I am interested about shooting animals (including, but not limited to, birds and in general animals that can move fast). So far, I would say I know the basic concepts of camera but I have never practiced before.
Could anyone share his/her thoughts about some good combination of digital camera and lenses for this specific purpose?
Update: Some of the equipment described in this otherwise excellent answer has been updated. In 2014, Canon replaced the EOS 7D described below with the 7D Mark II, offering a number of improvements over the original version:
Also, in late 2014, Canon introduced the EF 100-400 F4.5-5.6L IS II USM which offers a number of improvements over the version described above, including a rotating zoom ring (vs. push to zoom), even better image quality, a third image stabilization mode, and (naturally) a higher price tag. As of early 2016, the original EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM described below is still in the lineup, however.
From personal experience, I recommend the following camera body: The Canon EOS 7D.
I say this for four main reasons:
So with the crop, you can stay where you are normally but your lenses will all have the 1.6 multiplication factor applied. For animal and bird photography - you want the extra reach the crop gives you over full frame.
Secondly, the AF system on the Canon 7D is ridiculously good. I took this photo was achieved with the spot AF mode, but it also has a 'zone' AF which is like full-auto except you restrict it to one part of the frame. There is also a single-point expansion mode which is like single point but allows the AF to be a little intelligent regarding what's in the range of the AF points immediately adjacent to the one selected so if your subject moves just an inch the AF still sees it and locks on. Then you have the standard sort of full-auto, single point modes etc. The other good thing about the Canon 7D's AF system is its tracking abilities. In AI Servo mode you select your starting AF point and it locks on. If the subject moves within the frame, the AF automatically tracks it. The 7D is HIGHLY flexible in the way its AF works and there are options to select say, the sensitivity of it to subjects that may get in the way. For example, if you are following a bird, and it flies behind a telephone pole, or power line, or so forth, you can tell the AF to be 'slow' in its responsiveness to this kind of thing so it doesn't go out of focus immediately. Likewise if you were shooting something else you may wish it to react quickly to such 'interruptions'. This is all totally configurable on the 7D.
Thirdly, the burst rate. You will never achieve perfect shots 100% of the time. It just wont happen. Blurries and missed shots are an inevitability of shooting fast moving subjects whether they be birds or other animals. With 8fps sustained burst rate, you can follow your subject with the tracking AF as described above, with your finger pressed firmly on the shutter button and capture many many images all very quickly. You can then decide later which ones to keep and which ones to throw away. With animals, too much choice is better than not enough! Note that the 7D also gives you configurability when it comes to the trade-off between autofocusing and shutter speed.
I will admit, the 7D has some detractors regarding the AF system, because they don't necessarily get the shots they expect. But it is a highly customisable system, and I really recommend reading and understanding the manual because once you understand it and set it the way you want it, it will reward your efforts.
Lastly, the metering. The 7D has a new metering system and this comes in very handy if you are shooting against the sky. You will want to use spot metering if you are following a bird across the sky. It performs really well.
With regards to the lens, it is difficult to make such a recommendation because it is entirely subjective. Some would advocate the EF 70-200 f/2.8L II IS USM, whereas some would advocate the f/4 version. Some would tender that if budget is no option then go for a 300/400/600/800mm f/4 or f/5.6 telephoto. Whilst these are all GREAT lenses, they are out of the reach financially of many. And to be honest, any good lenses are going to be expensive. You are not going to achieve great shots with a £170 75-300 f/4.5-5.6! However I can tell you what I use which I think is a good tradeoff between price, quality, and reach.
That lens is the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM. New, it retails for somewhere in the region of £1250, but I got mine on eBay second hand for around £820. A bargain really considering what you can pay for prime telephotos!
The 100-400 is in Canon's "L" series lineup, and really is a great quality lens, and I am very pleased with it. It's big, and gets even bigger when you zoom to its full reach, thanks to the slightly odd 'push-pull' zoom mechanism. Some people find this weird, but from my experience, you get used to it VERY quickly.
It's a slow-ish lens, so not great for low-light or night shooting unless tripod mounted (it takes GREAT moon photos!). But for daytime shooting, it has zero issues, and the IS really helps to maintain steadiness too which helps especially at the longer end of the zoom range. 100 to 400, which on the 7D is equivalent to 160mm to 640mm so gives you a nice range with which to work. It has a focus limit switch on it which restricts the MFD to 6.5 metres (I think?) which makes the AF much faster when shooting things at a distance as it wont even attempt to 'hunt' below this distance.
Anyway, that's enough talking. To demonstrate my points above, here are some example photos that I took, with the combo of the 7D, and 100-400. A couple of birds, and a couple of planes. (one could argue they are birds too!):
I hope that helps you out...
If you're a canon shooter, I'll second the 7D. I use it for most of my work, and it's great. I've also shot extensively with the 100-400, and Mike's note on it does a good job of explaining why it's a good answer for you.
Having said that, I've retired my 100-400 and I'm now shooting a different set of lenses, and depending on what your kit already looks like, you might want to go in another direction.
My go-to animal/bird lens is now the Canon 300 F4 + 1.4x teleconverter. I use it instead of the 100-400 because it is sharper (@ 400mm) and has faster and more accurate autofocus. The cost of a new 300 F4 + a new 1.4x is about the same as a 100-400 (maybe a bit more), but my experience is I get better images out of it.
Whether you go with the 300+1.4x or the 100-400 depends on the rest of your kit. If you have good lens coverage at 200mm and wider, then I don't think the 100-400 is the right lens for you. I carry the 24-104F4, the 70-200F2.8, and having upgraded my kit to include them, 99% of my shooting on the 100-400 was at 400mm, and in that case, that's not the best lens. If you're just building a kit and you plan on a lens that covers all of your telephoto needs, then the 100-400 may be the better option (the 24-104, 100-400 would be an interesting setup, for instance). Be aware the 100-400 softens above 300mm, but it's a very good lens. the 300F4+1.4x is noticably sharper to me, plus the faster AF helps in moving thing scenarios.
Which way you go depends on the rest of your kit. IMHO, if you need a dedicated wildlife/bird lens, I much prefer the 300+1.4 to the 100-400; if you need a lens that covers a wider range of images and is more of an extended telephoto, the 100-400 is the choice, but with some of the typical tradeoffs of a zoom. But if you have a good lens in the 70-200 range, then the 100-400 is overlapping that in a big way and probably overkill.
Especially since these are all big, heavy lenses that you need to carry around. I definitely did not want a backpack with a 70-200F2.8, 100-400 AND a 300F4. God help me when I upgrade and buy that 500mm, I'll need a forklift. Keep weight and size and luggability in mind when making these decisions, too.
The key to great shots is often to isolate your subjects, so that you can make the shot as much about them and really bring out details. With animals this often means using a long lens, particularly for birds which can be small, high-up and far. There are exceptions and cases where you can get really close to animals, like in the Galapagos islands, but more often than not you will be shooting from a distance.
On a full-frame DSLR, typical wildlife photography is done with at least a 400mm lens. You have to adjust for sensor size which is where smaller sensors really work for you. For example, on a typical APS-C DSLR, the most popular lens for birders is the Sigma 50-500mm lens which is equivalent to a 75-750mm lens on a full-frame. It is big and heavy compared to typical consumer lenses but smaller and cheaper than bright super-telephoto lenses which easy cost over $10K USD.
You can also go to a Micro Four-Thirds camera which gives you a multiplier of 2X. In this case you can get the Panasonic 100-300mm which is smaller and weighs 4X less than the previous one.
Anytime you decide on some gear you always have to consider its bulk. If you see TV shows about animal safaris you notice how heavy the gear is and realize why they are always shooting from a Jeep.
The last point is about the speed of animals. It's rare you will get a crisp photo of a fast moving animal. Most times it would be pure luck or the use of focus-traps which automatically snap photos of animals. What people do is follow animals stealthily for a while and shoot them at rest, when they are calmer.
Pretty much any modern DSLR - even a mid-level one - and high-end Micro Four-Thirds cameras would be suitable to for shooting animals. Choose the one to match the lenses you decide on. It always takes lots of practice and you will miss shots regardless how good your gear is!
While the Canon 7D/100-400 zoom is an excellent package, it is large and heavy and expensive. The megazoom cameras make an option that will be attractive to some people. I carry the Panasonic FZ100, which has an effective focal length of 25-600 mm. Today's entrants go out to around 1300 mm. They weigh around 1.5 lb (700 g). Mine replaced a old Canon megazoom that had a maximum focal length of 420 mm. For birds, you want 600 mm. It is harder to find the target in the 600 mm, but you can do it. The Canon SX60 has a zoom in/zoom out feature to help with that. It goes out to 1365mm. The smaller sensor means you have more noise, particularly if you try to raise the ISO to deal with low light. I suspect the autofocus is slower, so I miss some shots. But you don't get good photos with the camera you don't carry.
