Canon 7D MKII -Canon 100-400 v2
A Perfect Combination for Everything?
Over the years, one of the most common questions I am asked is “what do you think the best all-around camera body and lens combination is for bird and nature photography”?
It is a great question and one that has always been difficult to answer because it really doesn’t exist, maybe until recently. When people a k this question there are a number of questions within the question that they could be talking about. These would include the following considerations:
Budget, do not want to mortgage the kids or house to buy camera gear.
Weight, I travel a lot and want to keep my equipment as light as possible.
Hand holding shooting. I want to be able to shoot off a tripod for birds in flight, animal moving, etc.
Focal length, sometimes I need as much focal length as I can get, other times not so.
I still want professional quality equipment.
Well, in my opinion the new Canon 7D MKII and the Canon 100-400mm version II L camera body and lens covers all of these considerations and then some. It could well be the perfect safari combination for trips to Costa Rica, Peru, Snowy Owls the BC Grizzly Bears and wherever else your nature photo travels take you.
I am not going to get into any technical jargon about the 7D and the 100-400, that has already been covered many times. However, let me say this, this camera body and lens combination is the closest thing I’ve seen to being the perfect all around travel combo for all types of nature photography anywhere, anytime.
Here are the pros of this set up.
Won’t break the bank, reasonably priced.
Lightweight enough for most people to shoot handheld.
Small enough to fit in a carry on and a backpack when hiking.
Light enough to use a body strap or harness when hiking and shooting.
Fast focusing and tracks moving subjects with ease.
The 7D has a 1.6 crop factor sensor which means you get an effective focal length from the 100-400mm zoom lens of 160mm-640mm.
Images are tack sharp right out of the camera, great quality.
In good light you can shoot this combo with an added 1.4 tele extender for more focal length and still achieve auto focus.
The internal focusing on the 100-400 is smooth as silk and easy to use.
When I am asked what the best all-around bird and nature photography camera body and lens combination is, I will not hesitate to tell people it has to be the Canon 7D MKII and the Canon 100-400 V2. Hope to see you on the next photo tour. Snowy Owl "Take Off" . Snowy Owls Workshop
