1- Canon EOS-1DX Mark II SLR Camera
Canon EOS-1DX Mark II is currently one of the fastest digital SLR cameras, so it is the best choice for bird photography.
The full-frame CMOS sensor is equipped with a high-speed signal reading function and has 20.2 megapixels. Canon has achieved excellent performance with dual image processors.
Combined with precise, reliable, and fast autofocus, the camera can shoot at up to 16 fps or 14 fps at full resolution up to 170 continuous shooting.
Autofocus uses a total of 61 AF points, 41 of which are cross-type focus points, suitable for a wide subject tracking area.
Even in challenging situations and low light conditions with exposure values as low as -3, focus tracking is easy. Depending on the lens, all AF points are compatible up to f/8.
The EOS-1DX Mark II's full-frame sensor has a gapless microlens, which can enhance low-light performance and reduce noise in dark areas of the image even at higher ISO sensitivity.
The standard ISO range is 100 to 51,200 and has a powerful noise reduction function. Can be expanded to ISO 50 to 409,600. You can use a fully automatic or manual ISO.
You can also use this camera to shoot professional videos: 4K Ultra HD can reach up to 60 fps, and Full HD can reach 120 fps, providing you with slow-motion capabilities.
With the built-in GPS, you can easily geotag photos of wild animals.
The 3.2-inch touch screen TFT LCD of the Canon EOS-1DX Mark II DSLR camera can guide you through all settings reliably. In-camera optical correction includes the elimination of lens aberrations, distortion, and diffraction correction for shooting at small apertures.
The superb technology of the Canon EOS-1DX Mark II camera is protected by a strong and sturdy magnesium alloy, which can be used in harsh conditions. The handle design is convenient for finger placement and reduces hand fatigue.
The shutters use lightweight carbon fiber blades to provide excellent performance. If you don't mind spending more on full-frame DSLRs for wildlife photography, then this camera is the best choice.
Recommended lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f / 2.8L
Main Canon EOS-1DX Mark II DSLR Features:
Image Sensor: Full-frame 36 x 24 mm Type CMOS sensor, 20.2 MegaPixel
Autofocus: 61 AF points
Frame rate and continuous shooting: 16 fps, 170 RAW
ISO range: native ISO 51200, extended to ISO 409600
Lens mount type: Canon EF mount (excluded EF-S and EF-M lenses)
Additional features: Built-in GPS for geotagging, 4K UHD video at 60 fps, and Full HD slow-motion at 120 fps. Includes battery pack and charger, wide belt, eye shield, cable protector, and interface cable.
Advantage
- JPEG image quality is very good, RAW file image quality is very good
- Excellent high ISO performance
- Leading dynamic range
- Hue accuracy is very high
- Support fine detail picture style
- Quick mode change
- Fast 61-point autofocus and excellent tracking performance
- F/8 support on all focal points
- Able to focus automatically in very dim light
- Very low shutter lag
- 14 fps full-resolution continuous shooting mode (up to 16 fps in real-time display mode, but we cannot verify it in laboratory tests.)
- When using fast CFast 2.0 card to shoot JPEG or RAW, the buffer is not limited
- Use fast CFast 2.0 card to clear the buffer very quickly
- Large, bright, and precise viewfinder
- Optional full-time red AF point in the viewfinder
- Dual Pixel CMOS AF can achieve fast and smooth autofocus during live view and movie playback
- 4K DCI video capture up to 60p
- Built-in GPS
- USB 3.0 port
- Built-in Ethernet port
- Simultaneous internal recording, up to 4K and 1080 HDMI streaming
- Headphone jack
- Flicker detection
- Good battery life among similar products
- Similar ergonomics to other 1D series cameras with a large number of physical controls
- Highly customizable controls
- Very robust manufacturing quality, highly sealed
Disadvantages
- Different SD Cards Slots (CF and CFast 2.0)
- Very bulky
- expensive
- Although more sturdy, the fixed LCD makes it more difficult to shoot or shoot at low or high angles
- No focus peak or zebra
- 4K video uses Motion JPEG codec to generate a large number of files
- 29:59 Continuous recording limit
- The touch screen function is limited to click to focus in the real-time display
- In the default setting of automatic white balance mode, the indoor image is very warm under the tungsten lamp
- The default sharpening radius is a bit high, which will produce obvious halos on high-contrast edges
2- Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR Full Frame Camera Reveiw
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is a full-frame digital SLR camera with almost an entry-level price, and its specifications are comparable to previous models.
In short, for a lower price tag, you have to make concessions in terms of speed and light sensitivity: you can only get half the frame rate and an ISO range of up to 32,000.
Of course, this does not mean that you can’t take great photos with this model: the image sensor is paired with Canon’s DIGIC 6+ image processor, each pixel has two photodiodes, and the total pixels reach 30.4 megapixels.
You can get fast and accurate autofocus. Like the EOS-1D X Mark II, this camera contains 61 AF points, 41 of which are cross-shaped. Even with the lens extender installed, all these points are compatible with f/8.
It is very simple to capture moving animals, you can track objects in a larger range and maintain a consistent focus. In addition to the successive shooting accuracy, the low-light performance is also good under the intensity limit of the EV-3.
In the reliable ISO range, the signal-to-noise ratio is very high, thanks to the use of a special algorithm that has a high level of light sensitivity at high resolution, which can ensure a fast shutter speed while suppressing the blur caused by camera shake.
You can record 4K UHD professional video at 30 and 24 fps, while Full HD can provide a frame rate of 60, while normal HD can even reach 120 fps. The 3.2-inch touch screen LCD can realize fast and intuitive operation.
With the built-in GPS, you can collect important location data as well as shots of wild animals. WiFi and NFC can easily transfer images without a cable connection.
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has all the advantages of a full-frame camera, but for this advanced technology, the price is very attractive, and it is one of the best cameras for nature photography.
Also available as a kit with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV full-frame digital SLR camera overview:
Type of Sensor: Full-frame 36 x 24 mm CMOS Type sensor, 30.4 Megapixel
Autofocus: 61 AF points
Frame rate and continuous shooting: 7 fps
ISO range: original ISO 100-32000, 50-102400 extended
Lens mount: Canon EF mount (excluding EF-S and EF-M lenses)
Additional features: 4K UHD video at 30 fps, WiFi, NFC, GPS for geotagging. Includes battery pack and charger, wide belt, eye shield, cable protector, and interface cable.
Advantage
- The image quality is very good, very good compared to RAW files
- Excellent high ISO performance
- Very good dynamic range greatly improved over the previous version
- Excellent color accuracy
- Quick start and mode switching
- Low shutter lag
- Fast autofocus
- Fast 7fps continuous shooting speed of the full-frame camera
- Unlimited JPEG buffer
- Appropriate RAW buffer in consideration of speed and resolution
- Dual Pixel CMOS AF provides a better live view and film autofocus than most DSLR cameras
- Dual Pixel RAW allows you to fine-tune the focus, bokeh, and ghosting in the post
- DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) video, up to 30fps
- 4K video performs well with very high bitrate quality (but see Con)
- Can save still frames in 4K video format
- Dual card slots (but see Con)
- Wi-Fi with built-in NFC
- Built-in GPS
- USB 3.0 port
- Microphone and headphone jack
- Long battery life
- Bright and accurate viewfinder
- A comfortable, familiar design
- Robust, weather-resistant structure
disadvantage
- Compared with competitors, the default JPEG is a bit soft
- Dual memory card slots use different formats
- Maximum flash speed 1 / 200s
- Low-light autofocus is a bit disappointing for low-contrast subjects
- Crop 4K video to 1.64 times relative to the entire width of the sensor
- Due to the high bit rate and Motion JPEG codec, it may be difficult to play 4K videos smoothly
- 29:59 Continuous recording limit
3- Canon EOS 7D Mark II Digital SLR
Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR combines a 20.2 MP cropped APS-C sensor, dual DIGIC 6 image processors, and Canon's fast autofocus system. High-resolution images are full of detail and clarity.
The camera has a total of 65 AF points and a dual-pixel CMOS sensor, which can provide a frame rate of 10 fps. The continuous shooting rate can maintain 1090 JPEG or 31 RAW images in a single continuous shooting.
The camera processor can process lens aberrations, ambient lighting changes, and image distortion in real-time for accurate correction.
With the original ISO range of 100 to 16,000 and the original ISO range of 50 to 102,400, low-light environments will not pose any challenges, especially because the camera can compensate for flicker, thereby minimizing color and exposure differences.
Full HD video recording can be performed at a frame rate of up to 60 fps, and the camera supports both SD and CF memory cards. Using the built-in GPS, you can add longitude, latitude, and altitude data to the picture.
Canon EOS 7D Mark II is made of lightweight and strong magnesium alloy with a sealing ring to prevent water and dust. It is a great choice for choosing the best camera for bird watching and preparing for wildlife photography adventures.
At a slightly cheaper price, you can get an equivalent Canon EOS 80D, which has a 24.2 MP APS-C sensor, 45 AF points, and a frame rate of 7 fps.
EF-S 18-135mm IS USM lens is also available as a kit
Important features of Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR
Image Sensor: 22.4 x 15 mm CMOS Type Sensor (APS-C), 20.2 Megapixel
Autofocus: 65 autofocus points
Frame rate and continuous shooting: 10 fps, 31 RAW
ISO range: original ISO 100-25600, 50-102400 extended
Lens mount: Canon EF mount, including EF-S lens (35mm equivalent focal length is approximately 1.6 times the focal length of the lens caused by sensor cutting)
Additional features: Full HD video at 60 fps, dual memory card slots, built-in GPS. Including battery pack and charger, wide belt, cable protector, and interface cable.
Advantage
- The excellent image quality of the APS-C sensor
- The high ISO performance is improved compared to previous products, almost equivalent to the best APS-C model
- Excellent tonal accuracy when using manual white balance
- Low prefocus shutter delay
- Excellent burst speed up to 10fps
- Very good buffer depth
- Excellent real-time display AF (dual pixel CMOS AF) and shutter lag performance
- Backward compatible with earlier LP-E6 batteries.
- Built-in GPS
- Dual memory card slots: CF and SD
- The center AF point will automatically focus at f/8
- Low-light autofocus is now rated down to -3.0 EV instead of -0.5 EV in 7D (but see related disadvantages)
- Headphone jack and external microphone jack
- Touch-type rear button for mute control when recording video
- 1080 / 60p video (MOV or MP4)
- ALL-I, IPB, and IPB Light video compression options
Disadvantages
- Full AF shutter delay is slower than 7D and 70D
- The battery life of professional DSLR cameras is moderate
- OVF does not have 100% coverage (close to 98%)
- The dynamic range at low and medium ISO is not as good as other competing products
- Very warm auto and incandescent white balance under indoor tungsten lamps
- The dedicated autofocus sensor cannot focus as well as our low-contrast autofocus target under low light conditions; in the real-time display mode, the low-light autofocus effect is better
- No built-in Wi-Fi
- The rear LCD screen is not touch screen or hinged
- No film servo autofocus at 1080/60p