Cooper45 Loc: Minnesota/Wisconsin

I shoot a Sony A77 Mark 11 for wildlife and think it offers more the the A99. The lens I shoot the most is a 400mm Sony. Deadly combo. Good luck.

Balboa Loc: NJ

I now have a Canon 1DX which is a great camera but expensive, I also have a Canon 5D Mark III which also fast at half the cost of the 1DX.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Here is a nice hand-on mini-review of the Tamron, in which he compares it to the Nikon 80-400 AF-S VR.

http://photographylife.com/my-one-night-stand-with-the-tamron-150-600mm

Gary Truchelut Loc: Coldspring, TX

In the Canon line, the 7d is for the money the best deal. In combination with the Canon 100-400mm lens will get you many good shots and stay within your budget. I shoot this combo most of the time with great results. I would also recommend a battery grip for the extra battery life and controls for vertical shooting. Camera setup is key so if you go this route ask around for best settings for wildlife.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Damn! Just think of the shots I could get with something that had FAST AF????? I love the D800's fast AF system as its the only way I can get those shots of an eagle flying directly at me and be sure they are all in focus and printable. If that's "slow AF" then I am VERY happy to have it!

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

Please us the "Quote reply" box when answering so we know which post you are referencing.

twillsol Loc: St. Louis, MO

I have had the D800 for over two years and it has always autofocused just fine and very fast. Use it for taking photos of Eagles and other birds in flight and have some really nice results.

Also use it for sports with great results.

twillsol Loc: St. Louis, MO

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

A good wildlife camera to start out with is the Canon 7D. It has been around for a long time and is tried and true. It shoots 8 frames per second, and with the 1.6x crop factor it gives you the extra reach that you need when starting out with smaller focal length lenses and wildlife. But one of these and a 300mm f/4 lens with a 1.4x teleconverter and you'll be on your way. Later if you think this is what you really like doing you can upgrade your lens to something even larger while the 7D will still keep you going. Of course, if money isn't much of an object, then the 1DX or 5D III, and a 500mm f/4 lens would be a better choice. But I don't think it wise to start with that kind of expense.

MtnMan Loc: ID

I'd get a Nikon D5300 if I were in the market today.

Light weight and 24MP on the DX image area. The articulated screen is a big plus when you learn when to use it. The infrared inputs are helpful when using a tripod. I prefer the elegant info screen approach for settings compare to the more cumbersome button/unreadable green screen approach of the "upscale" Nikons.

Indeed, I may yet get one and keep my wildlife lens permanently attached while reserving my D800 for other uses.

That said my D800 just won second place with each of the first two below in their respective category at the Western Idaho State Fair. And Mr. Grizz won the Blue Ribbon in wildlife last year.

Plus you need a great wildlife lens. I use the Sigma 150-500. It works on both FX and DX cameras. The Tamron 150-600 appears to be equally good but is a couple of hundred dollars more presently.

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Swamp Gator Loc: Coastal South Carolina

Here's the way I would go...
A refurb 7D from Canon Direct will run you $779.
A refurb 300 f4 is $1,149.
Both come with a one year warranty and free shipping.

You can always add a 1.4 extender to the 300 making it a 420.
Super fast AF even with the extender, excellent IQ, and about the best bang for your buck for wildlife action in your basic price range.

Feel free to check out my wildlife photo blog which I update daily for examples of images taken using the combo I described.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Worth checking out. Beautiful work!

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

++++++++++++++++++

CooL.....

Here are mine...

Canon 5D Mark II
| Tamron 150-600
Canon 7D
((7D = Sorry that this is not wildlife...))
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Canon 5D MkII

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Canon 7D

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bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I asked the same question a year ago. MTShooter gave me the same great advice that he wrote here, "Wildlife is usually far away when you need that good shot. This means two things will help greatly. First, a LONG telephoto lens. Second a LOT of pixels so you can crop that desired shot out of the one that you actually got. Ideally a combination of both is highly desirable. For this reason I highly suggest the Nikon D800/D800E/D810 series of bodies. They will get you the shot AND give you the image size needed to make deep crops and still print very nice images." He also added that a Sigma lens that reaches to 500mm would be a good choice.

His suggestion was photographically perfect, but for me, too big, too expensive and too bulky.

Instead I shifted to the M43 world. I found the stabilized Panasonic 100-300 lens and added the compact GX7 body. It cost about $1600 and the "equivalent" reach is 600mm, exceeding the big Sigma.

I know that under close examination, the images files may not measure up to the Nikon standard. But, for me is seems pretty close, or at least close enough.

Here is one sample of what I've been able to do with it:

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sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

Interesting question. Smaller field of view which can be very advantageous, or FF for greater light capturing ability. Either works.
If you plan on shooting big animals, you will need between 300- 500 mm in my opinion. Best time to shoot, early am or late pm. Don't forget the tripod. You will need one.