Good Canon or Nikon lens choices for macro and bird photography
Asked 8/12/2010
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I currently shoot an older Sony A100 with several Minolta/Tokina lenses, but I’m considering moving to either Canon or Nikon. My main interests are macro and bird/wildlife photography, and I’d likely buy lenses one at a time rather than all at once.
I’ve been considering lenses such as a 180mm macro for close-up work and a 100-400mm zoom for birds, plus a small 50mm prime for general use. Are these sensible choices, and what types of lenses are generally best for macro and bird photography on Canon or Nikon bodies?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
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I use the Canon 100-400 as my goto lens for bird and animal photography. It's awesome and I love the lens. Powerful and flexible and worth the cost. It works well handheld and on a tripod. it's not a lens I'd put a teleconverter on, though. (I also have the 300 F/4 that I use a lot with a 1.4x attached on a tripod)
I also have the Sigma 180 macro, and it's a really good lens. It is solid and well built (and I need to use it more...). Both are good options.
For animal/bird photography, don't underestimate the advantage of shooting with an APS sensor body. I use a Canon 7D (my second body is a 30d) and the crop factor of the APS added to the magnification of the 100-400 is a great tool for getting closer shots of moving things that are far away.
On the other hand, a full-sized sensor body would be nice for landscape and macro. But the Sigma works nicely on an APS sensor. (so buy one of each!)
Originally by user705. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user705
16y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Your proposed lens types are sensible. For macro, a dedicated true macro lens around 100–180mm is a strong choice; the Sigma 180mm macro mentioned by users is regarded as a solid, well-built option.
For bird photography, the Canon 100-400mm is repeatedly praised in the answers as an excellent wildlife/bird lens: flexible zoom range, good image stabilization, and useful both handheld and on a tripod. One user also notes a 300mm f/4 plus 1.4× teleconverter can work well.
A crop-sensor body is often an advantage for birds because it gives a narrower field of view, helping distant subjects fill the frame.
Between Canon and Nikon, the answers don’t establish a clear winner; both systems are broadly capable. The strongest practical advice in the thread is to also consider staying with Sony if your existing lenses are still useful, since switching systems is expensive and newer Sony bodies may solve the limitations of your current camera while letting you keep your lenses.
So: macro lens around 100–180mm, long stabilized telephoto for birds, and consider total system cost before changing brands.
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AI16y ago
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