Which Camera is Right for Your Bird Photography?

If you're in the market for a full-frame camera, but you're not looking to break the bank at the same time, you still have some incredible options. These mid-range cameras are often the most popular cameras that the big three manufacturers put out. So, that means that you get a lot of high-end features put into them. And that is certainly the case in these latest iterations. I'm going to be testing the R6 III from Canon, the Sony a7 V, and the Nikon Z6 III, and putting them through their paces in a wildlife environment. And while you cannot go wrong with any of these cameras, if you're looking to invest in a new system, hopefully this video will help make that decision that little bit easier.

All of these cameras shoot incredibly fast frame rates. Both the Nikon and the Sony have partially stacked sensors, which helps improvement on their readout speeds, and also helps improve rolling shutter. The Nikon Z6 III shoots 20 frames per second 14-bit raw images on its electronic shutter, and an incredibly impressive 14 frames per second on its mechanical shutter. And one of the benefits of sacrificing that six frames per second is the improvement of the rolling shutter you get with the mechanical shutter, which is probably a good trade-off that you will notice when you're doing a high-speed panning shot. However, you definitely can and should be using that 20 frames per second in those moments where the fastest frame rate is needed. It also shoots 60 frames per second in JPEG in full-frame mode, and 120 frames per second JPEG in crop mode. So, if you're a birder and need great results straight out of camera and that little bit of extra reach, having the APSC crop mode at 120 is a fantastic option for you. I think that's a cardinal. The Nikon red started now. The a7 V shoots 30 frames per second blackout free 14-bit raw images on its 33-megapixel sensor. Now, if you're shooting in the largest file size of lossless compressed, you only get a couple of seconds at that 30 frames per second. So, I kind of use it as a speed boost function, and usually shoot around 15 frames per second, and activate that 30 frames per second with the speed boost custom button that I've created. So, when I'm in those moments where we need the 30 frames per second, I have that, and I'm not filling up my memory card in 2 seconds constantly shooting at 30 frames per second. While the R6 III doesn't have a partially stacked sensor, it still has incredible readout speeds, and shoots 40 frames per second up to 150 photos, which is more than enough in a wildlife situation. Now, when we are accessing those higher frame rates and using the electronic shutter, we do drop down our images to a 12-bit raw file, but you can still get a ton of information back in post-production. And if you have your settings right in camera, it really doesn't matter. Uh the images we're getting here are incredible.

For wildlife photography, once you've used this feature, you really can't go back, and that is pre-capture. And essentially, what this is doing is while you're half-pressing the shutter, your camera is constantly buffering images, so that when you do finally fully press that shutter, you get a select number of images saved from beforehand if your reactions aren't quick enough for when a bird flies away, for example. — With the Sony a7 V, you can really dial this in to how you like it. You can set it to be 0. 03 seconds all the way up to 1 second in any frame rate that you like. With the Z6 III, you can have 0. 3, 0. 5, or a full second of pre-capture, and that can be used all the way up to 20 frames per second in raw, or the 120 JPEG. Now, the R6 III, you do have to be in the highest frame rate at 40 frames per second, and it is only set to half a second. So, that is 20 extra photos for every burst that you use. So, you do have to be mindful of this, as that card will fill pretty quickly if you're not careful. But, I do find that half a second is a sweet spot to use on all three of these cameras. — Ah, that was a more pretty dignified bird.

bird. When you're buying a camera and investing into a system, you're also investing into their lens system, and you're kind of locked in from that the moment you buy the camera. So, thinking about your lenses is equally important. Again, all of these brands have incredible lenses, but there are a few things to think about, specifically for you wildlife and bird photographers. The Nikon Z mount does have some fantastic affordable lenses at longer focal lengths. And I say affordable in air Come on, guys. quotes, as they still are very expensive lenses, but when you compare them to other brands in the same focal length, they really do become the bargain of the century. For example, this 800 mm f6. 3, at the time of recording, is around $6,000. Now, that is a lot of money, do not get me wrong. However, if you look at competitors at this focal length, this really is the bargain of the century, and I really do mean that. And 6. 3 might not be the fastest lens, but you really do get incredible results with this, and it's still lightweight enough that you can handhold this all day and have no problems at all. At the same price point as the 800 6. 3 from Nikon, we have the f2. 8 300 mm on the Sony E mount, and this is honestly one of my favorite lenses out there for wildlife. — You still get that incredible separation with the 2. 8, but it's light enough that you kind of honestly forget it's in your [snorts] backpack. Come on, buddy, do something fun. Now, we do have some more affordable zoom lenses, like the 200 to 600 and the 400 to 800. But, if we want a large telephoto prime, we are looking at some of the most expensive lenses in photography. However, with the Sony E mount, you do get access to a lot of third-party lenses. For example, the 300 to 600 mm f4 from Sigma is possibly one of the best lenses in wildlife with the flexibility and the range you get with that. But, something to know about using third-party lenses is that you can't take advantage of the maximum frame rates on Sony cameras. You are limited to 15 frames per second. So, if using the full frame rate of 30 frames per second on the a7 V is important to you, you do have to stick to the first-party lenses from Sony. Now, with the RF mount, you are locked in to using Canon only lenses, and that's because at the time of recording, we've had no full-frame options from a third-party company. However, Canon do make incredible lenses, including my favorite, the 100 to 300 f2. 8. That is a phenomenal range at f2. 8 throughout. Now, that lens is $10,000. So, we do have the 100 to 500 f4. 5 to 7. 1, and this is an incredible range, 100 to 500, you really cannot go wrong. And you can get subjects both really close and far away. So, this is just a fantastic versatile option. If you're just starting out in wildlife photography on a Canon system, this is the lens for

you. All these cameras have a designated animal autofocusing mode, and they've been fantastic in helping me find my subject quickly, especially when we're shooting birds out here. It's really a split-second thing between getting the shot and not getting the shot, and they haven't let me down. Now, autofocus does also depend on the lens that you have and the speed of their motors. So, this isn't exactly a scientific thing, but when I've been out in the field, I've managed to get all the shots that I've needed with any of the lens and camera combination that I've been using. So, you really cannot go wrong with any of these cameras if autofocus is a big thing for you, which it should be.

Where these cameras, I think, are really punching above their weight is in the video specs. With the Z6 III, we can shoot up to 6K 60 frames per second in N-Raw and ProRes Raw in 6K 30 frames per second. We also get 4K 120 in 10-bit 4:2:2, and even 240 frames per second in full HD. Now, I don't know that many people that are shooting in full HD 240, but I'd rather have it than not have it. The R6 III takes most of its video features from its twin cinema camera, the C50. We get 7K open gate raw video, and we do have a record limit on it, but I do know that open gate is all the rage at the moment, and is really dividing the camera world whether it's actually important or not. I'll let you be the judge of that. I'm not going to step in on that. You also get 4K 120 in a 16:9 aspect ratio, and 180 frames per second in full HD. The Sony a7 V shoots uncropped 4K 60 10-bit video, and for you birders and wildlife out there who need that extra reach, we have 4K 120 in APSC crop mode. We don't have any raw recording capabilities on the a7 V, but I really don't know how many people are using raw video in these types of hybrid cameras. Now, I know I could be wrong, and for you that could be really important. So, do let me know in the comments how angry you are at me right now. And if that is for you, — then it's just something to keep in mind that the a7 V might not be the camera for you.

At this point, all cameras, particularly these prosumer mid-range ones, are incredible. You really cannot go wrong with the one that you pick. But, which is your favorite? I would love to hear it. Please let me know in those comments down below. This was so much fun testing these cameras out here in Everglades National Park, and what a place this is. And stay tuned to our YouTube channel cuz we've got a bunch more videos coming from the Everglades on — landscapes, wildlife, burning very soon in the future. But in the meantime, my name is Matt. Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you in the next one.