Best Wildlife Lens for Sony A7III in 2023

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Due to its top-of-the-line features and specifications, Sony A711 repeatedly appears in the list of the best cameras for wildlife photography.

The DSLR has a high-speed hybrid autofocus which renders scenes with incredible precision and is perfect for when you’re trying to capture an animal that is on the move.

While the A7III is packed with top-of-the-line features, its effectiveness in the wilderness can be significantly increased when paired with a good-quality telephoto lens.

That is why we have compiled a list of the best wildlife lenses to use with your A7III, allowing you to capture stunning portraits of nature.

What Are the Best Wildlife Lenses for Sony A7III?

Sony’s A7III produces amazingly crisp and vibrant images in the wild. Though, the photos captured are truly stunning when attached to a suitable telephoto lens. Read on to find the perfect lens for your A7III.

Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD

The Tamron 70-300mm, marketed as ”the world’s smallest and lightest telephoto zoom lens”, allows wildlife photographers of all skill levels to capture images of high resolution quality. With its wide focal length range of 70-300mm and fast focusing speed, you’re able to capture quite detailed images of animals using the animal eye autofocus of Sony A7 III.

The lens is weather-sealed with a dust- and moisture-resistant design. While it wouldn’t face any problems in light showers of rain, heavy pours might be an issue.

Here is a list of features this telephoto lens is equipped with, which we believe makes it fit for photographing wildlife:

Fast Autofocus

The autofocus drive of the 70-300mm comes with an RXD motor which makes the process of capturing shots extremely quiet. This is incredibly important in wildlife photography since the last thing you want to do is mess up a shot by startling your subject.

Moreover, since the fast AF enables the shutter speed to sync with the lens, the resultant images are beyond crisp.

The autofocus system of this lens also has a sensor responsible for detecting the position of the lens. This enables the AF to have an extremely high speed making its accuracy commendable.

Though this A7 III lens is not perfect for capturing small birds in flight because of its short focal length and small apertures, it is best for shooting larger mammals with more context.

Lightweight Body

The Tamron 70-300mm is incredibly small and lightweight, weighing only 1.2 lb. When going out for photographing wildlife, it’s crucial for your gear not to weigh you down. With the 70-300mm, you can trek through rainforests and take your camera-lens package anywhere without straining your hands.  

Focal Length and Image Quality

While all of us would prefer a telephoto zoomable to 600mm, in the real world, it’s impossible without the lens weighing a ton. The Tamron lens has a focal range from 70-300mm, which is more than enough for beginners looking to step into the world of wildlife photography.

The 300mm allows high-quality close-ups, and when combined with the lens’ BBAR (Broad-Band Anti Reflection) coating, the images produced are void of ghost, flare effects, and have cream bokeh.

Pros

  • Ultra-fast AF
  • Extremely portable and lightweight
  • Weather-sealed
  • Reasonable Price

Cons

  • Lack of vignetting correction at 70mm
  • Evidence of chromatic aberration

Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary

The next lens on our list is the Sigma 100-400mm, the company’s first portable and compact ultra-telephoto zoom lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras like the A7III.

Its focal length range of 100-400mm, combined with the optical image stabilization features it has to offer, makes the lens ideal for photographing wildlife.

In addition, the mount design incorporates rubber sealing to prevent dust and splashes, which may damage the camera.

Its autofocus speed and performance, when paired with A7III, is stunning and works exceptionally well even in low-light conditions.

We have put together a list of the Sigma 100-400mm’s features which we believe makes this lens worth the bucks:

Optical Image Stabilization

The Sigma 100-400mm provides an optical image stabilization of up to 4 stops, ensuring your wildlife images aren’t a blurry mess when shooting handheld.  

The IS technology effectively eliminates vibrations when shooting at lower apertures and shutter speeds. This means when shooting at 400mm, you can bring down the shutter speed to 1/25th of a second and still manage to get a crisp photo.

Bokeh

Due to 9 rounded blades diaphragm, this a7iii produces nice smooth bokeh. The creamy bokeh, along with the super-fast autofocus, accentuates your subject in the foreground even more with the background.

This is convenient when you want to shoot animals without the distracting background behind them.

Low-Light Performance

The adjustable aperture of f/5-6.3 is decent for covering both high and low-light settings.

You can control the amount of light you want to let in the lens, and when teamed up with suitable ISO settings, the camera produces some well-lit grain-free shots.

Pros

  • Lightweight body structure
  • Image stabilization system
  • Sharp portraits
  • Outstanding zoom range

Cons

  • Not weather sealed
  • Missing tripod collar

Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VXD

The Tamron 150-500mm is a robust and versatile telephoto lens allowing you to capture shots with great image quality in its vast focal length range.

The lens is fully weather-sealed and made with a hybrid aspherical lens element, making it significantly more compact and allowing it to produce sharper images when zoomed in, compared to other telephoto lenses.

Furthermore, the VXD (Voice-coil Extreme-torque Drive) motor of the 150-500mm is incredibly fast, delivering a responsive AF performance which is much needed when shooting moving animals in the wild.

Here’s a list of all the impressive features we believe make this lens perfect for photographing wildlife:

Snappy Autofocus

With its VXD linear motor focus mechanism, this lens enables high-speed autofocusing that is incredibly accurate and almost entirely silent.

As the lens tracks action immediately, it is perfectly suited for wildlife since most animals don’t have the patience to stay still for your shot.

The silence motor also works wonders since you don’t want animals to get startled and run away while waiting for the dream capture.

Vibration Compensation

The Vibration Compensation feature of the 150-500mm is an essential advancement in image stabilization technology. This exceptionally reduces motion blur producing strikingly sharp images.

The system is perfect for wildlife photographers, helping you capture moving wildlife handheld, like birds flying in the sky, without their wings looking like a blurry smudge.

Focal Range

With its wide focal range length ranging from 150-500, this lens lets you capture sharp shots from a considerable distance. The 500mm focal length range prevents you from startling animals while you’re trying to sneak in a candid shot.

Zoomed in to the max, you can also capture flying birds in the sky and take some stunning images with you back home.

Pros

  • Fully weather sealed
  • Budget-friendly price bracket
  • Motion blur is negated due to Vibration Compensation
  • Robust build quality

Cons

  • Does not work well in low-light situations
  • Slow manual focus

Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports

Now we know what you may be thinking: this is a sports lens. But we assure you that this lens is perfect for capturing both still and moving animals with a focal length range that goes up to 600mm and an optical stabilizer (Image Stabilization feature).

The Sigma 150-600mm is also weather-sealed, allowing you to use it to capture clear and crisp images in light drizzles.  

If you come to think of it, sports and wildlife have pretty similar requirements. Both need a high focal length range, fast autofocus, and a lightweight design. Luckily, the 150-600mm packs this all.

Let’s dive deeper into the features that make this lens perfect for shooting all sorts of wildlife.

Remarkable Image Stabilization

The 150-600mm is equipped with an optical image stabilization system that works effectively for up to 4 stops. This means if you’re shooting zoomed in at 600mm, you can set a shutter speed of 1/38 and still manage to get some pretty crisp shots.

Optical Stabilizer Modes

Apart from the standard IS features, the 150-600m also comes equipped with two Optical Stabilizer modes.

You can easily switch back and forth between the two modes; the first for still photography at slow shutter speeds and the second for panning along a moving subject.

These modes come in handy when you’re trying to capture an animal sitting still, but suddenly starts moving.

Speedy and High-Precision Autofocus

The 150-600mm is equipped with a high-precision magnetic sensor, allowing any wildlife photographer or accurate enthusiast positioning for speedy and error-free AF. It performs even better with the animal eye autofocusing of Sony a7iii.

Not just fast and high-precision, but with its near-silent stepping motor, the AF is incredibly quiet. This is perfect if you don’t want to scare away your subject with your lens zooming in and out.

Pros

  • Fast and Accurate AF
  • Thoroughly sealed against all elements
  • Impressive image stabilization

Cons

  • Evidence of distortion and vignetting
  • Premium price bracket

Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS

The final telephoto zoom lens on our list is the Sony FE 200-600mm. With Sony’s DDSSM technology, this weather-sealed lens delivers an incredibly fast and silent AF result.

Apart from being fully weather-sealed, the lens also has a fingerprint and dust-resistant design. With a staggering build quality, the 200-600mm is great for the outdoors, especially for wildlife photography.

We have compiled some features for you to weigh the pros and cons of this lens:

Fast and Quiet Autofocus

This lens comes built-in with Sony’s DDSSM (Direct Drive Super Sonic Motor) system, which is responsible for working the lens’s mechanism to pinpoint autofocus with speed and precision, even when shooting in low light conditions.

The Sony 200-600mm not only has fast and quiet autofocus but also provides images with very high optical resolution throughout its entire range when paired with the Sony A7III.

Since shooting animals requires a creamy bokeh and silent gear so you don’t alert your subject, all the above points check the dots for carrying the 200-600mm with you on a wildlife photography trip.

Incredible Durability

The 200-600mm comprises a fluorine front element coating with a dust-resistant texture to ensure high reliability and durability under challenging environments.

Since most wildlife settings aren’t in the weather of your choice, having a sturdy-built lens like the 200-600mm is recommended if you don’t want to spend your spare time repairing the lens.

Exceptional Zoom Range

Wildlife photography is the best use of a super-telephoto lens as it considerably magnifies distant objects. The Sony’s 200-600mm focal length range is remarkable when it comes to shooting wild animals from a distance.

Zoomed in at max, you can safely capture candid shots from afar while avoiding disturbing your subject.

Pros

  • Extra-low dispersion glass to reduce chromatic aberrations and color fringing
  • Sharp portrait shots
  • Incredibly precise and speed autofocus

Cons

  • Hefty cost
  • Narrow maximum aperture  

Conclusion

Sony is well-renowned for coming out with top-notch cameras, and the A7III is no exception. Moreover, when paired with a suitable telephoto zoom lens, the combination can produce some true stunners in the wildlife photography genre.

We hope our list of the best wildlife lenses for the Sony A7III was able to help you choose a worthwhile addition to your photography gear. Let us know in the comments if you have a better combination in mind!

Meet the Author


Syed Arham

Arham delved into photography since he got his first phone, a measly Samsung C7, back in 2010. With access to limited gear, he discovered innovative ways to capture some of his favorite shots. While Arham loves to travel, his dream shot, engulfing the northern lights in his camera frame, still remains one on his bucket list. However, until he gets the opportunity to travel to the Norwegian Arctic, Arham spends his time writing in-depth gear reviews for fellow photographers!

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