First Camera Advice

AlexanderTHG

AlexanderTHG

Well-Known Member
Hi all,

Sorry to start another thread, but seeing as there hadn’t been one like this for a while, I thought it might be worth creating one.

I too am looking at buying my first ‘proper’ camera for general zoo/wildlife photography. I’ve been doing a bit of research for a few months now, but haven’t come to a conclusion, and so thought I should ask some people who may know their way around camera’s.

As this would be my first camera, I don’t want anything too complicated, but also want something with decent enough specs that I won’t be wanting to upgrade as soon as I buy one! I have a budget of around £1000-£1200 but can go over it a little if it will enable me to get a better model. I am currently looking at the Nikon D3500 and D5600 but I’m not an expert and so don’t know whether it would be worth going up to a D7200/D7500, if that will last me longer.

I am aware that lenses are just as important, if not more important than the body itself and so plan on getting a 70-300 lens as hopefully that should work for most zoo related photography.

As I’m new to photography, any advice and guidance would be hugely appreciated, especially from those who own a camera I’m interested in or know their cameras well!

Thanks in advance,

Alexander
 
I have a Nikon D5300 and that works pretty well for me. It could do better with iso (anything over 1600 or so deteriorates pretty noticeably) but I've dealt with much worse. A 70-300 mm will generally get you pretty far, I think that would make for a nice starting point. I had that for a while and I was generally pretty happy with it. I still occasionally use that lens for larger subjects. I would also recommend getting a little 50 mm prime lens, especially if you like herptiles and are hoping to photograph them. Its quite inexpensive, and can help you shoot in low light. It has its limitations, but its definitely something worth having. Of course, you can always add more lenses as time goes on and you get a sense for what kinds of photos you enjoy taking.
 
I don’t shoot Nikon but starting out again in the hobby I went with a second hand Sony (the A6000 at the time) as APSC was quite useful in that if you then added longer glass you got a bit longer reach. I did a lot with the 70-350 Sony E lens and it was great. I went smaller format mirrorless as I didn’t want to use a big DSLR again and tbh the tech interested me but there’s nothing wrong with DSLRs at all and those look like a good choice. I’d probably get the most recent model that was affordable as the makers enhance a Camera with each generation.

I shoot a Sony A9 now but I wouldn’t recommend it as a first investment as it’s a pretty expensive body and I worked my way along to it once I knew I loved the hobby again.

Much better to start with something on a budget as you’re doing and those cameras would last you ages.

I think all the major manufacturers make great cameras so it’s sometimes a matter of buying into a family of lenses (as you’ll want to keep the glass if you do trade up or move on to a new body at some point).

I’d definitely consider second hand (from a reputable retailer such as MBP or Wex, I’ve had used from both) as you can often really maximise your money, get a good guarantee and have more left over for lenses. Lots of people buy new cameras and trade them regularly it seems so you can get some that are seemingly barely used (I go for the highest second hand grade).

I’ve also seen people shooting a lot recently with bridge cameras like the Sony RX10 (various models of that) or Panasonic FZ1000 models etc (I was chatting to a guy shooting the Panasonic on a recent zoo trip and he seemed to be getting some decent results) and they might be worth a look as they also have a hefty super zoom. I like the flexibility of and so prefer an iLC as I think they grow with you vs a bridge which is all in one but there’s some interesting stuff to read on review sites on their use for wildlife etc.

I think when getting into it the most important bit is getting shooting and shooting a lot as it’s definitely a hobby that benefits from lots of practice. Great thing about zoo photography for those of us who are zoo fans is that it makes the most of a trip - you want to look at the animals and take your time and so it’s a bonus to work out how to get a shot at the same time.
 
Thank you both for your detailed replies! I was definitely considering second-hand bodies depending on price difference but hadn't come across MBP or Wex during my searches, so thank you Lafone, for bringing them to my attention. They look like great options. A 50mm prime lens is also something to consider, especially if I don't buy a camera that comes with a kit lens.
 
AlexanderTHG said:
Hi all,

Sorry to start another thread, but seeing as there hadn’t been one like this for a while, I thought it might be worth creating one.

I too am looking at buying my first ‘proper’ camera for general zoo/wildlife photography. I’ve been doing a bit of research for a few months now, but haven’t come to a conclusion, and so thought I should ask some people who may know their way around camera’s.

As this would be my first camera, I don’t want anything too complicated, but also want something with decent enough specs that I won’t be wanting to upgrade as soon as I buy one! I have a budget of around £1000-£1200 but can go over it a little if it will enable me to get a better model. I am currently looking at the Nikon D3500 and D5600 but I’m not an expert and so don’t know whether it would be worth going up to a D7200/D7500, if that will last me longer.

I am aware that lenses are just as important, if not more important than the body itself and so plan on getting a 70-300 lens as hopefully that should work for most zoo related photography.

As I’m new to photography, any advice and guidance would be hugely appreciated, especially from those who own a camera I’m interested in or know their cameras well!

Thanks in advance,

Alexander
Click to expand...
Hi Alex, I'm a Canon owner, and shoot wildlife as well as zoo animals. I have both a full frame camera (1DX) and Crop sensor(D80), both have pros and cons. The crop sensor or APS-C is great if you want a longer length from a lens, as a 300mm lens will give you, x 1.6 longer (480mm), however you pay for this in the amount of light that hits the censor. The ISO on a crop sensor, (although the camera settings may reach 6400) once it gets to 1200 +, starts to become grainy, and the photos become unusable. For bright or low movement, photography it's great, but you'd need a lens with an F stop of 2.8 or lower, and a tripod for dull conditions.
I use a full frame most of the time for birds and animals that won't sit still. It lets far more light in, and I can get to at least 3200 ISO with fast shutter speeds without noise (film grain). Lenses (aka glass) are what they say they are, so 300mm is 300mm on a full frame camera.
The camera gear I use most of the time, Canon1DX and Sigma 120-400 lens was bought second hand from Wex Photography. This setup is my bird and wildlife kit and I use it handheld. For zoo animals I use the 1DX but with a Canon 75-200mm lens. This is OK for outside, and lit exhibits inside. I also use a rubber lens hood, to enable me to go right up to the glass without tapping on it and disturbing the inhabitants. For aquaria you'd need a 50mm or wider lens. The Panasonic FZ1000 is a bridge camera, that shoots 4k videos, and I've often used one of these for the nocturnal houses, it gives relatively good mini vids in dark situations and in processing you are able to capture a shot from the video.
Hope this helps, and good luck on your search for gear.
 
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