Best Camera for Wildlife | 2024

Welcome to our guide to the best wildlife photography cameras. Here, we’re counting off all the models from the major manufacturers that are going to help you capture incredible images of wild animals. Wildlife photography is a challenging pursuit, but also can be incredibly rewarding, and we’ve picked out the best cameras to help you do it.

What do you need to think about when picking a wildlife photography camera? Here is a quick précis of what we think are the key specs:

Sensor size - In many genres of photography, you basically want to get the largest sensor you can afford. However, in wildlife it’s a little less cut and dried. Sure, a big full-frame sensor will give you all the usual advantages – better dynamic range, overall better image quality, better low light performance. However, the crop factor of a smaller sensor gives you extra telephoto reach, which can be hugely helpful with shyer subjects. See our Photography Jargon Buster if any of these terms are unfamiliar. 

Autofocus speed - In wildlife, your subjects aren’t going to hang around. So something that’s very important, even more important than burst rate, is having an autofocus system that can lock onto a subject quickly and reliably. Having good AF tracking is really helpful too, as it means you can keep focus on an animal even as it starts to move.

Build quality - Wildlife photography is an outdoor pursuit. This means a camera with solid weatherproofing is going to be invaluable in ensuring you can stay outside when the weather turns unpleasant – as it is known to do in the UK! Also, as you’ll be out all day, it’s useful to have a camera with long battery life and multiple memory card slots. 

One last thing to bear in mind is that we’ve put together a balanced list of wildlife cameras at a range of price points. It would have been easy to fill out this list with the top-line professional cameras from every manufacturer – the Nikon Z9, Canon EOS R3, Sony A1, etc. However, most users aren’t going to be looking for these high-end models, and plus, we figure anyone who’s in the market for a Nikon Z9 probably doesn’t need a buying guide to tell them it’s good.

So, while we’ve included cameras here for a range of budgets, these are the wildlife photography models we believe are going to be suitable for the largest majority of users, including picks for those who are buying their first ever camera. We’ve picked a mix of DSLRs, mirrorless cameras and compacts, to give you plenty of options.

For more help choosing, see wildlife pro Tom Mason’s wildlife photography kit bag. And once you’ve got your camera, check out our guide to the best wildlife photography lenses.

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Best Canon Camera for Wildlife

Canon’s camera range is expansive, and there are many models in it that are perfectly optimised for wildlife. Its autofocus in particular is incredibly capable – the Dual Pixel CMOS AF system has undergone several iterations and has a well-deserved reputation for speed and reliability. The cameras also boast fast burst speed, and of course, produce images that look spectacular.

Canon produces a few distinct lines of cameras, including its famous EOS DSLRs, the EOS R mirrorless cameras, the EOS M mirrorless line and its PowerShot compacts. While mirrorless cameras may grab all the attention for their speed, DSLRs remain popular among wildlife photographers for the immediacy of their optical viewfinders, and their tough bodies that are built to last. 

We’ve gone through the entirety of the Canon range, and picked out the wildlife photography cameras that we feel are going to suit the largest plurality of users.

Pros:

• Excellent battery life
• Beginner-friendly “Guided” modes
• Generously sized handgrip

Cons:

• Single UHS-I card slot
• Not fully weather sealed
  
  

If you’re someone who simply prefers the feel of a DSLR, you’ll be right at home with the EOS 850D. Its optical viewfinder and large, chunk handgrip give it a handling immediacy that’s great for the fast-paced world of wildlife photography. Plus, with the huge catalogue of EF and EF-S lenses, you’ll never be short on pin-sharp glass.

Once again, we have the exceptional Dual Pixel phase-detection autofocus system doing a lot of heavy lifting for us – only this time, it’s in a camera with a battery rated to 800 shots (when using the viewfinder rather than live view). That’s plenty for a long day’s shooting, and makes the EOS 850D a great choice for excursions into natural habitats. 

One thing to be aware of is that the EOS 850D only has one SD card slot, and it is the slower UHS-I type. A high-speed, large-capacity UHS-I card should still be more than capable of keeping up, but it’s something to be aware of all the same. 

Best Nikon Camera for Wildlife

Nikon’s tough, reliable DSLRs have long been a favourite for many wildlife photographers. Whether you go full-frame or APS-C (or, as Nikon would have it, FX or DX), there are loads of choices for you in this area, and a huge catalogue of F-mount lenses to go with them.

But don’t sleep on mirrorless! Nikon’s Z-mount mirrorless range is full of ultra-fast, high-quality cameras that will capture pristine images of wildlife. And once again, you can pick up an FTZ adapter to use F-mount lenses on Z-mount bodies with full functionality of autofocus and stabilisation. 

In our Nikon wildlife camera selections, we’ve struck a balance between DSLR and mirrorless, and full-frame and APS-C sensors, in order to give you the broadest suite of options we can. So, without further ado, these are the best Nikon cameras for wildlife you can buy.

Pros:

• Slim and lightweight
• Deep, tactile handgrip
• Great images with high dynamic range

Cons:

• Low battery life
• Only one SD card slot
  
  

The first APS-C camera to join the Z system, the Nikon Z50 is a pleasingly slender shooter that won’t weigh you down too much on a long day’s shoot. While it weighs just 395g body-only, Nikon has included a deep handgrip which means it doesn’t have the handling problems of some smaller cameras. Image quality from the 20.9MP sensor is also excellent, with dynamic range that punches above its weight for a camera of this type.

With an intelligent, 209-point autofocus system, the Z50 will keep up even with tricky moving subjects. It’s got a high-resolution viewfinder, and a large, tilting LCD screen, giving you plenty of options when it comes to composition. One thing to note is that the battery life is a little slim compared to other cameras, rated to just 300 shots, so if you’re planning a long shoot it may be worth packing a spare Nikon EN-EL25.

Best Sony Camera for Wildlife

We could have filled a whole list with the best Sony cameras for wildlife. As you can imagine, it’s been a challenge to narrow it down to just a handful! With full-frame and APS-C mirrorless cameras, as well as Cyber-shot compacts, the Sony range includes cameras for a broad swathe of shooters, and plenty of them have feature sets that make them well-suited for capturing images of wild animals.

The mirrorless Alpha cameras use E-mount and FE-mount lenses. Sony got a considerable headstart on some other brands when developing its full-frame mirrorless cameras, so the E-mount lens range is hugely well-populated. Sony also opens up its mounts to third-party lens manufacturers to give plenty of choice, and also tends to keep older camera models in production for longer than others. All this means you have a lot of choice when it comes to Sony cameras for wildlife!

Pros:

• Lightning-fast autofocus
• High-quality Zeiss zoom lens
• 24fps shooting

Cons:

• Smaller 1-inch sensor
• Quite a hefty proposition
  
  

Sony’s impressive bridge camera, the Cyber-shot RX10 IV, is tailor-made to be a self-contained package for wildlife photographers. Welded to the front is a high-quality, Zeiss-made 24-600mm f/2.4-4 lens, capable of capturing pin-sharp images in resplendent detail. This is partnered up with a camera body that can acquire autofocus on a subject in as little as 0.03sec, and shoot at speeds as fast as 24fps. The AF tracking is great too, able to concentrate AF points around a moving subject for greater accuracy. There’s no danger of missing the moment with an arsenal like that at your disposal.

Not being able to change the lens won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, and with a bridge camera like the RX10 IV, you do have to accept the limitation of a smaller 1-inch sensor. Otherwise, this is an incredibly well-specced package for wildlife photography. 

Best Panasonic Camera for Wildlife

Once again, this was a hard one to narrow down. A list of the best Panasonic cameras for wildlife could include full-frame mirrorless cameras, Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras, or a huge range of compacts that spans everything from pocketable travel cameras to hefty bridge cameras.

Panasonic cameras are known for their class-leading video features, and while we’re primarily discussing photography here, most have the useful 4K, 6K and 8K Photo modes. These allow you to extract high-resolution stills from video footage, effectively giving you a 30fps or 60fps burst mode to play with, depending on the video frame rate.

Elsewhere, there’s plenty more to get excited about. Panasonic has been in the mirrorless game longer than anyone else, and has refined the design of its cameras extensively over the years. With high-quality viewfinders, streamlined ergonomics and tough construction, they’re some of the best in the business. Here, we’ve picked out what we reckon are the best Panasonic Lumix cameras for the majority of wildlife shooters.

Pros:

• Great colour-accuracy and general image quality
• Versatile, programmable controls
• Useful silent shutter

Cons:

• Shorter lens than RX10 IV
• Max aperture drops quickly to f4
  
  

A big-lens bridge camera like the Sony RX10 IV, the Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 II is a choice for the more budget-conscious, and still impresses with image quality and versatility. We especially like the number of customisable controls it offers – with 13 function buttons, this is an easy camera to set up exactly the way you want it. Also, handily, it can charge via USB – useful if you need to lob a bit of power into it while taking a lunch break.

Image quality is generally excellent, with Panasonic’s impressively accurate colour science taking centre-stage. The 25-400mm equivalent Leica-made zoom lens acquits itself well – there’s maybe a little softness at the long end, but that’s to be expected with superzoom lenses, and it’s not enough to seriously compromise image quality. Autofocus is fast, and you can activate a 12fps burst mode if needed to make sure you don’t miss the moment.

Best Fujifilm Camera for Wildlife

Fujifilm may not be the first name people think of when it comes to wildlife, but the firm has quietly gone about building up a formidable stable of mirrorless models that are actually somewhat perfect for the discipline. The best Fujifilm cameras for wildlife are going to come from the X-mount mirrorless range – with high-quality APS-C sensors, durable bodies, and access to an incredibly sharp lens range, they offer a feature-set that’s tough to argue with. 

Fujifilm had a banner year in 2022, releasing a trio of premium cameras that show off just how capable APS-C models can be. We’ve picked our favourite of the recent crop for wildlife, but have also found space for a more affordable option for those who might just be starting on their Fujifilm journey. Whichever you choose, however, you’ll be opting for one of the smartest, most capable and downright coolest camera systems around.

Pros:

• Small and portable body
• Effective 5-axis stabilisation
• Charges via USB

Cons:

• You’ll get better AF tracking elsewhere
• Battery life is middling
  
  

Considering its small size and competitive price, the Fujifilm X-S10 sports a surprisingly generous 26.1MP of resolution on its APS-C X Trans CMOS 4 sensor. Images look great, with those gorgeous JPEG colours that Fujifilm has become famous for, and lots of smart design decisions have been made inside and out. We like that the X-S10 is small enough to operate one-handed, and that complex features like the X-T4’s image stabilisation system have been slimmed down enough to make this possible.

The body is magnesium-alloy, so you get a reasonably rugged build that’ll withstand outdoor use – though be aware it’s not fully weather-sealed. A nice and large grip gives you plenty of stability when using the camera hand-held, even if you’re using one of the larger X-mount lenses. Once again, it’s the kind of camera where you might want to pack an extra battery, as the X-S10 does drain fast – though having USB charging does help mitigate this somewhat. 

Best OM-System Camera for Wildlife

The rebirth of the Olympus brand as OM System has already seen the introduction of cameras that are absolutely perfect for wildlife photographers. With some of the finest weather-sealing we’ve ever seen on a mirrorless camera, as well as preternaturally capable subject-detection autofocus, the newer OM cameras quite simply get the job done. Plus, they’re still Micro Four Thirds cameras, so they don’t have the limited-lens problem that can plague new systems until they find their feet.

Of course, Olympus-made cameras are still widely available and well worth picking up for any wildlife photographer. In addition to the mirrorless OM-D cameras, Olympus also produced some of the best tough compacts around in the form of its Tough TG series. We’ve included one here in case your wildlife aspirations include underwater fauna – it’s probably the best underwater camera you can buy right now. 

Pros:

• Ultra-tough, waterproof body
• Underwater shooting modes
• 4K underwater video with popular formats

Cons:

• Small 1/2.3-inch sensor
• Not worth it if you’re not going underwater
  
  

For underwater wildlife photography, a tough compact is going to be your best friend, and the most capable one for our money was the Olympus Tough TG-6. No longer is that true, for its predecessor, the TG-7 offers all the benefits of the TG-6 with a suite of tasty upgrades.

Waterproof down to depths of 15m, it’s the ideal choice of camera for snorkelling and capturing images of the marine life you encounter. It’s one of the few tough compacts to come sporting a zoom lens – a 25-100mm equivalent, to be specific – and it also has a maximum aperture of f2, which is handy when light gets low (and underwater, it does so very quickly).

Shockproof, dustproof and freezeproof, the Tough TG-7 can take just about anything life throws at it. And in this iteration, you can capture a 4K footage of those adventures!

Now, the sensor, like the TG-6, is smaller than you’ll find in other cameras – a 1/2.3-inch type, similar to that you’d find in a smartphone. Many will take issue with this but the versatility of the camera makes up for that. We particularly like the 22 pre-set Scene Modes for ease of use and self-correcting adjustments.

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