The Gyrfalcon photo shown on this page is one of my favorite photos I have ever taken. It also happens to be taken with equipment I had shortly after starting in photography and birding, way back around 2000. It was a Nikon “Coolpix” point-and-shoot camera, shot through a spotting scope (“digiscoping”). The camera itself? An early digital camera that was just 4 MP, with very few effective pixels compared to today’s cameras. Yet with that quite average, low-cost camera, I got a very nice photo of a rare bird in a great pose.
Don’t get me wrong, having good equipment definitely helps, particularly in terms of image quality. However, even for those on a tight budget, you can have a lot of fun with bird photography. Note that I use Canon equipment, but this page isn’t meant to endorse any particular product or brand. Nikon and others also make absolutely wonderful cameras, lenses, and other equipment. With that said, here’s what I currently shoot with, and my take on each piece of equipment.
Current Equipment
Camera Bodies
Canon R7 — I finally made the switch to mirrorless bodies when the R7 came out, and I certainly haven't regretted it. The Canon EOS R7 is one of the best values currently available for bird photography, as it combines a high-resolution 32.5 MP APS-C sensor with advanced autofocus and fast shooting speeds that are ideal for tracking birds in motion. I've never used full-frame sensor systems, always those with a 1.6x crop factor. The R7's 1.6× crop factor effectively extends the reach of telephoto lenses—an advantage when photographing distant or small subjects—while features like subject detection autofocus (including birds), in-body image stabilization, and high burst rates (up to 15 fps (mechanical) or 30 fps (electronic)) make it highly capable for both perched and flight shots. It's not cheap, but it's cheaper than full-frame bodies, offering excellent performance. I admit I do get frustrated at the autofocus at times. It does have features which can lock-on to the eye of a bird and keep things in focus even while the bird moves around, yet sometimes I find it difficult for the camera to not first try to lock on to a background element. It's a minor issue that only pops up in certain settings (particularly if the bird is relatively small in the frame). Otherwise, the image quality and ease of use make this a great lens for bird photography.
Canon 90D — See below, now my backup. The XXD series of Canon bodies were my staple for many years, before converting to the R7. Now relegated to backup role. Given I mostly shoot birds, often now I'll have my "big" birding lens on the R7, and then have the 90D ready for use for landscapes with a wide angle lens.
Primary Birding Lens
Canon 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM — The Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM is widely regarded as one of the most versatile and capable lenses for bird photography. I've always been skeptical of a zoom vs. a prime lens, in terms of image sharpness. But this lens offers a powerful 100–500 mm zoom range that allows photographers to quickly adapt from nearby subjects to distant birds without changing lenses. Its excellent optical sharpness, fast and accurate autofocus, and strong image stabilization make it highly effective for both perched birds and birds in flight, while its relatively lightweight design (for a super-telephoto zoom) supports extended handheld use in the field. That latter point is CRUCIALLY important for my style of shooting, because...I hate tripods!! I want to walk around without the burden of a tripod and hand-hold, and this lens allows that. Although the variable aperture (f/7.1 at 500 mm) can be limiting in low light, the combination of reach, flexibility, and professional L-series build quality makes it an outstanding “all-in-one” wildlife lens and a top choice for serious bird photographers who want performance without the cost and weight of large prime super-telephotos..
Older Equipment (used for many older photos on this website)
Camera Bodies
Canon 90D — My primary camera body prior to getting the mirrorless R7. Ever since the 20D a number of years ago, I’ve shot this series, having a 20D, 40D, 50D, 70D, then 90D. I’ve enjoyed them all, and with each successive iteration Canon has made incremental improvements. The 90D has performed well for me, with terrific auto-focus and very good image quality. It’s also got a great touch LCD on the back that swivels and rotates out from the camera body, a great feature when the viewfinder is impractical and you need to compose a shot with the LCD viewer. One very nice advantage to me with this series of cameras as compared to full-frame cameras is the 1.6x crop factor, which in effect makes your subject seem 1.6x closer than it would be with a full-frame camera body.
Canon 70D — My old backup. It still shoots wonderful photos, but it sits unused in my camera bag unless the other bodies go down.
Lenses
Canon 400mm 5.6L — I don’t care what your budget is, if you can afford the most expensive lens in the world, the Canon 400mm 5.6L can still should be a part of any bird photographer’s arsenal. This was my primary lens for a majority of the bird photos on my website, given how long I had this and paired with the XXD line of camera bodies. Despite it's age, it's still a great, lightweight, and relatively cheap lens for bird photography. The price? It’s “cheap” compared to what most birders use, as it used to come in around $1,200. For comparison, the Canon 500mm or 600mm lens preferred by most professional bird photographers will cost $12,000+. This lens is incredibly sharp and light enough to hand-hold all day long. The downside...it's not a very "fast" lens at F5.6, and it lacks image stabilization which is WONDERFUL in other lenses in helping to control for a shaky hand or for low light.
Canon 70–200mm 4.0L — Another of the best bargains of the professional L series of Canon lenses. It’s very sharp throughout the entire range, even when shot wide open. It’s obviously much shorter than my 400mm, so it doesn’t get used much for birds, with the exception of tame birds at feeders.
Canon EFS 18–135mm IS — This was a kit lens that came with my 70D. I don’t shoot a lot of landscapes or other wide-angle shots, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by this lens. It’s sharp, and the image stabilization really helps when hand-holding.
Canon 50mm 1.8 — This is truly an “el cheapo” in the Canon line, but it’s extremely sharp and makes a very nice medium-wide lens.
Canon 1.4x Teleconverter — They multiply the effective focal length of your lens, but there are downsides in sharpness and speed as noted below.
What to Buy? Camera Bodies
For your digital camera body, I’m not going to touch on point-and-shoot digital cameras that are very popular and can fit in your pocket. Keep in mind that birds aren’t the most considerate of subjects. You will quickly learn that you can never have a long enough lens, and most point-and-shoot cameras simply don’t have the reach you’re going to need when photographing birds. That HAS changed in recent years, where some photographers get marvelous results out of newer bodies with long ranges. But for the best image quality in bird photography, you likely wanted a dedicated camera body with interchangeable lenses. The standard in digital photography used to be a DSLR, but now mirrorless camera bodies are the primary body used by nature photographers.
Resolution
Do not worry about the number of megapixels your camera has. Today’s mirrorless bodies and DSLRs will nearly all ensure you have plenty of image resolution to not only make wonderful web-based presentations, but also allow for the creation of hard-copy prints at quite large sizes. The practical difference between shooting a 14 MP and 30 MP camera is negligible for the vast majority of folks out there.
Full-frame vs. a “Cropped” Sensor
The most expensive camera bodies typically have full-frame sensors. Most cheaper bodies use digital sensors smaller than 24x36 mm because smaller sensors are cheaper. The APS-C sensor used in my old Canon 90D, for example, is quite a bit smaller than a full-size sensor. That sounds bad, but not necessarily. You can sometimes introduce more noise on smaller chips, but today’s bodies do such a great job with noise that I haven’t found much of an issue for most outdoor bird-shooting situations.
What you are also doing is projecting an image on a smaller area and effectively using a smaller part of the lens in the center. The result is a crop factor or multiplication factor. On my Canon R7 or older 90D, it’s 1.6x, which means if I shoot an image with my 100-500mm lens at the full 500mm focal length, the image will appear as if I shot a full-frame sensor at 800 mm. That magnification factor can be awfully beneficial when trying to shoot birds, given how hard it can be to get close enough to them.
Bells and Whistles
When you go from a basic mirrorless body through the mid-range and high-range bodies, you will add more bells and whistles, including stronger weather-resistant bodies, and bigger screens. Are these necessary? It depends on how you shoot. The question I ask though is: do these things help you get a better image? Keep in mind that many options available on a more expensive camera may be handy, but they will not improve the photograph you ultimately take.
Final verdict — camera body: If money is an issue, do not spend it on the body. Save it for high-quality lenses. You do not need the fanciest, most expensive camera body to take incredible, professional-quality photos.
What to Buy? Lenses
I’ve already mentioned it several times: you can never have a long enough lens when photographing birds. When people first get into bird photography, they tend to grossly underestimate the length they’ll need. Telephoto lenses are so much longer than the “normal” lenses people use for photographing people, landscapes, pets, and more. If you’ve got money to spend, invest in high-quality lenses.
When I started and got my first DSLR, I bought what I thought was a monster 75–300mm lens. I quickly found out that the vast majority of my bird photos consisted of 95% landscape and a quite small bird in the frame. I then invested in the Canon 400mm 5.6L I still own and used for a majority of the photos currently on my website. The improvement in picture quality, especially sharpness, was astounding. My current workhorse lens is the Canon 100-500m F4.5-7.1 L IS USM, offering not only incredible sharpness (particularly for a zoom!), but full image stabilization and very fast autofocus. When investing in equipment in bird photography, invest in lenses for the sharpest, most professional looking photos.
Focal Length
Focal length is provided in millimeters. The larger the number, the greater the magnification and the narrower the field of view. If you’re looking for habitat shots or primarily photographing very large birds, a 200mm lens may often prove effective. However, if you’re looking for fill-the-frame shots of small birds, even a very expensive 600mm lens can be “short” at times.
Final verdict — focal length: Get the longest, highest-quality lens you can afford. However, do not believe for a second that you cannot get great photos without a 500mm or 600mm lens, though. Patience and persistence can compensate for equipment that is a little lacking.
Speed / Aperture
The aperture controls the amount of light that reaches the sensor and also controls depth of field. Typical apertures are f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, and so on. The smaller the number, the wider the aperture. A wider aperture means a faster lens, which allows faster shutter speeds and reduces the chances of motion blurring.
Final verdict — speed: A faster lens is nice, but weight and cost matter. Instead of spending thousands more for a faster lens, sometimes it makes more sense to increase the ISO level on a modern digital camera when needed.
Image Stabilization / Vibration Reduction
Many lenses now offer mechanical tools that compensate for shake. If you couple a shaky photographer with a low shutter speed, you are almost certainly going to get motion blur. Image stabilization mechanically compensates for an unsteady hand, effectively lowering what might be considered a safe shutter speed for hand-holding a shot.
Final verdict — stabilization: It is a great feature to have and will improve the sharpness of many shots by reducing blur from a shaky hand.
Prime vs. Zoom Lenses
Prime lenses have one non-adjustable focal length, while zoom lenses offer a range of usable focal lengths. Zoom lenses offer much greater flexibility, but prime lenses generally offer greater sharpness and less distortion. Using a 75–300mm zoom at 300mm will almost certainly provide poorer image quality than a prime 300mm lens.
Final verdict — prime vs. zoom: For years my standard advice was to go with prime lenses if ultimate sharpness is your goal. However, I've been completely blown away with the image quality of my Canon 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 lens. Image quality can vary tremendously among lenses, but Canon, Nikon, Sony, and others are now producing zoom lenses that maintain sharpness across the full focal range. I have no hesitation in recommending a zoom lens now for the versatility it provides, but again, a buyer should look at reviews on image sharpness for individual lenses before committing.
Teleconverters
Teleconverters fit between your lens and your camera body, effectively increasing focal length. With a good prime lens and a good compatible teleconverter, you can have an excellent combination for bird photography. However, you will lose some sharpness and speed, and autofocus can be affected depending on the camera and lens.
Final verdict — teleconverters: They can be excellent with fast, high-end lenses, but on slower lenses they often create as many problems as they solve.
What to Buy? Tripods and Support
Camera shake caused by your own unsteadiness, the wind, internal vibration, and more can make your once-in-a-lifetime shot blurry and out of focus. This is especially true in bird photography, where you are generally using very long focal lengths.
Tripod
A good sturdy tripod is truly wonderful in stabilizing your camera and helping you achieve crisp, clear photos. When using extremely long focal lengths, the use of a tripod is sometimes necessary. But...I HATE carrying around and using a tripod!! My current workhorse outfit of a Canon R7 body and Canon 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 IS offers image stabilization in BOTH the body and lens, which greatly facilitates hand-holding and the style of photography I like to do.
Monopod
A monopod is simply a one-legged version of a tripod. While it is not able to fully support your camera, it will provide additional stability and can be a good option when hiking or when space is limited.
Camera Stock
Camera stocks are somewhat similar to gun stocks and provide additional stability while still hand-holding your camera.
Window Supports
If you shoot from your car a lot, there are many options to provide stability when shooting out a car window. I have a small window mount that allows me to fit my tripod head to the window. It is very stable and can be great when shooting from a car. I also have a bean bag which is great for draping over the window frame and resting the camera on for support.
Final verdict — support: I hate tripods with a passion, but they absolutely can reduce the failure rate of photos. For my shooting style, hand-holding works great, but for very long lenses a tripod may be essential. All depends on your style of shooting, your equipment, and your goals.
What to Buy? Flash
Most bird photos use ambient light, but there are many situations where the use of flash will greatly improve your bird photos. Low-light situations, such as taking a shot of a bird in a dark forest understory or photographing owls at night, are obvious situations where you need a flash just to achieve an image.
Total Flash
Total flash is used when both the subject and the background need to be illuminated just to be able to record an image. This is typically the case in low-light situations, either because of time of day or location. Most camera bodies offer through-the-lens flash systems that help determine the appropriate flash output based on your settings.
Fill Flash
Fill flash is used to augment ambient light by filling in the shadows or for lighting a back-lit subject. For example, if you’re shooting a bird on a fence post with the sun behind it, fill flash can help brighten the bird and reduce harsh shadows.
Final verdict — flash: It's not a complete necessity, but I'd recommend that you get a flash unit and learn to use it. I rarely use flash as the primary illumination, but I use fill flash often to remove harsh shadows and create a more natural-looking shot.
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