My wife and I are visiting Yellowstone and Grand Tetons in Oct (temps. below 32F). We would like a mid-level digital camera (DSLR or mirrorless) for photographing wildlife (long distance), landscapes (wide angle), and potentially night sky.

I have been leaning mirrorless for the more compact body, although some DSLRs rival mirrorless for compactness. I'm also leaning APS-C for the crop factor effectively increasing the focal length of the lenses. The downside to that is reduced low-light capability.

Budget is about $2k for a body and lens combo in the 25-75mm-ish range. I plan to purchase a second lens in the 75-200/250mm-ish range. For long distance wildlife, I'm contemplating renting a telephoto lens from an online rental store.

My current front-runner is the Fujifilm X-S10 with a 16-80mm (24-120mm equiv.) lens for $1.5k.

My second place is the Fujifil, X-T4 with a 16-80mm (24-120mm equiv.) lens for $2.2k.

Runners up would be the Canon EOS R with 24-105mm lens for $2.1k, Canon EOS RP with 24-105mm lens for $1.3k, and the Nikon Z6 II with 24-50mm lens for $2.3k.



What else should I be looking at? Which camera would you pick in the $2k ballpark?

used D750 all day every day.    such a great camera body for peanuts now.

150-600mm Sigma zoom????

To expand on a couple things, I'm simply a bit biased on the D750.   I bought a refurb one from Nikon a couple years ago for 1k and never had a lick of trouble with it.   It does a lot of things really good and for me and the money, was almost the perfect camera.   I liked it since it handles high ISO's with ease.

Not sure what to suggest for your long range zoom.   But, for shorter distances, I find my Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 G2 my most fav lens by a wide margin.   Once again, for the money, it does a lot of things really good and the focal length is perfect for many things.   The only down side, is that it's made in china.    :/      I didn't know this when I bought it, and was really bummed when I found out it was, but after using it, I just couldn't send it back to Adorma.    I still feel dirty about it.    :/    Maybe a used Nikon 70-200mm lens??

Hope this helps a little.

Thanks. I’ve been looking around at refurbs and used marketplaces. I’m just overwhelmed with options lol

Have you considered renting a couple/few cameras for a few days to try them out while you have some time before the trip? All of the options you listed are solid choices. The R and Z6 are better for high ISO. The Fujifilms are better for "travel-ability" due to smaller bodies and lenses.

In my experience at Yellowstone, I would want at least 600mm in my bag. Yes, my 200-500mm on my D850 may allow me to crop down, but that's still not as good as filling the frame in the first place. Of course, not all of the wildlife experiences are that far away, but most are (again, in my Yellowstone experience). Another consideration is the stability of the camera. That's where IBIS on mirrorless helps, but even that isn't as effective as a good tripod or monopod - or lots of practice.  

If you take a mirrorless to Yellowstone in October, I recommend taking multiple spare batteries kept in an inside pocket for warmth. Battery life is a significant advantage of DSLRs.

My last suggestion: Renting equipment for a trip is a fantastic idea. If renting equipment I haven't used before, I arrange to get it at least a day or two before I depart to allow me to get familiar with it before I need to use it.

2k budget

Used canon 7dmk 2

Sigma 150-600 contemporary lens

A few cards, spare batteries etc.

Nikon 750 or D7200.
Nikon 70-200 VII
105 D or G
1.7 teleconverter

It's above 2K but it's a good setup.

OOPS!

I love my D750 and it is spectacular in low light/high ISO situations.  The 24-120 it comes with is a great walk around lens.

That is a fairly large budget for a crop frame sensor… I really like the idea of a refurb full frame as above!

You'll find that as you get more into the hobby that small camera bodies are tough to work with.  Hard to hold and lacking in some of the dedicated buttons a larger body will have.

I thought the size of the bodies like the Nikon D3XXX would be the thing to have until I held one.

Gotta give another vote to the D7200. Incredibly capable camera for around $500. It can shoot fast enough for most wildlife (assuming your glass is fast enough) and is just easy to use.

Yellowstone is a tough place to shoot because half the stuff you are right on top of and are huge (old faithful, grand prismatic, etc) and then the animals can be forever away.

I would go-
D7200
Nikon 18-105
Sigma sport 150-600. (Although I recently picked up the Nikon 200-500, and it is a higher quality lens, for marginally more money)

And if you have 300 left over, grab a tokina 11-16. F2.8 will let you do all the low light stuff you want, and take pictures that are very close to as, “wide” as you can see with your eyes. The 18MM should be good on the crop sensor. The 24-120 is a fantastic choice, but sometimes it feels just a hair too long at 24mm for walking around.

Be sure to grab fast enough memory cards for whatever body you end up with!

Edit- I don’t know what your photography background is, but buying used gear from Adorama or B&H is a super easy way to get better gear at a way lower cost.

I made the switch to a Fuji mirrorless which is "small" in comparison.  I love it!

I have been to the Tetons and a fast wide-angle is a must have since some of the best scenes will be at dusk and dawn where light is low, I do have the Fuji 16mm which is the best glass I have ever used. O don't think anything beats that lens!

Make sure you bring a tripod.

Enjoy, the place is magical but if you go hiking remember they do have grizzly bears who are actively feeding for the coming winter.