If you enjoy horses and photography, then equestrian photography is for you! It’s a challenging yet satisfying task to capture the force and beauty of these animals on video. It is essential to utilize the proper equipment in order to obtain the most excellent photographs possible.
In this essay, we’ll discuss the best lens for equine photography in detail. We spent numerous hours exploring various possibilities before settling on my top five favorites. We are convinced you’ll discover the appropriate lens for equestrian photography, whether you’re a novice or a master.
Quick Comparision
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Best UV Protection Lens Filter: Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC G2 for Nikon FX Digital SLR Camera and UV Protection Lens Filter - 77 mm Editor's Rating: 9.9 Brand: Tamron Check Price |
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Best High-Quality Lens: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Lens Editor's Rating: 9.8 Brand: Nikon Check Price |
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Best Zoom Lens: Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Editor's Rating: 9.7 Brand: Canon Check Price |
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Best Compact Medium-Telephoto: Canon RF 85mm F2 Macro is STM, Compact Medium-Telephoto Black Lens (4234C002) Editor's Rating: 9.4 Brand: Canon Check Price |
Contents
Reviews
The lens is teleconverter compatible, giving photographers a lot of options. This lens is the first to provide tremor control to photos, and the image quality alone is impressive. Its 70-200mm focal length allows you to add more to your images and the zooming aspect of the lens has been upgraded to define quality at its highest level. Port equestrian photography provides the diagonal perspectives needed to depict your horse's curves at this focal length.
The VC update on the Tamron 70-200mm lens deserves special praise. This function has three VC shooting settings to choose from, depending on the scenario. This upgrade's increased image quality is ideal for every situation.
It's all about taking risks with equine photography. The front of the lens is covered with a shielding fluorine compound for unhindered performance. This layer protects the lens component from damage caused by water and grease.
The lens is quick and has a continuous aperture of f/2.8, so it's great for low-light shooting. VR II image stabilization also keeps your photographs crisp and in perspective even when filming handheld. Additionally, the built-in Nano Crystal Coat reduces flare and ghosting in your photos.
Unlike other equestrian photography lenses, the Nikon 70-200mm camera lens has manual concentrating. This ultrasonic AF engine is built to pay attention to every detail.
You know this lens will last a period when you put it in your hands. The robust metallic body is weather resistant. The lens will remain erect even if it drops to the ground (thanks to the durable in-built quality). This Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S Nikkor lens is a wonderful lens if you're searching for a flexible lens from Nikon that can handle a range of photographic conditions.
Taking images of a horse has never been simple. Even if you have everything lined up, you cannot know whenever the horse will pose. It's why we have the mini ultrasonic motor! Every instant is perfectly timed, thanks to the tiny ultrasonic motor. This engine has an incredible accuracy rate.
Do you desire consistently vivid and crisp color images? There's no need to be concerned; the ultra-low dispersion has you covered. This function ensures that the photographs are crisp and colorful. In addition, the built-in stabilizer eliminates blurring.
The focal object looks smooth and colorful, but what about the rest of the scene? The 9-blade aperture ensures that out-of-focus objects are just as soft and crisp as those in focus. It boosts image quality and stabilizes the image.
This antique lens's utility was a key to its long-sustained popularity, with a focal length and somewhat wide aperture combination best suited for our most essential topic, humans. Other key appeal aspects included the tiny size, lightweight, and low price.
The RF 85 includes all of the above-mentioned critical attributes, which sets the basis for success. This Canon RF 85mm F2 Macro IS STM Lens brings us substantially better performance for horse photography.
Thanks to nearly three decades of technical developments, the enhanced image quality is notably noticeable, including the RF Mount. Its 5-stop dynamic image stabilization mechanism alone is worth the extra money, and the macro capabilities (0.50x vs. 0.13x) add to the lens's benefits.
How to Choose a Lens for Equine Photography
Lenses are just as crucial as the camera when it comes to equestrian photography. With the appropriate lens, you’ll be able to get the perfect photo every time. However, with so many options available, deciding which lens is best for you might be difficult.
Focal Length
Focal length is possibly the most critical thing to consider when it comes to equestrian photography. The focus length dictates how near or distant you can get to your subject. You’ll need a lens with a small focal length to shoot close-up photographs of the horse. A larger focal length lens is required for full-body photos.
The ideal lenses for equestrian photography are those with a 70-200mm focal length. This focal length allows you to get both close-ups and full-body images of your horse.
50mm and 85mm lenses and 70-200mm lenses can be used for equestrian photography. These lenses provide a larger field of vision, which is beneficial while capturing pictures. Just be mindful of the potential for distortion when using a lens with a lower focal length.
Portal
The portal is the hole in the lens through which light passes. More light will flow through a larger aperture, which is great for low-light settings. A smaller gap allows less light to get through in bright environments, which is beneficial. A 70-200mm focal length lens with an f/2.8 aperture is ideal for horse photography.
Image stabilization
Image stabilization is a function that helps eliminate camera shaking, which is especially useful when taking images in low light. If you plan on doing a lot of equestrian photography, this is something you should check into. When the shutter speed dips, image stabilization can compensate, and you’ll still receive high-resolution images.
Optical Viewfinder
Although the viewfinder is now standard on most lenses, it is still something to consider when selecting a lens. Because horses move so quickly, you’ll need a lens that can keep up. Look for viewfinder lenses that are quick and precise.
Budget Range
Your budget and the results you want determine how much you will spend on a lens, like any other sort of photography. We would suggest getting a less-priced lens if you are just starting. As you gain expertise and improve your photography, you may always upgrade.
If you’re professional or severe about equestrian photography, on the other hand, you’ll want to invest in a good lens. These lenses are pricey, but if you plan on doing a lot of equestrian photography, they’re well worth it.
Photographers guide taking pictures of horses
After seeing so many horses utilized in wedding images, senior pictures, and everything in between in the competition, we wanted to offer a few of our suggestions for photographing horses.
Lens Choice
Selecting the right lens for horse photography may make or break a picture. It’s critical to avoid wide-angle lenses like the 35mm or 50mm lenses that picture photographers frequently use. Our go-to lens is the 70-200 2.8, and we recommend shooting no broader than 85mm. Wide-angle lenses let horses’ heads and ears appear enormous.
Ears
Raise their ears. Ears may make a significant impact on a horse’s image. A horse with its ears down appears indifferent and inattentive. You may use anything from rattling a pail full of feed to clover wrappers to grab their attention. There are also applications for your phone that make horse noises; however, please exercise caution when using them as they may sometimes drive horses insane. You may also try tossing or rolling objects on the ground, and they will usually look at anything you throw, but exercise caution because you don’t want to startle the horse and put your customer in danger.
Angles
There are some angles where horses are comfortable. The safe shoots are straight on, angled at a 45 ° angle, and directly sideways. Also, make sure that if your horse is standing straight slightly to the side, their joint is mildly further away from the camera than their shoulder, and if you have a horse with a big butt or small shoulders, their hips are mildly further away from the viewer. This will look best irrespective of the nature of the horse or its verification.
Feet
You should make sure that their feet are level beneath their body and that they aren’t standing with horses’ feet too close together or with one leg out to the side. It is ideal for viewing all four feet when photographing from the side.
FAQs
What is equine photography?
Horse photography, often known as equine photography, is a broad word that encompasses all types of horse photography. It can contain but is not limited to specializations such as a photograph of human clients with their horses when the human-horse link is an essential component of the tale. Family photos, senior photos, and personal branding photos are examples of this.
What’s the best way to photograph a horse jump?
We must set the camera to utilize continuous autofocus so that it can focus even while the horse is galloping/trotting/jumping. The setting for this varies per camera, but on Nikons, it’s “C” rather than M (Manual) or S (Selective) (Servo).
What’s the best way to shoot a horse?
In your camera’s viewfinder, keep around 80% of the horse or horse and rider. Wide-angle and super-telephoto lenses should be avoided since they both produce image distortion. Take a few “test photographs” to check where your camera’s distortion is the least. It should be brief.
What is the greatest lens for photographing horses?
This is a challenging issue to answer because it relies on your goals for your photography. 85mm and 135mm lenses are perfect for close-up detail shots, portraits, and bokeh photographs. A 70-200mm f/2.8L lens, on the other hand, would be more suited for broad images of horses in their natural habitat.
Conclusion
Practice and experimentation are essential to becoming a great equestrian photographer, regardless of the lens you pick. Getting out there with the best lens for equine photography and shooting as much as possible is the most excellent way to learn.
If you’ve never worked with horses before, proceed with caution when photographing them. They may be quite hazardous, and shooting them causes customers to become anxious or nervous, which is not a good mix. Because your client’s nervousness may easily rub off on their horse, it’s critical to keep them calm, encourage them to breathe, and tell them they’re doing a fantastic job.