Canon 400mm lens for bird photography in wetland hides

[joshg995]

Hi,

I am getting into wildlife photography, mainly around birds and also traveling to Africa in a few weeks.

My current lens isn’t good enough to capture good quality photos from far away and I’ve been seeing the Canon 400mm lens around. Would this be suitable for getting clear detail shots of individual animals from a distance say 100 metres from inside a bird hide?

Thanks! 

[Tintype_18]

Good luck. A reputable safari will have all the information to help you get good photos plus knowing the habits of wildlife to keep you and the wildlife safe. Looking for photos of the adventure.

There was the news item of a photographer who was killed by a cow elephant who sensed a threat to her calf. He broke the rules and left the vehicle to get closer.

Story: We in the US hear about the tourists and wildlife confrontations in the Yellowstone NP. Saw a tee shirt yesterday: photo of an American bison with the caption, Don't pet the fuzzy cows.

[Ron888]

To answer your original question- on your camera a 400mm lens will cover 5.5mx3.7m at 100m. That's a big space as you can see,and is why everyone is recommending the 15-600mm lenses for birds.Even on a 600mm lens you'd need to get closer than 100m to have any chance of filling the frame.
You mention not wanting to spend much yet. With careful planning or putting in more effort you can use less expensive shorter lenses, especially for bigger animals.Maybe rent a lens for the African trip, or buy a shorter lens and forget the smaller birds for now?