You need a powerful telephoto lens for good wildlife pictures.
Good wildlife cameras are not always big and expensive. Hunters can get good wildlife photos simply because they are "out-there".
Probably the most important single attribute of good wildlife cameras is a more powerful 'real' telephoto lens. Digital zoom is almost worthless!
The problem with digital zoom is the more you zoom the more the image degrades (looses detail). The same goes for cropping an image in a computer picture program (they both work the same way).
A 'real' telephoto lens is needed. It is very difficult to get close enough to use a typical small point-n-shoot hunting camera with a 3x lens. Wildlife cameras need a 'real' zoom lens of at least 6x. Reasonably priced cameras with 10x or even more powerful lenses are available.
Good wildlife cameras are important, but photographic principals apply to 'all' cameras. No matter how much money you spend, how automatic your camera is... you will not consistently get great shots unless you learn some of the basics of photography.
Our country has many beautiful parks. These parks are a good place to enjoy nature and hone your photography skills. The settings are wild, and the wildlife may be more approachable than in other areas. Visit
US-National-Parks-Guide.com
for great information on our National Parks.
All cameras: automatic or manual, basic or expensive, have only three "real" controls. They control or adjust how the light strikes the film/sensor.
Better cameras offer more sophisticated control. The following is a simplified explanation of these three controls:
1. Focus: sets the camera/lens for one exact distance to be "sharpest". The distance, lens type (wide-angle, normal, or telephoto), and the aperture setting; determine how much appears to be in-focus, "the depth of focus".
Auto-focus simply does this for you. It will focus on whatever the AF sensor is pointed at. The sensor must be pointed at what you want in focus. The AF sensor is most often in the center of what you see when looking through the camera. Read the camera manual to learn more.
2. Shutter: The shutter-speed (open-to-close) controls the time (in fractions of a second) light strikes the film/sensor.
The shutter also controls the way movement is seen in the picture.
Simplified: a fast shutter-speed will freeze movement/ a slow shutter speed will show more blur. (When flash is used the lighting may look unnatural, but it will "freeze" any movement; usually.)
3. Aperture: The opening/size controls how much light hits the film/sensor; while the shutter is open. It also has some control of the "depth of focus"; how much appears to be in focus in the image.
Note: The shutter speed and aperture, together; control the exposure. Automatic exposure or focus has no brain, and can be fooled. Read the camera's book, and
the game camera for more information.
Camera manufactures use different ways to achieve an unlimited combination of focus, aperture, and shutter speeds.
The little point-n-shoot hunting cameras are great for your jacket pocket and getting a picture after your harvest. Some are even weather resistant.
As explained above they are not good wildlife cameras. If you see something which is very far away; it will still be very far away in your pictures.
Digital zooms are sales gimmicks to sell to the uninformed. Computer picture programs have a "cropping tool" which does the same thing. It is easier/better to crop (if necessary) on the computer after the picture has been made.
The more you zoom (real or digital)the more difficult to hold the camera still, more goes out of focus... Image stabilization is an important feature which can help. Read: Why you need a
viewfinder.
A high megapixel camera does not always make better pictures. Megapixel count is almost a sales gimmick. There are more important features in good wildlife cameras.
Some professional cameras have lower megapixel counts, but produce better pictures. For example: if you find an 8 megapixel camera you really like... don't go for a 10 or 12 megapixel one thinking it will produce that much better pictures. It won't!
The memory card is the digital film. The cards are seldom interchangeable. You must buy what your camera uses. Buy a bigger one, take lots of pictures, delete the bad pictures later.
You don't want to run out of shells or arrows. You don't want to run out of digital memory when you need it either.
This is a newer version of the camera I use. Click to shop!
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Good wildlife cameras are not always big and expensive. Hunters can get good wildlife photos simply because they are "out-there".
