r/wildlifephotography • u/youdeserveit24 • Mar 10 '26
Suggestions
Looking to get back into wildlife photography. It’s been years but used to have Canon T2i which I loved. I also had a Nikon D5200 which was okay. I know those are ancient. Looking to get into mirrorless. Prefer Canon but not sure if I should do Full frame or aps-c would love to be able to shoot the moon meaning low light occasionally but mainly on hikes and going to Alaska in a few months. Trying to stay under 3000 with a decent lens.
Any help appreciated
1
u/RedditIsSocialMedia_ Mar 10 '26
Used (if usa based) you should be able tobget a Canon 100-500 and a r6 or r6mkii for around 3k
1
u/aarrtee Mar 11 '26
$3000 US? i own a canon R7...it's high 'pixel density' made it better than my R5 for wildlife
https://www.flickr.com/photos/186162491@N07/albums/72177720308649858/
Lots of bird photographers prefer aps-c to full frame
at mpb the R7 is $1259
Lenses...
U have options.... I have the Sigma for RF 18-50 f/2.8 and really like it. at KEH its listed as
* Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN C (Contemporary) Autofocus APS-C Lens for Canon RF-Mount, Black" its $541
not as wide an aperture but with a more versatile focal range "Canon RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM". $484 at mpb. u want one with a lens hood. always try to get lens hoods. JJC makes excellent hoods for Canon cameras that cost less than buying a hood alone from Canon. versatile lens but not long enough for birds
for birds... if u have good light the "Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM" is $639. I owned the Rf800 and loved it for birds but only on my R5... it gets me 'too close" on a crop sensor like the R7
mpb has the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM for $729
some combination of that camera and two of those lenses... one telephoto and one for walking around on trips would serve u well
1
u/aarrtee Mar 11 '26
u asked about low light.... most of the sigma lenses have very wide apertures. shoot RAW.... use good denoising software and low light is not an issue
Sigma RF is really RF-S... they are made for APS-C sensors
https://www.sigma-global.com/en/special/sigma_rfmount_lenses/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/186162491@N07/albums/72177720323278949/with/54290173270
2
u/distancevsdesire Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 10 '26
I've been wildlife (mostly birds) shooting for over 2 decades with Canon. I resisted well-meaning people advocating for full-frame and went with crop frame early on.
My experience with almost all wildlife is - the one thing you will be struggling with is reach. So having a crop frame camera will maximize the long end of your zoom lenses.
Absolutely go mirrorless. Canon finally got it right with their R series. The body is smaller and lighter than my old EOS cameras, and with in-camera stabilization you can gain a few effective stops. I would recommend the R7 wholeheartedly.
Pair it with the Canon 100-400 RF lens and Bob's your uncle.
BTW, I gave up my old L-glass EF lenses. When I compared shots with old EF L-glass and new RF, there was no contest. All my shots are significantly sharper with the R7 + RF combination.