Sony a6700 Wildlife Test | Wolves Eagles & Stunning Results

So you're thinking about getting into wildlife photography. Maybe you've been shooting for a while, or maybe you just picked up a camera for the first time, and the question that keeps coming back to you is, what gear do I actually need to get started? Because here's the thing, nobody wants to spend a lot of money on the wrong camera gear, and there's so much noise out there Specs, reviews, YouTube videos telling you you need a full-frame camera, and you need a lens that costs more than a used car, and also that you need all of that before you can even start. So I want to show you something. These photos, the wolf, king vulture, bald eagle, Bison in the snow and the brown pelican along with these other shorebirds. These came back from Yellowstone, Costa Rica, and the Texas Gulf Coast. 6 months in the field, 3 completely different ecosystems, and the setup I used is the Sony a6700 and the Tamron 50-400. The question I want to address is, would this be a great beginner camera for someone, and could they grow into it? So join me on this adventure, and we will find out together. Hmm, yeah. Alpha. Before we can get into this video, I want to give a quick thank you to B&H Photo for loaning me this lens so I could take it out into the field and show you what it can really do. They gave me access, but the opinions are all of my own. 6 months, 3 ecosystems. There are the links below if you're interested in buying one. And if you use our link, it does help out our channel so we can continue to bring products like this for you to review. Let's get started on this adventure. So here's the conversation I have quite often. Someone is getting into wildlife photography and they want to know what camera to buy, and every recommendation that they get sends them straight to Full-frame camera bodies that cost thousands of dollars, and that is before the lens, before the bag, and before anything else. And I get full-frame cameras are incredible. I'm not going to argue with that. But here's the question I want to actually answer. Do you need one to get started? Definitely not. Do you need it to get real shots in the field, in tough conditions, with subjects that don't wait for you? No. So I decided to take this setup with me on an adventure. I took the Sony a6700, Sony's APS-C flagship camera, and paired it with the Tamron 50-400mm lens. I took it everywhere. Yellowstone in the winter, Costa Rica in the spring, and then back home to the Texas coast during migration. We had 3 ecosystems, 6 months, same beginner-friendly setup the whole way, and I want to share with you exactly what I came back with. Yellowstone in the winter, 20 degrees or lower. Now, if you're a beginner, this is the kind of environment that sounds terrifying. Cold hands, low light, animals moving fast through a landscape that just swallows up everything. This was my first real test. Could this camera keep up? Out on the river, we had bald eagles. And this is the moment where reach really matters. A fixed lens focal length, when the bird takes off and it's flying towards you, you'll need to reposition. With the Tamron 50-400mm, all you do is zoom in or out. That's a big deal when you're beginning and you're still figuring out the settings and everything else. At the same time. The autofocus, well, it locked on and stayed on. Even in that flat, low-contrasting winter light that trips up a lot of cameras. I didn't have to fight it. And then there are moments like this. The black wolf moving through the snow. These moments don't typically last very long. You have a window and then it's gone. The camera, it needs to respond quickly, and it did, so I got the shot. And this bison head-to-head, you know, this is not staged. This is real, and you're there, you're ready, and you press the shutter. The reason I could do that is And get this in the frame and this one and this one is because I didn't have to second-guess my settings or dig through a menu to get to my shutter speed, my aperture, or my ISO. I had them all at my fingertips. And that brings me to something very important. Out here I'm running 3 controls: shutter speed, aperture, and and ISO. That's it. Those 3 settings decide whether you come home with a sharp image or a blurry mess. And if those 3 dials are still confusing to you, well, I'm making a video, an actual separate video, on exactly that. How to get out of auto mode in under 7 minutes. It will post next week. So be sure to subscribe so you don't miss it. All right, so let's skip on over to Costa Rica. Complete opposite of Yellowstone— humidity, dense jungles. Now, for a beginner, this kind of scenario is actually really valuable because it strips away everything you are familiar with and asks, do you and your gear Know what you're doing? This is a keel-billed toucan, and the second the bird landed, the clock started ticking. Because in the jungle, you get a window, 30 seconds, sometimes less. A beginner with a complicated setup is going to miss it. And this, this is the shot I want you to look at. The king vulture Coming straight at me, wings spread, heading right towards the camera. This is a moving target, mixed jungle lighting, and look at the details in those feathers, the colors in the face. Here's why this matters for you as a beginner. I did not have perfect light. I did not have a perfect angle. I had the camera and this lens and about 2 seconds and I was able to get the shot. What Costa Rica really showed me is that this setup is simple enough that you can stay focused on your subject. One lens handled everything— close-up subjects, birds up in the canopy, fast movers. I didn't switch out this lens at all. And when you're learning, that simplicity is a feature, not a compromise. And now I'm home, the Texas Gulf Coast during spring migration season. This is where I shoot most often, so my chance to take everything I had learned in Yellowstone, Costa Rica and see how it all held together on familiar ground. Brown pelican just lifting off the surface. Look at the light on those wings. That is the Gulf Coast at its best, and that kind of moment a beginner absolutely can capture when their gear is working with you. Shorebirds Well, they're fast, small, bouncing light off the water, tricky conditions. But here's what shooting at home gave me that other trips couldn't— repetition. I've taken this camera out dozens of times along the coast and to botanical gardens, and over the 6 months across completely Completely different environments. What I can tell you is it is consistent every trip, every condition, it performs. And sometimes the best shot of the day or 6 months is just 5 feet away from you. This Northern Mockingbird on a palm leaf right here On my home turf. After Yellowstone, wolves, and Costa Rica vultures, this little guy still made me smile. That is wildlife photography, and you just have to show up. That's all. 6 months, 3 ecosystems, wolves, vultures, eagles, shorebirds. Is the Sony a6700 A good wildlife camera? Yes, and here's why I can say that with confidence. It handles the cold. It handles the heat and humidity. It handles conditions better than I thought it would. The autofocus is fast enough that you're not losing shots because the camera is hunting for focus. The controls are laid out in a way that once you learn those 3 dials— shutter speed, aperture, and ISO— where you're not digging through the menus while the bird is staring you down. And the Tamron 50-400 paired with the Sony a6700 is the reason you can do this with one lens. For beginners, Who does not want to carry a bag full of lenses and is still figuring out when to zoom, when to back off, this combination gives you a lot of room to learn. Now I'll be honest with you because that's what I would want. This APS-C camera At dusk and dawn, in low-light conditions, you'll notice a difference from a full-frame body. That's just physics. But in daylight, it performs amazing. And I'd put these images up against almost anything. These photos came back from a snowy landscape, rainforest, coastal marshes, Same camera, same lens. And if you're just getting started in wildlife photography and you are trying to decide if this setup is worth your money, I hope I answered it. It was worth mine. And if this setup has you ready to get out there but you are still not sure how to get out of auto mode I have you covered. I'm making a whole separate video on getting out of auto in 7 minutes. It will be a quick watch and it will change the way you shoot from day to day. Subscribe so you don't miss when the video is released. If you found this helpful, don't forget to like and subscribe and ring my bell so you will get notified the next time I post a There's a whole lot more field time coming up with this little setup, and you won't want to miss it. We'll see you next time, and keep on clicking. Mmm, yeah!