I had once believed that a pro-level body was a barrier to entry for wildlife photography; features such as 12fps continuous shooting, clean high ISOs in low light, and a ton of focusing points seemed essential.  The lenses and technique have a much greater impact on your photographs, and here is what I have learned during my time shooting wildlife.

Released in 2013, the Canon 700D (Rebel T5i) had an 18MP APSC sized sensor, 9 AF points, and shot at a 5 FPS continuous burst.  I purchased one in 2014, and have kept it as my primary body while upgrading my lenses.

My aging T5i.

1)  LEARN HOW TO QUICKLY CHANGE SETTINGS ON YOUR CAMERA

I normally shoot in manual, but it is faster for me to shoot in shutter priority for wildlife.  When shooting wildlife, you often need to make adjustments based on the movement of the animal and your own stability.  My camera does not have enough custom buttons to quickly change settings for wildlife scenarios.  Shooting wildlife in manual required to many button presses, so I learned how my camera operated in shutter priority and adapted to that.  With auto ISO enabled, my camera chooses the lowest ISO and brightest aperture possible, and I adjust the shutter speed and exposure compensation based on changing situations.

Bird takes off —> increase shutter speed.

Bird is very dark —> increase exposure compensation.

2)  START FAST, END SLOW

One downside about my 400mm f/5.6L is the lack of image stabilization.  In order to insure I get the shot, I always start at the fastest shutter speed and highest ISO I’ll allow.  This is frequently around 1/2000 and anywhere from ISO 400-1600.  Although my shot will be free of camera shake and motion blur, it is usually grainy.  Once I know I have the shot, I start dropping my shutter speed, usually by a full stop.  Although the camera will compensate by using lower ISOs, you will have to be much more stable.  Fill up your buffer taking the same shot and be as still as possible.  I’ve been able to shoot extremely sharp, stabilization free pictures at 1/250 with this technique, yielding much cleaner ISOs.

3)  ADJUST YOUR FOCUSING MODE

My ancient T5i only has 9 focusing points.  When shooting birds in flight against simple skies, I can use all point 9 point and Continuous AF.  If the background is more complicated, or especially in situations where I’m shooting through foliage, I use a single AF point.  Even with its rudimentary AF system, I’ve never lost a bird in flight because the camera could not keep up with the movement.  For non-moving subjects, I’ll use One Shot AF and refocus between bursts of photos.

Blue or gray skies are great for using all of your AF points, but I switch to a single AF point for complicated backgrounds.

4) PRACTICE TRACKING SUBJECTS

I’m incredibly jealous of cameras, such as the Nikon D850 in APSC mode, which show beyond the edges of the frame.  It would be amazing to see birds before they fly into the frame, but I unfortunately do not have that luxury.  Practice acquiring subjects in your viewfinder and tracking them.  Seriously, this can be a species of bird you don’t even want to photograph, just practice tracking them.  This exercise will prepare you for the amazing shot you will miss if you can’t locate your subject in the viewfinder!

Small, fast moving hummingbirds are some of the most difficult birds to track.  I’ll still miss hummingbirds when tracking them in the viewfinder, so continuing to practice is helpful.

TL;DR: Learn your camera settings, take the “safe shot” with a fast shutter and gradually dial it slower and slower, learn how your camera focuses, practice acquiring subjects in the viewfinder and tracking them