When I read the recent Wildlife Photography on a Budget guest post, it resonated with me. You don’t need the latest and most expensive gear to enjoy shooting wild life. Although it doesn’t stop you dreaming and thinking “if only” … particularly, when you sit in front of the computer and inspect the results from the latest trip. If only … better sharpness, contrast, out of focus rendering, reach … the enjoyment of a good photo is often tinged with a slight regret, that “if only” – the second chance with better kit, improved technique, slightly different settings, more time and patience. Amateur wildlife shooting is unforgiving and the opportunities are not always there to go back and have a second go. Particularly, if you live in a big city like myself.
I put down my Minolta 700si film SLR and A-mount lenses in the early nineties when kids appeared in quick succession. There was little time and money to indulge in film photography passion. Digital compacts were convenient and easy to use for kiddie pics. This period coincided with the emergence of DSLRs. When the new Sony Alpha 100 appeared I bought it as a relatively cheap entry into the digital world allowing me to continue to use my Minolta lenses.
The Atlantic Eagle above was shot in jpg with the Alpha 100 and an early 1990’s 100-300mm Minolta APO f/4.5-5.6. This was shot on a trip to the polar circle in Norway in 2011, and it invokes the “if only” in me … if only I had a better lens, if only I had better fps capability. Blown out highlights could have been controlled if I’d shot in RAW. The Alpha could do 3 fps, not great for BIF so I used single shot mode and panning to catch it. Imagining a faster camera, better sensor, a much faster AF and a better lens – this could have been a great shot … if only. Still, I am proud of this shot – the timing was good and it caused me a level of excitement when I first saw in on the PC. It required a degree TLC in post to improve it.
The Eagle shot prompted me to save for an upgrade. Nikon was arguably the leading DSLR maker in those days and I opted for a D7000 and the 70-300mm AF-S f/4.5-5.6G VR. This combo got its first wildlife outing in Africa in 2012 – a fantastic trip with the opportunity to observe nature at its wildest and greatest. It was totally unforgettable. But still with some “if only” regrets … particularly as you know you may never get a second chance of a trip like that.
With better gear reach was the biggest ‘if only’. 300mm is a stretch, particularly for smaller more shy animals and birds. The Kingfisher in the Okavango Delta required a fair bit of cropping in post.
The Impalas also exposed this lens’s limitations at its longest in terms of sharpness and bokeh. The yawning Hippo was taken in low light and here a combination of technique (I moved to catch the moment) and pushing the shutter speed makes the shot less than pin sharp. I should have pushed ISO to 800 … “If only” …
The “lions dining on ribs” was the best of a few shots where I tried patiently to get the angle right for a good picture of both the carcass and the munching carnivores. If only, I had a better position or more time – this is what makes wildlife shooting so exciting and frustrating at the same time. You’re often almost there – but not quite – to get a great shot. It is not easy to ask the subject to turn its head or just move a little bit to the left. As an amateur, you don’t have the opportunity to come back and try again and explore in depth – you got those few hours or days and that’s it.
I upgraded my DSLRs and have ended up with a D7200 via a D600 (that is another story of accidents and dust). I sold my 70-300mm and bought the Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR instead. Clearly this lens has less reach, but it is a much sharper and faster lens – which I have enjoyed enormously as a very versatile and relatively lightweight lens perfect for travels and good at shooting sports.
As a wildlife lens it is not so ideal and it often requires the 1.4x teleconverter, but even then, its results outshine the older 70-300mm in so many ways. Cropping is a key tool, as with the Blue Tit I sat patiently waiting to catch it in my back yard in the cherry blossom. I haven’t been able to justify acquiring a longer telephoto lens. It is as always a cost and weight trade-off, so the reach issue is still with me … if only. But maybe there is an answer as Nikon has released some interesting options recently, such as the Nikon 300mm f/4E PF VR (see Nasim’s detailed review).
Through some friends of friends, I may have the opportunity to travel to Zambia next year, which has already got me excited, and it would be almost unthinkable not to bring a lens with reach beyond 200mm. It would be a shame to visit this beautiful part of the world with its abundance of wildlife without a long telephoto. The “exotics” are out of the question on cost and weight grounds (the trip will be expensive enough!) but I got my eyes on the above-mentioned 300mm f/4E PF VR or the new 200-500mm f/5.6 VR. The 300mm is currently on the top of the list, as it is lightweight and apparently works well with tele converters. What if Nikon released a new 400mm f/5.6 PF VR lens this year – that could be ideal? In any case I’ve started saving … and hopefully ;-)
Regardless of the kit I can afford, I will continue to enjoy wildlife shooting: the experience, the challenge, the learning – improving with each outing – assisted by better kit and improved understanding of how to maximize the capabilities of the gear.
The reward for planning, patience and perseverance makes it so enjoyable. In many ways, it is the journey which is rewarding – the journey through travel, nature and wildlife experience, and the photography learnings – that is the key. There will always be the “if only” even with plenty of post-processing and better tools. But that is OK! That is in some ways what it is all about!
This guest post has been submitted by John Erik Ellingsen, an amateur wildlife photographer from the UK.
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I had pretty good success with my D7100 on safari. I divided the trip pretty equally between my own kit lens (70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR) and an 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 ED VR that I was able to rent from one of the resorts. While I enjoyed the extra reach of the rented lens, I have to say I was pretty happy with the results of the kit lens, and the nice low weight was pretty nice on a rover without much to lean on. When I look through the 3000+ images I took on that trip, I probably have just as many keepers from the cheap lens as I do from the $2000 one.
I’m hoping to go back in a couple of years, this time hopefully with a D850 on my hip, but I’ll absolutely be taking the D7100 along for the ride.
My “if only ..” path into wildlife photography was very much as the OP: D60 -> D90 -> D7100 all with AF-S 70-300 VR. Then it was time for first visit to Africa, and a proper telephoto lens – AF-S 300 f/4 IF ED. Plus a TC14, as there is never enough reach, and at least in Namibia light is not a problem.
What is a problem on game drives like those in Zambia is that you might come closer to the larger animals, like mammals and cats; changing your lens should not be an option. After trying the 70-200 f/4 + 300 f/4 combo of lenses on D7200, and loosing some photos while in process of changing lenses, it was time to get the 200-500 f/5.6. This one proved to be an excellent all-rounder for wildlife, anything from elephants in Sri Lanka to small birds in Slovenia. Its weight is just light enough to be easily hand-holdable, even for my wife. We must be lucky as our example does not need and AF Fine tune..
However, my safari experinces were all self-driving ones, where animals will decide how close or how far they will be … and mostly they were at the longer side of the zoom. Where off road game drives are executed by lodge vehicle you will come much closer to animals, and 70 mm will be often used. For such I would opt for 70-200 + 300 with TC14 permanently attached to the body, to prevent dust entering the camera while changing lenses on the field.
An experienced “What IF”….Not a Pro just a hobbyist from film days to the DSLR now Mirrorless. I went from Canon T2i to Sony A7s due mostly to it doing bracketed shots of 5 @ 3 ev for HDR but then found it to be the boss at Astro Milky Way. But like you on a budget had to use Canon Film Lenses and my T2i lenses using adapters for the few years it took to get some Sony lenses (and for Sony to make them). But then in camera stabilization with the Mark 2’s and the 42 MP craze. But if I had a trip like your taking the new Sony A7M3 and three lenses SEL1224G, SEL24240 and the Sigma 150-600 C. For all wide stuff including Astro the SEL1224 (dark sky there) and the SEL24240 can get you close and if you switch to APS-C mode you got 360mm. But the Sigma, yes a big bazooka, but with the included adapter to Sony you get AF (all kinds) (even above f/8) and also again if you switch to APS-C you also get more than a 1.4 teleconverter you get 225mm to 900mm and still get AF. Why do I bring AF into the subject because Canon and Nikon have a problem when going above f/8 with a lens and you will want to put that teleconverter on that 300mm or 500mm which will force MF. Also the more reach you will need more f/# say f/16 because DOF gets narrower and you want a whole animal or bird in focus. Ok some help using the Sigma, get a very strong binocular harness and hook to the lens mount and carry a shooting pole that has a trigger extender from a gun store or Wally World. Also they make Photographer vests with a pocket just for the lens. Also when changing lenses out in the field use a clear plastic kitchen garbage bag put several in the back pocket of your vest. You can use the 2x teleconverter with the Sigma but you lose AF. I learned all this from trying to capture Hummingbirds. Last you may have some great Nikon glass an inexpensive adapter and you can use them all. I used a 2x teleconverter with a Canon FD 100-300mm f/5.6 l for sometime (would have collected dust if not for Sony and the M2 camera made it even better) before the Sigma for birds and other things.
But you alway have to look at the best bang for your buck and that you have done for sometime but Patience pays off while we hone our skills.
Using a TC with a zoom lens rarely yields a sharp image. Nikon, Canon, and others have provided AF Fine Tune (or similar named feature) to address the sample variety that is standard among all camera equipment. But, it is a single adjustment. And, this single adjustment is impacted by focal length and distance to subject, to a lesser degree – which means the adjustment is worthless for zoom lenses as you can make one end slightly better (at one distance) but the other end will be completely useless. AF Fine Tune is great for dialing in a camera + prime, or camera + prime + TC, when needed. In my experience, with many top tier primes, and all three of the most current Nikon TCs, the combos with TCs always benefit from AF Fine Tune.
Thanks for your article — in regard to gaining more reach for a reasonable price, don’t overlook the Nikkor 80-400. It’s very sharp for a zoom — less than 11 inches fully extended — and with your crop sensor a virtual 600mm without the huge size & expense.
I didn’t find the 80-400 all that sharp. The 70-200 f/2.8 or f/4 is sharp for a zoom. The more recent 200-500 isn’t as sharp as the 70-200s, but is, at least mine is, sharper and more useable than I found the 80-400 to be. YMMV.
Good Article!