The best Canon cameras and lenses for wildlife photography

Wildlife photography requires patience, persistence and a sound knowledge of animal behaviour and fieldcraft techniques. A very long lens doesn't hurt either. The Canon EOS system has much to offer professional wildlife photographers, with a vast range of telephoto and super-telephoto prime and zoom lenses available, along with high-speed, high-quality camera bodies, built to withstand punishing conditions like those encountered when seeking elusive animals.

Subject tracking AF is supported for all AF area settings, including the animal AF for birds, cats and dogs and the new Flexi Zone AF, through which the AF area size and shape can be customised – ideal for creatures great and small. AF modes are backed up by the world's fastest and lowest-light AF for full-frame, focusing in as little as 0.03 seconds and in light conditions as low as -7.5 EV.¹

The EOS R3 is equipped with In-body Image Stabilisation (IBIS) technology, providing up to an industry-leading 8-stops of IS when the EOS R3 is paired with certain RF lenses, giving unparalleled flexibility at long focal lengths.

With its electronic shutter enabled, the EOS R7 is capable of silently recording full-res RAW files at speeds of up to 30fps. It features a vari-angle touchscreen to assist handheld shooting at difficult angles and shares similar IBIS technology to the Canon EOS R3, providing up to 8-stops of IS when paired with an optically stabilised lens. Able to autofocus down to -5 EV for longer shoots spanning changing lighting conditions, the EOS R7 also benefits from the animal and eye tracking autofocus used in the EOS R3 and EOS R6.

"For wildlife, that's a game-changer," says John. "The EOS R7 has the same characteristics as the EOS R3, so you can specify where you want AF tracking to start and the camera will automatically take over from there. If there are four birds on a branch, for example, you can simply tap the screen to highlight the one that you think is going to fly, and then the camera will track the bird as it moves."

The Canon RF 1200mm F8L IS USM focuses much closer, too – right down to 4.3 metres – which makes it possible to track wild animals and birds over a greater range of distances. "You also get 4-stops of IS,” explains Mike, "and you can add 1.4x or 2x extenders on top, so you can effectively get a relatively lightweight 1680mm f/11 or 2400mm f/8 lens. For timid animals and birds, or for work where keeping your distance is beneficial, it gives you that bit more range to get the shot.”

Like the Canon RF 1200mm F8L IS USM, the Canon RF 800mm F5.6L IS USM is fully weather-sealed and the lightest professional lens in its class. Its 800mm focal length, build quality and outstanding clarity make it ideally suited to high-end wildlife assignments.

"This is a lens that you can handhold quite easily," says Mike. "It can open up opportunities where you would normally have to use a monopod or tripod. It's especially good for bird photography, where trying to use a tripod to photograph birds in flight is almost impossible.”

The isolating power of the telephoto focal length, combined with the f/2.8 maximum aperture, makes these professional 400mm lenses a perfect choice for separating an animal or bird from its environment. "I've used the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III USM at f/2.8 to photograph meerkats, and the background just melted into pure softness," says Marina.

With comparable technologies and feature sets, the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III USM and RF 400mm F2.8L IS USM offer a similar level of high performance, so whether you prefer to use the mirrorless EOS R System or a DSLR, you can be sure of great quality shots. "And they're both super-lightweight lenses," adds Mike.

That said, however, the 12-pin RF mount connection in EOS R System cameras provides faster, higher-bandwidth communication between the RF lens and the camera, delivering even better focusing performance when the RF 400mm F2.8L IS USM is used with EOS R System cameras such as the EOS R3.

With class-leading portability and performance, the RF mount Canon RF 600mm F4L IS USM is also set to be a kitbag essential for pro nature photographers. When paired with the Canon EOS R3, the RF 600mm F4L IS III USM is enhanced for bird photography via the camera's animal AF setting which prioritises birds, as well as the new Flexi Zone AF, which enables you to customise the AF area size and shape – particularly helpful for shooting smaller birds.

For super-telephoto wildlife photography on a budget, also consider the Canon RF 600mm F11 IS STM – or even the Canon RF 800mm F11 IS STM. "Up until now, 800mm lenses have been too expensive, and they've just been too big and heavy – you have to plan to go out to shoot with them," explains Mike. "But here's a lens that's lighter than a bottle of water, which you can keep in your bag all of the time.”

Previously under EF design parameters it was only really possible to go to f/5.6, John notes, "but as we've seen with the RF 600mm F11 IS STM, RF 800mm F11 IS STM and RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM lenses, you can now make new types of wildlife lenses within an affordable price range and convenient size. Being able to take advantage of the ability of Dual Pixel CMOS AF to focus down to f/22 makes new lens concepts possible.

"With wildlife photography, you're often focusing on small animals and birds, and it's difficult to create impact because they quite easily blend into the background. But these new lenses can help you fill the frame and capture impressive images."

"500mm is a great entry point for bird photography," says Mike. "Plus, you can use the RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM with the RF extenders as well. The AF system on the Canon EOS R3, EOS R5 and EOS R6 works at such low light levels that the cameras will happily focus at these smaller apertures."

If you have the budget, then the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x is an even more versatile option. "It gives you the ability to go from 200 to 400mm with a constant f/4 aperture, and you've got the built-in extender as well," says Mike.

This inexpensive all-rounder is very compact and, at just over 2kg, incredibly lightweight for the reach it offers. With 5.5-stops of image stabilisation at 800mm, it's comfortable to use handheld – but there's a built-in tripod mount for those occasions where you need more support. It shares design characteristics with the popular Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM, including the same weather resistance performance – an important consideration when photographing wildlife in wild and exposed environments.

When it's paired with an APS-C camera such as the Canon EOS R7, then the crop factor of the smaller sensor gives it even greater reach. "On the EOS R7, this lens effectively becomes a 320-1,280mm F6.3-9 zoom," explains John. "That's a hugely powerful range. Not only do you get the effective increase in focal length with the EOS R7, you have the 32MP resolution as well. That's an incredible combination for wildlife photography."

In addition, the RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM is also compatible with Canon RF extenders. "With a 2x extender attached, you can even go up to 1600mm," John notes. "When this combination is paired with an APS-C camera, you get the equivalent to 2,560mm – and still have the ability to use autofocus."

"When you're travelling by plane, you want to be able to pack as much as you can into your carry-on luggage," adds Mike, "so size and weight make a real difference. The RF version is a lot smaller, a lot lighter, and super-fast at focusing too.”

The advanced optical design of the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM delivers edge-to-edge sharpness, with the RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM offering the same level of performance but with additional improvements. "It's a similar sized lens, with similar image quality, but there's a lot more crammed into the same package, including a 5-stop Image Stabilizer," says Mike.

"Another benefit of the Canon RF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM is that it has focus breathing suppression," adds Mike. "This makes it easier to line up the images in a focus stack when you want to create macro photos with a much greater depth of field."

And when paired with the Canon EOS R3, the RF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM lens offers ultimate flexibility with up to 8-stops of image stabilisation, enabling sharp macro images when shooting handheld at high magnifications. The Canon EOS R7 also offers the benefits of IBIS, along with a smaller APS-C sensor that allows the frame to be filled at a further distance from the subject.


To find the perfect lens for you, try Canon's handy lens finder. It tailors recommendations for you based on your camera, the genre you want to shoot, and lens features that matter most to you.