Do I look for certain camera specifications for nature/animal photography?

[DeShay]

I told my cousin I was interested in photography and he gave me his old Pentax K10D, the bug immediately hit me and I've been having an absolute blast and it's made me want to become more serious (get more high quality images). I'm still very much a "camera noob" so I was wondering if there's a Sony camera that does better outdoors? I don't plan on doing portraits or wedding events. Just stuff like birds, close-ups of flowers, trains, and mountain ranges. I am sorry if this is a dumb question.

[tonygale · Accepted solution]

Hi DeShay,

Welcome and that is not a dumb question! There are a lot of cameras that would fit the bill for you, did you have a budget in mind?

Some of the newer cameras like the a7IV have animal eye autofocus which can be great! The newest camera the a7RV also has train autofocus! All that said, cameras like the a7III are still excellent if you just want to get started with Sony.

[DeShay]

Hey Tony,

Thank you very much for the suggestions! I am on a pretty small budget but I am also willing to hold off for a while if it means finding the right camera. I think I will start saving for the a7IV you suggested at first, it looks awesome. Can't wait to join the Sony family!

[tonygale]

You will love it!

[MattK]

Hi DeShay. I primarily shoot wildlife and birds so hopefully this helps a little. 

First, I would suggest something full frame mirrorless. You want full frame because it generally does better with noise and has higher megapixels. You’re going to be using higher ISOs and cropping a lot so I’d start there. 

All of the recent Sony cameras have great AF so I wouldn’t worry about that. Honestly, bird eye auto focus is nice but I find I hardly use it. Focusing anywhere on the subject gives great results. And then frame rate is something to look at, but again… any recent camera will do in that area. 

I’ll leave you with a simple recommendation. Either get the Sony a74 or a7r5 (r5 is newer) and couple it with the 200-600mm lens and maybe the 24-105mm for wider landscapes. Both camera are excellent for nature and wildlife and those lenses are always on my camera. Feel free to swing by my website at mattk.com and click on “BIRDS” in the menu and you’ll see lots of examples and settings too. Good luck!