Most people embarking on serious wildlife photography will already possess a camera. If it is a 35mm Single Lens Reflex, you are on your way. Better to stick with the camera you are familiar with, if it is at all suitable, and spend your money on film, travel and necessary accessories.

But for thoroughness, lets look at which broad camera types are suitable for what tasks.

Wildlife and Closeup

The 35mm SLR reigns supreme here. I combine these two different fields because they have one important thing in common - the photographer is trying to make a large image of a small subject.

Why 35mm format?

With wildlife, we are usually making a large image of a small subject because it is far away (relative to its size). This involves the notion of an animal's "critical distance" or flight distance. A wild male red kangaroo can stand over 2 metres tall, but it won't allow an approach within at least 30m without some preparation, usually more like 50m plus. A weebill (Australia's smallest bird at about 85mm) will let you within 5 metres, but at that size, it is really a case of "tele-closeup".

With close-up and macro-photography, the subject really is small: it is obvious that you are making a large image of a small subject, sometimes enlarging the object's image onto the film.

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There is no point in compounding the problem by trying to make an even bigger image, say on a 120 SLR (but they too have their place - more about 120 formats in nature photography later). This cormorant needed 560mm focal length with a 35mm SLR to get this close without disturbance.

Single lens reflex cameras are those ubiquitous one-eyed monsters with the hump on top. They are designed so the viewfinder sees the image actually projected by the taking lens. This design has all sorts of really serious problems, and camera manufacturers have been struggling to overcome them with increasing frenzy especially over the last 30 years, because photographers want to see exactly what they are going to get. Photography is easier that way - you don't have to learn the skills of Seeing. For general photography, this has led to the idea that SLR's are for serious photography and the others are just for snapshots - which ignores more elegant designs such as the rangefinder. But nature photographers are the winners, because it is the SLR that both wildlife telephotography and closeup need. Both require viewing through the taking lens because of unpredictability of the subject, parallax error caused by the narrow angles of view, and depth of field problems.

Which 35mm SLR model?

Beyond this generalisation, there is a plethora of 35mm SLR brands and models, so can we narrow it down a bit more?

Well, this is where I get picky, and you may well disagree and defend your camera. To me, there are not many SLRs that are ideal for serious nature photography, and it's not measured by the number of electronically controlled auto features. There are two things all single-lens-reflex cameras should have due to the aforementioned fundamental design problems, and the craft of photography. Modern camera makers are neglecting them!

1. Mirror lock-up

Not a worry if you are a general photographer using moderate focal length lenses and fast shutter speeds, but if you want sharp images at slow speeds through a long telephoto or closeup lens, you have to lock up the mirror. You just have to. Its mass jumps up just as the shutter opens, and wobbles the camera microscopically, producing an image not as sharp as it should be. At speeds from ½ to 1/15th of a second, it can spoil a picture. Even the shutter curtains themselves can wobble a camera used for high magnification work and set on a single support (eg. the typical tripod).

Some cameras enable mirror-up by way of the self-timer. The mirror flips up as soon as the timer is tripped, and the shutter is fired some indeterminate period later. This is not ideal, as you can't trip the shutter at the precise moment you need, but it's better than nothing.

And don't swallow what the sales people say about modern SLRs being so sophisticated that they don't induce a jar or wobble when the mirror flips up - that is just what sales people are paid to be good at - bovine manure.

2. Depth of field preview

This is a fundamental advantage of the SLR design. You can stop the lens down and actually see what the image is like at the shooting aperture. Why not use it, then? I stop the lens down to check this effect virtually every time I expose a frame, certainly every time I compose. It is so fundamental to the craft of photography that it is hard to understand why it is disappearing from 35mm camera designs. And so simple: it only needs a little lever on body or lens to close the diaphragm.

When working with slowish film, as nature photographers working with transparency film do, you are always splitting hairs trying to give just enough depth of field to get the whole subject sharp or the background just right, while maintaining as high a shutter speed as possible. You need fine depth of field control. The scale on the lens ain't good enough - you have to be able to see it!

Again, it is now found only on the more expensive "semi-pro" models in most camera lines. Tut, tut! SLR viewing is almost essential for quick action like this, needing rapid composition and focussing. But SLR design has its drawbacks for slow speed work.

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There are a couple of other things to be aware of. If you plan on photographing in remote tropical areas, do consider a mechanical camera. Modern electronic cameras are much better sealed than in the days of the Nikon FE-2 et al. dying on the first muggy day, and the flagship cameras of all the manufacturers are now electronic. But several top makers still produce battery-independent cameras which work on spring power (or thumb power - the rationale being that you have to take your thumb along anyway), no matter how humid the atmosphere.

Leica, Contax, Nikon and possibly Olympus each produce fully mechanical cameras (not to be confused with electrically controlled cameras with manual operation. These cameras use electro-magnets to time the shutter - no batteries or a clagged circuit-board, no pictures). Real mechanical cameras are expensive to produce, but their continued development shows that they have a place in modern photography. The venerable Pentax K1000 is still cranked out at a bargain price, but it lacks that chestnut depth of field preview.

Lens availability

Consider the lenses and accessories you will need before committing to a camera body, to make sure you can build the kit you want. If you are a 2^nd hand bargain-hunter you might opt for a new body and 2^nd hand lenses. This is quite a valid route, as it is easier to assess the condition of a lens than a camera. But make sure the camera is a popular one, for which lenses will be fairly readily available 2^nd hand.

For specialised work, where an exotic lens or other accessory is needed, it may be best to turn the quest upside down. Secure the lens for the job and then get the camera to suit. For example, a high speed tele lens can cost many thousands of dollars. Why commit to one brand if one day a suitable lens of another brand comes up in the Trading Post a couple of thousand dollars cheaper? Bodies are small change by comparison.