THE OM SYSTEM GUIDE TO

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

CAPTURE A BIG, BEAUTIFUL WORLD HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT.

The world is full of beautiful, exotic wildlife waiting to be photographed. Whether you’re getting started or you’ve been photographing wildlife for years, you’ll learn something new.

THESE TIPS WILL INSTANTLY MAKE YOU A BETTER WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER

01.

Study animal's behaviour

Learn as much as you can about your subject. Once you know the behaviour, when your subject goes out to feed, which are its common paths, how does it react to human beings, what is the safe distance from which it lets you take pictures - as much about it as you can find out, you will have a much better chance to capture the right moment.

02.

Be very patient

Wildlife photography requires a great deal of patience. Animals are unpredictable and getting a great shot can take hours or even days. Be prepared, you can stay in a hide and have ideally two cameras ready with 2 different lenses and 2 different settings. So that once the time comes, you are ready to take any type of picture, be it a fast action or a still portrait.

 03.

Lighting and composition

Always study the terrain prior to your trip. If you know where the animal usually shows up, then try to find a nice background, hours or days in advance, so that you not only get a great shot of the animal, but also get a background which is not disrupting the image and makes the overall composition much nicer. Sometimes it only takes one step to the side to completely change the background. Make use of those beautifully lit sceneries during the golden hour and take shots of your animals in the best lighting conditions if you can.

04.

Use fast equipment and fast modes

A fast tele or a tele zoom lens with a focal length of 300-600mm (35mm equiv.) is recommended. Also use fast UHS II class SD cards, as you will be using fast sequential shooting and Pro Capture modes, which will help you capture any fleeting moment.

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Email series available in German. Guide available in English.

ALL THE FEATURES YOU NEED TO PHOTOGRAPH WILDLIFE

Our mirrorless OM camera system is up to half the size and weight of other 35mm format flagship camera systems. This gives wildlife photographers more flexibility, more energy, and more time in the field to get the perfect shot.

WEATHERSEALED DESIGN

Lousy weather often takes you by surprise. The OM Series and our PRO lenses have you covered. They’re splashproof, dustproof and freezeproof (down to 14 ̊F / -10 ̊C), so there’s never a need to carry protective gear.

Compact, lightweight and quiet

Let the OM Series set you free. Our compact mirrorless cameras and small lightweight lenses boast the performance of pro DSLR systems. You'll have greater freedom of movement to take better wildlife photos and the near silent operation to avoid disturbing your subjects.

OM SYSTEM OM-1 + M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO VS Full Frame DSLR

OM SYSTEM OM-1 + M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO VS Full Frame DSLR

Keep up with fast moving animals

The continuous shooting speed of the OM-1 blows away most DSLR cameras. Capture an astounding 120 frames per second with S-AF and 50 frames per second with C-AF using the silent electronic shutter. It's easy to keep up with fast-moving subjects.

Never miss a shot

Our time machine-like Pro Capture Mode ensures you nail the best shot. Press the camera's shutter button halfway to start buffering a running series of images. Once you see the precise moment you want to capture, fully press the shutter to capture that image plus the previous up to 70 frames all at once. Perfect for images of wildlife subjects!

Precise autofocusing

Photographing fast moving animals requires a responsive and fast autofocus system. The OM-1 features all Cross Quad Pixel AF that blanket the image sensor. This makes the OM-1 the best option for taking those difficult wildlife shots.

Technology has replaced the tripod

Leave your tripod behind! Our industry-leading 5-Axis Image Stabilization allows you to shoot tack-sharp photos, all handheld. With up to 8 shutter speed steps of compensation for tripod-like stability, you have more freedom for better results.

YOU DON'T NEED A LOT OF GEAR

TO PHOTOGRAPH WILDLFE