The lens wildlife photographer Christian Ziegler couldn't live without

In our Couldn't Work Without series, we ask leading photographers and filmmakers to reveal their essential kit. Although many of wildlife photographer Christian Ziegler's most celebrated images have been taken using wide-angle lenses and remote flash set-ups, he says the piece of equipment he couldn't live without is the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens.

Since his first visit to a tropical rainforest on a trip to Thailand when he was 19, Canon Ambassador Christian has become internationally known for his coverage of tropical rainforest nature. He has a Masters degree in tropical biology, lives and works in Panama as Associate for Communication at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and is a frequent contributor to National Geographic and international science and photography journals.

A flexible performer

On this assignment, Christian continues, "I wanted to capture shy primates and birds, especially hornbills." This meant shooting from a distance, often handheld. But he knew he could rely on the high performance and optical quality of the L-series Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM, with its 4-stop optical Image Stabilizer and automatic panning detection. He was able, for example, to capture portraits of the highly endangered Gee's golden langur – an elusive monkey living in the treetops.

"I was usually following the monkeys through the forest, with them moving fast through the canopy and me on the forest floor. I needed to be fast, and this lens really let me do that. Often, I look through the camera for a long time, waiting for a certain expression. With this lens, I was much more confident because it weighs so little and responds so well."

For more flexibility in reach on the move, Christian paired the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM with the Canon Extender EF 1.4x III and Canon Extender EF 2x III. He found both were a perfect complement, enabling him to increase the lens's focal length without compromising image quality. "Both work very well with the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM," he says. "It's so sharp, I can't tell the difference in the final picture, with or without the converter."

With its rapid, near-silent autofocus and full-time electronic manual focus override available without having to switch out of AF mode, the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM enabled Christian to realise his creative vision, whatever the demands of the moment.

Christian's other wildlife photography kit

For the Bhutan assignment, Christian also packed the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, plus the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM and a pair of zooms, the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM and Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. He used all of these lenses with the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II body.

In addition, he took the full-frame mirrorless Canon EOS R camera and Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM zoom lens.

"The EOS R has been a great camera to experiment with and it does really well in low light. In Bhutan, I was staying in a remote village when they had an annual festival, where they carry burning branches to each house to cleanse the village of bad spirits. The ritual happens at night and so the lighting was tricky, but the results with the EOS R were impressive."

Over his career, Christian's work has won numerous accolades including multiple awards in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year and World Press Photo competitions. So what advice does he have for those inspired to follow in his footsteps?

"It's tough. More than anything you have to love the job and be persistent, really stick at it and learn as much as you can as you go along," he replies. "But we still need more people to communicate stories about tropical ecosystems to a broad audience. I think we also need different perspectives to tell these nature stories, certainly more women and people from diverse backgrounds."