Wildlife is one of the most popular subjects for photography, but it’s also very demanding. You want the camera to capture lots of detail, so you can see every aspect of an animal’s fur or feathers. A high continuous shooting rate can also be very useful, because it helps you to capture split-second moments such as when a bird takes flight or dives below the water.
Likewise, the camera needs to have an autofocus system that’s capable of getting subjects sharp and sticking with them as they move. In this respect, the latest high-end mirrorless models shine, as they have subject-detection modes that are capable of recognising animals or birds and can even focus specifically on their eyes. These cameras also increasingly use stacked CMOS sensors, which allow high-speed shooting using a silent electronic shutter with minimal risk of subject distortion.
A long telephoto lens is normally crucial to wildlife photography, unless you’re dealing with unusually tame subjects. This means you’ll need either a bridge camera with a long lens, or a DSLR or mirrorless camera with a suitable lens (see pages 76-81).
Whether you’re shooting birds, leaping fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, or wild animals, we’ve got a camera that’s right for you. Here’s our choice of the best cameras for wildlife photography.
Panasonic Lumix DMCFZ2000
● £769
At a glance
● 20.1 MP 1.0-type CMOS sensor
● 24-480mm equiv. f/2.8-4.5 lens
● 49-point autofocus
● 12fps continuous shooting
The main draw for the FZ2000 is its built-in 20x zoom lens, which is equivalent to a 24-480mm optic on full-frame. That’s long enough for all but the most timid of subjects. Yet the same lens can also zoom out far enough to show large animals in their habitat. It’s paired
