What's the brand of your main wildlife photography camera?

[Tom Reynolds]

I do not use a second brand camera. I am OM-1 exclusive after being Nikon exclusive since d-200 days. However, I might invest in a Z-8/180-600 because the combo is cheaper ($6700) than adding an OM Systems 150-400 lens ($7400) to my current OM Systems mix.

I am off to Point Reyes for 3 days with Daniel. I have my third OM-1 setup up with a 300f4 and a MC-200 to take pictures of the bobcat at 1200mm FF EQU.

 

[fulltimewanderer]

As far as a second camera is concerned, my second camera is usually an Apple iPhone. The image quality is good, and it's always with me. But as others have mentioned, ergonomics matter and I find the small screen and buttons are not particularly friendly for precise framing and editing.

I've been shooting Nikon for nearly 25 years - including my last film camera. Over a longer period, I have used Olympus, Fuji, Minolta/Sony, and Zeiss. With more than 20 Nikon lenses, it's hard to justify a system change.

And I've been using Microsoft Windows for 30 years.

Eric,
Your last sentence nailed for me. Just last week purchased my first mirrorless, Z9. Now I’m headed back to Bozeman on Thursday, will be buying the wife a Z9. Most likely will be staying with the F mount, between the two of us way too much glass to replace.

 

[O]

Another poll might explore how many of us use more than one camera system. I am a Nikon/OM-Olympus guy. I have a plethora of Nikon lenses dating back to 1968, so I am pretty entrenched in that ecosystem. But when I travel long distance (e.g., by air) I use my M43 gear now, as it is sooooo much easier to transport. And I confess that as I age (gracefully, I hope), using a 600mm f4 rig in the field is more and more a chore.

Yes, dealing with two camera systems is a bit extravagant, and at the very least one has to keep switching back and forth between cameras with different controls and menus, which can cause some cognitive friction . OTOH, I know one bird photographer who uses Canon, Sony, Nikon, AND Fuji gear.

Nothing wrong with what you say, it makes sense and i guess LOL that the camera industry will never make one camera that does it all.
Sony saw Nikon and Canon sleeping, the window was open and Sony gave many of us what we were asking for, they listened and acted, this brought change for all of us.
I understand ? Sony is now listening again, there focusing on smaller lighter more powerful, multi stacked advancements with more advanced AI focusing along with other new technology, Canon has really shifted gear and is on the same path as they to have the means and deep pockets for R and D, Nikon will sit wait follow i assume given the history.
Although Nikon has made an effort with lenses like the PF glass and some of the newer Z glass, they drag their heels on bodies.
Running two systems i have no real parallel experience, but yes the OM size and style certainly is on my radar, maybe in Sony or Canon going forward would be interesting or nice.
The one thing is clear, smaller lighter would defiantly be more attractive overall.

Interesting..............i am happy as i said before with a basic tool kit i have for now, i rent or borrow anything special if and when really needed, like Eric the dam smart phone certainly fills a lot of gaps for me LOL.

My ornithologist mate uses a D500 and 300 PF with a 1.4TC and sometimes a 2xTCIII, being light agile and completely understanding the subjects so well along with using his feet to get closer, he works slowly on his list of 30 species he needs, he gets 25-28 with this or similar set up, with larger primes and heavier gear with tripods and mono pods he gets only 8-12 species making the ROI in time and cost poor.

Only an opinion

 

[Parfumeur]

adding an OM Systems 150-400 lens ($7400) to my current OM Systems mix.

Get the 150-400 ... you will not regret it.

 

[Tiago C]

Final result:

Nikon: 81.5%
Sony: 10.3%
Canon: 2.9%
Olympus (OM System): 3.7%
Fujifilm: 1.2%
Panasonic (Lumix): 0.4%

 

[Woody Meristem]

As some of you know, I'm an Olympus user now -- used to shoot Canons and still have a couple of Canon bridge cameras. Olympus E-M1 ii and E-M10 ii are my cameras of choice: Olympus 100-400mm for wildlife and 60mm macro for insects, flowers and fungi plus several Panasonic lenses. The smaller bodies and lenses are great for long hikes and the ergonomics suit my aging self.

 

[splatbass]

I've been a Nikon shooter for 10 years now, but recently bought an Olympus OM-1 and 100-400mm. I really love the light weight and extra reach you get with it, and on the trip I just got back from to Glacier NP and Banff NP I used only the OM-1 for wildlife, and my Nikon Z6/24-70 f4 for landscapes. That worked out very well for me, so I'll have to say Olympus as of now instead of Nikon for wildlife. I do still have my Z7 and 500PF and am planning on keeping them, but it's Olympus for me right now.

I got some really great shots of big horn sheep, a grizzly, and some elk with the Oly and they came out great. The animal eye and bird eye AF worked flawlessly, and the frame rate was higher than I needed.

 

[O]

It seems the forum BC is mostly a Nikon site, maybe doing Canon after all may be opportune ? as there is very little of everything else.

I am watching Canon very closely with what there bringing out soon not only in new cameras but there are some interesting light small lenses, there are indications of their new 200-800 small light compact being released, to me that's only a 4 to 1 magnification ratio, what an amazing handy range.

Only an opinion

 

[Cameron T]

A patent doesn't mean anything being released any time soon though. I think that'd be (if it's not too slow) Canon's first lens I'd be interested in for wildlife (if I had canon bodies). They've seemed to prioritize light and small over wider apertures for a lot of things, which puts them behind sony/nikon in that race.

Oly/Panasonic need to get more bodies and lenses in stores too.

 

[O]

A patent doesn't mean anything being released any time soon though. I think that'd be (if it's not too slow) Canon's first lens I'd be interested in for wildlife (if I had canon bodies). They've seemed to prioritize light and small over wider apertures for a lot of things, which puts them behind sony/nikon in that race.

Oly/Panasonic need to get more bodies and lenses in stores too.

Your right, i just hope they make one soon as the size and weight will be very interesting as is the 4-1 MR and especially 200-800 if its the size of a 100-400 lens.
The industry direction or theme seems to be small light affordable, echoing the need from consumers.

 

[Cameron T]

Some people have, Sony is not. Nikon is doing lighter primes, but normal zooms. And I bet a lot of people are frustrated with the slower (and still shorter) zooms of Canon.

 

[Juliette]

Hi Juliette,
The X-T5 sounds like a great choice...
I haven't used the Sigma 100-400 DG DN (just the previous DSLR model). One of the main main questions for me would be about autofocus reliability. If you can, test it, and keep in mind that Sigma releases firmware improvements quite frequently.
What I have found with the X-S20 (which uses the same processor as the X-T5) is that AF depends quite a bit on the camera settings (tracking sensitivity etc).
More to consider - Sigma's max aperture is f6.3 vs f5.6 on the Fujifilm 100-400 (that we own) but it's slightly lighter than the Fujifilm. Also cheaper and with better external build quality based on what I know from having owned many modern Sigma telephoto lenses.

Hi @Tiago Cardoso - I just got back from Florida and the X-T5 stood up to the challenge except with birds in flight. I had my setting adjusted (using Morris' settings for BIF posted on FredMiranda.com) but you know, the buffer stood in the way. Apart from that, large birds, small birds, autofocus - no problem! I am supposed to get the Sigma via Fedex today so I'll try it out and see. My only doubt is that the more I shoot wildlife, the more I want to do it, the less the X-T5 fits my style of shooting. I think it's perfect for street photography and landscapes, but I found during my trip that my muscle memory leaned more toward the XH2s. You may not recall, but I wanted to buy the X-T5 as a travel substitute for my XH2s. Also, I had some black out issues when turning the camera on and off, which makes me nervous so I may return it anyway, but I'm thinking for these reasons plus the massive file sizes I now have to deal with, I may rather pick up the X-S20 instead. I'll let you know though if you want, how the Sigma works out.

 

[arbitrage]

Time for a new top banner maybe?

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[Cameron T]

I'm surprised this is as lopsided as it is. I expected more sony and canon. MFT seems pretty accurate vs market share.

 

[Tom Reynolds]

I'm surprised this is as lopsided as it is. I expected more sony and canon. MFT seems pretty accurate vs market share.

I think MFT is a reflection of Nikon's abandonment of DX. m43 was a logical progression from the D-500. I would guess that most m43 users are ex-Nikon like me.

The question from Nikon's perspective is, "Will they come back?" My view is that the Z8 is a good upgrade path from the D-500 if a bit heavy compared to an OM-1 and the new 180-600 and 600pf lenses are good additions that make Nikon an attractive brand to return to for current m43 shooters. Nikon has nothing to compare to the 4# OM-1/100-400 in either weight or price but the cost and of OM-1's 150-400F4.5 zoom moves that OM-1 combo into the 6#/$9500 range and into a direct comparison with Nikon Z-8/600pf

 

[Cameron T]

I think MFT is a reflection of Nikon's abandonment of DX. m43 was a logical progression from the D-500. I would guess that most m43 users are ex-Nikon like me.

The question from Nikon's perspective is, "Will they come back?" My view is that the Z8 is a good upgrade path from the D-500 if a bit heavy compared to an OM-1 and the new 180-600 and 600pf lenses are good additions that make Nikon an attractive brand to return to for current m43 shooters. Nikon has nothing to compare to the 4# OM-1/100-400 in either weight or price but the cost and of OM-1's 150-400F4.5 zoom moves that OM-1 combo into the 6#/$9500 range and into a direct comparison with Nikon Z-8/600pf

the 180-600 is pretty close to the 100-400, and you have enough mp to crop in.

 

[Tom Reynolds]

the 180-600 is pretty close to the 100-400, and you have enough mp to crop in.

True but the weight difference is significant. From a DX perspective the Z-8 is 900mp max which is excellent. However the weight, with collar is 6.5# versus <4# for the OM-1/100-400 and 4.5# for the OM-1/300F4. I think that the 180-600 will stop the hemorrhaging of D-500 users to other brands but I don't see an OM-1/100-400 current owner contemplating giving up that rig for the Z-8/180-600.

Personally, I may return to Nikon in the future as opposed to funding an OM Systems 150-400 but I doubt I would give up my lightweight OM rig for walk around shooting.

tom

 

[Woody Meristem]

I think MFT is a reflection of Nikon's abandonment of DX. m43 was a logical progression from the D-500. I would guess that most m43 users are ex-Nikon like me.

the 180-600 is pretty close to the 100-400, and you have enough mp to crop in.

I doubt that the increase in MFT users is a reflection of any change in Nikon's offerings, I was a Canon user and didn't switch to MFT for any reason other than the smaller size, lower weight and lower cost of MFT gear. Perhaps those are the same reasons that others are adopting MFT gear, perhaps not, but as the population of camera users ages those are compelling reasons.

Not sure there's a real comparison between the Nikon 180-600 and the Olympus 100-400. The 100-400 sells for $400 less, weighs almost two pounds less and give a field of view similar to an 800mm in FF. What does the Nikon 800mm weigh and what does it cost? Good for you if you like your Nikon or Canon or Sony cameras and lenses, all those companies produce great cameras and lenses, so do Fuji, Panasonic and Olympus -- different strokes for different folks.

 

[Cameron T]

I doubt that the increase in MFT users is a reflection of any change in Nikon's offerings, I was a Canon user and didn't switch to MFT for any reason other than the smaller size, lower weight and lower cost of MFT gear. Perhaps those are the same reasons that others are adopting MFT gear, perhaps not, but as the population of camera users ages those are compelling reasons.

I'll note here I just said the total amount of shooters here responding with picking MFT cameras was about that of the general proportion (5% or so) of MFT in general.

Not sure there's a real comparison between the Nikon 180-600 and the Olympus 100-400. The 100-400 sells for $400 less, weighs almost two pounds less and give a field of view similar to an 800mm in FF. What does the Nikon 800mm weigh and what does it cost? Good for you if you like your Nikon or Canon or Sony cameras and lenses, all those companies produce great cameras and lenses, so do Fuji, Panasonic and Olympus -- different strokes for different folks.

You can crop to 20 mp and get ~900mm effective (dx mode), so I'd argue it's the closest comparison. Obviously it's going to be heavier, etc, but that's what happens when you have a bigger sensor (and more dr, etc).

 

[Tom Reynolds]

I guess that I didn't explain myself in enough detail.

We know that some Nikon users switched to Sony because Nikon lagged behind in the development of mirrorless cameras. However, before that my guess is that this forum was nearly 100% Nikon users because this forum was targeted specifically and almost exclusively Nikon. My thinking is that the % of Sony shooters on this forum is because of previous Nikon users switching to Sony. Has Nikon been on-time with a competitive offering I believe there would be far fewer Sony users on this forum.

My thinking is this is also true of m43 users because Nikon essentially stopped focus on the DX product line. Nikon currently does not produce many Dx specific lenses for wildlife photography. Nikon could have produced a Z-500 with a 32mp DX sensor and a 180-600 zoom specific to a DX body and the result would be a significantly lighter combination than the current Z-8/180-600 offering that they did also. If that Dx body/lens combo was available, I doubt that many Nikon D-500/200-500 zoom users would have considered m43.

So, I conclude that the market share loss that Nikon experienced from 1. being late with mirrorless and 2. abandoning DX is represented by Sony and m43 users here

 

[O]

I guess that I didn't explain myself in enough detail.

We know that some Nikon users switched to Sony because Nikon lagged behind in the development of mirrorless cameras. However, before that my guess is that this forum was nearly 100% Nikon users because this forum was targeted specifically and almost exclusively Nikon. My thinking is that the % of Sony shooters on this forum is because of previous Nikon users switching to Sony. Has Nikon been on-time with a competitive offering I believe there would be far fewer Sony users on this forum.

My thinking is this is also true of m43 users because Nikon essentially stopped focus on the DX product line. Nikon currently does not produce many Dx specific lenses for wildlife photography. Nikon could have produced a Z-500 with a 32mp DX sensor and a 180-600 zoom specific to a DX body and the result would be a significantly lighter combination than the current Z-8/180-600 offering that they did also. If that Dx body/lens combo was available, I doubt that many Nikon D-500/200-500 zoom users would have considered m43.

So, I conclude that the market share loss that Nikon experienced from 1. being late with mirrorless and 2. abandoning DX is represented by Sony and m43 users here

The DX or cropped sensor market is a very competitive.

Given the performance of and the unique features of the ZF and the overall performance level of the Z8 Z9 with another body on the way all capable of delivering incredible results even in DX crop mode while using great focus performance and speed on FF Z glass seems to be attractive and logical at the moment for Nikon.

Its a really complicated position Nikon is in, where to from here who knows.

I do feel competitors with deep pockets and huge designee resources are about to chnage the scene starting in 2024 and i suspect it will be a quantum change.

Many of the intuitive features Nikon and other major branded mirror less camera makers are putting out in their flag ships and ZF are or have been in play for a long while in Fuji or Olympus.

The other night i had a play with the ZF, and a full selection of Fuji cameras and lenses along with the OM 1 collection.

Only an opinion

 

[Nimi]

The DX or cropped sensor market is a very competitive.

Given the performance of and the unique features of the ZF and the overall performance level of the Z8 Z9 with another body on the way all capable of delivering incredible results even in DX crop mode while using great focus performance and speed on FF Z glass seems to be attractive and logical at the moment for Nikon.

Its a really complicated position Nikon is in, where to from here who knows.

I do feel competitors with deep pockets and huge designee resources are about to chnage the scene starting in 2024 and i suspect it will be a quantum change.

Many of the intuitive features Nikon and other major branded mirror less camera makers are putting out in their flag ships and ZF are or have been in play for a long while in Fuji or Olympus.

The other night i had a play with the ZF, and a full selection of Fuji cameras and lenses along with the OM 1 collection.

Only an opinion

Has the Zf shipped in Australia?

 

[Garfield]

I briefly tried MFT for video but conditions needed to be more or less "perfect" to get the best out of it. The lens options weren't that great either. With Nikon's growing stable of excellent compact long lenses, Nikon could easily capture a big portion of the MFT wildlife market just by releasing a high-end Z90 with stacked sensor, which is what I expect to see.

 

[eaj101]

I guess I'm a two-and-a-half systems user: Olympus (excuse me, OMDS) and Nikon Z and F. My reasoning is very similar to the other Olympus users here. Small, light, nimble, portable, superb lenses, relatively inexpensive, etc etc. Seriously, the OM-1/300f4 combination has to be experienced to be believed. As someone who shot Nikon DX for a long time, there's no comparison in size and weight. When my wife and I go on trips where photography isn't the main draw (is that possible?) I carry the Olympus.

What keeps me tethered to Nikon is that I probably do more landscape photography and rarely do pure wildlife trips. For example, I'm heading to Death Valley soon and expect to carry nothing longer than 200mm. Just spent several days in Big Sur and only once used anything longer than 120mm, the 100-400 for otters. (I'm considering the new Tamrikon 70-180 f2.8 for a landscape kit of 14-30, 24-120, 70-180, Z7). The half system is that I still have my D850 and D3x, which I'm curiously reluctant to sell. Also a few favorite F-mount lenses (500PF, 200-400 f4, tilt-shift 24mm).

I suspect I'm going to keep a foot in both camps for the foreseeable future, though as @GrandNagus50 says moving back and forth can get a bit confusing at times. I wouldn't mind a higher-res OM-1 (though handheld hi-res does startling things) or a Z90, but all told I'm quite happy where I am.

 

[marlowtravelsoften]

Nikon D750 was my first DSLR. Upgraded to the D850 about a year later, then about 2 years later moved to the Z9. Shoot primarily wildlife photography using the adapter and 500mm PF lens by default. Have new glass on order.....for 11+ months now.