Photography question for the IWL photo brain trust

[Strange]

My early 20s nephew is looking to get into wildlife photography and wants recommendations for kit. He’s not made of money so keep that in mind. Since lenses are spendy as hell and fortunately rentable I’m thinking he should worry about the camera first and then once he’s had a chance to try some lenses out then rob a bank or something when he knows what he wants in terms of glass. I’m also thinking used is the way to go for the camera; he’ll prolly want rig with a full frame sensor so used is probably the only way he’ll be able to afford that.

So, recommend away my equipment savvy sistren & brethren!

[chuckmiller]

The key to wildlife photography is reach. You are never close enough to the animal. Long glass can be EXPENSIVE so I agree on renting various lenses at first to discover what is needed for the style he wants to shoot. Going to a zoo vs being in the forest vs being in a field could require very different lenses. Try Sigma and Tamron glass as well as manufacturer brand glass.

You can get very good camera bodies in the pre-owned market, as well as refurbished bodies direct from some manufacturers. Both options can offer nice $$$$ savings. The toughest choice today is whether to go mirrorless or with the latest generation DSLR.

Personally I prefer a full frame sensor but the crop sensors out today are really good too.

[Strange]

Long glass can be EXPENSIVE

You said a mouthful there. I just dropped a minor fortune on one of these:

What are the relative merits of mirrorless against a DSLR? I've only ever used the latter and have no experience with mirrorless.

[chuckmiller]

We are a Canon and Nikon household so I really can only speak to those brands but it generally holds true across the board. In my opinion the greatest benefit to the latest generation mirrorless is the sensor. The camera can autofocus on almost the entire sensor area. Hundreds of auto focus points versus 20 or 45 or 60 for a DSLR sensor. Plus, using the main sensor to autofocus eliminates the need to MFA (micro focus adjust) for each individual lens. Another mostly mirrorless advantage is IBIS (in body image stabilization). That means you can use a lens that lacks Image Stabilization (it will be a less expensive lens). Canon now has the R, RP, R3, R5, R6, R6ii, R7, and R10. I think they haven't updated or released a DSLR body in a few years now. This means all the latest chip technology is only is the mirrorless bodies. Mirrorless is the future. BUT BUT the best dslr bodies can still make superb images even with their older tech. Eye AF, head AF, animal AF, vehicle AF, this new tech is only in mirrorless bodies. Having said that, a $900 mirrorless body cannot keep up with a $3,900 mirrorless body (or $6,900).

[chuckmiller]

[QUOTE=Strange;585361][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=3]You said a mouthful there. I just dropped a minor fortune on one of these:


Check this one.
https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/p/rf1...Black&type=New

https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/lense...der=price_desc

[Strange]

Check this one.
https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/p/rf1...Black&type=New

https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/lense...der=price_desc

Bloody hell that's insane. Imagine paying that much for a lens and then dropping it. Or having it stolen. Waaaaayyyyyy too rich for my blood.

[chuckmiller]

When you own those you insure them and have a service contract.

[chuckmiller]

(Dupe)

[Strange]

So…recommendations for makes/models? Ones to avoid? Since some makes/models lock you into a particular set of lenses the initial purchase of the camera body will have continuing relevance beyond its intrinsic quality.

[chuckmiller]

Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Fuji all make excellent cameras. Canon and Nikon have more lenses than Sony and Fuji. Your nephew may have to choose a specific type of photography to help guide him through the array of choices out there. Many wildlife shooters say having reach is paramount so they like to use a high megapixel crop sensor. Sports shooters want maximum frames per second from the shutter and the buffer and those camera bodies often sacrifice sensor megapixels which means those images cannot be cropped as heavily.

I agree, I wouldn't get into a system such as the Canon M series since that mount and lenses is proprietary and has few good lenses available. For your nephew, camera body size and weight may matter, megapixels may matter, frames per second may matter, overall cost may really matter.

Read reviews from quality sources such as DPReview, Northrup Photo, and Jared Polin. Look for comments on focus speed, focus accuracy, rear LCD screen quality, control button layout, overheating (like the Canon R5, which is still my next, all around. do everything well enough body).