Telephoto lenses for wildlife photography & safari
Not everything works with one lens, at some point everyone is faced with the question: how can I get even closer? Especially when it comes to wildlife photography, it is often the case that the detail of the image is no longer as close as you would like it to be.
Telephoto lenses usually help here when you want to zoom in even closer to your subject. With a telephoto lens such as the Tamron 150-600 mm, or a 70-200 mm lens (telephoto zoom), even the little robin is captured in full size and splendor on the camera's sensor.
Advantages of telephoto lenses
- Preservation of depth of field
- Undisturbed shot of the animal from a distance
- Calmer animal
- Safety distance possible
- More flexibility
Tips for wildlife photography
We have written down some tips for different types of animal photographers here, maybe there is one for you too:
Nikon Z 70-200 mm f/2.8 - Image by Terobes ArtsNikon Z 70-200 mm f/2.8 - Image by Terobes Arts- Move slowly and calmly. Take your time
- Don't chase after animals. If they flee, let them go
- Do not press the animals to elicit emotions from them
- Move at the animal's eye level
- Find out about the animals you want to photograph. (Where do they live? When is their mating season?)
- Do not go near nests or dens with young. The parents could attack you.
- Concentrate on the eyes of the animals
- Show the animals in their habitat
- Observe and capture the animal's emotions
- Keep moving to find the best angle / perspective
- Pets are good for practicing
- Reward your animal model
Typical focal lengths for animal & dog photography
If you want to take great shots of your dog, then the following lens focal lengths may be of interest to you! Of course, everything is a "can" and not a "must" as it is in photography. But we want to show you what has worked for other photographers in the past.
- 70-200mm - Flexibility & speed and a good open aperture
- 35mm - When you need a little more wide angle
- 50mm - The standard! 50mm almost always works
- 85mm - Good cropping, great aperture & soft bokeh
- 135mm - Particularly soft bokeh
- 14mm - special & funny shots in the area of distortion of muzzle and co.
The telephoto all-rounder lens - The 70 - 200 mm
Whether f/4 or f/2.8, the 70-200 mm zoom lens is part of the standard inventory of many photographers, as it is characterized by its maximum flexibility. Whether for sports photography, animal & bird photography, airplane photography, wedding photography or other photographic themes, the 70-200 mm is usually one of the most frequently mentioned lenses! It is a faithful companion, but unfortunately not the cheapest. Many brands offer their own version of this classic lens, whether Canon, Nikon, Sony, Tamron or Sigma.
The popular f/2.8 version is particularly fast and is usually equipped with a fast focusing system.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS III USM Canon EF
Professional zoom with consistently high speed and outstanding imaging performance
- Powerful telephoto lens from the L series
- High speed of 1:2.8
- Four UD lenses
- Close focusing distance: approx. 1.5 m
- Sealed against dust and moisture
- 8-blade iris diaphragm
Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Canon RF
- extremely short, therefore can be placed vertically in the bag
- fast Nano-USM autofocus motor
- 5-stop optical image stabilizer
- outstanding 70 cm close focusing distance
- full dust and splash water protection
- suitable for professionals with outstanding imaging performance
- detachable tripod clamp included in the scope of delivery
- suitable for the Canon EOS R system
Nikon Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S
- fast telephoto zoom for Nikon Z cameras
- Focal length range from 70-200mm
- continuous speed of f/2.8
- with function button
- OLED information display
- comprehensive sealing against weather influences
Nikon AF-S Nikkor E 70-200mm f/2.8 FL ED VR
- professional telephoto lens
- suitable for full format (FX)
- improved image stabilizer
- extremely high imaging performance
Sony SEL 70-200mm f/2.8 GM2 OSS Sony FE mount
- 4 XD linear motors ensure outstanding AF speed, precision and tracking (for both photo and video recording)
- excellent G Master resolution and bokeh in an exceptionally lightweight design
- constant lens speed F2.8
- integrated optical image stabilization
- circular aperture with 11 blades
- Nano coating reduces unwanted light reflections
- Dust and moisture-protected
Safari photography / wildlife photography with large zoom focal lengths
Out and about in the wilderness or in the treetops, sometimes you can't get any closer to your animal models. This is where super telephoto lenses come into play, allowing you to get closer to your model without startling them. Be it a 150-600mm, or a 200-600mm. The market for super telephoto lenses is now growing, not only from camera manufacturers, but also from other manufacturers such as Tamron and Sigma.
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS S Sony FE-Mount
- with high-speed autofocus
- OS function
- Internal focusing
- AFL button (3 buttons)
- Zoom torque switch
- supports DMF and AF+MF
- Super multi-layer coating
- Water and oil repellent coating (front lens)
- Focus mode switch
- Focusing range limiter
- OS switch
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS S Sony FE mount
- Full-frame telephoto macro lens
- suitable for mirrorless full-frame cameras
- Image stabilization
- fast VXD autofocus
- max. magnification: 1:3.1 (WIDE) / 1:3.7 (TELE)
- Close-up: 0.6m (WIDE), 1.8m (TELE)
Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5.0-6.3 Di VC USD G2 Nikon FX
- VC image stabilizer ensures sharp and blur-free images and a steady viewfinder image
- Powerful ultrasonic motor for fast and dynamic subjects, whisper-quiet, precise and manual control possible at any time
- eBAND coating: Nano-structured coating layer against unwanted reflections and artifacts
- Lens element for higher image sharpness and correction of chromatic aberrations
- Zoom lock mechanism (ZL)
Ambitious lens focal lengths
Professionals in portrait photography swear by a fixed focal length, but what about animal & bird photography? Here too, it can be said that a fixed telephoto focal length is a popular lens, as it combines many characteristics such as
- High imaging performance
- Light intensity
- better focusing / better focus motor
Many professional photographers like to use focal lengths of 400 mm, 600 mm or 800 mm. In rare cases, the focal length can be extended to 1200 mm.
Nikon Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S
- Full-frame super telephoto lens
- robust and particularly light, razor sharp
- fast and quiet focusing
- powerful image stabilizer
- suitable for Nikon full-frame mirrorless cameras (FX format)
- compact and lightweight body
- high imaging performance
- excellent resolution
Canon RF 1200mm f/8 L IS USM
- Super telephoto lens
- large focal length for full-frame cameras
- very compact with a length of 537 mm
- very light, only 3340g
- 4-stop image stabilizer with IBIS
Accessories for animal photography
Here are some accessories that are particularly suitable for wildlife photography. Here you will find above all an extender / converter in the photo backpack, which extends the focal length used, often the following converters are used: 1.4x, 2x. This extends the focal length by a factor of 1.4, turning 400 mm into 560 mm. This does not only have advantages, because by extending the focal length, on the other hand, one loses image quality / sharpness and light intensity.
Especially when you are waiting a long time for your subject, the lens/camera should be camouflaged as well as your own clothing. A camouflaged lens reduces the likelihood of you being spotted because, whether black or white, both colors do not really occur in nature and are perceived more quickly by animals.
If you are looking for a spot for the day early in the morning, we recommend taking a stool or a camouflage tent with you.
Canon Extender RF 1.4
- RF 1.4x
- extends the focal length of the lens by a factor of 1.4
- more depth without loss of image quality
- high imaging performance
Canon Extender RF 2x
- Extender
- RF 2x
- extends lens focal length by a factor of 2
- high imaging performance
Nikon Tele-Converter Nikkor Z 1.4x
- Z teleconverter TC-1.4x
- extends the focal length range of compatible NIKKOR Z lenses by 40%
- for sharp, high-resolution images
- Close focusing distance of the lens remains unchanged
- made from durable, textured and anodized aluminium
- sealed against dust and moisture
Nikon Tele-Converter Nikkor Z 2.0x
- Z teleconverter TC-2,0x
- extends the focal length range of compatible NIKKOR Z lenses by 100%
- for sharp, high-resolution images
- Close focusing distance of the lens remains unchanged
- made from durable, textured and anodized aluminium
- sealed against dust and moisture
Sony Teleconverter SEL-14TC 1.4x Teleconverter Sony FE-Mount
- Extension of the focal length by a factor of 1.4
- Extends the focal length without sacrificing resolution
- A practical aid for minimizing the equipment
- Compatible with various lenses
- Compact alternative to bulky additional lenses
Sony Teleconverter SEL-20TC 2.0x Teleconverter Sony FE-Mount
- 2x teleconverter
- 35 mm full frame
- compatible with Sony SEL70200GM
- compatible with Sony SEL100400GM
