Which lens should you choose for animal photography

Which Lens Should You Choose for Animal Photography?

Kamera Express

Which lens for animal photography

When photographing animals, you need not only a photogenic subject and a great deal of patience, but also the right lens. Whether your subject is running across the heath hundreds of meters away, or hiding a few centimeters among the leaves, without the right lens you won't get that beautiful shot that makes your photographer's heart beat faster. We've listed the best lenses for photographing animals in every situation for you.

Telephoto Lens

One of the most obvious choices is the telephoto lens. Especially in wildlife photography, you often can't get close enough without scaring the animal. Or perhaps the animal is so dangerous that you don't want to get too close — a telephoto lens comes to the rescue. With a lens with a substantial focal length, you can do well on a safari or when photographing birds. Look for a lens with a minimum focal length of 200mm — in most cases you can already take stunning shots with that. Want more close-ups? Then look at 400mm or even 600mm telephoto lenses, but keep in mind a heavy backpack. It's also wise to use a tripod or monopod when shooting with a heavy lens.

Teleconverter

If you don't want to lug around an enormous lens, it's worth looking at a teleconverter, also known as an extender. An extender is placed between your camera and lens. There are two types: 1.4 and 2.0. This number represents the factor by which the focal length is extended. With a 2.0 extender, your 100-400mm becomes an impressive 200-800mm lens! If you still can't get close enough with that, we're out of ideas.

The big advantage of a teleconverter is simple: the price. At a relatively affordable cost, you can instantly make your lens collection much more versatile. Keep in mind that a converter cannot be used with every lens. Always check first whether the two are compatible before purchasing an extender.

For the hobby photographer

Going to photograph on the Veluwe or watch animals at Beekse Bergen but have a smaller budget? There are still plenty of great lenses to buy.

For the ambitious photographer

Want to come home with more than just snapshots and have a bit more room in your travel bag? There's a wide choice of telephoto lenses in the mid-range segment.

For the professional and demanding photographer

For the professional, only the very best is good enough of course. It takes up some space in your bag or suitcase, but then you really have something!

Macro Lens

At the other end of the spectrum we find macro lenses. Where a telephoto lens lets you photograph from a distance, a macro lens is ideal when you want to photograph your subject from very close. The short focusing distances mean you get almost right up against your subject. Very handy when trying to photograph a ladybird on a leaf, for example.

An important characteristic to look for in a macro lens is the maximum magnification factor. Anything greater than 1 is considered macro. At a magnification of 1x (also expressed as 1:1), everything is recorded at actual size on the sensor. That means an 18mm animal on a full-frame sensor (36 × 24 mm) will cover half of the photo. The higher the magnification factor, the closer you can get. With a lens with a 5x magnification factor, you capture details that the naked eye cannot even perceive!

Macro Extension Rings

Just as you can extend the focal length of a telephoto lens with a converter, with macro photography you can add an extension ring for a shorter focusing distance. These simply increase the distance between your lens and sensor. The effect is that you can get closer to your subject and it appears larger in the frame.

Here too, the price is one of the big advantages. At a relatively low cost, you can turn your lens into a macro lens. A few things to keep in mind: you'll deal with light loss, which means camera shake occurs more quickly and depth of field decreases. The latter, however, can also create the desired effect.

For the hobby photographer

Macro photography is very accessible, and fortunately so is the range of lenses. At a very affordable price you can get started in your own garden or the park around the corner.

For the ambitious photographer

For the photographer who has a bit more to spend and wants to see that reflected in the results, there's a wide range of macro lenses in the mid-range segment.

For the professional and demanding photographer

Want to get the most out of your macro photos and are you willing to invest time and money? Then there are various high-quality macro lenses available with superior image quality.

Portrait Lens

It may not be the first lens you pick up when working with animals, but it still deserves a mention. The portrait lens is very suitable for photographing pets. After all, why should portraits only be of people?

A portrait lens is characterized by a focal length that doesn't offer a wide angle of view, but also doesn't quite have the perspective of a telephoto lens. In practice this is often between 50mm and 105mm. Additionally, a portrait lens typically has a large maximum aperture, creating a beautiful blur (bokeh) behind your subject. This allows you, for example, to make that adorable face of your cat really pop out of the photo. Pet photographer Andreas Romijn once shared seven unique tips for capturing your pet.

For the hobby photographer

Even if you're just starting out at home with your dog or cat, you fortunately don't have to empty your entire savings account for a nice portrait lens.

For the ambitious photographer

If you have a very photogenic animal at home that deserves to be beautifully captured, then one of the following lenses might be just for you.

For the professional and demanding photographer

If you want to get everything out of your photos or are approaching it professionally, it's wise to invest in quality lenses.

Photographing moving animals

While your dog might listen to commands, animals in the wild won't. They don't always sit still like a model — they're in motion. Fortunately, you can still take great photos if you know how to approach it. We help you get started with some practical tips and inspiration in our article about photographing moving animals.

Not sure which lens you need? Read on.

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