Choose the right kit

Selecting the best kit for wildlife photography can be tricky, but always opt for quality

The market is awash with cameras, lenses and all manner of photographic accessories. And with new kit seemingly being launched daily, you could be forgiven for being confused as to what is the best gear for your style of wildlife photography. Ultimately, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing your equipment. Much will depend on your photographic style, your intended subjects, the budget you have available and, quite often, how much you can physically carry. But there are some general rules and principles that will help you make the right choice before you part with your hard-earned cash.

If money is no object and you can afford the latest top-of-the range camera body and lenses, all well and good. But it is useful to remember that the most expensive cameras do not necessarily generate the best image quality. Furthermore, ultimately, it is not the camera that takes the picture but the photographer; with wildlife insight and photographic skill, you can take great wildlife images even with a modest budget.

To begin with, think carefully about what you want to photograph and where you will be doing it. If you are an adventurous globetrotter, then your gear will have to take some punishment. From sub-zero temperatures to arid sandy deserts, your camera bodies and lenses need to cope with whatever these environments throw at them. Your choices will need to be as uncompromising as the environments themselves. At the other extreme, if your photography never sees you straying too far from home, taking snaps of garden birds and other wildlife, your equipment will not need to be so robust.

The difference between a pro-level camera body and those at the cheaper end of the scale may not be obvious immediately.

But drop a camera and lens, or bash them around a few times, and the difference will soon become clear. Of course, protective and padded coatings will help mitigate damage. But if you are serious about wildlife photography then sooner or later your equipment, as well as you, will get splattered with mud, be subjected to rain and freezing temperatures, or will get covered in dust. Wildlife photography is not a pursuit for those of a delicate disposition.