Types of Cameras for Wildlife Photography
Sony ⍺1 II
When buying a camera for wildlife photography, you get what you pay for. That means your budget is an important factor in deciding the eventual quality of your images. If you’re serious, you might take out a loan or trade in your existing kit to get the very best available model, but that doesn’t work for everyone! Some people just want a cheap and cheerful device they can put in their pocket—like a smartphone.
In this article, I’ll go over the pros and cons of the most common types of cameras and show you a few examples to help you make up your mind about which one to buy.
Criteria
Bear Gills
The first question to ask yourself when buying a camera is, “What am I looking for?” There are many different factors that make one camera better than another, and it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the main ones.
Wildlife photography is different from street, landscape, portrait or fashion photography. Your subjects are wild animals and birds, so they’re often fast-moving, hard to find and impossible to control. In addition, you’ll often be taking shots in low light at sunrise or sunset, and you’ll almost never have the luxury of being able to use flash.
So what does that mean when it comes to choosing a camera? Well, if you want a more detailed guide, please read my Wildlife Photography Kit Recommendations, but the best modern mirrorless cameras are designed with the following features in mind:
High frame rates to give you the maximum choice of frames during fast-moving action
Large buffers to let you keep shooting while the action lasts
Full-frame sensors to reduce noise and improve sharpness
Continuous autofocus with eye detection and tracking to improve your hit rate
Range of focal lengths for wide angles and close-ups of distant subjects
Auto ISO to stop you from having to worry about your exposure while shooting
High and low shutter speeds to let you freeze fast-moving subjects or add creative motion blur
Long battery life to avoid having to switch batteries at a crucial moment
Dual memory slots for CFexpress cards to lengthen bursts at your maximum frame rate
Portability to let you shoot handheld for longer (and make packing much easier!)
4K+ video to produce high-quality footage as well as stills.
In addition, it’s worth pointing out that all major camera manufacturers try to ‘lock you in’ to their mount. That means it’s virtually impossible to ‘mix and match’ your cameras and lenses. In practice, it also means that most photographers swiftly become either Nikon users, Canon users, or Sony users—and that’s that.
As a result, it’s important to think about your choice of camera in conjunction with your choice of lenses. After all, there’s no point having any camera if you can’t get the right lens for it! This is particularly important with modern mirrorless cameras. Sony users benefit from a variety of third-party lensmakers, such as Sigma, but there’s a distinct lack of variety in the glass available to Canon mirrorless users.
In terms of brand strength, Canon often claims to be the market leader, but it depends how you define the market! Sony has been making full-frame mirrorless cameras for much longer than Canon, and its AF systems are still much better.
Overall, you might be swayed by what existing equipment you have, but it’s worth bearing in mind that Sony still has a slight technological lead—even if Nikon and Canon are catching up fast…!
Mobile
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Examples: Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max, Google Pixel 10 Pro XL
Pros: Good for sunsets and video
Cons: Short focal length makes it frustrating for wildlife shots
Recommendation: Buy yourself a proper camera!
When I teach guests photography in Africa, they’re often rather embarrassed that the only camera they have is their iPhone. However, smartphones in 2013 were responsible for 92.5% of all photos taken in the world!
That makes them the default option for most people. As Chase Jarvis once said, “the best camera is the one that's with you,” so it’s no wonder they’re so popular.
Modern mobiles are technological marvels, and the iPhone seems to be very good at reproducing good sunsets. It’s also capable of producing high-quality video footage, so it has its place.
However, the problem with all smartphones is that they don’t have the range you need to be a wildlife photographer.
When it came out, my iPhone 15 Pro Max had the most impressive camera to date in the Apple range:
48MP Main: 24mm, ƒ/1.78 aperture, second‑generation sensor‑shift optical image stabilisation, 100% Focus Pixels, support for super‑high‑resolution photos (24MP and 48MP)
12MP Ultra Wide: 13mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture and 120° field of view, 100% Focus Pixels
12MP 2x Telephoto (enabled by quad‑pixel sensor): 48mm, ƒ/1.78 aperture, second‑generation sensor‑shift optical image stabilisation, 100% Focus Pixels
12MP 5x Telephoto: 120mm, ƒ/2.8 aperture, 3D sensor‑shift optical image stabilisation and autofocus, tetraprism design
5x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 10x optical zoom range
Digital zoom up to 25x
Burst mode
Panorama (up to 63MP)
Photo geotagging
4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps
etc…
However, the sensor is tiny, and the focal length is so short that you’ll never have a hope of capturing a cheetah a hundred yards away!
That’s the point. By all means, take your mobile with you on safari or wherever you go, but don’t expect it to take great pictures!
GoPro
GoPro HERO13 Black
Examples: GoPro HERO13 Black
Pros: Good for video if you can get close enough to the animals.
Cons: Not designed for still photography and unnecessary if you have a mobile.
Recommendation: Don’t bother unless you like mountain biking, white water rafting or bungee jumping…!
I bought a GoPro HERO4 Silver video camera in 2015, but I’ve hardly ever used it for wildlife photography.
Part of the problem is that I’m rarely close enough to the animals to make it worthwhile.
The only time when I did have a chance to get up close and personal was when I visited the ‘gorillas in the mist’ in Rwanda.
There, I was literally a foot or two away from a whole family of gorillas, so I was able to use my GoPro.
In one particular sequence, I managed to capture a baby gorilla desperately trying to pull up a plant by the roots so that it could eat it. It tried a couple of times, but it was stuck fast. When it tried the third time, the plant came out of the ground so suddenly that the gorilla rolled backwards into the undergrowth!
Very amusing…
However, GoPros use very wide-angle lenses. In fact, they rely on them.
If they were any longer, it would be impossible to get stable footage, and camera shake looks very unprofessional in video.
If you’re a mountain biker, then it’s easy enough to attach your GoPro to the handlebars so that you get a smoother result, but that’s not generally possible if you’re shooting wildlife.
Nobody wants to use a tripod, and ‘selfie sticks’ are banned in some places, so the only alternative is to hold the GoPro in your hands (or attach it to your head or body) and find a way to get close enough to the animals to make it work.
At the end of the day, the latest smartphones like my iPhone 15 Pro Max offer high-quality video, so I make do with that. The current specs are astonishing, so with all that sitting in your pocket, why would you need a GoPro…?!
Compact
Fujifilm X100VI
Examples: Fujifilm X100VI, Canon PowerShot V1, Ricoh GR IIIx
Pros: Up to 40MP sensor and 6K video
Cons: Fixed lens (and fixed focal length with the Fujifilm X100VI)
Recommendation: Low-maintenance option if you just want something to stuff in your pocket!
Compact cameras or ‘point-and-shoots’ are one step up from smartphones. That means you get larger sensors, superior optics for telephoto use and better control over settings like aperture and shutter speed—which are essential for capturing sharp, high-quality images of distant or fast-moving subjects.
Yes, it’s an extra device to have to carry around (along with spare batteries, spare memory cards and a charging cable), but it’s still something you can easily stuff in your pocket or handbag.
If you’re looking to make a bit of an effort for your first safari, it’s a good option—and it won’t break the bank! However, you’ll have to put up with a fixed lens, which drastically limits your zoom range.
Bridge/Superzoom)
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX10 IV
Examples: Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX10 IV, Nikon Coolpix P1100, Kodak Pixpro AZ528
Pros: Great zoom range
Cons: Small sensor leading to low resolution and poor low-light performance
Recommendation: A cheap starter camera
If you’re looking for a camera with the greatest possible reach, the bridge camera is made for you! It’s essentially a compact camera with an enormous zoom lens bolted on the front. I guess that’s why some people call it a ‘superzoom’!
The first camera I bought as a professional wildlife photographer was a bridge camera, and it’s a good way to dip your toe in the water. It has enough controls and features to let you play around with all the usual settings you’d get with a DSLR or mirrorless camera, but it’s still cheap enough that it’s no big deal if you decide photography’s not for you. And if you get ‘camera envy’ (like I did!), it’s not too much of a sunk cost if you decide to trade it in for a high-end DSLR or mirrorless model.
DSLRs
Canon EOS-1D X Mark III
Examples: Canon EOS-1D X Mark III, Nikon D850
Pros: Cheaper than mirrorless (especially second-hand) with an optical viewfinder
Cons: Heavy and bulky, viewfinder blackouts and poor frame rates
Recommendation: Fine if you own one already or you have an irrational dislike of mirrorless cameras!
If you want to be considered a ‘serious’ photographer, you really need a full-frame DSLR or mirrorless camera. For years, DSLRs like the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III were the gold standard for professionals, but that’s changing fast as mirrorless models start to offer more portability, superior autofocus and higher frame rates.
For some of you, the form factor will be the crucial factor. There are many people - particularly women - who just don’t want to have to lug around a big, heavy DSLR on their travels. I totally understand that, and if you’re one of them, I’d happily recommend a mirrorless camera.
There are also advantages to having an electronic viewfinder in certain situations, like when you want to see a preview of negative exposure compensation or the effect of a different aperture on depth of field.
The disadvantage of the DSLR’s optical viewfinder is that - by definition - it can never show you the scene at the precise moment when you take the picture. That’s just how DSLRs work, and it’s particularly annoying when you’re taking a burst of shots or using a low shutter speed.
On the other hand, mirrorless cameras force you to watch a movie of what the world was like a fraction of a second beforehand! When you’re taking wildlife shots, you generally want to be able to see what’s happening in real time through the viewfinder, and you can do that better with a DSLR than a mirrorless model.
The problem is especially noticeable if you’re taking action shots. A friend of mine had a DSLR but invested in a very good Sony mirrorless camera. He used it for a few years, but in the end, he switched back to the DSLR because of the delay caused by the electronic viewfinder. Technology has moved on since then, but it’s obviously a personal choice…
Mirrorless
Sony ⍺1 II
Examples: Sony ⍺1 II, Canon EOS R5 Mark II, Nikon Z8
Pros: Smaller and lighter than DSLRs with higher frame rates and eye detection and tracking.
Cons: Reverse incompatibility with existing lenses, limited choice of new glass.
Recommendation: The way to go…!
Although the global market for DSLRs is still far larger, mirrorless cameras offer superior features in a smaller, lighter package. In fact, they’ve won hands down, and their victory has been so complete that Canon and Nikon have even stopped developing new DSLRs! All their investment is now going into mirrorless camera bodies and lenses.
That’s a big development, and it’s only taken a few short years, but the reason for the change is the fundamental differences in the two designs. At the end of the day, the lens of any camera can either transport light from the outside world to an optical viewfinder or to a digital sensor.
DSLRs solve that problem by adding a mirror that flips up during exposure and a pentaprism to ‘flip’ the image so that it can be viewed the right way round and the right way up. Mirrorless cameras use an electronic viewfinder, which leads to a lower flange distance and therefore smaller and lighter kit—and, of course, there’s no mirror to cause noise and vibrations.
The other great benefit is that mirrorless models can offer eye detection and tracking. These are impossible on a DSLR, so that explains a lot of their relative popularity.
Medium Format
Hasselblad X2D II 100C
Examples: Hasselblad X2D II 100C, Fujifilm GFX 100 II, Hasselblad Hasselblad 907X & CFV 100C
Pros: Higher resolution and shallower depth of field
Cons: More expensive, heavier and bulkier with slower frame rates
Recommendation: Only for those obsessed with pixel-peeping and with a stash of money under the mattress!
If you’re not satisfied with full-frame mirrorless cameras, the next step up is medium format. These products are generally built by Hasselblad or Fujifilm around 6 x 4.5, 6 x 6 or 6 x 7cm sensors (or film). They’re much more expensive, and the only reason to upgrade is to get access to the improved image quality, colour rendition and resolution.
However, that generally means sacrificing the frame rate, which is not ideal for wildlife photography!
Verdict
Stealth
If I’d written this article five or 10 years ago, I’d probably have recommended buying a DSLR. However, the camera market has been changed unrecognisably since then by the mirrorless revolution. Mirrorless cameras offer a smaller, lighter design with superior features, such as Pre-Release Capture, silent shooting, 30+ fps frame rates and eye detection and tracking.
As I say, you get what you pay for, but the ‘sweet spot’ for serious wildlife photographers is the high-end mirrorless camera. Whether you choose something like the Sony ⍺1 II, the Canon EOS R5 Mark II or the Nikon Z8/9, you’ll end up owning a marvellously capable tool. And if you really want to push the boat out, there’s always the medium format option for maximum resolution.
On the other hand, if your budget doesn’t quite stretch that far, or you’d prefer the convenience of a device you can keep in your pocket or handbag, you have a variety of alternatives, from your existing smartphone through GoPro, compact cameras and superzooms.
The choice is yours…
If you’d like to order a framed print of one of my wildlife photographs, please visit the Prints page.
If you’d like to book a lesson or order an online photography course, please visit my Lessons and Courses pages.
