www.botswanawildlife.com
What to buy?
The photography market is huge and can be daunting to anyone just starting out so thought I should put together a few tips that will hopefully be of use to anyone thinking of taking up wildlife photography, based on what little
experience I have gained taking wildlife photographs. Although camera equipment is expensive its not neccessary to break the bank to take decent
photographs, however as a rule it is always worth getting the best equipment you can afford.
Click on the links below (or scroll down) to read a few facts that should be considered when buying equipment for wildlife photography.
Camera
There are a confusing number of cameras on the market, however the following points should help to narrow the options down.
Digital versus Film - In my opinion Digital is the way to go due to the reasons listed here. However film is worth considering and is still the popular choice of many wildlife photographers due to the better colours rendered. - With wildlife it is essential to take numerous exposures to increase the chances of at least one decent shot and digital allows you to do this without substantially increasing development costs. SLR v Point-and-shoot - Although there are a number of top of the range point-and-shoot cameras available with decent optics and zoom these are in my opinion inadequate for anyone serious about wildlife photography. The image quality of an SLR far exceeds anything produced on a point-and-shoot. - Another factor is the overwhelming array of lenses and accessories that can be combined with an SLR, giving you endless options to expand your photographic abilities. |
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Now that we have narrowed it down to a Digital SLR the options are less daunting however there are still a few things to be considered. The availability of accessories (lenses, flashes, filters etc) for your camera should be a key consideration with Nikon and Canon being the leaders in the market with a greater range of accessories compatible with these bodies.
The recent advances seen, for instance, in the Pentax and Sony DSLRs makes these a very attractive alternative which should also be considered.
Most manufacturers have a range of DSLRs for serious-amateurs to professionals with vast differences in price. Generally it is better to get an expensive lens than an expensive body, however a the following should be considered:
- Megapixels - minimum of 6mp but 10mp recommended
- Size/weight - very much a matter of personal opinion
- LCD - the 400D's 2.5inch screen is ideal
- FOV Crop factor? - smaller sensors on some DSLRs results in a 1.5x increase in focal length
- Shooting priority mode - essential though found in most SLRs
- Autofocus points and metering modes - Most SLRs are perfectly adequate in both these areas
Lens
It is commonly acknowledged that the lens dictates the quality of image to a far greater extent than the camera body.
An expensive body with a poor quality lens is unlikely to produce decent results so it is always advisable to combine a cheaper body with the most
expensive lens you can afford.
It is usually recommended to use the same manufacturer for both camera and lens, however I have found that lenses from third party lens
manufacturers, such as Sigma, are more affordable whilst still maintaining decent optics.
- Focal Length
- From wide angle to telephoto, the options available when considering what lenses to buy are innumberable. The photos below give an idea of the difference between various focal lengths. The value in the brackets is the approximate focal length after the FOV crop factor has been taken into account.
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| 18mm (~30mm) | 50mm (~80mm) |
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| 190mm (~300mm) | 500mm (800mm) |
| - For general wildlife photography I would recommend a 200mm or 300mm lens, however should you wish to photograph birds
then 300mm is inadequate. I would suggest that at least a 400mm is essential to be able to get close enough to get birds filling the frame. Remember,
however, that any focal length over 300mm requires some form of support to reduce camera shake - see below for information on tripods.
- A combination of a zoom/telephoto lens plus a wide-angle lens, for scene shots, is essential. The wide-angle however need not be any wider than 18mm - the standard kit lens minimum focal length - as this is perfectly adequate for most situations. Should you wish to be more creative and take more scene shots then a dedicated wide-angle lens is worth getting. - Whilst the FOV crop factor is a major benefit for zoom lenses it has a negative impact on wide-angle lenses and this must be taken into consideration. Prime versus Zoom lens - When considering which zoom/telephoto lens to buy the main question is whether to go for a fixed focal length (prime) lens e.g 300mm or a zoom lens e.g 50-500mm. Generally speaking the prime lenses will give (slightly) sharper photos, however I have found that the flexibility of a zoom lens outweighs this slight disadvantage. Unless you are going to use a number of camera bodies each with a different lens I would recommend a zoom. |
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- Lens performance
- The speed of a lens is determined by the aperture or f-number. For instance an f4 lens would be faster and usually sharper than an f5.6 lens and this is reflected in the respective prices. In Botswana, however, where sunlight is not a problem slower lenses such as the Sigma f5.6-6.3 50-500mm lens still yield perfectly acceptable results.
Tripod
One of the main reasons (if not THE reason!) for blurred photos is inadequate support for your
camera & lens, resulting in camera shake. This is particularly noticeable when using big focal lengths as the shake is magnified by the zoom.
If you are taking most of your photos from within a vehicle or hide then a simple bean bag is the cheapest option. For mine I used 2kg of rice to fill
a soft cloth bag which gives plenty of support for my lens without being too heavy to carry around.
Should you wish however to take your camera with you while walking (round the campsites or even on a walking safari) then a tripod would be a
worthwhile investment - mine has proved invaluable.
The first tripod I was given was a lightweight tripod which was inadequate for supporting my heavy telephoto lens. Although the tripod could
support the weight I was always scared that it would get knocked or even blown over thus ruining my lens!! After considering the various options I
decided to invest in a more expensive tripod which, although it is heavy, feels sturdy and is unlikely to be knocked over even with a heavy lens on top.
When buying a tripod it is worth considering the following:
- Maximum weight of your equipment
- Weight of the tripod - rigidity balanced with ease of carrying it around!
- Flexibility of the head - fixed head or interchangeable?
- Quick release head? - useful when you need to quickly detach the camera
The major manufacturers, such as Bogen/Manfrotto, Velbon and Slik, offer a wide range of tripods & heads for a variety of needs. As with a camera
the best option would be to go into your nearest store and take a look to get a feel for the tripod. Although these tripods are expensive in comparison
with other makes, in my opinion it is imperative to get adequate support for your lens. As with everything photographic you usually get what you pay for!
Another consideration is the total weight of your camera equipment, especially in light of the current restrictions in airline baggage
allowance. An option worth considering, if travelling frequently, is to make a cheap beanbag once you arrive at each destination rather than
having to carry a heavy tripod with you wherever you go.
Accessories
The two main accessories that I use with my camera are filters and a flash, however there are also one or two smaller accessories that I have used that
will also be discussed.
Filters
- Due to the large size of the Sigma lens, I have not bought or used any filters with it - perhaps I should have but the price always put me off!! On my wider angle lens however I have used a few filters.
The one I use most to alter the image is a polarising filter which I have used to accentuate clouds, or the colour of the sky, on landscape photos. This works most effectively when you are shooting at right-angles to the sun...
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| Without a polarising filter | With a polarising filter |
- Apart from a polarising filter I would also recommend keeping a UV filter on the front of your lens at all times, if only to protect the lens from
scratches - it is much cheaper to replace a filter than an expensive lens!!
Flash
- I have recently been trying to use flash more frequently in my photographs as it is a very effective tool when used properly. On an overcast day, for instance, the flash can be used subtly to add a light in the eyes of your subject - this always enhances photographs as it makes the subject look alive.
- Flash can also be used to remove unwanted shadows from a subject, such as those caused by strong sunlight. Often shadows destroy what would otherwise be a good photograph and in these instances a bit of fill-flash could've been used to eliminate the harsher shadows.
- As well as being used as a secondary light source, flash can obviously be used effectively as the main light source such as in poor light situations or on night drives where these are permissable. Although there are obvious problems that need to be compensated for such as red-eye (bouncing the flash or using the flash off-camera helps), dark shadows behind the subject etc. Despite this by using flash you are able to get photos that would otherwise be impossible.
The photos below were taken less than 2 minutes apart, however due to the poor light at the time I was unable to get a fast enough shutter speed. By using a flash I managed to freeze the action although it is debatable as to which photo is a truer reflection of the moment!
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| Without flash | With flash |
- The pop-up flash on the camera is inadequate for any of the above uses so I would recommend buying a proper flashgun if you want to use flash to full effect. Most of the camera manufacturers sell a wide range of flashguns as do the 3rd party manufacturers such as Sigma - usually cheaper with similar capabilities.
Other Accessories
- One thing I have found very useful is a Car battery charger as this helps to ensure that I never run out of charged batteries whilst in a game reserve far from a power source. A simple one that plugs into the cigarette lighter is all that you need although a few spare batteries don't go amiss if you have the money to spare.
- Canon offer a Remote switch which fits conveniently on to the camera strap. This enables you to take photos without pressing the shutter, thus reducing camera shake to a certain extent.
- Having adequate Batteries and Memory is vital when taking photographs as you don't want to miss capturing a photograph just because you have no more space left or your battery ran out! Make sure you have plenty of space - I usually fill 2.5Gb of memory cards in around 3 days in the game reserves! If you aren't taking your laptop with you to download the photos then make sure you have enough memory to last the duration of your trip!!
