I’m going to Wyoming next week with my wife another couple for ten days. I’m not sure of the schedule and where exactly we are going, but I’m sure it’s the big stuff. We are going since the place to stay is free, but there will be a lot of driving involved. We are flying into Denver and renting a car.


It’s a hobby but I do have some pretty nice equipment. I have a canon R6, EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS II, EF 100mm F2.8L macro, and a RF 85mm.

I know I’d really need a long lens for wildlife but I don’t currently own one. I’ve had a few before since I use to buy and sell lenses some.

My ideal lens to take since I’m not going for National Geographic quality, would be a tamron g2 or sigma 150-600mm.

I haven’t priced renting one, so my question is. What are some tips on what is needed for good photos? Should I even worry about taking my gear since I’m with another couple and not really in control of the time schedules? I’ve never been out that way, but I’d assume and have read that the typical rules apply with the golden hours for light. Im not sure if I’ll be able to get out and be ready that early yet.

I know the place we are staying is pretty remote, but im not sure yet on scenery and wildlife there.

Any help is appreciated.

I was there last month for about a week, so my info might be a couple weeks out of date.

I'd recommend renting a looooooong lens with a tripod and gimbal.   Wildlife (fox, wolves, coyotes, bison, elk, bears & moose) are consistently along 212 (NE entrance road) in the Lamar valley.

A fox and at least of her 3 kits hang out in Cooke city under a house around abouts 45.01868035178349, -109.93860414840842

A few female grizzlies consistently hang out on John D Rockefeller Jr Parkway between Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

Around Wednesday or Thursday the moonrise will be late enough after the galactic core is visible that some great nightsky shots will be possible for a couple hours.   I recommend picking out your night sky locations around midday when the sun is brutal and makes for crappy photos anyway,   then buying ($10ish) the photopills app to plan your shots.  Also when you first start it at a new location wave your phone in a figure 8 to get the compass a bit closer to calibrated or use the calibration option and follow the directions in settings.  I don't recommend trying to get in more than one night sky shot per night.   I usually nap nearby in a parking spot so im not driving in the wee hours (bison will hang out on the road in the middle of the night),  but this week it looks like milkyway will be visible around 11PMish.

If you see a bunch of folk stopped on the side of the road, it' probably was or is a bear.

Good luck, have fun and don't get ate.

20230520_002 by Carl Peters, on Flickr

10mm S&W 1026 for the cultured and refined visitor, 10mm Glock for you heathens!

Honestly, I think you need a standard zoom for walking around like the RF 24-105 f4, or RF24-70 f2.8 if you can afford it.

Definitely rent a long telephoto zoom lens, the RF 100-500 f4-7.1 should only be a couple hundred to rent for a couple weeks.

If you really want to get some good glass, the RF 100-300 f2.8 is supposed to be a great lens. Not sure what it will cost to rent, and it may not be available yet.

I’d pick up the RF 24 f1.8 and/or the RF 35 f1.8 for some wide landscape or night shot work. Definitely a good tripod and a good carry strap if you don’t have them yet. And extra batteries.

I have the R6 Mk II and the RF24-105 f4 and the RF70-200 f4, as well as the RF 35 f1.8 and love the set up. I have the battery grip with two batteries which keeps me running all day long, and Peak Design slide light straps. I also have a DJI RS 2 Pro gimbal if I need more stabilization for video work.

In Yellowstone you will be plenty close enough to get good shots of elk and bison with the equipment you have right now.  You might also catch a moose near the road but that is less certain.  

Decent shots of wolves and bears are possible but less likely without really long lenses, lucky timing or if a bear is camped out on a kill near the road.  

I run a 600mm equivalent (300 mm but it is micro 4/3 so you double the length) lens on my Panasonic Lumix and I often wish I had more reach.  

I know you said you don't want to get out early but if you are serious about your photography you really need to suck it up and be the first person on the trail.  You will have more opportunities, better light and perhaps most importantly you will be able to get into a parking lot before the hordes arrive.

Thanks for the replies. The camera shop not too far from here only has a 150-600mm and a canon 300mm f2.8l to rent and they are rented out. There’s one more I can try though.

I may just go on an exploring trip this time, the wife is hoping to make connections on being able to go back in the future with my son also.

There's always Amazon Rentals....you buy the lenses then send it back within their 30 day return period...




I sort of did that with my Tamron EF 70-200 f2.8 G2 that I bought before I bought the RF70-200 f4. I didn't intend to send it back. but once I got it and used it I just wasn't happy with the size and weight and performance. So I sent it back and got a refund. Then I used the money to buy the Canon RF70-200 f4.

I don't know where you are in the country, but Amazon says that can get an RF100-500 f4-7.1 L IS USM to me by Thursday.

I was in Yellowstone in 2019 with my longest lens being a 70-200, and it just wasn't enough reach.

In 2021, I was back in the park, and once again, the 70-200 was my longest lens, and as such, I didn't even bother photographing any wildlife.  I was originally in Colorado, and when it looked like my guide situation for my climb was going to fall through, shoulder season with fall fast approaching, I called my local store back in Alabama to see if they still had a used 200-500 that was sitting on the shelf when I left, and I was just going to put the money into that and try to give Yellowstone better attention on this trip.  The climb did come together, though, so that money was spoken for, and I once again rolled into Yellowstone with woefully inadequate glass for wildlife.

I did get this timelapse, though, so I was happy enough. 14mm, fwiw.



Yes, I've been able to get reasonable photos of elk and bison with a 70-200 and even a 24-120, and would have had a macro photo of a bull elk with a GoPro, had the battery not been dead, and speaking of dead, I was lucky that I wasn't.  But, you have to ask yourself, "when am I, realistically, going to get back there again?"  Yes, I know it's more money, but I think longer glass is money well spent if going into the park.

I recently picked up an 80-400 around the first of the year, and I'm so glad that I did.  While the 200-500 might be the better lens for wildlife, the 80-400 has turned out to be an absolutely fantastic walkin-around lens.

1. Stay on boardwalk trails in national parks (Mostly Yellowstone around the geothermal features).

2. 10mm of your choice with 230gr hardcast or GTFO. We have experienced guides die by grizzly mauling on occasion.

3. Bring patience.

4. Do not pet the fluffy cows (bison). You just might die.

5. Spend lots of money. Our region of the country likes tourist money, just not really the tourists.

Well I hit a stroke of luck today. I’ve been stalking Facebook marketplace since that’s the only place that seems to have traffic anymore.

I didn’t want to spend a lot on a rarely used lens, and the only deal I could find was 5 hours away on a 150-600mm tamron G2  lens.

But today a Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM popped up 40 minutes away for $200. It came out in 2008 from what I can find. I was pretty impressed with it for the price. I don’t expect L lens performance from it. I took some test shots with it around 8pm when the light was getting low.

That seems like a too good to be true price considering a rental 150-600mm would be about that for two weeks, but looking online the price isn’t way off on it. And he knew about cameras and was selling some older stuff.  I should definitely be able to get all my money back out of it.

I’m back from Yellowstone. It was a too much of a rush to get everything in to get any really fantastic or golden hour shots. But I did pretty good with the time I had. Especially with the amount of experience I have with the camera.

That 150-500mm isn’t sharp for shit though. I’m not complaining since it was $200, but I think maybe I should have used my 70-200 more and just cropped it. You just don’t have much room to crop with 20 megapixels though.

I’ll try to post a few when I get a chance.

We all definitely want to see.

https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-70-200mm-f-2.8L-IS-III-USM-Lens.aspx

Canon 70-200 in the L flavor is amazing. It's $2k and worth every penny.

I'm sorry to hear the lens didn't work out.