Wildlife Photography Primer
Selecting the Right Camera

by Murray Feist
www.murrayfeist.com

Pretty much everyone I know owns a camera of some kind. Some cameras are fancy, some simple, some film and some digital. Technology just keeps marching along with cameras now integrated into phones, music players, trail-cams and not surprisingly, video cameras. Today people have more choices in selection of cameras than ever before. Perhaps the biggest advancement has been the massive popularity of digital photography, popularized by the instant gratification of seeing your picture the second you take it!

But with the digital revolution also comes the dizzying array of features and cameras models to select from. Often one company produces many cameras that look identical but have different model numbers and sell at different prices. So where to begin?

Before getting started, it is important to identify just what it is that wildlife photography requires from the camera. In its purist form, the subject and knowledge of its behavior will dictate what kind of camera and features you will require. If you were to Google “wildlife photography objectives” eventually you will come across sayings such as “take only pictures, leave only footprints”, “minimal disturbance” and “capture natural behavior without human interaction”. This means creating separation between you and your wildlife subject and therefore the importance of zoom factors, magnification and telephoto lenses.

The Point-n-Shoot Camera

This type of camera is the most common camera that you will find sold at electronics stores and bigger consumer “box” stores. Small and compact and loaded with features, there are probably 30 or more models sitting on a display. But how do you know which one to choose?

The pros in selecting a point-n-shoot camera include:

1. Just point, and shoot (uncomplicated)
2. Compact and lightweight
3. Affordable
4. Excellent feature set

The cons about selecting a point-n-shoot camera include:

1. Slow to focus
2. Limited shutter speeds
3. Cannot interchange lenses (fixed)
4. Sensor size is compact
5. Limitations on ability to change camera settings

So for wildlife photography, what are the features to look for when selecting a point-n-shoot camera?

• High optical zoom factor
• Large number of megapixels
• In-body anti-shake stabilization system
• Lightweight and portable
• Ability to adjust manual settings

Advertising tags on these cameras will often show the company name, model number, the number of megapixels, and price. For the wildlife photographer the main features to look for will be the “optical zoom” factor and “in-body stabilization”. What makes point-n-shoot cameras convenient, light and portable is that they have a fixed lens that telescopes in and out of the body. Cameras that have a high optical zoom number provide a higher magnification of the subject. Optical zoom is much more useful and provides a higher quality image than does digital zoom because optical zoom uses the glass elements in the lens to create the magnification. Once into digital zoom mode, the computer in the camera “estimates” what the picture should look like when zoomed. If you have seen pictures where digital zoom has been used, the picture will look blocky and pixilated. Print that picture out to a size larger than 4x6 inches and it will not create a very pleasing result. When comparing these cameras, choose a camera with a higher optical zoom than digital zoom magnification value.

Most wildlife pictures are taken either early morning or late dusk and evening. If you’ve ever tried taking a picture in a dark room or in the evening, the camera will not only have a tough time focusing but many times the pictures will turn out dark and blurry. Blurry pictures often mean that a) the camera wasn’t in focus, b) the shutter speed was too slow or c) a combination of the two. Often the point-n-shoot cameras have limited shutter speeds to select from so manually changing it may not cure a blurry picture. Anti-shake and stabilizing modes allow the camera to focus and shoot and increase the chance of success of catching a good picture. Choosing a camera that has anti-shake or in-body stabilization built into it will increase the number of sharp, in-focus pictures as compared to cameras without this setting.

There are a couple of disadvantages to using a point-n-shoot camera for wildlife photography. Many times the camera will have difficulty in locking focus on a subject and sometimes there is a lengthy delay between each picture when you press the shutter button again. For many point-n-shoot cameras, this often occurs during low light fast action situations and means that the camera will not take the picture until the settings are perfect. While this feature does prevent you from taking a bad picture with bad exposure, it also means you’ve missed the shot! Sunsets often aren’t time sensitive and don’t move that quickly; an elusive black bear, bull elk and white-tailed deer in rut are time sensitive and often are on the move! Another downside is that most point-n-shoot cameras take an extremely long time from the taking of one picture before you can take the next, that is from the moment you push the shutter button to when the picture is taken to when you can take another picture. Sometimes, the picture doesn’t get taken at all as the computer in the camera is still processing the last picture. Trying to take an action series of a bald eagle catching a salmon or a ruffed grouse drumming its wings – this type of action photography simply cannot be accomplished with a point-n-shoot camera.

This series of photos all were taken over a 3 second span – quite impossible to do with a point-n-shoot camera unless it’s in video mode!

Therefore, based on these limitations of focus speed and number of frames per second, the more serious wildlife photography equipment often incorporates the use of a digital SLR.

 

The Digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) Camera

In my opinion, the best and most affordable camera format available for wildlife photography on the market today has to be the digital SLR (dSLR). All circumstances considered, a dSLR provides the flexibility and functionality that meet most of the requirements when photographing the various species of wildlife as well as for taking pictures of sunsets, sunrises, landscapes, family, pets and babies!

(Note: Single Lens Reflex cameras are cameras that show you exactly what the lens sees, whether it is wide angle or telephoto or zoom, has no lag in response time between pictures and allows you to inter-exchange lenses on the same camera body).

The pros in selecting a dSLR include:

1. Many modes of control (ISO, shutter speed, aperature, exposure compensation, manual modes, program modes and includes most point-n-shoot options)
2. Interchangeable lenses
3. What you see in the viewfinder is what the picture will look like
4. Control over depth of field (what is blurry or sharp)
5. Faster camera focus speeds
6. More frames per second (3/5/10 frames per second)
7. Entry models are becoming more affordable
8. Entire zoom range is optical zoom (no digital zoom)
9. Professional sensor (ability to print large prints)

 

The cons about selecting a dSLR include:

1. Entry price more expensive
2. Can be more complicated (requires more study of technical aspects of light and photography)
3. Need to purchase several lenses (as one lens usually won’t cover all situations)
4. Not as compact as a point-and-shoot

 

There are many benefits in choosing a dSLR for wildlife photography. The two main reasons are the fast and accurate focusing capabilities and the ability to take several pictures with zero lag time. For example, in capable hands an entry level dSLR can focus on a charging bison and take up to 5 pictures per second for up to 6 seconds! Just imagine taking 30 “in-focus” pictures in 6 seconds (or at least a large majority of them in focus). In 6 seconds a point-n-shoot might catch 2 pictures and of the two one might be in focus! Some higher end models will focus and shoot at 10 pictures per second! Also, imagine taking that properly exposed in-focus picture to a photo processing lab and having it printed not only at a 4x6 inch size but also enlarged to 8x10 inches, 11x14 inches and up to 16x20 inches! Right there, the dSLR holds the advantage over the point-n-shoot, earning its value in wildlife photography!

Saskatchewan Mule Deer Buck

While focus accuracy, speed and frames per second are two major advantages in owning a dSLR, the ability to interchange lenses is both a blessing and a curse. Interchangeable lenses utilize precision formatted glass that is of higher quality with fewer flaws. The higher quality of glass in the lens helps to ensure that the best photographs can be taken at any focal length, from wide angle vistas of sunsets to telephoto images of grizzly bears. The disadvantage is that in order to keep lens quality at its optimum, specialty lenses will have to be purchased to achieve the desired effects. To take wide angle pictures of bison grazing in a valley you will need to obtain a wide angle/normal lens. To take a head portrait of an antelope from 100 yards you will need to use a zoom or telephoto lens. Of course, if you are taking a photo of a canola field at sunset with a wide angle lens and a massive mule deer buck strolls into the picture, you may be at the disadvantage of having to switch lenses on the camera body or miss the shot!
Finally, the sensor of even the entry level dSLR is of higher quality than the majority of point-n-shoot cameras on the market. Consider it to be a “professional sensor” as compared to a “consumer sensor”. The quality of the image as captured by a 10 megapixel dSLR will outperform the quality of the same picture as taken by a 10 megapixel point-n-shoot. The proof of this will show up not only when magnified on a computer screen but on a printed picture as well, especially at sizes greater than 4x6 inches. Or think of it this way, while a point-n-shoot camera will produce great 4x6 and 5x7 inch printed pictures, a dSLR will produce great 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, 11x14, 12x18 and 16x20 inch printed pictures. While there is no arguing that more megapixels are often better, there is just no comparison in comparing picture from a dSLR and a point-n-shoot. In another way it’s like comparing a picture from a camera-phone to a real camera – is the picture from a 6 megapixel camera-phone the same as from a camera? Lens quality and sensor quality – those are the defining factors in quality photography.

 

Conclusion
With a dSLR versus a point-n-shoot, the main considerations will be cost and function of the camera at hand. Can wildlife photography be accomplished with a point-n-shoot? Yes, so long as the limitations of the camera are taken into account. Many excellent wildlife photographs are taken with point-n-shoot cameras. However, with time and practice, the limitations of a point-n-shoot soon will result in missed shots and lost opportunities. This creates frustration and points the photographer into a dSLR or more flexible system.

Each kind of camera system, be it digital SLR or digital Point-n-Shoot, has its advantages and disadvantages. However, for increased success in the field, the system of choice has to be a digital SLR. It has the flexibility to change aperature, shutter speed, the ability to shoot several frames per second, advanced flash and lighting technology and a large selection of lenses. While the megapixels in the camera are important to consider, the quality of sensor in a digital SLR will yield much more professional results than a picture from a “Point-n-Shoot”, especially if printing at sizes larger than 4x6 inches. Keep in mind that while the proper camera system can increase the number of “keepers” when in the right hands, the camera is only a tool and it requires a photographer to complete the cycle. Great results can only come from a photographer’s knowledge of the subject and in the case of wildlife its behavior. The camera is only there to help capture the memory. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and while any camera can take a fantastic picture, you just have to be there to take it! Finally, a parting thought: just like hunting, I always saw the biggest deer when I didn’t have my rifle and the best picture I ever saw was the one when I didn’t have a camera!