Best wildlife photographic tool

[texchappy]

We like to go to Yellowstone and other wild places and photograph wildlife. While I'm mobility impaired I'd like to sit on the porch and shoot birds - with a camera.

So it got me thinking - what is the best photographic tool for capturing wildlife at long distance?

 

[Nikon Bob]

In all seriousness, patience to wait for them to get closer if you are unable, for whatever reason, to get yourself closer to them. As long and as fast a lens plus a good tele converter as you can afford and are able to carry/use. In parks a zoom is handy because you never know at what distance the animals will appear at and it won't leave you fumbling around changing lenses. A camera or lens that features image stabilization is helpful too. At home for birds you could put out food sources to get them closer and shoot from an improvised blind. If your end use for your images is placing them on the net, viewing on a big screen TV or 8x10 prints then there are a few small sensored "bridge cameras" that should do nicely with zoom to about the equivalent of 600 mm or so. Photographing wild animals can be, by turns, very frustrating one minute and very easy the next.

Bob

 

[texchappy]

Update: Hadn't shot with a Nikkormat FTn that I got a wile ago with a 135 Q lens. Not quite long enough but I was able to be patient and manual focus when I saw a shot I wanted. Only had one shot at most of them but hopefully that's all I needed (for at least a few).

 

[Matus]

In your case I would tend to go digital (most wildlife shots are NOT good ones in my experience) - probably m4/3 as the crop factor of 2 allows you to get a rather long lens without it being too heavy. OM-D E5 has fast AF, very good sensor and excellent image stabilization - I think it would be the best candidate. For the lens I would have to search to come up with one - but something around 50-200mm (what is effective 100-400) could do the job.

If you plan to stay with film SLR than just get as long lens as you can reasonably hold in your hand (200 mm I would guess) and fast film. If you can use monopod that may help.

 

[Tin]

Let me suggest something slightly different.

Instead of using telephoto lenses made of lens elements, a cheaper tool would be using mirror lenses. these are either called "Mirror Lens" or "CAT lens" by camera manufacturers, but are called Maksutov Cassegrain telescopes or spotting scopes by telescope manufacturers. Celestron and Meade are the two most well-known manufacturers. See this as an example:

http://www.celestron.com/sports_outdoors/spotting-scopes/celestron-c90-mak.html

Please note that the above sample shows one with a 1250 mm focal length but only an aperture of f/14. That would be quite slow. A few years back, I got an old used Celestron model that is 500mm/f5.6 for about $350, I think.

With these mirror lenses, you'll have to focus manually, and you need to have a T-mount adapter. And of course it is best used on a tripod. But as you plan to shoot from a porch, then a tripod would be very convenient for you to use.

You can get T-adapter quite cheaply on that auction site (probably in the $20-25 range used) for most popular SLR. So if you are using an APS-C size dSLR, you'll have a 750mm/f5.6. Of course there is no zooming possible, and manual focusing will not allow you to shoot birds in flight. Of course you can pre-focus and have a lot of patience.

 

[Nikon Bob]

Update: Hadn't shot with a Nikkormat FTn that I got a wile ago with a 135 Q lens. Not quite long enough but I was able to be patient and manual focus when I saw a shot I wanted. Only had one shot at most of them but hopefully that's all I needed (for at least a few).

Ah well, then you have your answer then.

Bob

 

[Jockos]

Canon 7D and Canon EF 100-400/4,5-5,6 L USM IS or the 7D and the EF 1200 if you can find one.

 

[Steinberg2010]

😀

 

[Corto]

Nikon N70, Nikkor 70-300 1:4-5.6D and Kodak Ektar 100

I use a tripod by A open window and feed the birds daily.

This one was shot thru a closed window: