Is 300mm (on Apsc) good for wildlife photography?: Canon SLR Lens Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review (2024)

6

Borteese wrote:

I'm trying to decide between a few lenses and I'm just wondering if 300mm is a good focal length for what I'm trying to do, or if I absolutely NEED a longer lens than that.

It depends on the type of wildlife photography you’re doing.

If it’s bird photography it’s definitely not enough. Many say to use 400mm on an APS-C body for bird photography.

If you’re shooting things that are larger and a little closer than birds, like elephants and rhinos, then it maybe it might be enough, but even then many shoot with a 70-200mm, and a 1.4X teleconverter. The ability to zoom is especially useful when you’re in the car.

I shoot bird photos and I use a SIGMA 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary on an EOS 7D and it works well.

2

Borteese wrote:

I'm trying to decide between a few lenses and I'm just wondering if 300mm is a good focal length for what I'm trying to do, or if I absolutely NEED a longer lens than that.

You need to give us a clue what sort of wildlife your after photographing .

If it's little birds , it's not very good .

If it's a big bird like an ostrich , not a bad choice .

Elephants it'll work with and for beetles a 100 mm macro lens would be better .

Or if it's small wildlife then the Canon 1-5x macro lens would be better suited .

Care to be a bit more specific about your requirements before any more suggestions are made ?

1

Borteese wrote:w

I'm planning to photograph more average in size animals, comparable to sizes near cheetahs.

Comparable in size to a cheetah , or an actual cheetah ?

(Are you going to greyhound racing ?)

In the wild or a safari park or zoo ?

In the wild on foot , you'll be quite a distance away from large carnivores .

On a jeep with a guide on such as an African safari , you'll be much closer .

At a zoo , you'll be closer still .

If your in a safari park , where you drive through the enclosure , they might be jumping on top of your car , and a wide angle lens would be needed !

If you want help or advice you need to state what your doing , what your photographing , and how far away from it you are expecting to be .

Being as cryptic as possible just means people have to guess what you may or may not need , and end up suggesting unsuitable gear .

As it is I would suggest a selection of lenses ranging between an 8mm fisheye lens to a 600mm lens , and probably a 2x teleconverter , depending if your shooting on a full frame or crop sensor camera .

Although that range could be narrowed down a bit if you give us some information .

2

Without getting into details, 300mm is a good start. Better to add a 1.4x, or go to a 400mm. I don't do much wildlife so I make do with a 300/2.8 and 2x on a 50 MP full frame camera.

In a rush I shot a fairly distant moose with just a 300/4 and 21 MP full frame. Cropping down to about 20% of image area still yielded sharp eyes.

Using an easily handholdable prime lens with teleconverters does provide flexibility and still very good image quality.

I use a 200mm on m43. works out to 400mm equivalent. It's perfect for me.

If I had apsc, I'd be using a 300mm lens, or 400mm on ff. I usually find a spot and wait, birds get so close, They often get too close, as they don't see me as a threat.

1

I shoot APS-C (for now) and have owned both the 70-300 IS USM II and the 300L f4 IS.

I primarily shoot wildlife and they have been adequate in most situations. I visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton often and yes, a longer lens there is preferred. I've since upgraded to the 100-400L IS II (amazing lens!).

But in regards to your question, either lens I mentioned will work well with an APS-C body.

Here's a couple of shots with both.

60D and 300L f4 IS

77D and 70-300 IS USM II

When you can get close (safely) and when animals cooperate.

With a bigger battery and better video capabilities, the Fujifilm X-S20 could be the vlogging machine content creators have been waiting for.

The Sony a7CR is a high-resolution addition to the company's compact full-frame a7C series. So what did we make of it and where does it leave the a7 IV that it sits just above?

Lomography's LomoChrome '92 is designed to mimic the look of classic drugstore film that used to fill family photo albums. As we discovered, to shoot with it is to embrace the unexpected, from strange color shifts to odd textures and oversized grain.

The LowePro PhotoSport Outdoor is a camera pack for photographers who also need a well-designed daypack for hiking and other outdoor use. If that sounds like you, the PhotoSport Outdoor may be a great choice, but as with any hybrid product, there are a few tradeoffs.

The Sony a7C II refreshes the compact full-frame with a 33MP sensor, the addition of a front control dial, a dedicated 'AI' processor, 10-bit 4K/60p video and more. It's a definite improvement, but it helps if you value its compact form.

If you want a compact camera that produces great quality photos without the hassle of changing lenses, there are plenty of choices available for every budget. Read on to find out which portable enthusiast compacts are our favorites.

What's the best camera for travel? Good travel cameras should be small, versatile, and offer good image quality. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for travel and recommended the best.

'What's the best mirrorless camera?' We're glad you asked.

What’s the best camera for around $2000? This price point gives you access to some of the most all-round capable cameras available. Excellent image quality, powerful autofocus and great looking video are the least you can expect. We've picked the models that really stand out.

Above $2500 cameras tend to become increasingly specialized, making it difficult to select a 'best' option. We case our eye over the options costing more than $2500 but less than $4000, to find the best all-rounder.