The Cameras of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2020 Shortlist

We’re streaming daily on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and Spotify!

With the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards 2020 happening, we got a look at the wonderful photos that have been shortlisted. The photographers are of course, of the famous kind. What’s more, they use a variety of different gear. And we were just as surprised as many of you will be at what’s being used. Let’s take a look!

There’s a lot of cool info about the gear that’s used. By and large, DSLRs from Nikon and Canon dominate. But a few mirrorless camera options from Fujifilm and Sony make it in. It makes me wonder if Wildlife photographers don’t think that the newest mirrorless cameras are there yet for wildlife photography. Indeed, mirrorless has taken steps forward. Of course, don’t at all discount the skill of these photographers. I’m sure they could get the shot with anything they used. But it’s also nice to see that camera gear is so good that someone doesn’t need the latest and greatest. Lots of folks don’t remember that. However, it’s also fun to just look at the gear these folks used. So here are my thoughts!

Ami Vitale / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Ami has been a Nikon ambassador for a while now. She used the Nikon D850 along with the company’s 24-70mm f2.8 lens to nail this shot. She’s incredibly well known for this image. And it’s a natural candid for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year shortlist.

Andrew Lee / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Andrew used the Nikon D810 with a 300mm f2.8 lens to get this photo. It’s wonderful how nature finds a way to create compositions. And these owls are just the icing on the cake here.

Andrey Shpatak / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

To get this photo, Andrew used a Nikon D800 with a flash. The focal length in the EXIF data says this is a 60mm lens. This fish almost looks like it’s smiling at you and has the craziest hair ever.

Andy Parkinson / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Mountain Hare Lepus timidus
A confiding adult, high in the Cairngorms mountains, forms the shape of a ball as it grooms
Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK

Andy used a Canon 1Dx Mk II to shoot this image. The lens focal length in the data says that it’s a 506mm lens. The photo is stunning. And he apparently didn’t use a flash! Getting something this perfectly in focus in the wild is very difficult to do. The lack of contrast in the scene and really mess with the cameras.

Britta Jaschinski / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Britta used a Nikon D810 with a 24-70mm f2.8. No flash was fired according to the EXIF data. What a shot! And what a statement on poached animals!

Douglas Gimesy / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

A wildlife carer looks after three recently orphaned Grey-headed Flying-fox pups (Pteropus poliocephalus), in her home whilst simultaneously taking calls on the phone to manage the next wildlife rescue.
This species is currently listed as vulnerable to extinction and significant threats include continued habitat destruction and increasing heat stress events.
Digital adjustments include tone and contrast, burning, dodging, cropping, sharpening, noise reduction.

Doug used a Nikon D750 and a 24-70mm f2.8 lens. This is a very wild photo of the bats just hanging around.

Emmanuel Rondeau / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

A Takin, the an imal symbol of Bhutan , photographed in biological corridor 8, Bhutan.

A Canon EOS 550D was used to shoot this photo. Amazing, huh? An entry level DSLR did this! Of course, Emmanuel’s skill should also not be discounted at all. The striking yellow tones against the green and blue make the Takin stand out quite a bit.

Frédéric Larrey / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

This photo was shot with a Nikon D850 and a 600mm f4 lens. It’s a cool shot for sure. Admittedly, it took me a while to figure out that it was a snow leopard of some sort. My only critique is that I wish the color palette wasn’t all so monotone. This photo could make for an incredibly strong black and white image.

Gary Meredith / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Gary used a Nikon D850 and a lens I haven’t seen in a while. The EXIF data says it’s an 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 lens. No flash was used.

Guillermo Esteves / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

This photo has a lot of charm to it! Something about the moose reminds me of Bullwinkle! This was shot with the Fujifilm X-T3. The focal length says 400mm. 

Joseph Dominick Anthony / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Captured on the mainland Chinese side of Mai Po Nature Reserve, Hong Kong. This is a kind of no mans land between Hong Kong and mainland China called the Frontier Closed Area. Access is restricted to permit holders who are then allowed through a special gate from inside the Hong Kong side of Mai Po. Further access is via a narrow floating pontoon boardwalk that meanders between the unique mangrove ecosystem to three bird hides that look out to different parts of Deep Bay separating Hong Kong from the city of Shenzen looming in the background. By studying the tides I am able to choose a more suitable day when it is coming in during daylight hours as access is forbidden at night and I am also looking for a peak tide depth of at least 1.5-1.8 metres otherwise the birds don’t come close enough even at high tide. From the hides I can then observe the wading birds follow the tide towards me as they take advantage of the opportunity to catch fish and mudskippers. Mai Po is a last stronghold for many birds including the critically endangered black faced spoonbill. I have spent a long time trying to find a serene balanced image of this scene with all the layers and depth that it affords on the right day while also trying to tell the story of the importance of Mai Po juxtaposed to the proximity of looming urbanisation. It is also frequently smoggy and the skyscrapers are typically not visible even across this relatively short distance but I persevered over a few years to be able to capture all the elements combining portraits and behaviour of multiple species (with some hunting and flying action) as well as the story and mood of Mai Po in a single balanced photograph which is not easy when there is so much bird activity going on in one fairly wide angle of view. Shot in RAW with creative white balance towards cooler tonality chosen in post processing as the scene was naturally monochromatic affording me that flexibility. The title Borderline is a reference to the location bei

There’s no info in the EXIF data on what Joseph shot with except that it’s a 70-200mm f2.8. He purposely chose this look and says that the scene was pretty monochrome anyway. I just wonder what a warmer and more purple render would have looked like.

Karine Aiger / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Marco Island, FLorida, USA: Located a short ride from the Florida Everglades, Marco Island is the largest and only developed land in Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands. This Gulf Coast retreat offers luxury resorts, beautiful beaches and, unbenounced to most who don’t live there, a solid community of Burrowing Owls who have made themselves at home amongst the rich and the absent. A normal sight on the island, the Florida Burrowing owls dig their own burrows, and are happy to take up residence on meticulously manicured lawns.

Karine used a Sony a7r III and the Sony 16-70mm f4 ZA OSS lens. This lens is meant for APS-C shooting. But the a7r III has over 40MP and with a crop it can provide a ton of detail.

Kirsten Luce / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Scenes from the Saint Petersburg State Circus which has an act with trainer Grant Ibragimov and three Siberian brown bears.
The animals rehearse in the performance space at the circus, they will perform later in the evening.
Here Ibragimov interacts with the bears in the hallway after rehearsal.
Ibragimov has a fourth animal who is retired but who still comes to rehearsal to get exercise.

Kirsten used the Canon 5D Mk IV and the 24-70mm f2.8 L II USM. It almost looks like they want to fight Grant.

Laurent Ballesta / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

There’s no EXIF data on this shot. But it’s a thrilling one anyway. I mean, how often do you see two sharks fighting over meat?

Mogens Trolle / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

A Canon 1DX with a 400mm f2.8 L IS USM was used to get this shot. It’s such a beautiful one too! The Mandrill standing out against the scene is just stunning.

Niel Anderson / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

DCIM101GOPRO

Niel shot this with a GoPro HERO3+ Black Edition. It’s probably the smallest sensor camera on this list. But it’s also a fantastic shot. How often do you see squirrels asleep?

Oliver Richter / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The Canon 5D Mk III and the 70-200mm f2.8 L IS II USM was used to photograph these beavers. Oliver had to get close to take this shot. And I’m insanely jealous. It’s a beautiful photo.

Pallavi Prasad Laveti / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

This is an image of a Palm civet baby peeping from an empty bag in a small remote village of India. These Civets have an interesting story to tell. While the babies were small, they lost their mother, who frequented this household. As these orphaned babies grew up, they became comfortable in the company of humans whom they no longer perceived as a threat. This is a huge contrast when you look at the fate of those palm civets trapped in battery cages force fed for Kopi Luwak Coffee production.

The Nikon D500 and a 16mm f2.8 lens were used to shoot this image. That’s a camera I haven’t seen or heard of in a while. But it’s still a fantastic one. We rated it very highly. The story behind the civets is a fascinating one that explains why Pallavi was able to get so close.

Petri Pietiläinen / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The Sony a9 and the 100-400mm 4.5-5.6 GM OSS were used along with a 1.4x teleconverter to get this shot. The drama of this shot is pretty huge. And the two animals stand out from the rocks very well.

Robert Irwin / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The Hasselblad L1D-20C is the only medium format camera used on this list. And what a shot! It shows the effects of a forest fire! Editor’s Note: this is incorrect. It’s the sensor in the DJI Mavic 2 pro. We apologize for this.

Sam Sloss / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Coconut Octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus) – Lembeh Strait, Sulawesi, Indonesia –
My dive guide spotted this coconut octopus walking around the black sand of the Lembeh Strait carrying its house made of shells. It was so entertaining and ingenious, I could have watched it for my whole dive. I gracefully descended to its level, positioned my camera, and snapped a series of shots. Among all of the images I took, I find this to be my favorite as it seems the octopus was trying to shut its front door right in front of my lens!
One of the most remarkable behaviors of the coconut octopus is how it can constructs its own protective shelter using shells and other objects.They can build homes out of shells, coconuts, and even glass bottles!

When talking about gear, Sam is tugging at my heart. He used a Nikon D300, a flash, and a 105mm f2.8 lens. That camera is pretty much a decade old. This photo was shot in 2018, and it’s a lovely image that we can all relate to at times.

Sergio Marijuán Campuzano / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

During the last years, due to the colonization and re-introduction of individuals, the Iberian lynx have been approaching more humanized spaces. Demonstrating a good uso of these places, they represent a comfortable place to take refuge and even to breed.
I feel extremely privilege to have the opportunity of see the first steps in the exteriors of these lynxes lair. His first explorations were full of curiosity and some fear outside, peeking out the window of his home. Location: Eastern Sierra Morena (Spain).
Run overs are one of the causes of death of Iberian lynx that most concern. In their movements of expansion or even in their own territories, lynx find fragmentation caused by highway network.
Last year a total of 29 lynx were run over, just 3 days before I took this photo a young 2 years female lost his life on the road only few kilometers from this underground path.
Underground path are a necessary measure and help not only lynx but also badgers, genets, ferrets etc. Actually, in the area where this photo was taken, the construction of new wildlife passes, improving in the fencing and clearing of the borders reduced the mortality in this area from 7 individuals last year to 1.
Location: Jaén (Andujar).

Sergio has both of the images above. For each of them, he used a Canon 5D Mk IV. A 400mm f2.8 L IS II USM lens and a 16-35mm f2.8 L II USM lens were used to shoot these photos. There’s quite a warm palette around them. But the scenes are photographed pretty well and tell us exactly where we are.

Thomas Peschak / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The Nikon D5 and the 15mm f2.8 were used to shoot this image. It’s nice to see photos where you get a bit of the sea and the air together. It’s my personal dream to one day shoot a photo like this.

Wim Van Den Heever / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

There’s no EXIF data on this photo. But the fact that it’s called Lion King is awesome. Lots of Disney fans will also rejoice in the fact that Wim found Mufasa. 🙂

Chris Gampat

Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He also likes pizza.