Guide · Gear

Lenses, Bodies and What to Carry

Good gear helps, but it is the smallest part of a wildlife picture. Here is how to choose kit that suits your walks, your budget and your back, and the list we pack before every dawn outing.

Pack Your Kit List

Start with the camera you already own

Before you spend anything, go out with what is already in the cupboard. A ten-year-old crop-sensor body with a kit zoom will teach you more about wind, light and animal behaviour than any new purchase, and those lessons transfer to every camera you will ever own. Shoot a month of mornings in your local park, churchyard or garden. Note what actually stopped you getting the picture. Was the animal too far away, was the light too dim, or did it bolt before you were ready?

Only the first of those is solved by gear. The other two are solved by timing and fieldcraft, which are free.

Bodies: the features that actually matter

Megapixels make headlines, but for wildlife four features count for more. Autofocus tracking keeps a moving subject sharp; modern animal-eye detection is a genuine help with birds and mammals. Burst rate gives you choices when a heron strikes or a hare turns. A silent electronic shutter lets you work near nervous animals without a click. Weather sealing lets you stay out when mist and drizzle bring the best atmosphere.

Sensor size is a trade-off. A crop sensor (APS-C or Micro Four Thirds) multiplies your apparent reach, so a 400 mm lens frames like 600 mm or 800 mm. A full-frame sensor generally handles high ISO more cleanly at dusk. Neither is wrong; choose the one that solves your most frequent problem.

Lenses and the reach question

For most beginners, a telephoto zoom is the right first lens. A 70–300 mm suits garden birds, deer in parks and larger animals. A 100–400 mm or one of the popular 150–600 mm zooms from Sigma, Tamron and the camera makers covers almost everything you will meet on a reserve. Fixed primes such as a 300 mm f/4 are sharper and gather more light, but you will need to move your feet instead of the zoom ring.

Teleconverters add reach at the cost of light and some autofocus speed; they work best on bright primes. Do not forget the short end, either. A 100 mm macro opens a world of insects and amphibians, and a wide-angle zoom tells the story of habitat, which is often the photograph that moves people most.

Support: tripods, beanbags and your own knees

Long lenses magnify every tremor. A sturdy tripod with a gimbal head lets a heavy lens pivot smoothly for birds in flight, but it is heavy to carry. A monopod is a lighter middle ground. In a hide or a car, a beanbag resting on the window ledge is the quietest and steadiest support there is. On open ground, a low ground pod or simply lying flat gives you an eye-level view that makes animals look far more intimate.

Image stabilisation in modern lenses and bodies is excellent, so practise hand-holding too. The best support is the one you will actually bring.

Printable

Your Field Kit List

Camera body with charged battery, plus one spare kept warm in an inner pocket
Telephoto lens, with hood fitted and caps in a known pocket
Two formatted memory cards
Beanbag, monopod or tripod with quiet, padded legs
Lens cloth and a rain cover or a simple shower cap
Drab, non-rustling outer layer, hat and gloves
Sit mat, flask and a snack that doesn't crackle
Notebook and pencil for behaviour and times
Phone with offline maps and sunrise times
Small bag to carry your rubbish home