Professional Setting Guide —Wildlife Edition— © 2024 Nikon Corporation
Table of Contents Getting Ready. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Things to Bring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Recommended Lenses for Wildlife Photography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Before You Begin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To Quickly Switch Settings to Suit Different Scenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 To Capture Lively and Dynamic Movements in Videos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Recommended Settings by Subject. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Small Animals Moving in and out of a Fixed Position. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Getting Ready Things to Bring The main items of equipment you’ll need for wildlife photography are: A camera Z9 Z8 Tip: Illustrations The camera mainly used for illustrations is a Z 8. Lenses Choose the lens according to the type of wildlife you will be photographing. The following lenses are recommended for wildlife photography. - NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S (0 6) - NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S (0 7) - NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S (0 8) - NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S (0 9) - NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.
- NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR (0 13) - NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S (0 14) Tip: Hand-Held Shots We recommend using small, lightweight lenses featuring Phase Fresnel (PF) elements when taking hand-held shots. Among the lenses introduced above, the following lenses have PF elements. NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.
Recommended Lenses for Wildlife Photography Lenses recommended for wildlife photography and their characteristics are as follows. NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S A 400 mm lens with a built-in 1.4× teleconverter allows you to quickly change focal lengths to suit the scene and capture vivid images of even a small wild bird in motion.
NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S A compact 400mm lens allows you to chase a wild bird handheld in vast landscapes and capture precious moments when you can even see their breath. © Michelle Valberg Shooting conditions: Shutter speed: ¹/₁₀₀₀ s Aperture: f/4.
NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S A 600 mm lens with a built-in 1.4× teleconverter allows you to quickly change focal lengths and capture the skin texture of wildlife with incredible realism.
NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S A 600 mm lens, which has been significantly reduced in size and weight by adopting a Phase Fresnel (PF) element, allows you to easily track a wild bird in flight handheld. © Ramesh Karmakar Shooting conditions: Shutter speed: ¹/₃₂₀₀ s Aperture: f/6.
NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S An 800 mm lens, which has been reduced in size and weight by adopting a Phase Fresnel (PF) element, allows you to capture the tender moments of wild creatures as they are from a distance. © Edin Whitehead Shooting conditions: Shutter speed: ¹/₃₂₀₀ s Aperture: f/6.
NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S A 70–200 mm zoom lens, which combines the overwhelming imaging performance of an aperture of f/2.8 with a wide focal length range, is one of the basic equipment for wildlife photography. © Mohan Thomas Shooting conditions: Shutter speed: ¹/₆₄₀ s Aperture: f/5.6 Exposure compensation: +1.
NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S A 100–400 mm zoom lens, which is small and lightweight yet has high optical performance, allows you to clearly capture even moving ferocious animals from a distance by combining smooth zooming over a wide range with animal-detection AF on the Z 9 and Z 8. © Jogi Francis Shooting conditions: Shutter speed: ¹/₄₀₀ s Aperture: f/6.
NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR A 180–600 mm zoom lens with an optimized weight balance and zoom mechanism allows you to capture precious moments without getting close to delicate small animals. © Natsumi Handa Shooting conditions: Shutter speed: ¹/₅₀₀ s Aperture: f/5.
NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S A 105 mm micro lens, with a focus on beautiful bokeh and resolution, allows you to capture small insects and other creatures in vivid detail. © Katarina Jencova (This image is an NEF (RAW) image taken and converted to TIFF using Capture NX-D, and then finished using third-party software as a photographer's artwork.
Before You Begin Check the following before starting wildlife photography. Decide What You’re Taking Pictures For The presentation and the number of cuts required will vary depending on the purpose of your photography, such as albums, photo books, or commemorative photos. Be sure to clarify the purpose of photography. Research the Location and Ecology of the Animals Consider what kind of photos you want to capture in advance.
Camera Setup Basic Camera Settings The core settings for wildlife photography are: AF-area mode [3D-tracking] ISO sensitivity ISO AUTO (auto ISO sensitivity control enabled) Set Picture Control [Standard] White balance [Auto] Image quality [RAW + JPEG normal] (Z 9), [RAW + JPEG/HEIF normal] (Z 8) Tip: Recommended Settings by Subject For the recommended camera settings for different types of animals, see “Recommended Settings by Subject” ( 0 24, 0 26, 0 28, 0 30).
D Caution: 3D-Tracking The camera may be unable to track subjects that: are similar in color, brightness, or pattern to the background, change visibly in size, color, or brightness, are too large or too small, too bright or too dark, move quickly, or are obscured by other objects or leave the frame. Tip: Photographing Multiple Subjects We recommend setting AF-area mode to [Auto-area AF].
Set Picture Control: "Standard" Selecting [Standard] Picture Control creates pictures with wellbalanced contrast and hues, allowing you to photograph without worrying about the shooting conditions. It also makes it easier to retouch after shooting. Tip: Managing Picture Control Picture Controls that have been adjusted to your preference can be saved in [Manage Picture Control] in the photo shooting menu.
Shooting Settings The following functions are useful when set along with the basic settings. Use Subject Detection When selecting [Auto], [Animal], or [Birds] for [AF subject detection options] in the photo shooting menu, the camera gives priority to the faces of animals or birds during auto focus and displays focus point on the detected subject. The [Birds] option is available in “C” firmware version 4.10 or later for Z 9 and 2.00 or later for Z 8.
Use Auto Capture The [Auto capture] feature allows the camera to take photos automatically upon detecting a subject. By selecting the trigger criteria for auto capture, photographers create what is effectively an unmanned camera that can take photos automatically. This allows the photographer to capture the natural expressions of wildlife without having to be present at the shooting location.
Taking Photographs and Recording Videos Precautions for Wildlife Photography Wildlife photography requires shooting methods tailored to each animal's behaviors. Pay attention to the following points while shooting. Keep a Certain Distance from Wildlife Avoid approaching wild animals. Wait for the animals to come into the camera frame. Getting too close to wild animals can be dangerous. Keep a certain distance while shooting. Respect Wildlife and Their Habitats Remember that you are in wildlife territory.
Tips for Wildlife Photography The following settings are recommended, depending on the scene you are shooting. If a Stationary Subject Suddenly Starts to Move We recommend assigning [AF-area mode] > [3D-tracking] to a Fn button using Custom Setting f2 [Custom controls (shooting)]. While the button is pressed, the camera activates [3D-tracking] and immediately tracks the subject as it moves unpredictably.
To Take Clearer Images Outdoors It is recommended to attach a lens hood. Attaching a lens hood prevents strong light from entering the camera and causing flare and ghosting, so that you can take pictures with high contrast. To Create More Impressive Pictures Changing the values on the A (amber)–B (blue) and G (green)–M (magenta) axis in [White balance] > [Choose color temperature], you can vary the hues on the pictures according to the scenes.
Recommended Settings by Subject Small Animals Moving in and out of a Fixed Position © Jogi Francis Equipment used: Z9 NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S Shooting conditions: Shutter speed: ¹/₁₀₀₀ s Aperture: f/2.8 Exposure compensation: –0.
The following settings are recommended for photographing small animals that move quickly in a particular position, such as a feeding site or a burrow.
Medium-Sized Animals Visiting a Particular Location © Ratish Nair Equipment used: Z9 NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S Shooting conditions: Shutter speed: ¹/₅₀₀ s Aperture: f/2.8 Exposure compensation: +0.
The following settings are recommended for photographing medium-sized animals that visit a particular location, such as a resting area or a watering hole.
Birds in Flight © Jogi Francis Equipment used: Z9 NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S Shooting conditions: Shutter speed: ¹/₃₂₀₀ s Aperture: f/6.
The following settings are recommended for photographing medium-sized and large birds in flight.
Large Slow-Moving Animals with the Landscape © Mohan Thomas Equipment used: Z8 NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S Shooting conditions: Shutter speed: ¹/₄₀₀ s Aperture: f/5.6 Focal length: 200 mm With large animals moving slowly in an impressive landscape, take pictures without worrying too much about detailed settings or techniques, and let the scene take care of itself.
