5600. PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS: Wildlife photography lenses. Canon EOS R5 and R7 by Dani Connor

Digital camera. Issue 272. Sept 2023.
www.digitalcameraworld.com

 

Interview: Dani Connor's wildlife journey.

1. Advices for readers to improve their photos:
1.1. Know your kit.  e.g. R5. She didn't test the settings before going out with the R5.
1.2. Make photography buddies. e.g. FB group "Young wildlife photographers, UK?". Organised meet-ups.

2. Zoom lenses. RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM lens. Can zoom out to get more context with your environment or zoom in to get tight portrait shot.

3. Lenses she used. Favourite is Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM super-telephoto prime. Her go-to wildlife lens. Love shooting at f/2.8, useful for poorly lit environment and in deep woodland.

She uses it on the EOS R5 and R7 via a Mount Adapter EF-EOS R.

 

4.  Her APS-C EOS R7 camera has 1.6X crop factor. If she shot with her 300mm lens, the R7 produces an equivalent of 480mm. Extra reach was nice. Camera is light and stable, perfect for travelling and on-the-go shooting. 

5. She uses EOS R5 mirrorless now. R5 has animal eye-tracking. Pin-sharp on the eyes of a dog moving towards her. Two years on, she finds mirrorless fits her photo and video needs, far better than DSLR.

6. Which camera features she use for wildlife?
On the R7, she likes the Raw Burst Mode. It allows you to half-press your shutter and start taking photos. It saves the photos onto the card once you fully press the shutter. You shoot entire sequence (e.g. a bird taking off from a branch but you don't know when) and not miss a moment. Multiple full raw files will be saved and you can decide which photo you like the most.