Wildlife Photography Gear for Beginners: Cameras, Lenses and Industry Trends with Allison McLaughlin

What camera gear do you actually need for getting into wildlife photography? And perhaps just as importantly, what don’t you need?

In this episode, Court sits down with Allison McLaughlin for a deep dive into building a wildlife photography kit, particularly for beginner and intermediate photographers. They cover everything from why autofocus tracking and telephoto reach matter so much for wildlife, to the advantages of crop sensors, zoom lenses, used gear, and even sticking with a DSLR for a little longer.

They also get very specific, working through approachable camera bodies and wildlife lenses from Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, and OM System/Micro Four Thirds. Along the way, Court and Allison talk about how much telephoto reach you really need, why a 600mm lens isn't automatically better than a 400mm lens, and why the wide end of a telephoto zoom can be every bit as important as the long end.

Perhaps the biggest lesson from this conversation is that your next camera does not have to be your final camera. Wildlife photography gear can get expensive very quickly, but there is a huge amount of excellent equipment available one or two generations back, particularly on the used market.

Connect with Allison: https://www.reddit.com/user/mpbcom/

Cameras Mentioned

Canon

Canon EOS R50
View the Canon EOS R50

Canon EOS R10
View the Canon EOS R10

Canon EOS 7D Mark II
View the Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
View the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Nikon

Nikon Z50 II
View the Nikon Z50 II

Nikon D500
View the Nikon D500

Nikon Z8
View the Nikon Z8

Sony

Sony A6100
View the Sony A6100

Sony A6400
View the Sony A6400

Sony A6600
View the Sony A6600

Sony A1
View the Sony A1

Sony A1 II
View the Sony A1 II

Fujifilm

Fujifilm X-T30 II
View the Fujifilm X-T30 II

Fujifilm X-S10
View the Fujifilm X-S10

OM System

OM System OM-5
View the OM System OM-5

Lenses Mentioned

Canon

Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM
A lightweight, relatively affordable RF wildlife zoom that Allison specifically highlights as a strong starting point.

View the Canon RF 100-400mm

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
The transcript does not specify which generation of the EF 100-400mm, so both versions are included here.

View the original Canon EF 100-400mm

View the Canon EF 100-400mm II

Nikon

Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD for Nikon Z
One of Allison's budget-conscious recommendations for someone building a Nikon Z wildlife kit.

View the Tamron 70-300mm Nikon Z

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR
An older F-mount wildlife favorite that can also be adapted to Nikon Z bodies.

View the Nikon 200-500mm

Sony

Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS
Allison's standout recommendation for Sony APS-C wildlife shooters.

View the Sony 70-350mm G OSS

Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS
Discussed as an excellent example of the versatile long-telephoto range that works especially well for wildlife and birds.

View the Sony 200-600mm

Sony FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS
An example of just how much reach modern wildlife lenses can provide, while also illustrating why the minimum focal length of a zoom matters.

View the Sony 400-800mm

Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS
The Sony 100-400mm is also discussed when comparing versatile wildlife zoom ranges.

View the Sony 100-400mm GM OSS

Fujifilm

Fujifilm XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR
Allison's pick for a compact Fuji wildlife setup, with stabilization and weather resistance.

View the Fujifilm XF 70-300mm

Micro Four Thirds / OM System

Olympus M.Zuiko 150-400mm f/4.5 TC1.25X IS PRO
The lens Court used in Namibia, giving a tremendous effective focal range on the Micro Four Thirds system.

View the Olympus 150-400mm

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 75-300mm
Allison recommends the 75-300mm range as an especially compact way to get roughly a 150-600mm full-frame equivalent field of view. The episode does not specify which generation.

View the original Olympus 75-300mm

View the Olympus 75-300mm II

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm
Another Micro Four Thirds option discussed for getting substantial wildlife reach without carrying a huge lens. The specific generation is not identified in the conversation.

View the original Panasonic 100-300mm

View the Panasonic 100-300mm II

Lens Adapters Mentioned

Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R
Allows Canon EF DSLR lenses to be used on Canon RF mirrorless bodies.

View the Canon EF-EOS R Adapter

Nikon FTZ Mount Adapter
Allows compatible Nikon F-mount DSLR lenses to be used on Nikon Z mirrorless cameras.

View the Nikon FTZ Adapter

Court's Websites

• Check out my photo portfolio here: shop.courtwhelan.com
• Sign up for my photo and conservation blog at www.courtwhelan.com
• Follow me on YouTube (@courtwhelan) for more photography tips
• View my camera kit and recommended camera gear

Sponsors and Promo Codes:

• MPB.com - Buy, Sell, or Trade Camera Gear
• ArtStorefronts.com - Mention this podcast for free photo website design
• BayPhoto.com - 25% off your first order (code: TWP25) 
• ArtHelper.com - a photo community to learn, share and be inspired
• Arthelper.Ai - Smart tools to promo and showcase your art.
• LensRentals.com - WILD15 for 15% off

Transcript

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Court (00:00)
How much lens do you really need for wildlife photography? Should you invest in a newer mirrorless camera, or could a high-end DSLR at the same price actually be the smarter buy? And with so many camera bodies, lenses, sensor sizes, and price points out there, how do you know where to put your money?

In this episode, I'm joined by Alison McLaughlin, who is an expert on camera gear and actually works in the camera gear industry. We break down the gear side of wildlife photography from kind of a beginner-first wildlife kit standpoint. It's a very practical

approachable conversation. We talk about many different things from telephoto reach to zooms versus primes, crop sensors, DSLRs versus mirrorless, and some specific camera and lens options across the major platforms like Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji, and OM,

We also get into some of the best practices in terms of buying used gear, how to protect your own gear's resale value, and why you may not always need the latest and greatest equipment to take great wildlife photographs. So whether you're building your first wildlife kit or thinking about your next upgrade as an intermediate photographer.

This episode should give you a much clearer idea of what truly matters and help distill down some of the complexities out there. And I will note that we get into a lot of nomenclature in like names of lenses and camera bodies. And there's a lot of R's and V's and Mark IIIs. All these details that we talk about will be in the show notes with specific links to everything we talk about. So It's all noted in the show notes.

So without further ado, let's get into the conversation with Allison.

Court (01:31)
Allison, welcome.

Allison (01:33)
Hi Court, thanks for having me.

Court (01:35)
So, Allison, I'm gonna jump right into it as I always do. You see a lot of gear and work with a lot of folks at really all levels to gear them up for photography. When you're thinking about wildlife photography first and foremost, what's what's grown through your mind in terms of like the necessary cameras and lenses that set this type, i.e., wildlife photography apart from say,

event photography, people photography, street photography, just the other types of photography.

Allison (02:03)
Mm-hmm. There's a there's a couple things that will set it apart for me. So the first thing that I'm considering is reach, first and foremost. Wildlife photography will start roughly from me where event and portrait end. So wildlife photographers are routinely reaching for 300 to 600 millimeter plus while someone shooting at a wedding or a conference, they'll live comfortably in that 24 to 70 range, while some people even stretch.

Autofocus behavior also is really important. And it matters more than the raw autofocus speed. So for me, I would need a camera that recognizes and can track an animal mid-flight, mid-movement, like a kingfisher diving for a fish or a falcon just being a falcon. And not necessarily just locking on to one person standing reasonably still. The different speeds is very important for me.

Court (03:03)
Yeah, autofocus tracking is such a game changer in photography. And I have to say, it's probably, you know, when we're thinking about the difference between DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, you know, mirrorless have they've been around for quite some time, but we're we're really seeing the last, let's say, five years of pro-level, intermediate level, and even beginner level mirrorless cameras just screaming onto the market. And I think, you know, lenses aside.

The the one thing you can do to improve your wildlife photography is not just pick up a camera that has those tracking autofocus abilities, but really learning how to use it. And you know, this is not the time to go into all the different techniques of how to change back button focus to auto tracking, but all that stuff's possible. And I have to say that even at the very beginning level of cameras, which we're gonna get into in this episode, being able to track an animal and keep it

in focus while the animal's moving while you're moving. I mean, I can't tell you how many times I've been in a bumpy vehicle or in a zodiac or a panga, and I want to frame the animal where it's at, but I'm moving around, the animal might be moving around. Using that autofocus tracking is is just one of the biggest levels up for action and behavior wildlife photography. So I'm glad you mentioned that. The other thing you mentioned is reach. And I think that's that's probably one of the biggest other topics of this episode since we're talking about wildlife.

Can you get some great shots with a 24 to 70 or an 18 to 55? Absolutely. Can you get some great shots with the 70 to 200? Sure. It's one of my favorite lenses out there, right? But when we're talking about wildlife photography, I'm gonna agree with you that we're really talking about things that kind of start at the 300 millimeter range. Now, this of course changes a little bit when we get into the realm of like crop frame sensors versus full frame. And since this is a beginner-friendly

Episode on gear, we have to address the fact that you know crop frames are what a lot of beginner cameras have. A crop frame is a smaller sensor, and there's actually a huge advantage, especially for beginners, is that it has this multiplier effect, right? So it has this multiplier effect on your focal length. So for those people that might be transitioning from, say, a point and shoot or an advanced point and shoot to these mystical, magical 300 millimeter, 400 millimeter, 500 millimeters.

Lenses, I want to just make a quick aside and give some some rough comparisons that like a 300, 400, 500 millimeter, a lot of what wildlife photographers need and want, we're looking at actually not that much zoom, you know, in the traditional like point-and-shoot sense. We're probably looking at like between eight and twelve times zoom, even for the like the really big 500 millimeters, 600 millimeters. So it's good to know that. But going back to this sensor thing.

What the smaller sensor does is it actually increases your actual focal length. So you know when we're talking about a 300 millimeter, if you are picking up or have a crop sensor camera, you gotta figure out what your crop multiplier is. And this is something that's very easily Googlable. This is something that usually is denoted in the camera's manual itself, but generally

Allison (06:15)
Yeah.

Court (06:16)
it's somewhere between like a 1.4 and a 1.6, right?

Allison (06:20)
Yeah.

Court (06:20)
So if you're

looking at like a Canon system, if you say, well, gosh, I have a 70 to 300, but Allison and Court are saying this is the start of wildlife photography, I've got some good news for you. Is that you actually get to multiply that 300, at least on a Canon system, I'm a Canon guy, you can talk about Sony and probably others, but we're looking at like a 1.6 multiplier, which is effectively over 400 millimeters. I'm doing the math in my head, I think it's a 420 millimeter lens.

Allison (06:48)
Yeah.

Court (06:48)
So boom,

you're you're right in range, right? Do you know, and no pressure if you don't know, but do you know off the top of your head like what other major manufacturers, like what their crop level is?

Allison (07:00)
Yeah, it will be between a one point five on Nikon, Sony, and Fuji, one point six on Canon. Micro four thirds can even be two times.

Court (07:10)
Yeah, no, micro four thirds is indeed two times. I was fortunate to get a loaner of an OM system for a Namibia trip a couple months ago. And yeah, it's cool. You you know, I picked up this 150 to 400 lens and you say, well, this is you know pretty reasonable wildlife, like not super crazy, but when you start thinking about this crop multiplier effect, that was effectively a 300 to 800 at f four point five, which was pretty, pretty wild. So

Yeah, you know, when we're talking about especially with beginning setups, you know, so many of them are indeed crop sensors. There are a little bit of downsides in terms of megapixel count and how it deals with ISO and low light, but the reality is that for beginner and even intermediate photographers, this can be a huge leg up. And I actually know many wildlife photographers as well as sports photographers that prefer the crop frame sensors because they get that extra distance. You know, they might splurge on a 500 millimeter.

lens. and then that again gets multiplied by 1.5 or 1.6. So it becomes really, really good reach right off the bat. Coming back around to this overall idea of reach, I think that's gonna be a really core theme of today's episode is how do you get the appropriate reach? How do you get the appropriate zoom range? and then how do you put it all into a great camera body?

Allison (08:27)
I can I completely agree is that that reach is really important for wildlife because you never know how far your subject is going to be, how fast it moves, and even the terrain that you're going to be in. So having that range is just fantastic for a wildlife photographer and even more factors like weather sealing, just to make sure that when you're out there

other additional outside elements don't interfere with your shot.

Court (08:55)
Exactly. And weather sealing, gosh, it's so important. And it's not just for the rain and the mist and the fog, it's also for dust. You know, I do a

Allison (09:02)
Yeah.

Court (09:03)
lot of African safari photography, and having that peace of mind, but also just functionality, knowing that dust is just unlikely to get into my camera because it has some degree of weather sealing is a really, really good thing. I want to move on to, you know, we we broached this topic of range, which I think is especially beginner-friendly.

And something that I even use, you know, in terms of a focal range, it's not a fixed lens. so I want to quickly cover what a zoom range or a zoom lens versus a fixed lens would be, but also pick your brain on thoughts, what you know, how you how you view those two realms. So the basic gist is that in photography, you you have lenses that are either zoom lenses or fixed lenses. And this is where the

The nomenclature and terminology gets a little bit confusing, especially if you are rooted in the point and shoot world, because you might be thinking zoom is the thing that you do with that little toggle on your camera to zoom into the shot to get the telephoto. But zoom really refers actually to the range of those numbers. So if you have a 70 to 300 or a 100 to 400 lens, that is a zoom lens because it can actually zoom in and zoom out. It can move, it has that range.

And I think it's especially useful for folks just kind of getting into let's say getting into higher-end wildlife photography. This is a beginner episode, but of course, if if you are listening to this, you you probably want to grow in your photography, and we certainly commend you for that. but then

Allison (10:29)
Yeah.

Court (10:30)
also we look at these fixed or these prime lenses that are more or less stuck at 300 millimeters. Like you you have to physically move in and out. They do not zoom. You can't dial this down to a 70, you can't bump it up to a 500.

You were stuck at 300. What are your thoughts on maybe the pros and cons of picking up a zoom lens as one of your first good wildlife lenses versus a fixed lens or a prime lens as they're often called?

Allison (10:59)
Yeah, this is a really good question. And I have a couple things to say about this. Just because there is some debate like Zoom versus the fix, the prime lenses, like what should you really start out with? For me, primes will generally win on raw optical quality. It can have wider apertures for the size, weight, and the price, but the wildlife aspect of it.

Primes can be a hit or a miss for me because you're usually zooming in with your you've with your feet essentially when you have a prime and you can't necessarily walk up to like a bear so or a fox and you know expect to efficiently and safely sometimes capture the photo. Zooms will give up a bit of that beautiful sharpness that a prime will have and some aperture in exchange for framing flexibility. So when you don't control

the subject distance, that trade is worth making almost every time for me. So for beginners and intermediate specifically, I would push people towards Zoom. And it's honestly one of my biggest tips when it comes to the guide to wildlife photography. Get a Zoom before anything else. It can cut down on decision fatigue to have you be right in the moment instead of worrying about like, is this enough reach for me on what I'm trying to capture, what I'm trying to film.

And it can also cut the cost of guessing wrong on the folk only. One zoom will cover what would otherwise take three to four primes. And I think that's so important when a photographer is trying to identify their style and just, you know, making sure they can go after what they want. So primes tend to come back into the picture for me later once someone has settled into a particular style they like.

And

they know exactly what focal length they actually live at. They can review their photos and they see like, okay, I tend to sit at 400 a lot and this seems to be a sweet spot for me. And then eventually they can settle more into a prime down the line, but that would not be the first lens I pick up.

Court (13:08)
Yeah, I completely agree. the the big takeaway is that primes are really the advanced and they're the the pro level choice. I will recommend anybody out there getting into photography that is becoming serious, is serious, to

Keep them in the back of your mind because again, it's it's something to grow towards. But I think you really you're gonna do yourself a huge favor by giving your yourself that flexibility and not relying on post-processing, not having too much constraint, giving yourself that flexibility, finding your eye, finding your style, finding your vision. even myself, I I've been photographing for nearly 25 years, and I still really rely on Zoom telephotos for wildlife shots because I wanna get a wildlife and landscape shot one moment.

Then I want to zoom into its eyeball the next. With a prime, you're kind of stuck on the eyeball. And then if you're walking or in a vehicle, you have to physically back up, move further away, or change lenses to get any other types of shots from that subject. So yeah, I wanted to broach that topic because I think it's super duper important. When we talk about zooms being again, those telephotos with a range, 70 to 200, 70 to 300, 200 to 500, et cetera, et cetera.

those contrast pretty sharply with the fixed ones where you're just gonna see that one number of a 400 millimeter. so yeah, be thinking of it. I wouldn't invest in it right away, but if you start to gravitate to it, you know, have to be totally honest, when you think you're getting into that advanced level, it is something to truly consider. I wanna

ask you a little bit about trends. Since you are a gear expert, you're in the the camera gear industry with MPB, what

You know, I'm leaving this question super open-ended, but like what trends are you seeing with camera gear in general? And I'll kind of seed the question a little bit. You know, like I'm thinking the transition from DSLR to mirrorless, or maybe the types of lenses people get, or you know, is the vibration reduction, image stabilization just becoming so commonplace. But don't feel like you need to talk about those. I'm just curious because you you look at the data, like you're actually seeing people purchasing over and over again and

and turning in gear and buying gear. What trends are you seeing with camera gear in general and how might that pertain to wildlife photography as advice for the listeners?

Allison (15:26)
Yeah, you know, Court it's so interesting because over time the trends are just changing and especially with more and more mirrorless coming out, they've completely

Overtaken

DSL DSLR for new gear across every brand. So we're seeing more DSLRs come in on our side. And one thing I've noticed amongst our inventory and just amongst talking to photographers here in MPB and also just outside, excellent DSLR bodies still exist. And the glass is landing at secondhand market at really great prices. So I think

now is such a great time for beginners to if they

maybe don't want to look into mirrorless or maybe it's out of the budget range. There are some fantastic DSLRs that still stand the test of time. They've been out for a while, but they're constantly praised for their great usage. I'm thinking immediately of like Nikon, like fantastic, fantastic range, a D500, even the Canon 7D Mark II, I think that's a fantastic DSLR. And it's just interesting to see that DSLR is not completely

Off the table, and it's just a great way to get a bang for your buck. Also, just to learn the fundamentals of wildlife photography and photography in general. You want to, you know, kind of ease into it, look into what you like, figure out even the brand that you like. Because I'm also a big fan of Canon, but over time, from testing different gear myself, I've also come to appreciate and love Sony. Like the A1 is awesome. But

It's really cool just to see that like mirrorless exists, but DSLR is still here trend. And that's just something that's happening in so many conversations. And it's really cool to see. Subject detection has trickled all the way down as well.

not just on flagship bodies anymore, but it's also at entry level cameras I'm seeing lately. So that bird eye animal autofocus, I'm seeing it in cameras that you can find for well under a thousand dollars and that used to be

A feature for cameras that are over like three and a half thousand dollars. So I'm really enjoying seeing that. That gives more access to people to capture whatever they want to capture, like a warbler like dancing through the leaves or something. So I think that's really great. stack sensors in higher-end bodies are like the cutting, rolling and shutter, enabling that blackout free viewfinder at high burst rate.

for anyone tracking erratic wildlife action, that's a difference between a usable frame and a blur. So I I'm really seeing that occur more and more in different conversations. Also, the the telephoto lenses, I I keep coming back to it, but super telephoto lenses are getting lighter and thanks to that diffractive optics. So it's cool

That

weight barrier is being removed, and it's encouraging a lot of photographers to pick up their camera and literally go outside to shoot. it's one thing I will say that I see a lot here at MPB, the used the used gear.

And trade in market is just growing because this market is saturated with so many new pieces. There's always an update, there's always like a mark two, mark three, and it just keeps going where there's almost spec fatigue. And the real question now is what am I trying to shoot? And do I really need the latest and greatest specs, or can I go with something that was released a couple of years ago, but will fit exactly what

I need so we'll

It have the specs that I want at a fraction of the price. Is it the latest and greatest 2026 model? No, but it's something that is great for my kit and what I do. And I think that's really important for beginners to take away that you don't need the latest and greatest. You just need a camera that will get the job done, check your specs, figure out what you want to shoot and the subjects you're after, and then

From there, you can start refining your kit over time. You don't have to buy everything at once, just you know, little tweaks here and there, little upgrades, little trade-ins, and making sure that you're really curating your kit to what you want to do.

Court (20:03)
Yeah, that's that's great. I've I've got some some takeaways and thoughts and then a fun question for you. So, you know, one thing I want to mention, almost like an axiom here, is that your next camera body purchase or like your your next upgrade is not going to be your final upgrade. You know what I mean? It's like you

Allison (20:22)
That's right.

Court (20:23)
go stepwise in this stuff. I mean, I had seven or eight different camera systems and types and classes and bodies.

before I landed on the realm that I'm in. So I think you should go into this next upgrade cycle thinking about the fact that I'm gonna experiment, I'm gonna test more, I'm gonna get, you know, something a little bit better and a little bit better. But you it might be a winding road versus a linear kind of thing. So just keep that in mind that your next camera purchase doesn't have to be your final one. It doesn't you don't have to solve all the problems, but just upgrading little by little is is a really, really smart way to go.

another thing I wanted to say or at least kind of come back to is the idea that you mentioned the higher-end flagship camera bodies, meaning like every every camera system has their one kind of quote unquote best body. Now it's of course not best for everybody. It might be better for wildlife photographers or better for landscape photographers or for hybrid shooters. You know, that's especially common these days where you're mixing video in with your still photography, or even sports photography.

But those technologies, as they are, you know, these companies spend, I can only imagine, millions of dollars on RD research and development. They put it in their flagship, their number one, like think about flagship cars. You know, every car manufacturer has their showy showroom trophy piece. It's like that with cameras too. Once they put it in those, it's only a matter of time before they start trickling down to the second, third, fourth, fifth tier until it's just

commonplace. It's just like in all their cameras. Like think about autofocus back in the day. That at one time, we're probably talking about decades ago, that was a flagship camera spec, And now we're seeing it in phones, you know, like the most simple of cameras out

Allison (22:08)
Yeah.

Court (22:09)
there. So so just keep that in mind as you're thinking about your own upgrade cycle because those technologies will trickle down and they'll become more and more accessible with time.

and then the the question I have for you is just a fun one. this is an opinion one. Feel free to just tap into your own thoughts and you know experience here. But like, okay, let's let's say I am a person that has a 15-year-old camera body. Like it's it's an old Canon D50 kind of thing. Like whether you

Allison (22:37)
Yeah.

Court (22:38)
are familiar with that one or not. It's like, you it's it's an older body, but still works. It's it's a DSLR. If you were gonna make your next

purchase and and do a real upgrade that you're happy with, would you put that money in getting like a really good DSLR, which is, let's be honest, it's it's kind of like a little bit of older technology, but still very relevant, still very good. I'd be happy to shoot

Allison (22:59)
Yeah.

Court (22:59)
on a DSLR these days. Or would you go for an intro level, again, similar price point, an intro level mirrorless camera? So like let me just kind of reimagine this question.

If you were to take the same amount of money, you could probably buy the flagship DSLR of yesteryear, or you could get a very new but sort of intro-level mirrorless camera, knowing frankly, that mirrorless is the future. In 20 years, there probably will be no more DSLRs. but for the time being, it's still very relevant.

Allison (23:30)
Yeah.

Court (23:30)
What would what would you do?

Allison (23:32)
that's such a good question. Cause I'm really noodling on it because there are so many good DSLRs that still exist, but who knows for how long in the next thirty, forty years. And mirrorless is inevitably the future. So

man, 15 years ago isn't even that long, too. So there's just some fantastic bodies that still exist in that. When it comes to an entry-level mirrorless, I think there's a part of me that would still stick to DSLR depending on my glass and if I would want to upgrade that first, because the glass will have better like price fluctuation. So

Court (24:15)
And glass meaning

lenses, folks. Just I mean, I I th that's, you know, common common language in in the biz, but just wanted to clarify that. You know, glass means like, hey, I've got a good piece. No, no, no, no. I I think

Allison (24:18)
Yeah. Sorry, yeah.

Court (24:26)
a lot of people are familiar with that, but just wanted to clarify.

Allison (24:29)
Yeah, yeah. So yeah, we're talking glasses and lenses, not like a lovely mason jar or or martini glass perhaps.

Court (24:35)
Ha ha ha.

Allison (24:36)
But yeah, so for the lenses, they do hold their value for a lot longer than bodies. and I do think that so long as I invested in some really good glass, I can stick with a DSLR for a long time. So

I would say my next trade in, I would probably still keep I I may change my mind in like a month from now, but my current answer, I would still go for a DSLR. I would still go for a DSLR in terms of battery life, in terms of its specs, because some of these entry level mirrorless, they can be a bit

lacking in terms of battery life. And I do think that's very important for when you're outside for hours on end. And it's you don't want to be caught at five in the morning with you know, a half battery. So I do think I would stick more to DSLR and make sure that my my lens is really the right type that I want to hold.

Court (25:40)
Yeah, that's a that's a great answer. And I I'm gonna answer my own question. but I agree with you. I think I would do DSLR. I would I would go

Allison (25:46)
I'm glad.

Court (25:48)
for like a pretty high-end DSLR that has come down in price probably wildly since it was released.

Allison (25:54)
Mm-hmm.

Court (25:54)
Like you could probably I'm gonna make a guess here, but a DSLR that was thirty five hundred or four thousand back in the day, you know, it might be ten, fifteen years old, but it you know, because it was a cutting edge technology at that time, it was

It was what we call future-proofed. And since the future is now, it's still very relevant. So, like a, I don't know, a 5D Mark IV, you could probably get it for, I don't know, dare I say $1200 or something, maybe $1,500. it's not gonna have all the technology of mirrorless. So I would answer this with caveats that DSLR is gonna be great. you will be having

Cutting edge technology from a little bit longer ago, but that cutting edge technology still translates so much. And I think if you are the kind of person that is very familiar and comfortable with tech, like the technological aspect of anything, I think that's gonna translate very well to getting a mirrorless because the main benefit is being able to use things like tracking autofocus, which does frankly take a little bit of.

technological expertise, you know, you need to program it, you need to set the sensitivity, you need to use it, etc. but I I'm still going with DSLR as a really tempting choice. And I'm gonna make a little analogy here is that I I grew up surfing or maybe more appropriately learning to surf in Florida,

Allison (27:12)
Yeah.

Court (27:13)
trying to surf. And I tried my hardest and I was surfing on these crummy Florida waves. The only time you get waves if there's a cold front or if there's a hurricane off the coast.

And they're choppy and they're unorganized and they're kind of clunky to work with. but when I did that and I learned eventually to get up on the wave and ride the line and all these fun things, when I finally started taking surf trips or getting to better places like California, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, these places like with root routine waves, and I got up in my first wave the first time, i.e., a better wave, I was like, whoa, this is actually pretty.

Easy now that I know the fundamentals. Like this is way easier. They're bigger waves. There's a lot more to deal with, a little bit more risk. But now that I know the fundamentals and I learned on these more rudimentary, older I'm again,

Allison (28:05)
Mm-hmm.

Court (28:06)
I'm making an analogy here with the camera bodies, you know, kind of crummier waves. I I took off and it was it made a lot more sense to me. So I think there's the analogy here, maybe a weird one.

But is that starting with older technology that still has the bones about it, you know, you may not have the super advanced tracking autofocus and eye detection and all this sort of stuff. You will teach yourself how to use, the raw fundamental autofocus a little bit better. You'll teach yourself to use raw fundamental exposure modes better so that when you make your next upgrade, again, this is not your final upgrade, but your next upgrade.

And then the mirrorless technology has even improved, remember, because of that trickle-down effect. Then all of a sudden, when you get your mirrorless camera, you're like, whoa, I am like, A, I have more money because I've been getting into photography. I now work events, or I'm selling my photographs, or I have a day job, and this is my kind of side hustle. And you have the money to get, you know, into the mirrorless system, or maybe even a better mirrorless, I think you're gonna find that it because you start with the fundamentals, it's like starting school from grade one.

Learning the ropes, learning the building blocks versus starting calculus in grade 12 with no prior knowledge of math. so there's a real, I think, fundamental benefit of sticking with DSLRs. And then the tangential benefit is because your money goes such a longer way, because this technology is frankly, older and kind of a little bit on the way out, not quite, you get a great deal, and you get like all the megapixels,

Allison (29:30)
Mm-hmm.

Court (29:31)
and you get a great sensor, and you get a great weatherproof body, et cetera, et cetera. So

Yeah, that's a long way of saying I I agree. And I think DSLRs would be a very compelling way to go.

Allison (29:39)
No, I that was awesome. No, I I I love that and I

I particularly love the surfing analogy because that made me want to go outside and maybe finally attempt surfing.

Court (29:54)
It's fun. It's fun. There's a

steep learning curve. I would say it's a bad analogy only because the

the learning curve of

Allison (29:59)
Ha ha ha.

Court (30:00)
surfing Florida waves is exponentially harder than the relatively easy learning curve of just dealing with a DSLR. I want to emphasize that that that's the cool thing

Allison (30:04)
Yeah.

Court (30:08)
is you're you're putting all the technology that you sort of are compelled to use with a mirrorless aside while just focusing on the camera fundamentals with a DSLR.

Allison (30:18)
Yeah, no, that's that's fantastic. And I acr I completely agree. Just getting down those fundamentals before you figuratively go into the deep end.

Court (30:28)
Love it. I love it. Great callback.

okay, next question here. You we already kind of touched on it, but I want to dive a tad deeper, going sticking with the deep end analogy. how

Allison (30:40)
Love it.

Court (30:40)
much telephoto do you really need for wildlife? How much telephoto do you really need for wildlife? Riff on that a little bit. Tell me about it.

Allison (30:48)
Hmm, all right, let me let me think because I will say this is in my opinion, so it can be a bit subjective, but

I'm treating 300 full frame equivalent as the floor. So you're mostly you can go for habitat, you can do large mammals up close, but you can't get some of the smaller organisms that you may see.

So from there, four hundred to six hundred equivalent, that's where it opens up for a lot of subjects. So you can really go literally far and beyond further than what you can see. A heron may be flying in the distance and it could be a speck, but your camera will pick it up.

smaller birds will ask for even more. I see a lot of bird photography. I'm a big fan, and it can routinely work to five hundred, six hundred plus,

We actually had a contributor here. He shot white-tailed eagles on the Isle of Mull with a 200 to 600 Sony, and he had the A one body. So I think it's that reach is really a sweet spot for a lot of wildlife photography. It's just giving you that capability to move in and out stealthily to not

you know, disturb the animal in their natural habitat. So I think that's a great choice. one thing I will mention, the crop that you brought up earlier, that's so important. And I do think this is especially where micro four thirds sensors can also earn its keep. A 100 to 400 will become that 150 to 600 equivalent on APSC sensors and then 200 to 800 for micro four thirds. So

you'll get that reach without, you know, getting full frame prices. And I think that's great. But longer lenses will also get heavier, pricier, harder to handhold. And sometimes the narrow field of view can make it a bit harder to find an erratic subject after you lost it. So there are always some caveats to it, but I do think that it's still a sweet spot for me.

Court (32:52)
Yeah, that I I agree. I think everything you just said, like the two to six hundred is is such a great wildlife lens. I'm gonna draw a line in the sand for wildlife, because I'm

Allison (33:02)
Yeah.

Court (33:03)
glad you mentioned birds. and birds are fantastic to photograph. I think there's bird photography and to betrite everything else. And that includes foxes, it includes

Allison (33:12)
Yeah.

Court (33:14)
lions, it includes bears, it includes raccoons if you're into raccoon photography, that sort of thing.

Allison (33:21)
Yeah, that very niche.

Court (33:21)
But for bird photography, I'll yeah, very niche raccoon field. but I think

when you're in bird photography, it it is almost always the case where more is always better. Like the more zoom you get is almost always better. Like if you can get to 600, that's better than 500. If you can get to 800, that's better than 600. Mainly because I feel that birds not only are they smaller, not only are they more distance, they're they're more flighty and sporadic.

But they tend to really become great photographs when you can more or less fill the frame with them, fill the frame as much as you can. I love wildlife in landscape shots, and I do this a lot because I I do photograph a lot of big mammals, you know, things like bears and orangutans and gorillas. And I love not being tempted to zoom in and fill the frame all the time. I love a gorilla relaxing on a tree branch with the entire Bwindi National Park behind it.

Birds are a little bit different. Like they tend to really showcase themselves, and you can showcase them best when you're getting the detail on the plumage, when you're getting the color and the contrast, maybe a little bit of behavior with the fluffing of the feathers. so there's bird photography and there's kind of everything else. With bird, it's like more is better. And really important point, it's not just about the biggest distance, but it's also what is the minimum distance. So we're talking about 200 to 600.

You might be shooting all day bird photography with 600 millimeters, but then you might want to use 200 at times. For big mammals, or I would say, you know, things bigger than big birds, I would at the same time look at that lower number as well as a really big determining factor for beginning and intermediate photography. Because again, you don't want to be locked into only filling the frame with your subject or even part of the subject. Like if you're

photographing an elephant at close range with a 600 millimeter, you're not gonna get the whole thing. So you at the same time, especially since we're talking about these zoom lenses that that do have that flexibility, looking at that bottom end is just as important. So for instance, you know, there's a great Sony lens that is a a a primo wildlife lens that's a 400 to 800. And you might be thinking, gosh, well 800 court says more is better, but not all the time because you have to look at that bottom end is that you will not be able to zoom out.

Further than 400, which for a lot of us, that's the extent of our zoom range. So there is a balance, there's a give and take. I mean, I think you know, the the lenses, the the quintessential lens of somewhat yesteryear was kind of the 100 to 400. That still exists in a lot of cases. Sony just came out with a great one that's like an F4.5 throughout. Not a beginner lens, that's an expensive, more pro-level.

Allison (35:56)
Yeah. No.

Court (36:01)
But you you have to think, yes, we're getting better technology, we can zoom in farther, we can have bigger focal lengths for less money and less weight, but it's for everything except birds, more isn't always better. And I'll give an example from my recent Namibia trip is that I was photographing, with what is the equivalent of a 300 to 800. I mentioned this with the the OM system. And I found that while 800, well, A, the zoom range is great, like that's that's a pretty good range.

But while 800 gets me into this subject, you start getting into other issues that you don't know exist unless someone like me tells you, or unless you do it on your own, is that when you're in a lot of areas, like let's say you're using the 800, not to just fill the frame with the wildlife, but to photograph wildlife at a distance, meaning you're needing this because this thing's so far off, you need that distance that that zoom telephoto to get to it. you start getting into issues with.

the air of all things. And what I mean by that is, yeah, the haze, the atmosphere, the particulate,

Allison (36:57)
like the haze. Yeah.

Court (37:00)
the humidity, the heat shimmer. That's something that I really was like kind of surprised about. I mean, I know the physics behind the heat shimmer. I know it's a thing, but like I didn't really expect to see it in lot of my photography. And it snuck up on me because

Namibia is this place where it gets cool at night, but then it gets very hot in the day. And so you have this temperature differential between the ground and the air.

Such that it creates distortion. It's kind of like if you're driving on a highway and you see this distant, what looks to be like a puddle, and it's it's that's actually a mirage, you know? And so you get that

Allison (37:31)
Yeah.

Court (37:32)
same physics effect when you're shooting at really long distances. So more is not always better if you're just using it to get really, really distant stuff. It can be nice to fill the frame with parts of an animal. Like I just wrote an article recently on photographing elephant eyes.

And that's cool because you know we are 30 yards from an elephant, and I was able to use this 800 millimeter and just get the eye to be almost the entire frame. And that's really cool. You can start counting eyelashes, and it's a very unique, different photo. so kind of coming back around to the original question: how much telephoto do you really need for wildlife? I I think you're spot on that that like that two to six hundred range is wonderful, in a single lens. That's Sony specific. I think Nikon has the equivalent of like a

A 200 to 500 Canons is a 100 to 500 OM system has a couple different options. They have a 100 to 400 full frame equivalent or the 300 to 800. So I don't want to say you have to get a two to six, two hundred to six hundred, because every camera manufacturer will do a little bit differently with with these ranges,

Allison (38:36)
Yeah.

Court (38:37)
but I do think that's a pretty sweet spot. And then this you know, again, just to hit on that surprising element, don't

Forget to look at the lower end because you will want to zoom out and you'll want to get shots of the wildlife in landscape, but then you'll also want to photograph birds at 600 millimeters. You'll also want to take photographs of elephant eyeballs, et cetera, et cetera. So yeah,

Allison (38:58)
I love the elephant eyeball. That's amazing.

Court (39:01)
It was, it was a really, it was a fun shot. so you know, maximum flexibility, but also knowing that.

More isn't necessarily always better because you do have to contend with things in the environment that you just you can't solve for. You can't reduce heat shimmer. Like that's just a natural thing in the environment. So when we're thinking about travel and wildlife photography or wildlife photography while traveling, which is what most of us do unless we live in the national park and are and are so fortunate,

Allison (39:28)
Yeah.

Court (39:29)
is that maximum flexibility is really a key thing as well.

Allison (39:32)
Yeah, I f I fully agree. And unfortunately, I do not live in a wildlife refuge. I don't live far from one. New York has some interesting spots, especially as migration season starts coming up for some of our residents here, our avian residents. But yeah, just to have that sweet spot for a focal length is great. And to just, you know, go outside and experiment, see what

see what length that you're shooting at the most, see what pictures you enjoy the most and check out the details when you're uploading to Lightroom or whatever, photo software that you're using. You know, look at the side and see, okay, you know, how how open am I? Like what length is this? And, figure out your own repeating trends and what you tend to lean towards more.

Court (40:20)
I want to take a quick break and thank ArtHelper for supporting the show. If you haven't checked out ArtHelper recently, it's become a lot more than just a set of tools for helping artists promote and distribute their work. they've recently built a very interesting community around human made art, which I think is especially important right now with so much AI generated content flooding the internet.

Inside ArtHelper's website, you'll find real-time conversations, artwork, critiques, art world news, and even communities built around different creative interests. It's also becoming a place where artists can connect with one another, share work, get feedback, and actually have some meaningful conversations about the creative process. I've even got a few communities of my own in there that I help moderate and I give feedback and interact directly with other photographers and artists, which has been a heck of a lot of fun.

Best of all, it's absolutely free to join, so head on over to arthelper.com, check out the communities, and while you're there, take a look at the broader set of tools they've built for photographers and other artists.

Court (41:15)
So I wanna get into specifics now. And we've broached the topic of the various camera systems, you know, Nikon, Canon, Sony, and I would I would call myself an expert on Canon because I've been shooting with it for 20 plus years. But I do have a lack of knowledge of the other camera systems, and I wanna come up with some hard and fast recommendations other than just the brand. And this is where you are the expert on this. So to cover the gamut of camera systems, what is an example of a camera body from each of the major systems?

Let's say in the thousand dollar range, just because I think that's frankly a pretty good beginner range. Sorry if you were hoping for something less money audience, but I

Allison (41:55)
Mm-hmm.

Court (41:55)
think that that is kind of like an entry point for kind of you know legit cameras. and then when also when you're mentioning these camera bodies for each of the major systems, if you can touch on any merits that that specific camera body or brand has versus the others. And the reason I ask this is I bet a lot of folks out there.

That are in the beginner realm or even intermediate realm may not be married to a camera system. Maybe they only have one piece of glass, i.e. lens, to go along with that system. And so they're like, you know what? If I need to switch from Nikon to Canon or Canon to Sony or Sony to OM, like I'm cool with that if Allison says there are some pretty major merits.

Allison (42:35)
Yeah, let's let's go with the major brands. And you know, of course, we're we're trying to keep it within that thousand dollar range. I will say that prices do fluctuate daily when it comes to the prices of these. So, you know, just make sure that you do your research and double checking with not only the specs, but the price range that you're comfortable with, with starting off. A thousand dollars is great. So I'm glad we're in that range. You can get some really good stuff at that price to starters. So let's go with Canon because I know you're a fan.

A big fan of Canon, so I would say let's start with the EOS R50, or we can step up to even the R10. I will say the R50 has a really easy menu system out there for a true beginner, it has some great dual pixel autofocus, subject tracking, 4K, and it has that very angled screen that I think is great for all kinds of different angles that you're trying to go for.

The R10, it will add a second control dial and has a good buffer for anyone that's leaning into more action and more movement with their subjects.

Court (43:44)
Yeah, let me let me pause there and just talk about the buffer. I actually did a deep dive on a recent episode about like camera memory and camera cards. The buffer is something you may not come across as a term or a concept until well into your photo career. that's how I came across it. But the buffer is your internal memory storage because every photo that you take that eventually makes its way to a memory card has to go through this buffer first. So it's a bit of a bottleneck.

Meaning that if you are shooting at 10, 20, 30 frames a second, it has to go through this buffer before it can go to the memory card. the bigger the buffer in the camera, the more you can shoot with continuous frame rates, the more frames per second. So even though you might say, well, I don't even know what a buffer is, who cares about this? It's actually a pretty important point and a pretty important feature. If you're into

high speed wildlife photography. And when I say high speed, I kind of mean like behaviors. Like you're you're going on an African safari and you're seeing a cheetah run and chase a gazelle. You're seeing lions yawn, you're photographing birds in US national parks and and they're taking flight and you wanna get several different iterations of that moment it first takes off. That buffer is actually pretty darn important.

Allison (44:58)
Yeah.

Yes it is. Yeah. Definitely for all of those movements that you may want to capture and a single frame that you're like, that's that's the shot that I want. So very important.

Court (45:10)
So the R ten bigger buffer.

Allison (45:12)
Yeah, yeah, for sure. So

Let's move into Nikon because that is a favorite amongst a lot of wildlife photographers. And I've come to really enjoy Nikon. I've spent time with the Z8. I think it's a fantastic body. with Nikon. There are some other cameras as well that can fit well within the budget. So one that I was thinking of was the Z50 Mark II.

So the Nikon Z50 Mark II, it has tracking autofocus. There's recognition across like nine subject types, I believe, and it's made

its way down into this entry body. So there's a really impressive amount in this camera for the price. And I think it's just a really great wildlife starter given the autofocus behind it. I just think it tracks very well. So that would be my pick for a beginner.

Court (46:11)
Excellent.

Allison (46:12)
let's talk Sony. So Sony, there's a couple of ways you can go with this. let's say the A6600 over the A6400. So these are smaller. It's the same autofocus system, same burst rate, but the A6600, it adds in body stabilization over.

The A6400, which doesn't have it. And there's also a bigger battery that roughly doubles the shots per charge. So it runs a touch more than the A64U, so that's why I bring up both. But it's still underneath $1,000, give or take, probably in that $1,000 range. So I would say that's a good option. The A6100 can be also a good pick for anyone who wants lighter and cheaper and doesn't mind swapping batteries more often.

You would just have to carry around some extra batteries.

Court (47:06)
Okay, excellent.

Allison (47:07)
Mm,

yeah. I I do like Sony. One camera that I really like from Sony, it is nowhere in this budget, but it is the A1 and the A1 Mark II. They are very fascinating cameras.

excellent hybrid video, photo. They're really, really good.

but I do believe when you're just starting out, you know, start small. You can admire the the work of some of these amazing photographers with their cameras, but remember that they also started out small as well. So I just think these are just very good starting points just to stay within budget and to develop your own style and your own foundation.

So let's go into Fuji now. when I think Fuji, I'm going to lean towards the XT thirty Mark II for photography. So what I really like about Fuji, the color science, I do think that

really interesting for some people who may want to do very little editing or they prefer raw photos. and I do think that the X mount telephoto lineup

is really good now that there's like a wildlife system there and it's not just street and portrait anymore, which I do think Fuji is known very well for. I will say you may come across some weather seal issues, but when you're shopping for a camera and it may not have the weather sealing that you want, there are other options. You can get like kind of a raincoat for your camera, so to say like there's different covers that you can put on your camera.

also just depending on the subjects that you're going after, are you going to continuously be in damp, dusty environments? You know, just making sure that you check for the right features that you want in your camera before purchasing. the XS10 would also be,

a good option.

I I really like the the EVF on there, so I think that's good.

Court (49:03)
And what what is EVF?

Allison (49:05)
electric viewfinder.

Court (49:08)
yes, yes, yes.

Yeah, that's a that's a pretty important consideration I have to interject is, you know, with mirrorless cameras, which again are undoubtedly the future. You know, you're you are future-proofing yourself, you're you're learning the system to grow with it better. So when when kind of comparing this with some of our previous DSLR talk, you know, we are thinking about like the future of your photographic career, whether it be professional or or sort of more as a hobby, it's like, okay, let's let's get you dialed into the next phase of these things. But the viewfinder is one of the things that are the biggest differences between

DSLRs and mirrorless. DSLRs actually, you know, had the mirror. You know, we're comparing

Allison (49:43)
Yeah.

Court (49:44)
that with mirrorless. So a little bit obvious there, but

Allison (49:45)
Ha ha ha.

Court (49:47)
it's it's sometimes it's a surprise that when you have a DSLR, it's kind of like a little periscope. So you're actually seeing a real image, looking through glass at what you're seeing before you truly is. Whereas with mirrorless, because they do not have the mirror, it there's many benefits to that, but you're you're actually seeing a digital representation of the sensor.

So the quality of the viewfinder and the number of pixels in it and the the clarity is actually pretty important, especially with photographing wildlife. Cause I mean, how many times have you, Alison, been out there and you know, there's a small animal or a small bird in the brush, in the bushes, and you're like, gosh, I I it's hard to see this thing just with my own eyes, let alone a digital viewfinder. So even though just like the buffer, it might seem like a little thing.

the quality of the optical or I should say quality of the digital viewfinder, the eyepiece, can be quite important, especially as we're kind of getting into the more mature age of mirrorless cameras as things are getting better and better.

Allison (50:46)
Yeah, very, very important. And then some people may even have a preference and that can decide between whether they want to stick with DSLR for a while longer, if they prefer that that mirror inside where they can see in real time exactly or do they prefer the more digital aspect of an electronic viewfinder? So it's definitely in the eyes of the beholder, literally. So I'm full.

Court (51:10)
Well played. Well played. That's

Allison (51:12)
I'm full of puns today, don't mind me. Yes.

Court (51:14)
great. Very funny.

and I will say, you know, just to riff on that for another second, it's not all downsides when it comes to digital viewfinder versus optical, because the the really cool thing about the digital viewfinder, as long as you can see through it and it's good quality and all that, is that you are seeing what the photo will look like in real time. Meaning if you're underexposing or overexposing your photo.

if you have a shallow depth of field versus a deep depth field, you're seeing in the viewfinder essentially a mirror of your LCD screen, which bakes in all those camera settings that you've worked hard to dial in. Whereas the optical viewfinder of the DSLR world, you're just seeing a real image. You're just seeing real life through that. So you're not actually seeing, I'm underexposing or overexposing. In some of the most advanced,

DSLRs, there are little buttons and hacks you can use to kind of translate that into viewfinder. I'm not gonna go into detail there, but ultimately it's a benefit to have a digital viewfinder for a lot of reasons. So I just wanted to make sure and make clear that it's not all downside that you don't you know that you no longer get like a little periscope view. It there's some real upsides to it too.

Allison (52:26)
Yeah, fully, fully agree. so lastly, I want to bring up micro four thirds. I would say this is some of this is one of the smaller options. It's super portable, very, very portable, travel friendly. And we brought this up before, the two times crop factor

So I'm thinking of the stabilization, I'm thinking of the weight of it itself. It's going to be great for a beginner just getting into the field and they're on a trek for miles and they just want something that's not too heavy. So I'm looking and thinking of the OM5. I think this is a good option. The price will tend to fluctuate at like a thousand, maybe like 1100 give or take, but it's

A frequent find that you can s like grab easily at a really great price in a really great condition. So I do think this is a great budget conscious option. the lens that I would also pair this with, like if you have a 75 to 300 Olympus, that's going to be become a 150 to 600, thanks to that crop factor. So I do think that would be an ideal kit.

For someone just getting into this.

Court (53:38)
Yeah, I want to get into lenses next, but before I do that, I want to just touch on this idea of size of the camera body because it has some hidden aspects, let's call it, you know, pros and cons. Is you know, a lot of photographers will think, well, I kind of want a pro-looking setup. Like I do want to become pro. I'm just beginner or intermediate now, but I want to go more down that road. So I need to look pro. I need to have a bigger camera body, something more sturdy, et cetera, et cetera.

I will say there's some real science in that. Like sometimes when you look pro, you get a little bit more respect. You you kind of like you it's like dressing for the job you want, right? but

Allison (54:13)
Yeah.

Court (54:14)
there are some real benefits to having smaller, lighter weight camera bodies. The obvious is of course just travel. You know, if you're hiking with this stuff or packing a suitcase and you you can pack more lenses or other gear, you can be on smaller flights. And you know, sometimes these flights in in bush planes have very, very strict weight limits. But aside from that.

A smaller, camera body actually has the benefit of seeming a little bit less intense, seeming a little bit more casual. And this is becoming truly becoming a big thing now, where I think a lot of people are a little bit oversaturated with cameras in their life, with phones, with all this stuff. And so having something that

looks less pro and looks a little bit more casual can actually have a weird upside benefit that you can probably do street photography. You can probably take photos of travel scenes, of modes of transportation, inside accommodations, you know, just general lifestyle photography with a little bit less questioning, let's say, by people being like,

Allison (55:16)
Yeah.

Court (55:17)
Well, are you you know, if you have this massive camera and this massive lens, well, what are you gonna be doing with that? Yeah, are you gonna be publishing this? Do I need

Allison (55:20)
He's like, What are you doing? Yeah.

Court (55:23)
to get, you know,

royalties off this. So I'm not

Allison (55:26)
Yeah.

Court (55:26)
saying that's a it's definitely not the only reason to decide on this, but don't look at a smaller body as only having the benefit of more travel friendly and lighter weight, more packable. But it also gives you a little bit more of like a disarming nature about yourself when you are photographing people, street scenes, cultural stuff. I just wanted to put that out there as well.

Allison (55:46)
Yeah, I I completely agree. There is some advantages to having a more discrete setup versus, a kit that can look more or less like, you know, something a bit larger that people maybe like, what are what are they up to? Like what's what's going on over there? So yeah, yeah.

Court (56:01)
Yeah. What are their intentions? Yeah. discrete. That's that's a per

that's the perfect word. Discrete is the the word I was kind of looking for and fumbling around with. So yes, you are

Allison (56:10)
Ha ha ha.

Court (56:11)
more discreet, which has its advantages. okay,

Allison (56:13)
Yes.

Court (56:14)
so so lenses. You've touched on that with the OM system, the micro four thirds. Let's let's let's come back to that in a second. But the overarching thing is a camera body is only as good as the lens attached to it. Because we're talking about camera systems that all require interchangeable lenses.

Allison (56:29)
Mm-hmm.

Court (56:30)
Maybe I'll

do a future episode on advanced point and shoots and all that sort of stuff. But for now we're talking about those with interchangeable lenses. So knowing that the body is only as good as the glass in front of it, what are your kind of single top recommendations for wildlife lenses for each of those brands and each of those systems?

Allison (56:49)
Yeah, because yeah, the the lens is really important and you want to treat it as a very essential part to your kit because it's going to determine how you shoot, how far you can actually shoot. and of course, does it have any additional features like stabilization or does it have VR? So let's talk let's talk Canon first. So my pick for Canon.

I'm going to go with the RF 100 to 400, F5.6 to 8. So it's light, it's sharp for the price,

It's also a full frame lens. So on these APSC bodies, on these crop centers, is it's going to behave like a 160 to 640-ish equivalent.

The autofocus is quite good.

So I do think that makes it a great budget pick. And if someone can stretch to a bit more, you can go for an older EF model like the 100, the 400. Now that one has an aperture of 4.5 to 5.6. So it can it can translate to other cameras to the RF line specifically with the EF to RF adapter.

And it's faster, it's optically sharper, so that can also do quite well. Canon has some really great glass overall I just think they have a really great wide selection.

Court (58:17)
They really do. And I I want to just kind of clarify that point because both these lenses are 100 to 400. And if you're just kind of getting going in photography, you might say, Well, why did you just mention two of the same lenses? They're not the same lenses, you know, like there's a big difference.

Allison (58:32)
Yeah, they're not the same.

Court (58:34)
You know, when we have these things that are known as variable apertures, it's it's treated as the same as a zoom lens. So when you have a 100 to 400 and it's attributed to an F4.5 to 5.6.

That 4.5 to 5.6 shifts as you go 100 to 400, meaning at completely wide open at 100 millimeters, it's 4.5. And then your maximum aperture or smallest F number as you go to 400 is 5.6. And it it kind of is linear between the two. So comparing the first one Allison said at F eight at 400.

versus the second one at f5.6 at 400. The 5.6 version lets twice as much light in. It's a simple equation. F8 to f5.6 is double the light. So that's that's pretty big. The other thing I want to mention just now for the sake of it, but this pertains to this whole discussion, is one of the primary benefits of getting a later model camera, like a newer camera,

especially mirrorless, with a newer sensor, is that you're gonna get better low-light capabilities irrespective of the aperture. And what I'm talking about here is how your camera handles higher ISOs. So this is not the time to go into super great detail on this. I have whole episodes on ISOs and sensor sizes and all that sort of stuff. But the basic gist is

You know, as you're just starting out, don't worry so so much about those apertures, especially if you're getting a relatively new camera in the last couple of years, because your ISO can go higher.

the photo's gonna look better at a higher ISO compared to an older model. And that probably is going back to that question I asked before of, you know, nice DSLR versus intro mirrorless, you're always gonna get better ISO, I would say, with like a newer camera. So there's a there's a big leg up there as well.

Allison (1:00:20)
Yeah,

absolutely.

So let's get into Nikon because there's a couple ways you can go with this. But after some deliberating, and I even chatted with a couple of our product specialist team in terms of what they would grab if they were starting from scratch again. and a lot of people talked about Tamron, specifically the 70 to 300 DI

three RXD for the Nikon for Nikon Z. So it's a Z fit and it will mount natively on the Z50 Mark II. So I think that's a really good option. It's great in budget and I just think it's withstood its reputation for a while at this point.

You can also do a used F mount at 200 to 500. That one will have F5.6, and I think that works great. But you would need Nikon's FTZ adapter since it is a DSLR lens. So depending on what you're going through and what you're choosing. So make sure that if you're buying your glass first or your body first, just keep both in mind so that

Further down the line, whether you're trying to upgrade and if you want to stay within your brand's family of mounts, that's just something to consider.

Court (1:01:40)
So I wanna speak to these adapters. And I should also say we're getting into a lot of numbers and a lot of names. All this stuff's gonna be in the show notes. So if if you

Allison (1:01:48)
Yes.

Court (1:01:48)
want to track this, like I will have it written down for you guys. You you can take notes as you listen. That'd be I would be honored for you to do that, but you don't have to. I will take notes for you. Yes.

Allison (1:01:56)
Classes and session.

Court (1:01:58)
But the adapters, you know, what Allison's mentioning is that, you know, a lot of these lenses, I kid you not, they have like 20 year lives, meaning like sometimes they don't come out with a new version of a lens for like 15, 20 years.

And so what happens in this transition period when, you know, cosmically speaking, as the industry is shifting from DSLR to mirrorless, is a lot of the DSLR lenses are still very, very good. And this is where we hear things like an EF mount, which would be DSLR for Canon versus an RF mount, which is for their mirrorless system. Is if you get an EF, i.e. DSLR lens, you just buy, I think like a hundred dollar adapter and it now fits on the new mirrorless system.

And I did that for like the first year or two when I switched over. And I just, want to give you some advice that it works great. Like that there is no degradation in quality. there are no technological talking to one another issues in terms of the autofocus, in terms of being able to adjust exposure and zoom and all that sort of stuff. So it's a really good option when you are on a budget to think about getting those tried and true lenses from the DSLR system, getting the adapter, using that for a little bit.

Until you're ready to start buying these mirrorless lenses, because as each of these systems shifted over to mirrorless as their primary R&D they started coming out with new mirrorless lenses. Now I will say, although the older lenses are just as good in these newer systems, the newer lenses that are coming out, because they're newer, are a little bit better or sometimes a lot better. So just kind of keep that in mind that you'll you'll get no degradation in quality from these adapters, but you will eventually probably want.

to upgrade lenses simply because these camera systems are just figuring out how to make these lenses better and better with every year that goes by.

Allison (1:03:44)
Yeah,

It's just it's only getting better from here.

Court (1:03:48)
Before we continue on with Allison's Sony recommendations, I want to take a moment to thank one of the sponsors of this show, MPB. And yes, you may have noticed that Allison works with MPB, so I want to be totally transparent about that. But honestly, that also says something about how much I trust MPB as a source of information, gear, and now apparently inspiration too. And trust is a really big deal for me when it comes to used camera gear. These are not inexpensive purchases.

Whether I'm selling a camera body or trading in a lens, or sometimes doing both of those in one fell swoop, I want to feel like I know exactly what I'm getting into. I want to know the condition of the gear. And I want the process to feel very straightforward.

And I also want to feel confident that I'm dealing with people who actually know photography and understand what this equipment means to photographers. That's a big reason I've been turning to MPB for quite some time. So if you've got gear sitting around that you're no longer using or you're thinking about your next upgrade, check out MPB. It's a great way to keep your camera kit evolving alongside your own evolving photographic journey. Okay, and now back to the show.

Allison (1:04:52)
All right, so let's talk Sony because

I am a fan of this lens in particular from Sony, the 70 to 350 G. This is built specifically for APSC E mount bodies like the A6600, or you can even do like a 100 from Sigma.

It's just a fantastic starter. It gives that small crop factor reach but also just from the experience I've had with it, I got to test a few. I really just enjoy it. I think it's just a great fit. So I do think that is a great option.

for Fuji, there is one that stands out to me in particular. It is the XF 70 to 300 F4 to 5.6. And it has a couple of letters after it, but don't worry, we'll include this. It's F4 to 5.6 RLMOISWR This is compact. It's weather resistant. It has the X mount and the image quality is great.

Do I do think that this is a great choice. If you're going for a Fuji kit, I do believe that this will be your choice.

Court (1:06:05)
I wanna throw in another axiom here, or or just sort of a general bit of guidance and dare I say truism, is that when you're looking at all this stuff and you and you're looking at the numbers and you're getting overwhelmed, is that by and large, ninety-nine percent of the time, the smaller the F number, the better.

capabilities. it comes down to low light capabilities, it comes down to the speed that you can use your shutter, it comes down to the speed of your shutter and the capabilities for fast moving action. So in general when we start talking about like the F5.6 to F eight versus like an F4 to 5.6, that's a big difference. And so like that that Fuji lens is very intriguing to me because

you're looking at a full stop lower across the board. So again, sometimes people get the idea that the bigger number the better. That certainly can be the case with focal length, but with F numbers, i.e. apertures, it's the opposite. The smaller is generally the better.

Allison (1:07:03)
Exactly. That speed does a lot in the long run.

So

then lastly, let's dive into micro four thirds. So we have some options here. We have the Olympus, and a big trend that you're going to see across all these lenses that I'm mentioning is that we're sticking in that favored range that we talked about earlier. So the Olympus here, I'm looking at 75 to 300. For the Panasonic, I'm also looking at 100 to 300. Regardless, either one of these are going to mount on any microf4.

Four

thirds body, regardless of the brand. And of course, these are going to hit 150 to 600 and 200 to 600 equivalents just because, again, of that crop factor. So this is going to be a bit of a lighter setup, but like we mentioned earlier, discretion sometimes can be quite advantageous. So these are also great options for your wallet, for the reach.

And I do think these would do well for a beginner or even intermediate. I just also like the photos that come out of these lenses too.

Court (1:08:11)
Yeah, remember those micro four thirds, you get a little bit smaller sensor than even the crop frames. But

Allison (1:08:16)
Yeah.

Court (1:08:17)
there I I've just found that a lot of those camera bodies have significantly more tech involved in them, such that they they really compete very one on one with the crop sensors. In addition, because there's a smaller sensor, you can actually fit all the lens elements a little bit closer to the sensor. Nothing you have to fit. The camera manufacturers do this, but as a result, just by and large across the board.

Micro four thirds lenses are smaller and lighter and

Allison (1:08:44)
Mm-hmm.

Court (1:08:45)
usually have better aperture ratings as well. So there's some real positives to those, especially if you're just getting started, especially if you want to travel small and lightweight, or you just need low light capability. So I think I think they're fantastic systems. Like I said, I was fortunate to use an OM system on a big photo shoot, and yeah, I was just really pleasantly surprised by the whole thing.

Allison (1:09:06)
Right. That's

that's actually what a lot of people say about they're like, I am pleasantly surprised. And I'm like, Yeah, it's it's it's it's just a a nice system to have. I do enjoy the size of it for travel. when I'm traveling as well, I just think it's a really good option. So I'm glad more and more people are opening up to Micro Four Thirds as a viable option for whatever kind of photography they're pursuing.

Court (1:09:31)
So I wanna pick your brain a little bit on the used gear end of the spectrum because you know you're with MPB and you guys are experts in sourcing and sometimes refurbishing and primarily reselling used gear that you know, great, great quality stuff. I've worked with you guys many times before.

But I wanna

I wanna get some advice on like how does one protect their investment so they can eventually turn it into like

a used sale, you know, whether it's through MPB, whether it's through an online marketplace. what would you say what are some of the best practices for preserving resale value of any sort of lens or camera body?

Allison (1:10:09)
Yeah, this is this is a really great question I do think it's important to kind of preserve the resale value if you know that you are inevitably going to upgrade. You also don't know the timeline of which you are going to up to upgrade. Some people will be like, maybe like in a year, but then they reach their personal cap within six months, and then they're like, okay, it's time. So there's a couple things that someone can do to preserve.

The resale value to even get more for what they send in, particularly for MPB. So definitely keeping the original box, the straps, batteries, manuals, those kind of sets will not only sell better, but they also sell faster and usually for more for more money. So just having all those little bits that come with the camera as you receive it, when you're ready to upgrade, just including.

everything that's very important

storing gear is also important, especially when it comes to if you've been outside a lot. So silica gel packs, keeping it away, like when you're storing it, keeping it out of heat, direct sun. We see more often than not fungus and like the rubber kind of degrading over time. And our product specialists, they are looking at the internal elements of the camera so we can see how much dust accumulate.

Within these elements. And

So when the product specialist is looking into these internal elements, they're inspecting for dust and fungus that can change the condition grade. So if you keep your items in pristine condition, it will sell much better

Court (1:11:59)
Yeah, and I think UV filters

Allison (1:11:59)
So, yeah.

Court (1:12:01)
are probably a an advisable thing as well, specifically for resale

Allison (1:12:04)
Mm-hmm.

Court (1:12:05)
value. and I did an episode on sort of my take on UV filters, because I've heard some conflicting things, especially when you get into the pro level, of you know, why would you want to put another piece of glass in front of your lens, which is already very perfect. but as far as resale value goes, I always slap a UV filter on like every lens because

Allison (1:12:23)
Same, same.

Court (1:12:24)
I I do eventually sell all my gear. Like I'm pretty sure everything that I have right now will go back into the system and be sold within the next five or ten years. you know, a little

Allison (1:12:33)
Ha ha ha.

Court (1:12:34)
bit of a long timeline, but every time I pop that UV filter off to go then sell it, the glass in the front of the lens is just perfect. There's there's definitely no scratches, there's no smudges,

Allison (1:12:44)
Yeah.

Court (1:12:45)
there's not even any dust on it. So I think that that would be one thing I would add as far as really upping your resale value, which is just a great thing because that means you can get.

a better lens the next time because you get another couple hundred dollars versus something that may have potentially a scratch that doesn't really come out in the photos. Like that that's a real thing. Like sometimes you just don't even see those scratches. So don't be super worried about them. But when anybody is looking to buy that lens, whether it's an outfit like MPB or someone that you, you know, meet off the street, whatever it might be, that's me the

Allison (1:13:16)
Yeah.

Court (1:13:17)
first thing is like, my gosh, there's a scratch on this lens and it it dings you, you know, literally metaphorically.

Allison (1:13:22)
Yeah, no, quite quite literally, because as soon as someone sees a scratch, you're going to want to see if it appears in the photo. So that's very important to, you know, put that filter on just to protect the front element a bit. And of course, just keeping it tidy, making sure all the buttons are just in really good functionality, everything is clean. One thing that I've noticed is that rubber grips can get kind of sticky and degrade over time. So

So just making sure that it's stored well to just preserve the nature of the glass.

And of course just making sure you don't do any third party engraving, stickers that can leave like a ton of resin residue or any other kind of modifications that can affect the physicality of the lens or camera.

Court (1:14:13)
Excellent. So nearing my final question, this is the the penultimate question of the talk here, is

Allison (1:14:19)
Yeah.

Court (1:14:20)
in general, you know, we're talking about gear, we're kind of alluding to shopping around for and doing your research. What tips or techniques do you have for listeners when just starting to shop around for a camera, a lens, you know, the the kit, the setup? like how do they research and decide beyond just the obvious of tuning into this podcast?

Allison (1:14:40)
Yeah.

I mean, there's so many ways that you can do this depending on your learning type. I'm very much a hands-on person. So if you can get hands-on before buying, whether you're going to some sort of camera expo, a shop, a demo day, you can even borrow from a friend if you have that kind of awesome friend. any kind of experience like that will beat reading the spec sheet alone, just because you'll be able to feel the camera in your hand and figure out the the ergonomics.

and see if like, does this feel right?

in my hand, can I see myself holding this for a long time? Can I see myself having this for a long time? And that's just very important. And another thing is to just look at real sample images and video, raw, unfiltered, not just like promotional shots from the brand. I would check out forums, community posts, check out all kinds of different platforms, even YouTube. They do a lot of reviews there.

And it will show how a camera actually performs in normal hands. You can also rent a body or a lens for a weekend before committing. I've done that before. Just get hands-on with it. Again, just making sure that it's in the right fit. And when you're ready to buy and you're looking at market pricing, particularly use, it's really important, and I may be a little biased, but looking at the individual photographs.

So when I'm buying something online, it's great that I'm able to see the actual item that I'm going to get at different angles and making sure that you can have

a very accurate and detailed list of any possible defects like maybe there's a scratch on the base or you know just like something like a little ding and making sure it's at the standard that you want you're like maybe I'm shopping for excellent maybe I can stretch it to like new depending on your wallet. So I think that's really important.

And just also making sure you're asking questions in the community. So when you're shopping around for a brand or a camera and you're looking to really get into this, it's so important to ask questions and do your research. This is a great way to get involved in different clubs in your area, in different online communities, and just getting experience and stories from other people.

Who may have started out quite similarly to you. So it's nice to have that insight and to see where you can go with your photography.

So definitely all these things you can do to start shopping for a camera and making sure you are well informed before making your purchase decision.

Court (1:17:35)
Brilliant, Allison. Well, this is this has been super helpful. And I have a feeling that this episode is gonna be one of those that generates a lot of questions from listeners. And I I very much invite those. So I want to turn people on to one of the best ways to get a hold of me in terms of you know speed of access and ease of access for you, head on over to my YouTube channel. That's just at

Court Whelan So just go on YouTube and just search at the little at symbol in Court Whelan And I respond to every single one of those comments. So whether it's a comment on this episode or a comment on any other episode, if you have questions about the gear we talked about today, I am happy to address those. If I don't know the answer, I'll get in touch with Allison. We'll tag team those. But I very, very much invite questions about specific gear because I am a total gear nerd. This is why I was delighted to have Allison on.

and really fine-tune

Allison (1:18:22)
Okay.

Court (1:18:23)
this episode to being gear focused to pick Allison's brain. so yeah, head on over there, ask me a question, and I will help you very, very happily. So we know one thing because this is a little bit of a different episode, very, very gear focused. we didn't get into a whole lot

of Allison's background with photography, but she is a very accomplished photographer, has background with street photography and event photography and landscape and and getting pretty deep in the weeds with wildlife photography, especially birds. So Alison, my final question for you, because I'm sure people are gonna want to hear and see more of you, where can people find you?

Allison (1:18:59)
all right, you can find me on Reddit at MPBCom where I am actively chatting with my fellow gearheads and we're just kind of nerding out over gear. We're having some really great discussions, we're having creative conversations as well. So I am actively replying to people, I'm making posts, and we're just having some really good conversations over there. So come find me and say hello.

Court (1:19:23)
Well, Allison, that's fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing not only your insight here, but the opportunity to extend that insight and have more conversations. I have a real feeling we're gonna get you back on this podcast and do some more gear talk, some more photography talk. So once again, Allison, thank you so much for being available and having this chat today.

Allison (1:19:41)
Court, thanks so much for having me. Thank you for letting me nerd out about all kinds of gear and telephoto reach for so long. I really hope this conversation will send someone towards their first wildlife setup.

I encourage everyone to, no matter your budget, to go out there and shoot. Take a look at the world around you. It really shifts your perspective.

So thank you so much for having me, Court. yeah, I hope to be back. This is great.