Jim Bob

"Best". Your opinion, rather than universal truth. Geesus.

Jim Bob

Exactemundo.

Jim Bob

But not at that distance with that lens combo.

Jim Bob

Tamron 150-600, Sigma 150-600 Contemporary or Sport, Nikon 200-500. Or move your feeder within 15 feet of your shooting perch.

Jim Bob

And they would be right. Capable of producing stunning image quality when paired with the right lenses and in the right hands.

jcboy3

You mean "exactamundo". And that's not an opinion.

rogerl Loc: UK (Harrogate, North Yorkshire)

A lot depends on how much you want to spend! Look at the Sigma & Tamron 150-600 lenses both of which have had good reports on here. I do a lot of wildlife photography (inc. safaris) & use the older Simga 150-500 which works very well for me. As it's been superseded you should be able to pick one up (relatively!) cheaply.

Jim Bob

Nope. That's what you mean. I posted what I meant. Take your paternalism elsewhere.

rmm0605 Loc: Atlanta GA

Sounds like you can't move the feeder, which would be the best option. The Nikon 200-500 is very good, but pricey. The Tamron 150-600 is pretty good, as is the Sigma equivalent. Both (except for Sigma's "Sport" model) are about $1,000.

lyndacast

The Nikon 18-300 is a good all round lens. The Tamron 16-300 is also an excellent lens and is a bit cheaper than the Nikon. Also, purchasing a used lens (Amazon and Adorama are my go to dealers) can be q great option.

I have the Tamron which I use on my Nikon 7100 and have gotten some great shots of wildlife with it.

CLF Loc: Raleigh, NC

Rbrady1964, If I am correct the 2.5x mounts to the front of the lens. This is not a solution to your requirements. You have had some very good suggestions. I have went through the same process you are going through in the last 18months.
1. Move the feeder closer if you can.
2. Use a blind. I actually have two blinds set up for different angles of my feeders (a total of 10-12 depending on Hummingbird feeders).
3. Get a longer lens. Buy a used lens, you will be surprised of the IQ on the used lens that was treated correctly by the owner. Most of my lenses are used. Only bought new when I could not get a comparable one used. KEH, B&H, and Cameta are all trusted suppliers of used equipment. My first used long zoom was a Sigma 50-500mm I bought from a local photographer who needed a lens with Image Stability, this Sigma did not have it. IS is also called different things from different manufacturers. I paid $350 for it and a year later I traded up to a Tamron 150-600 with all the bells and whistles. I got $450 on a trade at my local photography store and all the rebates on the new Tamron. Tamron has a 6 year warranty so I feel pretty good with that. I have used it hand held nd got OK photos but it's IQ on a tripod is fantastic.

If you use a combination of these three suggestions you can get it done with little outlay of dollars (do 1 and 2) to more expense buying more glass. Just for information I am a Canon long time user but this applies to any camera you are using, in your case a respected Nikon.

One other item I did not touch on is post processing (PP) your image. Most close up photos taken with care for sharpness end up being cropped and having other enhancements to the photo. PP can take you many years of practice or advice from anyone on this site. You should have gotten the Nikon version of PP on one of your CDs. My understanding is that the Nikon software is pretty good. There is also a ton of free PP programs out there. I would suggest you start with the Nikon PP and just learn what you like to do. I would not suggest jumping right in and buying the best PP programs out there. You may find out that you do not need all that power and can do fine with the Nikon or a free download. Don't worry about this presently. Work with what you have and then worry about spending more money.

Greg

Jim Bob

Come on, 50 feet away is too far with that lens if you wish to maximize image quality.

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

Purchase a small blind like in the one on the web link provided, set it out next to your bird feeding station for a few days for the birds to get accustomed to it. Then place a chair inside with a generous helping each of patience and luck. Situate the feeder so that the birds have to face the lens and shoot away. You will also want to pick a spot and use manual focus to pre-focus on the “ideal spot”. This ideal spot could be a small branch zip tied to the feeder to achieve a more natural picture. Too many shots of birds on the same feeder soon become tiresome. Some birds even will tolerate flash in exchange for free food, imagine that. Haha. This setup works particularly well for humming birds. This is much better/cheaper than a long lens. Obvious Man also sez to avoid gratuitous movement & noise. Some folks have pointed out that I do tend to get too much into the details so I will stop here. Welcome to the Hog
http://www.cabelas.com/product/ameristep-174-outhouse-8482-realtree-xtra-174-ground-blind/2271480.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch%2F%3FN%3D%26No%3D40%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dblinds%26Ntx%3Dmode%252Bmatchallpartial%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%252BProducts%26WTz_st%3D%26WTz_stype%3DSP%26form_state%3DsearchForm%26recordsPerPage%3D20%26search%3Dblinds%26searchTypeByFilter%3DTopRated%26x%3D10%26y%3D6&Ntt=blinds

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

OHHHHHHHHHHHHH, pardon me oh expert in all things glass. Best for the price is the Nikon 200-500, blows away the Sigma and Tamron, considering your using a Nikon that is.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

It is generally accepted that long lenses are the first choice for wildlife photography but it also depends on subject to camera distance. A good example would be visiting the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador where wildlife are so used to humans that practically any lens will do the job.
Nikon makes excellent long tele zooms and depending on reach good choices are the 70-300 VR, the 80-400 VR and the latest 200-500 VR. Other lenses at premium prices can be bought with a single focal length like the 600mm f4 VR or the excellent 200-400 VR zoom.
If visiting National Parks your first choice should be a long tele, zoom or prime.