Last updated: January 2008
All the photographs on this site were taken using digital SLR cameras that are the same format as 35mm SLR cameras. 35mm-style cameras are suitable for a wide range of outdoor photography from landscape to wildlife action. Whilst some other formats might be better in some situations (for example large format is great for road-side landscape work), in general the 35mm is the most flexible system, most of the time. In today's digital world it has the advantage of being the volume market so its where developments are at their fastest and prices most competitive.
For the outdoor photographer there are two real choices of SLR-based system - Canon and Nikon. There are other makes, but go to any outdoor photography hotspot and Canon or Nikon is what you'll see people using. Until early 2004 I used a Nikon D1 and extensive range of Nikkor lenses. I used the 18-35mm zoom for most of my landscapes and the 500mm f/4 for most of the bird and wildlife photographs.
In early 2004 I sold all my Nikon equipment and replaced it with Canon cameras and lenses. Four years on have no regrets about making the switch. The image stabilised Canon 500mm lens has allowed me to take sharp images, especially on safari, that I simply couldn't have managed with the Nikon. Now (2008) there is no good reason for remaining Nikon users to consider switching. The Nikon D3, D300 and recently announced stablised 500mm and 600mm lenses match or in some ways surpass anything that Canon has. Only the 21mp Canon 1DS Mk3 and the tilt-shift lenses have no equivalent in the Nikon line-up. Competition is good. For a long time Canon had the pro nature market pretty much to themselves and were in danger of getting complacent.
Canon EOS 1D Mark II. This is my camera of choice for any moving subject except when its weight and size is an issue. The image quality that this camera produces is superb, especially in low light situations when you need low noise at high ISO settings. 8.2 mega pixels is plenty for my requirements at the moment. The 8.5 frames per second speed is impressive, but the overall speed of the rest of the camera is also amazing. Built like a brick, water and dust resistant, this camera is designed to take heavy use and keep going day after day. Karen has the Mark II N. That's even better, though the differences aren't worth much if you are buying used. I'd love a 1D Mark 3 but I can't currently justfy the investment.
Canon EOS-5D. I use the 5D for landscapes, people and other static subjects. Simply outstanding image quality is the best way to sum up this camera. It's noticably better than the 1D Mark 2 which surprised me. High ISO noise is really a non-issue with this camera. ISO 1600 is perfectly usable. Full frame of course which means wide angles are truly wide again. 3fps is not great for wildlife but the buffer is respectable at 17 raw files which means you can keep shooting for a couple of seconds longer than a 1D2 at full speed. Smallish, lightish and quite quiet. Not a 1 series of course which is either a blessing or a curse depending on your point of view. My camera of choice for anything that doesn't move quickly. Update: When the shutter on the Mark 2 failed on a recent safari (after 28k actuations) the 5D became my main camera for four days. This showed up the principal problem with the 5D - it won't autofocus with a 2x attached. And because its FF, the 2x is needed quite often. I became an expert at manual focusing again!
Canon EOS-10D. For the prices these are fetching now this could be the best used camera bargain around. The image quality is very good and only the general lack of operating speed lets the camera down. In fact that's the biggest difference between this and the 20D - there isn't much to choose in image quality. Its also a very quiet camera (compared to the 1-series or the 20D) which can be important sometimes. My 10D is currently being modified for infra-red use.
All lenses are Canon.
17-40mm f/4 L This lens is sharp and contrasty and apparently performs on a par with the 16-35mm f/2.8 L lens which is twice the price. I haven't compared them but there are plenty of good reviews out there. On the 1D this is the equivalent of a 22-52mm lens which is quite a useful range and just about wide enough for my needs. I wish it went slightly longer than 40mm but that would involve too many design compromises.
24-105mm f/4 L A good quality versatile lens. 24mm is quite wide on the 5D (not so on a cropped body) and so this makes a good walk-around lens. Distorts quite a lot at the wide end and vignettes too. Both are easy to fix in software. CA is worse than I would like. But overall its an excellent lens. Just wish it was f/2.8.
24-70 f/2.8 L Another great lens. Bought for f/2.8 background control when taking people shots and to allow Karen use of the 24-105mm on her 5D. Subjectively seems to distort and vignette a little less than the 24-105 and is less prone to CA but I haven't done any scientific comparisons. For nature work, if Karen isn't using the 24-105 I'd rather have that for its IS and lighter weight.
70-200mm f/2.8 IS L When I used the Nikon system, one of my favourite lenses was the 80-200 f/2.8 AF-S zoom. When I switched to Canon I bought the 100-400mm thinking that it would be more useful. Its true that the 100-400mm is very versatile but despite using one for some of my favourite shots somehow it didn't really work out for me. Partly its the push- pull design that I've never been a fan of. Partly its because the image quality at the long end isn't quite as sharp as I'd like it to be. So I sold it, got the 70-200 f/2.8 IS L and I couldn't be happier. Its very sharp throughought the zoom range and stays sharp even with the 1.4x extender fitted. For safari use with a 5D I keep a 1.4x on this lens most of the time.
70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS This is a technological marvel, using diffractive optics to produce a high quality lens that is small and light. Much sharper than I expected and far better than the 70-200 f/2.8 when the latter is left at home because it is too heavy! A bit pricey new but mine was a used eBay bargain from back when such things were still to be had.
50mm f/1.4 Fast lens for low light candid work. Not that sharp when wide open and I'm not keen on how it renders out of focus areas. But if you need f/1.4 its your baby. Allegedly pretty good when stopped down, but I've never tried it. Low light is the only thing I use it for.
85mm f/1.8 Possibly my favourite people lens, when mounted on the 5D. Inexpensive, sharp and quick to focus. Brilliant in low light. Great for portraits and weddings.
100mm f/2.8 macro Does what it says on the tin. Sharp and not too expensive. Serious macro types will want the 180mm f/3.5 L lens for its greater working distance, especially on a full frame body.
500mm f/4 IS L Large, heavy, expensive and utterly wonderful. Image Stabilisation works wonders on this lens which was the single most important reason why I chose Canon over Nikon. Image quality is superb, especially wide open, which is where I use it most of the time. For most wildlife photographers the long lens choice is between a 500 f/4 and a 600 f/4. The 600mm obviously gives more reach, and the difference is greater than you might imagine. The 600 is great for bird photography. But its a lot bigger and heavier and even more expensive. For me the size and weight issue swayed it, especially given the amount of international travel I do.
1.4x and 2x Extenders I mainly use these on the 500mm f/4 and more recently the 1.4x only on the 70-200f/2.8. On the 500mm for all practical uses the 1.4x has no effect on image quality. The 2x softens it a bit so I try to stop down a bit if there is enough light. Stacking the 1.4x and 2x extenders (i.e. using both) is easy on the Canon system (Nikon users have to resort to modifying an extender) and works surprisingly well. IS really comes into its own in this situation. This image and this image were both taken with stacked converters and in these cases with the lens wide open. Would you have known?
For outdoor work I prefer natural light, but I will sometimes use a Canon 550EX flash for fill. For distant subjects I'll use a Better Beamer to make the flash reach further. The flash will usually be mounted on a Wimberley modular flash bracket rather than the camera's hot shoe.
For close up work when I don't have the 100mm macro with me (i.e. most of the time) I use a 25mm extension tube and/or a Canon 500D close-up lens on the 70-200mm. If that's not enough I'll add the 1.4x Extender.
Gitzo 1325. Expensive but light and very strong. The current equivalent is the GT3530LSV which is a tiny bit lighter but has much better leg locks. Karen's got one of those and loves it (she could never get on with the old Gitzo leg locks).
Really Right Stuff BH-55 ball head. Simply the best ball head I've ever seen or used. Replaced an Arca Swiss B1 which went very sticky when cold and no amount of cleaning would fix the problem
Wimberley Sidekick. Turns your ball head into a gimbal head. Works fine with the 500mm. The full- sized Wimberley is better and that's what I used for Safari or Birds where I'll be using the 500mm exclusively. But the big Wimberley weighs a ton and can't be used with smaller lenses (whereas with the Sidekick you just whip it off and you've got your ball head back).
I use a Lowepro Photo Trekker rucsac if I have the 500mm with me or a Lowepro Mini Trekker if I don't.
Go back to top of page