a full day in the field looking for those incredible wildlife shots. A good battery with a long life would do you great justice, at least to keep you shooting images. As a photographer, you wouldn’t want any opportunity to pass you. Lens selection is a factor too; does the camera offer a good selection of long telephoto lenses to bring wildlife into focus? And then there’s the price of course!
5 Best Cameras For Wildlife Photography
Sony Alpha 1
The Sony a1 is the company’s flagship interchangeable lens camera, with a 50MP sensor that can capture bursts of images at 30 frames per second and record 8K video. That sensor also helps power the a1’s capable autofocus system, which comes with updated machine learning-derived algorithms for detecting human faces and eyes, as well as the eyes of many types of animals and birds.
Sony is billing the Alpha 1 as, well, the one camera that can do just about anything you’d need it to do, whether you’re shooting fast action, landscapes, or high-end video. It’s also in a reasonably sized body, so wouldn’t be out of place for use in reportage or travel photography, and its Ethernet and high-speed USB-C ports speak to its ambitions as a pro-sports machine.
Key specifications:
- 50MP ‘stacked’ full-frame CMOS sensor
- 30 fps burst shooting with electronic shutter (lossy compressed Raw/JPEG only)
- 8K/30p video recording with Log and 4K Raw video out over HDMI
- 1/400 sec flash sync with mechanical shutter (1/200 sec with electronic shutter)
- 9.44M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder with 0.9x magnification
- 3.0″ tilting touchscreen with 1.44M-dot resolution
- Full-size HDMI port, headphone / mic ports, USB-C port with 10 Gb/s transfer speeds, ethernet port
- Dual UHS-II / CFexpress Type A card slots
- CIPA rated to 530 shots with rear LCD (430 through the viewfinder)
- Weather-sealed body
- 737g (1.62 lb)
Canon EOS 90D
The Canon EOS 90D is a midrange DSLR that replaces the 3.5-year-old 80D and fits between the EOS 77D and the ‘yes, it still exists’ EOS 7D Mark II. It gains a new higher-resolution sensor with excellent Raw image quality and offers competitive live view AF (with eye detection) as well as 4K video capture, all in a familiar package. Mostly for less-budget wildlife photographers, and its known to be the best low budget cameras for wildlife photography.
The 90D is essentially the DSLR version of the mirrorless EOS M6 Mark II, which was introduced alongside it. Since the specs are nearly identical, it looks like Canon is letting potential buyers choose what type of shooting experience they want: a midsize DSLR with an optical viewfinder and more physical controls, or a smaller and lighter mirrorless model with a removable electronic finder. And, of course, the difference in native lens lineups between the EF and M mounts could attract different types of users, as well.
Key features:
- 32.5 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
- Dual Pixel autofocus (live view/video)
- 45-point all cross-type AF (through the viewfinder)
- 220k-pixel metering sensor w/face detection
- 7 fps burst shooting w/continuous AF
- Fully articulating 3″ touchscreen display
- Optical viewfinder w/100% coverage
- 4K/30p video capture with no crop
- USB 2.0 port with Micro USB connector
- Wi-Fi + Bluetooth
Sony a7 IV
The Sony a7 IV is the fourth generation of the company’s core a7 full-frame mirrorless camera model. It’s the most advanced yet, bringing many of the improvements Sony has made in terms of autofocus and interface design since the launch of the a7 III, back in February 2018. Not as powerful as the Sony A1 Or Sony Alpha 1, but know to be among the best cameras for wildlife photography in Africa. Gives you that award-winning shot any time.
Key Specifications
- 33MP BSI CMOS full-frame sensor
- Up to 10 fps shooting in lossy Raw with extensive buffer
- In-body stabilization rated up to 5.5EV
- Full-width oversampled 4K from 7K, up to 30p
- 4K/60p (from 4.6K capture) in Super35 / APS-C mode
- 10-bit video or HEIF stills capture
- H.265 video, S-Cinetone color mode
- 3.69M dot OLED viewfinder
- Twin card slots (1x CFe A/UHS-II, 1x UHS-II SD)
- Full-time Bluetooth LE connection
The a7 IV sees just about every one of its specifications improved over the a7 III, from basics such as the resolution of the sensor and viewfinder to significantly increased video capture options.
Nikon D850
The Nikon D850 is Nikon’s latest high-resolution full-frame DSLR, boasting a 46MP backside-illuminated CMOS sensor. But, in a fairly radical departure for the series, it is also one of the company’s fastest-shooting DSLRs.
This combination of properties should significantly widen the camera’s appeal to high-end enthusiasts as well as a broad range of professional wildlife photographers. The Nikon D850 is among the best wildlife photography cameras recommended on the market.
Key Specifications:
- 45.7MP BSI CMOS sensor
- 7 fps continuous shooting with AE/AF (9 with battery grip and EN-EL18b battery)
- 153-point AF system linked to 180,000-pixel metering system
- UHD 4K video capture at up to 30p from full sensor width
- 1080 video at up to 120p, recorded as roughly 1/4 or 1/5th speed slow-mo
- 4:2:2 8-bit UHD uncompressed output while recording to card
- 1 XQD slot and 1 UHS II-compliant SD slot
- Battery life rated at 1840 shots
- 3.2″ tilting touchscreen with 2.36M-dot (1024×768 pixel) LCD
- Illuminated controls
- 19.4MP DX crop (or 8.6MP at 30fps for up to 3 sec)
- SnapBridge full-time Bluetooth LE connection system with Wi-Fi
- Advanced time-lapse options (including in-camera 4K video creation)
High resolution
The use of a backside illuminated (BSI) sensor means that the light-collecting elements of the sensor are closer to the surface of the chip. This should not only increase the efficiency of the sensor (improving low light performance) but should also be expected to make the pixels near the edges of the sensor better able to accept light approaching with high angles of incidence, improving peripheral image quality.
Nikon Z 9
The Nikon Z9 is a 45.7MP full-frame pro sport mirrorless camera: a high-speed, 8K-shooting statement of intent from one of the industry’s biggest players. It is one of the latest professional cameras for wildlife photography with good features on a safari to Africa.
Nikon becomes the third brand to build a pro-grade mirrorless camera around a fast-readout, stacked CMOS sensor, and seems determined to show that has no intention of being an also-ran as the market moves to mirrorless.
The Z9 is the first camera in this class to abandon the mechanical shutter entirely and, particularly in terms of video, it’s by far Nikon’s most ambitious camera yet.
Key Specifications
- 45.7MP Stacked CMOS sensor
- 30 fps JPEG shooting
- 20 fps Raw shooting (for over 1000 compressed Raws)
- 120 fps JPEG shooting at 11MP resolution
- 8K/30p capture and 4K/60p-from-8K, with ProRes 422 HQ option
- 8K/60p in 12-bit N-Raw with 4.1K ProRes RAW option
- Internal 10-bit N-Log and HLG capture
- 3.69M dot OLED EVF with reduced lag and greater brightness
- 2.1M dot rear LCD with multi-directional tilt
- Twin CFexpress Type B card slots
- Full-time electronic shutter camera
- Sensor shield to protect sensor
5 wildlife photography tips for beginners
- Begin with a familiar environment to understand how you can take a good shot at your subject
- Get to know your subject and know the best ways to get a good shot
- Be prepared to wait and be patient on your subject
- Ensure you Take lots of photos to increase your chances of getting a good shot
- Make sure you have backup memories and batteries in case you stay long in the parks
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