Whether you’re new to photography or have years of shooting experience, it can be overwhelming to shop for a new camera. There’s an abundance of digital SLRs and mirrorless cameras on the market, but the best fit depends on your shooting style and preferred type of photography. For example, you’ll need a different camera—with additional equipment—if you’re a portrait photographer than you would if you shoot wildlife and landscapes.
For nature photography, you’ll need a durable camera that can shoot best with limited natural light and manage fast movement. The best cameras for wildlife photography have cropped sensors as opposed to full-frame capabilities. While full-frame cameras shoot better in low-light conditions and offer better image quality, cropped sensors are cheaper and offer better reach for the lens, allowing you to take “zoomed-in” images of wildlife without getting too close. Full-frame cameras are ideal for landscape photos.
Other must-have camera features for nature photography include a good autofocus system and a continuous shooting speed of at least 12 frames per second, especially important for capturing fast-moving animals.
If you need a new camera for nature photography, consider the following options.
1. Sony a7R IV
The Sony a7R IV is a lightweight camera with an ergonomic build, relatively fast continuous shooting, and precision autofocus that includes Animal Eye AF. Utilizing artificial intelligence, the Animal Eye AF feature autofocuses on the subject’s eyes instead of the surrounding environment. The Sony a7R IV is also mirrorless, meaning it’s quieter and better suited for nature photography (specifically wildlife), than a DSLR.
The a7R IV shoots at a resolution of 61 megapixels, which makes it easy to crop images in editing without affecting image quality. It shoots 10 frames per second, which isn’t optimal but sufficient for nature photography. It’s also more expensive than many other suitable models, with an average price of about $3,000.
2. Canon 5D Mark IV
Despite being an older model, the Canon 5D Mark IV is still a popular camera for nature photography due to its impressive high-resolution sensor, durability, and reliability. It’s also a little cheaper than the Sony a7R IV.
Because of its higher resolution, the Canon 5D Mark IV makes it easier to correct errors in post, although it won’t capture the same level of detail as the a7R IV. The 5D Mark IV, however, has 61 phase-detection AF points and a center AF point with a -3 EV sensitivity that allows you to lock in on somewhat stationary animals and birds in dark forests. Finally, the camera has dual-pixel AF, allowing for unmatched focusing in both video and live view.
3. Nikon D850
Like the Canon 5D Mark IV, the Nikon D850 is by no means a new model but still holds up even in 2023. In fact, it’s considered one of the best overall cameras for nature photography as it’s equally effective for shooting both wildlife and landscape photos. It shoots at 7 frames per second at 45.7 megapixels and has a full-frame sensor that produces beautiful high-quality images.
4. Panasonic Lumix FZ2500
Ranked as the best camera for wildlife photography by Digital Camera World, the Panasonic Lumix FZ2500 is a versatile camera with a 1-inch sensor and 49 AF points that shoots at 20.1 megapixels with a burst rate of 12fps. It’s relatively cheap compared to some other models and is a perfect camera for beginners. The maximum aperture falls once the zoom exceeds 170mm, but the camera also includes 4K 30p video shooting capabilities, allowing you to extract high-quality stills in editing.
5. Nikon Z50
The Nikon Z50 is a mirrorless camera with plenty of features that make it a perfect fit for nature photography. The camera’s autofocus system allows you to capture subjects in motion without affecting focus or image quality, even with a relatively low amount of natural light. The subject tracking feature, meanwhile, allows you to focus on animals moving erratically. It’s activated by pressing the OK button in auto-area AF mode.
The Nikon Z50 shoots 4K video at 30fps and HD at 120fps. It also has Bluetooth connectivity.
6. Sony A6600
The Sony A6600 was introduced in 2019 as the brand’s premier APS-C format mirrorless camera. Better suited for experienced photographers than beginners, it’s equipped with a high-quality image sensor and processor as well as a front-end LSI to enhance video and still image quality. It also includes Sony’s real-time eye AF and real-time tracking features and has 425 phase-detection AF points, 5-axis in-body image stabilization technology to boost shutter speed, and a rapid AF acquisition time of 0.02 seconds.
Video recording is one of the most impressive capabilities of the Sony A6600, but the video record button is poorly positioned, and the camera has just one SD card slot, meaning you’ll likely need to bring several additional cards with you on nature photography expeditions.