Best Lenses for Wildlife Photography

Great wildlife photography makes the viewer feel like they could reach out and touch your subject. To do that you've got to have great glass so here are the best lenses for wildlife photography as of December 2023.

No matter what brand of camera you use or if you're shooting with a cropped or full frame sensor if you want to create compelling nature photos you've got to have a lens that will bring your subject close up. This means a long telephoto lens. For cropped cameras the minimum you want is around a 300mm lens. When it comes to full frame cameras you need to go with at least 400mm.

The great news is that there are some really incredible and even "affordable" telephoto lenses, depending on your definition of that word, which will give you that reach and more if you're willing to compromise on a few things.

This one tip will save you thousands of dollars on wildlife photography lenses!

Wildlife Photography Considerations

There are a few considerations when it comes to wildlife photography. First, do you have a need for speed. In other words, are you often photographing wildlife in low-light situations where a large aperture is critical. Second, do you need the option to zoom in and out.

The Need For Speed

If you're photographing wildlife during the golden hour, in dense fog, or deep forests you might have a need for speed. This means you can forget the many great but slower super-telephoto zoom lenses.

What do I mean by slower? I mean that their maximum aperture (the total amount of light they'll allow in) is smaller, therefore the shutter speed needs to be slow or the sensitivity needs to be high. That is of course, unless you're in ideal lighting conditions. Very few of us are that lucky.

Zoom Vs. Prime Lenses

Zoom lenses offer a ton on convenience. However, prime lenses typically offer a greater maximum aperture. This means that, if you need speed, you may need to consider buying a large prime lens for your wildlife photography. Be aware, if you're used to zoom lenses, using prime lenses takes getting used to. However, they have fewer moving parts and no zoom ring to worry about. This means you can focus on your subject more. That is, once you accept that the focal length is fixed.

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Buying the Best Wildlife Lenses

When it comes to buying the best lenses for wildlife photography there are a few factors we can use to compare lenses to each other. If we need to be budget conscious there are always options we can consider such as buying used or refurbished or even import lenses. There's always a trade off when doing so but it can be worth it especially if you're careful, persistent, and patient.

Used Wildlife Lenses

When it comes to buying used wildlife lenses the biggest challenge is how much wear and tear the lenses have seen. While a nature photographer might have taken really good care of the barrel of their lens and the glass itself there are other things to be cautious about. If the previous owner shot in a lot of extreme weather conditions mold and corrosion could be a factor. Mold is easy enough to see but with modern lenses housing complicated electronics corrosion isn't always evident.

Refurbished Wildlife Lenses

Professionally refurbished lenses can be a great option. They usually come with a warranty though it may not be for very long. They've been looked over inside and out by professionals that know what they're looking at and for. Plus refurbished lenses are sold by the manufacturer so you know exactly what you're getting.

Complaints About Older Lenses

You may read or see some people's complaints about older lenses. Often these complaints are with the auto-focus speed of lenses. While it's true that, for wildlife photography, you want your lenses to focus fast, you're rarely going to run into a problem with this. In fact, Steve from Back Country Gallery recently released a great video on the subject.

In his video Steve gives you real world numbers about the auto-focus speeds of supposedly slow lenses. His results speak for themselves. Essentially, your subject would need to be moving at super-speeds for most "slow" focusing lenses to not be able to keep up. Take a look at his video, titled, "AF Speed Secrets".

New Wildlife Lenses

Buying new manufacturers wildlife lenses from your camera's manufacturer or a secondary lens manufacturer is the safest way to ensure that you're getting a pristine lens that should work well for your camera for years to come so long as you take good care of it. It's also the best way to spend the most money on a new lens. Of course there is a second option. Just be aware that this next tip comes with serious risks.

Import Wildlife Lenses

A more risky option is to buy import wildlife lenses. Camera manufacturers often sell lenses for less money overseas. These lenses don't have any warranty and are often considered "grey market" goods because they can be spoofed. It can be dangerous to buy such lenses from random websites but sometimes that risk pays off. Don't fall for scams if you go this route. If a deal looks way too good to be true it absolutely is.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, if you're looking for the best wildlife photography lenses you've got a lot of options. If you need speed because you're working in low-light situations take a look at prime lenses. In fact, you might find a great used mid-telephoto prime lens with a huge aperture that you can pair with a teleconverter.

Then again, if speed is less of an issue, a solid super-telephoto zoom like the Sigma 150-600 is a great choice. Buy the Nikon F-mount, the Canon EF-mount, or the Sony SA-mount here. Read my review of the Sigma 150-600 for more information on this incredible lens.