Wondering what camera to get to expose your love for wildlife or sports photography? Well, let me tell you this the two categories mentioned above are depended on speed, clarity, lens, etc.
So, to help you as much as we can here is the list of cameras that are regarded as one of the best in the field of wildlife photography.
1. Canon EOS-1D X Mark III
If you are used to using Canon cameras, then this one is perfect for you. It comes loaded with a 20.1 MP CMOS sensor that helps you produce images with minimal grain at high ISO levels.
The new Auto-focus system is gonna blow your mind. Incorporated with advanced phase detection and the ability to perform Face Detection, Head Detection, and Deep Learning for advanced subject recognition and tracking. The autofocus performance on this just speechless, its Dual Pixel CMOS AF takes it to the next level in live view.
This Canon camera can shoot up to extreme speed and maybe the fastest in terms of continuous shooting at 16 fps with full-time AI Servo AF. What’s great it switching it to live view lets you take the shooting speed up a notch,i.e, up to 20fps with continuous autofocus and tracking capabilities. That too without camera buffer. Now how cool that is!
The HEIF image option, which can store HDR information in the image and bring more bit depth than JPG images. Lastly, I can say that Canon did work for this model to be the top contender in the market for wildlife and sports photography.
Pros:
- Provide excellent images in both JPEG and RAW format.
- Produces low-noise images even with the ISO levels up.
- HEIF HDR does do a great job in replacing JPEG images.
- Strong battery life.
Cons:
- Best quality in auto tracking can only be obtained in live view.
- The model itself is heavy.
- dynamic range is reduced by the electronic shutter.
2. Nikon D6
Second, on the list, we have the Nikon D6. It is one of the best in the market after the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III. Packed with a 20.8 MP CMOS sensor, and the most latest Multi-Cam 37k autofocus.
The EXPEED 6 processor, helps you take pictures at 14fps continuous shooting speed. It has dual CFexpress memory card slots. Its 105 all cross-type focus points that deliver fast and to the point focusing. It also has weather sealing, which means it won’t get destroyed by rain.
Pros:
- Fast Continuous Shooting: 14.0fps.
- Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s.
- 105 Cross Type Focus sensors.
- Good Low Light ISO.
Cons:
- Large body.
- Body Thickness 92mm.
- No Image Stabilization.
3. Sony A9 II
This camera comes with Sony’s best 24.2 MP BSI stacked CMOS sensor with phenomenal readout speed, this allows you to shoot 20 FPS continuous shooting.
It has advanced 693-point phase-detection AF with Real-time Eye Autofocus capabilities, 5-axis in-body image stabilization, 3.69-million dot OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF), and dual UHS-II SD memory card slots.
Now, being a mirrorless camera has its own perks. First of all, the weight, this camera weighs way less than Canon or Nikon. This gives the photographer great flexibility in taking the shots.
Secondly, the fast readout speed of the Sony A9 II allows the camera to take shots without any lagging.
Thirdly, its autofocus technology kicks in even when the subject is on the edge of the frame.
Pros:
- Good 4K detail capture.
- 20 fps blackout-free bursts with e-shutter, 10 fps bursts with redesigned mech. shutter.
- Awesome 24MP sensor with great noise performance.
Cons:
- The touch interface is not up to the mark.
- There is no in-camera Raw processing.
- Video features and performance need some work.
4. Canon EOS R6
This model comes with the Dual Pixel CMOS AF II autofocus system which is famous for tracking the eyes of different subjects. With the opportunity to shoot up to 12fps and 20 fps with the electronic shutter, high-resolution EVF, low-noise 20.1 MP full-frame image sensor, 4K video shooting up to 60p, and a weather-sealed body. Now that’s what a mirrorless should look like.
The camera feels super comfortable to hold, has an efficient menu system, which makes it a lot easier for the photographer to use. It has Incredible buffer performance which lets you take over 180 RAW and over 1,300 JPEGS. Moreover, the EVF and vari-angle LCD are of high quality. It also has weather sealing.
Pros:
- Incredible autofocus system.
- Two UHS-II SD card slots.
- Incredible image quality.
- Great build quality.
Cons:
- No top LCD panel.
- The price is a bit high.
5. Nikon D500
Last but not least we have the Nikon D500. Though it was launched in the year 2016 and hasn’t received any updates since then, it stills remains on the list of the best cameras for wildlife photography. The reason for that is….
The Nikon D500 comes with APS-C / DX camera, it has a Multi-CAM 20K 153-point autofocus system, and along with that, we receive fast 10 FPS continuous shooting speed.
It has a large camera buffer, excellent battery life, and full weather-sealed construction, which does give it an edge over the other APS-C cameras. The Nikon D500 features a 3.2-inch 2,539k-Dot tilting touchscreen LCD monitor with 100-percent screen coverage. For best results, try pairing this beast up with Nikon’s lenses and see the result for yourself.
Pros:
- Superb image quality for an APS-C camera
- Excellent dynamic range, even at higher ISOs
- 153 autofocus points with excellent AF point frame coverage
- Able to focus in very low light
- 10fps burst speed with deep buffers and fast buffer clearing can be done with a fast card
- Automatic AF Fine-Tune mostly works well
Cons:
- No built-in flash
- No hybrid AF for live view/movies
- Touchscreen display could use some upgrades
- you need to use the XQD card slot for the best performance, which is not widely accepted
- Dual slots support two different card types
Conclusion
With all the knowledge you got here, I hope we were able to solve half of the problem,i.e, choosing the camera of your choice. As much as it sounds thrilling, wildlife photography is quite dangerous and should be performed with caution.
