The Best Camera Lens for Wildlife Photography
The best camera lens for wildlife photography from Nikon, Canon, and Sony are the following:
Nikon: Nikon 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II
Canon: Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Sony: Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS
If you want to read reviews for the lenses above, see a few other options, or just learn more about what you should consider when purchasing a lens for wildlife photography, then read on!
Table of Contents
Best Camera Lens for Wildlife Photography
The best camera lens for wildlife photography is going to have a focal length that allows you to be far away from your subject. This means that you’ll want focal lengths from anywhere between 100mm – 600mm, with the “ideal” length being about 400mm.
When you’re looking for a lens that allows you to zoom in that far, specifically for wildlife photography, there are a few things that you first need to understand:
- The lens is very likely going to be large and heavy
- It’s going to cost a bit more than other, smaller lenses
- Zoom lenses are more adaptable for moving subjects that might be closer or further away
Zoom Lens vs Prime Lens
You’ll have to decide if you absolutely need your lens to have the ability to zoom in and out, or if you are comfortable using a prime lens. For many wildlife photographers, using a prime lens is not an issue at all since they are so sharp and capable.
However, for other wildlife photographers, the ability to zoom in on your subject or zoom out to fit your subject into the frame is a feature that they consider to be essential. Personally, I prefer a zoom lens because of the adaptability it offers.
This is a choice of personal preference that you’ll have to decide. Remember that if you do purchase a prime lens, you always have the ability to crop the photo later on when editing. Many prime lenses are so sharp that they allow for quite a bit of cropping.
With all that in mind, here’s our choice for the best camera lens for wildlife photography.
The Best Camera Lens for Wildlife Photography: Nikon
Nikon 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II
This Nikon 200-400mm F/4 is our choice for the best camera lens for wildlife photography from Nikon for several reasons.
It has nearly perfect focal lengths, a great aperture at F/4, and is one of the best produced and sharpest lenses from Nikon. It’s pretty much tailor made for wildlife photography.
Pros:
- Great focal lengths
- Internal zoom capabilities
- Produces extremely sharp photos
- High quality build
Cons:
- Expensive
Nikon 300mm F/2.8 G ED VR II
The Nikon 300m F/2.8 is a highly capable lens that’s extremely sharp. Its only downside is that it’s a prime lens, which means that you only get one focal length.
With that being said, 300mm is a nearly ideal focal length for wildlife photography. If you want a prime lens, this is the best one form Nikon.
Pros:
- Produces very sharp photos
- Extremely well built
- Wide range of on-lens functions
Cons:
- No zoom capabilities
- Expensive
Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G ED VR
This Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 is our choice for best budget lens from Nikon thanks to its huge rage of focal lengths and relatively light weight and compact design.
It’s a great lens for anyone that’s either on a tight budget or wants the lightest lens available without sacrificing zoom capabilities.
Pros:
- Relatively lightweight
- Very affordable
- Great focal lengths
- Produces sharp images
Cons:
- Photo quality starts to drop off around 400mm
Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S
This Z 100-400mm offers up the ideal focal lengths for wildlife photography, making it a very attractive purchase and our choice for the best mirrorless lens from Nikon.
For some, having an aperture of F/4.5 may not be a big deal, but many wildlife photographers prefer an aperture of F/4 or even F/2.8.
Pros:
- Perfect focal lengths for wildlife photography
- Produces sharp images
- Great build quality
Cons:
- Aperture could be better
The Best Camera Lens for Wildlife Photography: Canon
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Much like the Nikon 300mm F/2.8 listed above, this Cannon 300mm F/2.8 is highly capable and produces some extremely sharp images.
Its only downside is that there is only one focal length. With that being said, 300mm is a nearly ideal focal length for wildlife photography. If you want a prime lens, this is the best Canon has to offer.
Pros:
- Extremely high build quality
- Excellent auto-focus capabilities
- Produces very sharp photos
- Great on-lens functions
Cons:
- Expensive
- No zoom capabilities
Canon EF 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
This Canon EF 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6 is our choice for the best budget lens for wildlife photography from Canon.
It offers some really great focal lengths and is quite affordable when compared to the other lenses on this list. Couple that with it’s relatively light weight and compact design that it becomes a very good option for wildlife photography.
Pros:
- Very affordable
- Excellent focal lengths
- Lighter that most lenses on this list
- Great auto-focus capabilities
Cons:
- Aperture is not ideal
- Some quality loss around 100mm
Canon RF 400mm F/2.8 L IS USM
This Canon RF 400mm F/2.8 is our choice for the best mirrorless lens for wildlife photography from Canon. It also happens to be the most expensive lens on our list.
Just like the other prime lenses mentioned, this piece of glass will produce truly flawless images in terms of sharpness. The only downside is the price.
Pros:
- Produces extremely sharp images
- Great auto-focus capabilities
- Very high build quality
- Excellent focal length
Cons:
- Most expensive lens on list
- No zoom capabilities
The Best Camera Lens for Wildlife Photography: Sony
Sony FE 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6 GM OSS
The best overall option from Sony is this FE 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6 lens. It offers up the best focal lengths for wildlife photography at a really affordable price point.
The mix of focal lengths, fast auto-focusing, it’s relatively light weight, and overall affordability makes this a very attractive choice for any Sony shooters.
Pros:
- Ideal focal lengths
- Lighter than most other lenses on this list
- Great value when considering price and capabilities
- Good on-lens functions
Cons:
- Aperture is not ideal
Sony FE 200–600mm F/5.6–6.3 G OSS
This Sony FE 200-600mm is our pick for the best budget option from Sony.
At roughly $500 less than the 100-400mm lens listed above, you get a wider range of focal lengths which is sure to help any wildlife photographer. However, we do think that if you can stretch your budget that extra $500, the 100-400mm lens is a better overall option.
Pros:
- Excellent focal lengths
- Very affordable
- Fast auto-focus
- Good build quality
Cons:
- Better lens available for not much more money
- Aperture not ideal
Recommendations on The Best Camera Lens for Wildlife Photography
If you own a Nikon, we recommend the Nikon 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II due to its perfect focal lengths and high image quality capabilities.
For Canon users, we recommend the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM. It’s one of the sharpest lenses on this list and offers a nearly perfect focal length for wildlife photography.
For those of you that own a Sony camera, the Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS is an excellent lens for wildlife photography at a really attractive price.
If you’re on a tight budget though, any of the above budget options will be more that serviceable for wildlife photography.
Finally, check out our Gear page to read more articles just like this with up-to-date product reviews for gear across all photography genres.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which lens is best for wildlife photography?
Overall, the best camera lens for wildlife photography is Nikon 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II due to its excellent focal lengths and ability to capture extremely high quality photos.
Is 400mm enough for wildlife photography?
400mm is absolutely enough to zoom to photography wildlife. 400mm is a very common focal length for wildlife photographers to use.
Is 600mm enough for wildlife?
600mm is absolutely enough to zoom to photography wildlife. 600mm is a very common focal length for wildlife photographers to use, although there are occasions where it may actually be too zoomed in.