For a long time I've been taking picture's of wildlife and Nature, it's my passion, and I've been using ordinary camera's or my camera-phone and I have taken some quite nice ones. Recently I've fallen in love with David Attenborough again and the old fire of being out with Mother Nature and just waiting for a nice image to come along is blazing once again.
I'm looking for a professional camera which will last a lifetime, or a good few years at least, one which doesn't mind taking pictures of a fast moving creature, can zoom a fair zoom
I have my eyes on a Canon EOS-10D Digital camera, I'd just like some advice, and to know if this is the right camera for wildlife portfolio's :)
The camera is not going to be as important for nature photography as the lens you choose.
Canon, Nikon, Olympus etc. all make great cameras, there's very little difference between them to the average user and even then, any differences would only be evident when the cameras are side by side. Where the camera will make a difference is:
* how many photographs you can take in succession, this will also be affected by the read speed of the memory card you use
* how big it will allow you to print the photograph, a Canon 10D has a 6.3mp sensor so you should get 10 * 15 inch prints from this
* the multiplication factor for the focal length of the lens you are going to use, the Canon has a standard 1.6x CMOS sensor, so the focal length of lens will be multiplied by 1.6, e.g. a 200mm lens will actually be 320mm on a Canon 10D. This is great for zooming in nature photography, but will limit you in wide angle should you wish to take landscape or architecture
As I said at the start, what is going to affect your nature photographs is the lens you choose. You will need a telephoto lens, ideally 400mm + to allow you to get close without scaring the subject. This will need to be a fast lens; the largest aperture you can afford that is available at the maximum focal length will give you the best option.
For example, I have a lens here, it's very much a cheap as chips lens, 70-300mm zoom, so on my Canon that's 1.6X crop factor giving me 112mm-480mm. The speed is F4.0-5.6, i.e. it allows me F4.0 at 112mm going up to F5.6 at 480mm, it's maximum focal length. I'd not class F4.0 as a particularly fast lens, F5.6 even less so, so to me this lens would not be ideal for nature.
A slower lens is usually compensated for by a longer shutter speed, but this isn't going to be an option in nature where your shutter speed is going to be 1/125s or faster at the slowest, or by a higher ISO setting, but this is going to reduce the clarity of your photograph by introducing noise. A lens with a fixed aperture of F2.8 through it's entire focal range would be the best, but these are expensive to say the least.
On a side note, cheaper lens will not focus as fast, again this is going to affect your nature photography.
One point I would note on your choice of camera, the Canon 10D is quite an old camera (circa. 2003) and quite a few advancements would have been made since then up to the recent launch of Canon's 50D. Obviously the 50D could be out of your reach, but you should look at the 20D / 30D options, this will give you a better sensor as well as a bigger screen on the rear of the camera to view your photographs.
If you can't afford the faster lenses or lenses like the 400mm. Learn the area or areas you will shooting your nature photos in. Look for trails like the deer may use most. Which seasons provide the most activity in a certain area. When arriving to that area never hurry to get out of your car and always shut the door quietly so not to scare off any wildlife that may be near. Walk slowly make yourself as invisible as possible if this not an option then find a comfortable spot wait. Patience is a big think in nature photography. In waiting the animals and birds will become more at ease with you as they find you are not a threat to them. They will become curious and want to check you out animals like squirrels and birds our very curious creatures. They always want to find out what is going on in the neighborhood. Go to state parks many of the wildlife in them are accustomed to people. There for do not spook as easy.
When I lived in Iowa it was real hard to capture a Blue Heron and Snow Egrets but here in Florida at the State park I go to you can get super close to them. I have been as close as three feet to them and they never even moved. Of course the guy cleaning his fish was a great help as they all were standing around waiting for a snack. I can also get close to the gators in the park as well (not recommended) as the gators have free roam of the park.
I can only afford lower end lenses so I have to use other means to capture nature. Through patience, understanding, and imagination I still am able to capture nature.
The nice thing about the 10D is that it is weather sealed to some degree so it's a hardy camera. You could lighten your costs by choosing your targets. Aside from TLTownsend's tips, you could bring your own bait. Unsalted nuts or bread crumbs do nicely in attracting nearby squirrels and birds. Or you could focus on trees, flowers and other flora, cos plants don't move too much. Or get a macro lens and hunt some bugs. Some bugs don't scare as easily as deer or birds and should make for very interesting subjects because of the bokeh involved in macro photography. And a good macro lens is way more affordable than a good super zoom.
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11/18/2009 (6:42 am) by British_Wiccan_Gypsy
(1 Posts)
For a long time I've been taking picture's of wildlife and Nature, it's my passion, and I've been using ordinary camera's or my camera-phone and I have taken some quite nice ones. Recently I've fallen in love with David Attenborough again and the old fire of being out with Mother Nature and just waiting for a nice image to come along is blazing once again.
I'm looking for a professional camera which will last a lifetime, or a good few years at least, one which doesn't mind taking pictures of a fast moving creature, can zoom a fair zoom
I have my eyes on a Canon EOS-10D Digital camera, I'd just like some advice, and to know if this is the right camera for wildlife portfolio's :)
Thank you all