Everything you need for animal photography

There are several products that can help you photograph animals. Take for example, a telephoto lens, gimbal head, photohide tent or (tele)converter. Below we explain just why these products are so indispensable to animal photography.

Camera bodies with Animal Eye Auto Focus

All three Sony cameras listed below feature award-winning Animal Eye Auto Focus technology. This software recognises animals, to then position a small green frame around one of the animal's eyes. This frame will then track the eye as precisely as possible whilst the animal moves about, with the autofocus naturally tracking in accurate focus. We have tested this out.

Telephoto lenses

Telephoto lenses are ideal for e.g. safaris or birdwatching. A telephoto lens helps you bring the animal in ultra-close-up. Another huge benefit is that with a longer focal distance it's easier to lift your subject from the background.
Resulting in enhanced focus on the subject. Nowadays, many telephoto lenses feature image stabilisation, to help you take photo and video footage.

Telephoto converters and extenders

A teleconverter, or extender, is a second lens that is placed between the body and the main lens. This increases the main lens' focal distance, bringing the subject even closer. There are two types of extenders: 1.4 and 2.0.

The biggest advantage of an extender is the price: it's an affordable way to increase your lens' focal length. Ideal for when you don't want to pay top whack for a lens with a long focal length.

Macro lenses

Even the tiniest of creatures deserve attention. Immerse yourself in the world of macro photography with one of these macro lenses. These lenses have been designed with as short a focal distance as possible, helping to bring the smallest of insects in the frame. With a magnification factor of 1:1 the photographed subject is just as large on the sensor as it is in real life. Do you really want to make a mountain out of a molehill? If so, opt for a larger magnification ratio of 2:1, or higher. This will show up even more details.

Ring lights for macro photography

To avoid shadows on the subject created by your own camera, and for additional light on tiny animals, you can use a right light or ring flash. This envelops the front of your lens with a light bundle, for even illumination of your subject. This helps to bring every last detail properly in the frame. With an LED ring light you get to see the effect of the light on your subject straight away.

Tripods and gimbal heads

If you're using a telephoto lens, a tripod is pretty much indispensable. The heavier the lens, the harder it is to keep it still. That's why a heavy, robust tripod is a real must-have. Besides tripods, there's also a certain kind of tripod head that is ideal for photographing (fast-moving) animals: the gimbal head.

A gimbal head is a tripod head that means a camera & telephoto lens combination is supported at its natural balance point. Simply put, it is a tripod head that comprises an L-shaped bracket with a swing arm. The lens plate is attached at the lowest point of the swing arm. The camera & lens combination then hangs 'in' the gimbal head as it were. Once you mount the combination and let go, if properly aligned, it will be in perfect balance. This is really handy when you need to act fast, e.g. when photographing birds or other animals.

Wildlife cameras

Capturing wildlife can be extremely tricky. It often entails waiting for hours and once it gets dark, you can't see anything anymore. A wildlife camera is the perfect solution. These cameras only take a photo or video when movement is detected. They can be left behind in the woods, for you to collect after a few days, or even weeks. The cameras take photos at night using an infrared camera, so you get to capture nocturnal animals too.

Photohide tents

Photographing animals in their natural habitats can be rather tricky. A photohide tent can be extremely useful. In one of these you can get the animals close enough to the lens for you to capture, without disturbing them. Giving you fabulous photos! There is a wide range of photohide tents to choose from on the market. Key is choosing one that matches your needs and preferences. Bear in mind space, height, the number of peepholes and their position, material and coating.

Bean bags

Are you going to use a telephoto lens? Stability is crucial for stunning, sharp photos. Tripods aren't always the right tool for the job though. Take a scenario that requires you to adopt a low stance. In this instance a bean bag is what you need. A bean bag acts as a type of 'cushion', upon which you can rest the camera. The bag can be filled with plastic grains, bird seed or rice.

Angle finders

An angle finder is really handy when you want to take photos from a tricky angle or the ground. Nowadays, many cameras feature tiltable and rotatable LCD screens, but some DSLR cameras don't yet. Place the angle finder over your camera's viewfinder.

Binoculars

It goes without saying, before you can photograph wildlife, you need to find it! Binoculars are the best tool for this. Look out across vast landscape or search the treetops for birds. Compact binoculars are better if you travel a lot or go on lots of woodland hikes. Pretty much all binoculars feature dioptric settings, so spectacle and lens wearers can use them with ease too.