Digital Cameras for Nature Study

My workhorse: The Canon Powershot S3 IS. I take most of the photos for Connecting-with-Nature.net with it.

Digital cameras are great for taking nature photos. I take photos of insects, butterflies, birds, flowers, trees and anything else I can.

I like to print the photos and tape them into my nature journal.

This article focuses on the everyday models used by the amateur photographer. The professional digital single lens reflex models have scores of books and articles on using them for nature photography. Here a little info for the rest of us.

I use two Canon Powershot models.

One is a pocket-sized point-and-shoot, which is always with me. The pocket-size models are great for slipping in a pocket to take on walks. These small shooters also can go with you everyday.

The other model is a compact digital zoom . It is a larger camera that takes fantastic photos. The compact digital zooms have more features and higher optical and digital zoom power.

I suggest a compact digital zoom. If it is your first digital camera, it is simple to use as a point-and-shoot, but has room to grow as you gain experience. It also has plenty of creative fun features such as color tricks and the ability to take video.

Features that point-and-shoot and digital compact zoom cameras have.

Megapixels

• megapixels are little squares that make-up the image
• 6 or more megapixels provides all most people need
• buy 7 or more if you plan to crop and enlarge sections of your images

• allows you to magnify an image from far away
• uses the camera lens
• image quality remains high

• electronically magnifies a portion of an image
• image is less sharp than optical zoom image
• takes great photos if you don't plan on enlarging

• magnifies the subject
• zoom from 300 - 500 mm
• 400 mm good for bird photos
• use to zoom in for close ups of animals, birds, insects that you don't want to disturb

• allows you to focus a few inches from lens
• magnifies image subjects appear large, sometimes lif-size
• good for close-ups of flowers, insects and small subjects
• good for subjects that won't be disturbed by a close lens

• magnifies a subjects more than macro
• for photos taken very close-up to subjects - like inside a flower

• the camera shoots continuously while shutter button is held down
• good for fast moving subjects like birds, butterflies, animals and action shots

• Foliage - shoot trees, leaves, blooms, autumn leaves in vivid color
• Snow - shoots without a blue tinge
• Beach - adjusts for light reflecting off of sand
• Portrait - blurs background - try with photographing flowers
• Landscape - shoot spacious landscape scenes
• Sports - shoots continous images with autofocus. Good for animals photos
• Vivid Color - intensifies colors. Use with autumn, landscapes and all nature photos

• turn camera sound off - it may make subjects flee
• turn off automatic flash - may frighten subjects off
• extend automatic shut off time - you may be waiting to take a photo when the camera suddenly shuts off
• Take lots and lots of photos. One is bound to make you proud. Any you can take hundreds of photos and only print out the good ones.

More information on Equipment for the Naturalist

From Digital Cameras Return to Equipment for the Naturalist