Best camera for shooting animals in the wild

[SamRoc]

My sons birthday is next wednesday. My dh is taking him to Montana to his cousins land. There are alot of elk and mule deer there. My son has a point and shoot, but i wanted to get him something that he can zoom in on the animals and take some nice pictures. Thanks!

 

[disneyboy2003]

My sons birthday is next wednesday. My dh is taking him to Montana to his cousins land. There are alot of elk and mule deer there. My son has a point and shoot, but i wanted to get him something that he can zoom in on the animals and take some nice pictures. Thanks!

If you're looking for "the best camera" to shoot photos of animals, I would normally recommend a dSLR plus a telephoto lens, such as the Canon 100-400mm lens. You'll probably need a monopod or a tripod, as well, to get the best photos.

However, I don't know how old your son is, how much photography experience he has, or your budget, so I'd hate to overwhelm your son (and your wallet) with the above set-up. A relatively cheaper option (although not necessarily "the best") would be a bridge camera with at least a 12x or 20x zoom. This would be about $500 or less.

Hope that helps...a little.

 

[SamRoc]

If you're looking for "the best camera" to shoot photos of animals, I would normally recommend a dSLR plus a telephoto lens, such as the Canon 100-400mm lens. You'll probably need a monopod or a tripod, as well, to get the best photos.

However, I don't know how old your son is, how much photography experience he has, or your budget, so I'd hate to overwhelm your son (and your wallet) with the above set-up. A relatively cheaper option (although not necessarily "the best") would be a bridge camera with at least a 12x or 20x zoom. This would be about $500 or less.

Hope that helps...a little.

Thanks! My son will be 25 next week, and he has a regular point and shoot that he uses in the woods in upstate new york to take pictures of deer and coyote. But my cousins husband bought land out west and my son is really looking forward to taking really good pictures. I hate to say it but the last camera i bought was a Minolta XG1 so i have no idea what he should get. I was thinking something for him would run about $500.

 

[AbbysFamily]

Personally - you're NOT going to get an SLR for that much less the lense you'd want.

I would recommend the canon SX20 .... $400 (or less)... and a zoom out to 560mm. You're going to have a tough time beating that camera without seriously blowing your budget.

 

[YesDear]

I have a friend that has a perfect kit for your son. Just a little out of your range though:

Nikon D3 $4,500
600mm F4 $9,999
Wimberly Head and tripod $2500

 

[foolishmortal]

check out bestbuy.com i bough a sony a330l with a nice 75-300 telephoto lens for under $750

 

[SamRoc]

Thanks everyone! I was actually going to look in Best Buy tomorrow.