Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago

---

This week’s episode is a bit different, focusing on gear! Brad and Ray chat about what they think are the best tools for beginner wildlife photographers just starting out. They also share their thoughts on what’s most important when picking a camera and lens for a beginner bird and wildlife photographer. Then, they dive into their choices for Sony, Canon, and Nikon, starting with a budget of under $3,000 USD, and finally, they pick a set of gear with an unlimited budget. It’s a fun episode filled with gear talk about what’s important and what isn’t to them.

Brad & Ray’s Camera and Lens Choices for Starting Out in Wildlife Photography

Sony
Under $3,000 USD
Sony Alpha 6700
Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3
Sony Alpha 7 IV (slightly over budget)
Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

Unlimited Budget
Sony Alpha 1II
Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6
Sony FE 300mm f/2.8
Sony 1.4x Teleconverter
Sony 2x Teleconverter

Canon
Under $3,000 USD
Canon EOS R50
Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8
Canon RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9
Canon EOS R6 Mark II

Unlimited Budget
Canon EOS R1
Canon RF 100-500 f/4.5-7.1
Canon RF 400mm f/2.8 L

Nikon
Under $3,000 USD
Nikon Z5 (only has dog/cat eye tracking)
Nikon Z50II (has bird eye-tracking)
Nikon Z6iii
Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8

Unlimited Budget
Nikon Z8
Nikon Z9
Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6
Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC

Support the show at wildlifephotochatvideo.com