The best cameras for capturing high-quality photos of wild animals and birds.
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Rank
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Kagoo Score
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Average Review Rating
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Price
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Megapixels
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Optical Zoom
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Weight
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Camera Type
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Colour
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Release Date
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84 
Compare
Shortlisted
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 Nikon D3100
   
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$69.00
Adorama
+1 more shop
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14.2MP
Info
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Depends on lens
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505g
Info
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Slr
Info
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Info
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Jun 2012
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80 
Compare
Shortlisted
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 Canon EOS 5D Mark III
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$400.00
Adorama
+1 more shop
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22.3MP
Info
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Depends on lens
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950g
Info
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Slr
Info
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Info
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Mar 2012
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76 
Compare
Shortlisted
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 Olympus OM‑D EM1
  
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$359.00
Adorama
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16.3MP
Info
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Depends on lens
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443g
Info
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Mirrorless
Info
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Info
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Sep 2013
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84 
Compare
Shortlisted
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Nikon D610
 
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$256.95
Adorama
+9 more shops
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24.3MP
Info
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Depends on lens
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760g
Info
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Slr
Info
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Info
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Nov 2013
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84 
Compare
Shortlisted
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Nikon D810
 
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$899.00
Adorama
+8 more shops
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36MP
Info
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Depends on lens
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880g
Info
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Slr
Info
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Info
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Jun 2014
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83 
Compare
Shortlisted
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Nikon D7100
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$129.95
Adorama
+2 more shops
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24.1MP
Info
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5.8x
Info
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675g
Info
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Slr
Info
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Info
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Mar 2013
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76
Compare
Shortlisted
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Olympus Stylus 1
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$728.99
eBay
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12MP
Info
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10.7x
Info
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402g
Info
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Bridge
Info
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Info
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May 2015
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83
Compare
Shortlisted
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Nikon D3300
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$199.00
Adorama
+5 more shops
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24.2MP
Info
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Depends on lens
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410g
Info
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Slr
Info
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Info
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Jan 2016
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85
Compare
Shortlisted
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Sony α Alpha A6000
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$169.00
Adorama
+2 more shops
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24.3MP
Info
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3x
Info
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285g
Info
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Mirrorless
Info
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Info
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Feb 2014
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83
Compare
Shortlisted
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Panasonic Lumix DMC‑GH4
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$313.37
Adorama
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16.05MP
Info
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Depends on lens
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480g
Info
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Mirrorless
Info
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Info
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Mar 2014
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79
Compare
Shortlisted
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Samsung WB1100F
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$160.00
eBay
+4 more shops
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16.2MP
Info
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35x
Info
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462g
Info
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Slr
Info
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Info
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Jan 2014
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84
Compare
Shortlisted
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Nikon D5300
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$329.00
Adorama
+9 more shops
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24.2MP
Info
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Depends on lens
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480g
Info
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Slr
Info
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Info
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Nov 2013
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76
Compare
Shortlisted
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Nikon 1 J4
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$366.85
eBay
+1 more shop
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18.4MP
Info
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Depends on lens
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192g
Info
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Mirrorless
Info
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Info
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Dec 2015
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80
Compare
Shortlisted
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Sony α Alpha A7R
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$699.00
Adorama
+2 more shops
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36.3MP
Info
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Depends on lens
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407g
Info
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Mirrorless
Info
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Info
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Jan 2016
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78
Compare
Shortlisted
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Samsung NX Mini NXF1 |
$299.00
eBay
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20.5MP
Info
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Depends on lens
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158g
Info
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Mirrorless
Info
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Info
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Apr 2014
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80
Compare
Shortlisted
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Canon PowerShot SX400 IS
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$135.00
+1 more shop
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16MP
Info
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30x
Info
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313g
Info
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Bridge
Info
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Info
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Jul 2014
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82
Compare
Shortlisted
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Sony α Alpha A5100
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$448.00
Adorama
+2 more shops
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24.3MP
Info
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3x
Info
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224g
Info
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Mirrorless
Info
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Info
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Aug 2014
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85
Compare
Shortlisted
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Nikon D750
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$913.97
eBay
+14 more shops
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24.3MP
Info
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3.5x
Info
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750g
Info
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Slr
Info
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Info
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Oct 2014
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78
Compare
Shortlisted
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Canon Powershot SX60 HS
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$316.85
eBay
+1 more shop
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16.8MP
Info
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65x
Info
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649g
Info
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Bridge
Info
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Info
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Sep 2014
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80
Compare
Shortlisted
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Canon EOS 7D Mark II |
$999.99
eBay
+12 more shops
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20.2MP
Info
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Depends on lens
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910g
Info
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Slr
Info
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Info
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Nov 2016
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No matching products found.
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Today's Best Digital Camera Deals
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24.2MP
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6000 X 4000
PIXELS IMAGE RESOLUTION |
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3x
OPTICAL ZOOM
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FULL HD VIDEO
RESOLUTION |
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20.3MP
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5184 X 3888
PIXELS IMAGE RESOLUTION |
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65x
OPTICAL ZOOM
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4K
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18.1MP
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4896 X 3672
PIXELS IMAGE RESOLUTION |
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30x
OPTICAL ZOOM
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4K
VIDEO RESOLUTION
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Sony
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$169.00
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Nikon
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Nikon
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Pentax
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$199.00
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Canon
EOS 70D
$409.00
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Nikon
D5300
$329.00
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Sony
Alpha A6000
$169.00
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Nikon
D5300
$329.00
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Nikon
D5300
$329.00
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Canon
EOS 750D - Rebel T6i
$409.00
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Sony
Alpha A6000
$169.00
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Samsung
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Canon
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$161.13
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Nikon
Coolpix A100
$89.00
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Canon
IXUS 185
$90.00
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Nikon
Coolpix B500
$179.00
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Canon
PowerShot sx430 is
$181.98
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Sony
Cyber-shot DSC-HX350
$309.00
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Panasonic
LUMIX FZ82
$312.03
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
QWhat is the difference between an SLR, Mirrorless and Compact cameras?
ASLRs and Mirrorless cameras are both powerful cameras with changable lenses for a large amount of flexibility. Mirrorless cameras tend to be smaller and lighter than SLRs (because they don't have to include a mirror to bounce light onto the sensor) but are not quite as powerful.
Compact cameras are small fixed-lens cameras meant for casual photography and everyday carry. In previous generations compact cameras were significantly less powerful than other types, but modern variants are almost as powerful as SLRs.
Compact cameras are small fixed-lens cameras meant for casual photography and everyday carry. In previous generations compact cameras were significantly less powerful than other types, but modern variants are almost as powerful as SLRs.
QWhat is the difference between optical and digital zoom?
AOptical zoom uses the hardware of the camera to physically move the lenses, enlarging the captured picture. Digital zoom uses software to further enlarge the picture. This means digital zooms can go far beyond the range of optical zooms, but the quality is much worse, and degrades sharply as the image is zoomed in.
QWhat is an 'image stabiliser'?
AAn image stabiliser detects and compensates for small judders and shakes while filming, meaning the resulting images are far smoother and still.
QWhy is a big sensor size important?
AA larger optical sensor produces better quality images, because more light can be brought into the lens at once, This leads to larger, more highly-detailed photos.
QWhat is GPS function on a camera?
AGPS allows the camera to tag each photo with exactly where it was taken.
QWhat is the difference between 'waterproof' and 'water resistant'?
AThere is a small but important difference between waterPROOF and water RESISTANT - waterproof means that the camera can be submerged underwater for an extended amount of time with no adverse effects. Water resistant means that the camera can suffer limited exposure to water without any problems - normally this is limited to heavy rain or liquid splashes, not total immersion.
QWhat are the benefits of instant cameras?
AInstant cameras have been seeing a revival in recent years - modern versions work similar to the classic Polaroid cameras, but use modern thermal-reactive paper. They allow immediate printing of photos when out and about - perfect for parties! However the paper is expensive to buy, and you can easily blast through a pack of 10 shots very quickly.
Wildlife Photography
Wildlife photography is popular and rewarding hobby, but most wildlife is notoriously shy so getting close up, detailed shots can be difficult. If you can't find a full-size gazelle costume to hide in, a good SLR camera is an excellent fallback.
When ranking cameras for their ability to photograph wildlife, we've concentrated on a number of key attributes. Optical zoom is important to allow you to take clear, detailed photos of animals without having to get physically close to them. A high ISO sensitivity will help take cleaner photos in low-light conditions. Finally, since animals tend to move (and sometimes quite fast), we consider a trio of the camera's shutter speed, auto focus power and whether it has an image stabilisation system or not. All three of these will help you take crisper, cleaner photos of fast moving objects.
How to Choose a Digital Camera That is Good for Wildlife Photography
Optical Zoom
The optical zoom of a camera is a measure of how much the camera can zoom in to the subject using the camera's lens system. An optical zoom is superior to a digital zoom because the zoom is achieved using the optics of lens which means that the full extent of the digital sensor is always used to capture the image.
A long optical zoom helps you to get closer to distant wildlife, without loss of image quality. Ideally you should look for a lens of 300mm focal length (15x zoom) or more.
Image Stabiliser
Image stabiliser technology detects and corrects slight camera shakes in order to make the final image sharper. There are 2 types of image stabiliser: optical and digital. Optical stabilisers stabilise the image with a moving lens inside the camera that counteracts the camera shake. Optical stabilisers are traditionally considered the best type. Digital stabilisers use a computer algorithm to remove camera shake from the image.
An image stabiliser reduces image blur that can be caused by small hand movements. This is very useful when shooting without a tripod and especially when using long zoom lenses. The best image stabilisers are optical stabilisers which are housed inside the camera lens.
Auto Focus (AF) Points
A higher number of Auto Focus points means that the camera is capable of better tracking and keeping focus on fast-moving targets, meaning cleaner, crisper photos.
Camera Shutter Speed
The minimum time which the camera shutter is open when taking a photo.
A faster shutter speed means that the photo will be taken quicker, meaning you can shoot fast-moving animals without them appearing as a blur.
Maximum ISO Sensitivity
ISO sensitivity denotes the sensitivity of your camera to available light. Modifying the sensitivity causes the camera to gather more or less light when forming an image. Higher sensitivity gathers more light, which means can lead to a sharper image in low-light conditions. However it may also lead to increased 'noise', meaning the ISO level must be carefully modified to get the best shot.
A high ISO sensitivity allows you to take photos in very low light without using flash. This can be very useful for wildlife photography as the flash can be startling for some animals. The high ISO level will also allow you to take faster photos when zoomed in which will reduce blur due to camera shake.