Pascal Maranus is an animal portrait photographer from the Netherlands that will occasionally do human portraits as well. “As long as there’s a living element in there to show in its most true form,” he says of his work. Using his Sony Alpha camera and a pair of Sony prime lenses, he creates close-up portraits that capture the soul of the wildlife in front of him. We caught up with him to learn more about the gear he uses for animal portraits  – keep reading as he shares what’s in his bag.

Product Preview – In This Article You'll Find:
–Sony Alpha 7R V
–Sony 400mm f/2.8 G Master
–Sony 85mm f/1.4 G Master
–Sony 1.4x Teleconverter

Discover the Sony gear Pascal Maranus uses to capture stunning wildlife portraits. Explore his camera setup and lens choices for breathtaking close-up shots.

Camera

Sony Alpha 7R V: My main (and simply only) camera is the Sony Alpha 7R V. It was announced roughly one and a half months after I had switched to Sony in September of 2022, so almost from the get-go, I felt like that would have been the perfect camera for me. The improved auto-focus as well as the higher resolution just seemed like a perfect match for me.

“Right after I picked up my own 400mm from the story and completed my current goto camera-lens combo, I took it out for a test to a (for me) new zoo. The beautiful light and silky smooth background from the shallow depth of field is exactly why I wanted a lens like that.” Photo by Pascal Maranus. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony Sony 400mm f/2.8 G Master.

I always love doing close ups — preferably highly detailed — so for that, a high resolution camera works great. And with animals, you can’t always get as close as you’d like, so having some extra room to crop, if necessary, is ideal as well.

“I called this one ‘A Mother’s Love’ and I knew I would save this moment between a mother polar bear and her five-month-old cub for Mother’s Day about a month and a half later. The fact that it got noticed by the @SonyAlpha account on Instagram was a good confirmation for me that there was something special about it.” Photo by Pascal Maranus. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 400mm f/2.8 G Master.

Lenses

Sony 400mm f/2.8 G Master: Ever since I switched to Sony, my collection of lenses has been changing almost constantly. But when I got my new main lens in March of 2024 — the Sony 400mm f/2.8 G Master — I knew most of my lenses had become obsolete, so I sold them.

“​​After having seen a close up portrait of a harbour seal by another Dutch photographer, I’ve been obsessed with getting myself a similar image. There’s a small bay only 20 minutes from my home, where grey seals are known to show up regularly. So I took my Sony 400mm f/2.8 G Master there and I found this one lying in a great spot. It wasn’t the portrait I was after, but a lovely image, nonetheless.” Photo by Pascal Maranus. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony Sony 400mm f/2.8 G Master.

Sony 85mm f/1.4 G Master: My latest addition to my “lens family” is the Sony 85mm f/1.4 G Master. Clearly, not a lens I’ll use for wildlife. But when I do take the occasional human portrait, a great portrait lens is very nice to have. And the 85mm f/1.8 I previously had, I already loved. So the f/1.4 was simply a step up. I haven’t really had the chance to properly use it for a full on shoot. But at the recent Sony Alpha Day in the Netherlands, I got to use it briefly during a portrait workshop.

“At the 2024 Sony Alpha Day, I first got to properly use the 85mm for a human portrait with a professional model. Anything wrong with the photo is solely to blame on the photographer, not the gear or the model.” Photo by Pascal Maranus. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 85mm f/1.4 G Master.

Accessories

Sony 1.4x Teleconverter: I also have the Sony 1.4x Teleconverter, which makes my Sony 400mm f/2.8 G Master a 560mm f/4 — by which I almost have both of the big lenses in one.

Camera Grip: For my larger hands, almost all mirrorless cameras are simply too small, so one of the first things I did was get myself a grip so my pinky would no longer float below my camera, while using it. Plus: it also carries a second battery, so I don’t have to change them during my trips.

SD Cards: I use different types of SD cards, but all V90, so I can do the occasional video as well. Plus: with the larger file sizes, that extra speed is helpful.

"Even though I had visited the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen — a place known for its red foxes — multiple times before, I had never been able to find them myself. Or at least not nearby enough to get a good photograph of them. This year, now with the perfect gear combo, I finally found them, got them close, and there were even cubs!” Photo by Pascal Maranus. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 85mm f/1.4 G Master.

Peak Design Slide & Cuff Strap: From Peak Design, I have both a Slide and a Cuff strap (with the Slide being the main one I use) as they are about the most comfortable straps I’ve ever experienced.

SSD Drives: I always have SSD drives to store my images on. I also back them up on a NAS, but the SSD is for first offloading, i.e. when I’m traveling.

See more of Pascal Maranus’s work on Instagram @pascalmaranus.