When you are photographing birds, no lens is long enough; somehow they are always too far away and too skittish to approach. The camera I usually carry around is an Olympus Stylus 1s, which zooms to 300mm eq. Plenty for what I use it for, but not for our flying friends. Still, when I see interesting birds, I usually have a go, if only to be able to identify the birds when I get home.
Here are some of those photos that turned out OK, despite using a short lens:
Composition with woodpeckers (great spotted woodpeckers (Dendrocopos major), to be precise):
Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO160, f4, 1/500s
Ominous crow:
Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO100, f4, 1/800s
This photo I wouldn't normally have posted, as its quality is sub-par, but it made me laugh out loud, so here it is. It's a goldcrest (Regulus regulus), the smallest European bird. Very skittish, won't sit still for a second. This one was pushing off, about to take to the air, which made it look like one of the Angry Birds:
Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO400, f4, 1/30s
Some little birds trust their camouflage, allowing me to take this shot of a sparrow observing me:
Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO160, f4, 1/500s
My experience with photographing birds in the wild has given me great respect for those who pull off good shots of birds. You know who you are.
It is not easy to make sharp photo of goldcrest. The bird is small as tiny hummingbird and still moving. Mainly in dark coniferous woods.
Yep. Always moving, the little b... . Strangely, I found a few in the forest surrounding a peat bog, with no coniferous woods at all. They only stayed for 10 minutes, maybe they realised their mistake 8-).
I'm with you in respecting good bird phorographers! It's hard. I'm lucky to catch anything usable. And even then, I have to most of them into a 'artistic impression' of a bird rather than a photographic study. I think a lot of big lenses are involved in the great photos!
Yes, they are. I have walked around with 600, 800 and even 1200mm lenses in the past, they are hugely expensive but you can rent them, but it doesn't suit my way of photographing. I just like to walk around and take photos of what strikes me, I don't go out with the intention of photographing something specific. Carrying around the big artillery all the time just isn't practical for me. I will just have to up my sneeking abilities 8-).
Wow, those are big lenses. They would be a big investment to buy and a specific commitment to use.. I'm with you in preferring to walk around.
I never bought lenses that long, but I did rent and borrow them on occasion, to see what it was like using them.
It's nice that you can rent them, rather than buy one and find out it's just your style. In the Everglades National Park, I was on a paved trail, taking in the sights and came across two men with fancy cameras, huge lenses, big tripods, and lots of gear in carts. They were there to get magazine-quality photos of bitterns, rails, and other birds that are hard to find, let alone photograph. But they were having trouble because the birds were too close for their long lenses!
With long, heavy glass you have to wait in shelter and that is a specific "way of life".
Yes. Not my way of photographing at all.
Birding is tough! Always good to see some nice photos of European birds
Very good. All photos are good.
But I like the sparrow on the last thorn acacia tree.
That's definitely an angry bird. :D