6 Canon 80D Wildlife Photography Tips To Help You Up Your Game!

In this article, we will be going over a number of Canon EOS 80d wildlife photography tips and tricks to try and help any of our readers who own the 80d improve their wildlife photography skills. We have noticed a number of people reaching out for advice on improving their wildlife photographs captured with their 80d’s the last few months so we hope that this will help you if you are in this situation.

Table of Contents

Invest In A Suitable Lens

Without a doubt, the best way to improve your Canon EOS 80d wildlife photography is to invest in a lens that has actually been designed for wildlife photographs. We see people asking for advice and when they share what they are using for their camera rig they usually have random lenses designed for all sorts.

Although most people recommend the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens (Click here to check for product prices and availability) for wildlife photography and it is agreed that it is without a doubt on of the better lenses out there, its price tag puts so many people off. Although you are able to pick it up second hand and get yourself a deal (click to check for prices of second-hand lenses) it can still be out of most peoples budget.

Thankfully, the Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary Lens (Click here to check for product prices and availability) is much cheaper and is excellent for wildlife photography. The photograph below is an excellent example of the type of image that a 100-400mm focal length is able to provide you.

In addition to the photograph above showing the image quality that a 100-400mm lens can provide when shooting wildlife photos, the video below offers a full in-depth, independent review of the Sigma 100-400mm lens to help give you a better impression of its capabilities.

Consider Picking Up A Gimbal

Depending on the type of wildlife photography or videography you are trying to get involved in, investing in a decent quality gimbal (Click here to check for product prices and availability) that can support the weight of your 80d camera body can be a godsend. Being able to trail an animal close up with your camera with the added image stabilization a gimbal provides offers some high-quality video.

The gimbal market is a total minefield right now due to so many useless low-quality products being released over the last few years. If you are considering picking up a gimbal then our article on the best gimbals for Canon 80d cameras may help you choose what stabilizer you should pick up.

Be Sure To Use A Tripod

Chances are that if you are an established wildlife photographer you will already have a tripod but if you don’t or you need to upgrade then a decent quality, budget-friendly tripod like the Zomei Z818 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) can make a great addition to your wildlife photography kit. The added image stabilization using a tripod can provide your camera body when at the higher zoom ranges can make a massive difference in your image quality.

If you are considering picking up a new tripod then our post on the best tripods for Canon 80d cameras may be helpful to you. That said, if you do already have a tripod then you should be able to get all the benefits of using either of those tripods without having to shell out for a new bit of kit.

[the_ad id=”2652″]

Invest In Some Spare Batteries

Depending on your particular wildlife photography niche, you may have to be out and about for hours or even days making the battery life of your Canon 80d an issue. Thankfully, spare batteries can be picked up cheaply these days (Click here to check for product prices and availability).

Additionally, spare batteries are very lightweight and can easily be added to your photography kit without you noticing the additional weight. You are able to load up on plenty of batteries to easily keep your 80d powered for days if needed so you never have to risk missing a moment.

Be Sure To Pack A Rain Cover

The Canon 80d is an expensive bit of kit and when you add in the additional costs of the rest of your camera rig it can quickly add up. Depending on your location, rain can be a problem that may result in water damage. We would highly recommend you pick up a cheap raincoat (Click here to check for product prices and availability) for your camera to help reduce the chance of your camera rig sustaining any water damage while out snapping photographs of animals.

Perfect Your Use Of The 80D Autofocus

Again, depending on the type of animal photography that you are involved in, the autofocus functionality on your 80d may be a key feature. The video series below is excellent for explaining the best ways that you can use the autofocus feature on your camera and the best part it is totally free.

The tutorial comes in two parts and both are below but they are each about half an hour long. That said, if you have an 80d and use its autofocus we would highly recommend that you set the time aside to watch both of them before your next wildlife photography session.