HELLO AND NEED HELP WHAT CAMERA IS BEST FOR IN FLIGHT BIRD PICS?
Jan 26, 2014 12:34:57 #
WOULD LIKE FEEDBACK ON THE BEST CAMERA TO USE FOR IN FLIGHT BIRD PICS . CAMERA AND BEST LENSES TO USE . CLARITY IS A MUST . ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED . THANKS
Jan 26, 2014 12:37:36 #
Any camera with the capability of about 800 or so in shutter speed and a focal length of 200 or so. Takes some practice to pan with the birds, so get out and practice a lot. Good luck.
Jan 26, 2014 12:43:40 #
Welcome, any mid-range Canon or Nikon will do the trick. I'm a Nikon guy and like my D5200 with a 55-300 Nikkor zoom with VR. I put it in Sports mode with high speed continuous shooting enabled (5 fps) and it does great. I got inspired on an African photo safari by another guy with a Canon t4i that got some great BIF (birds in flight) pictures, particularly landings and takeoffs from the water where every drop of spray was crystal clear. He used similar settings on his Canon. I usually shoot in Aperture priority mode, but this Sports scene mode is specifically designed for this type of thing with high shutter speeds and continuous focus for moving objects, so I let the camera take care of it. I can take care of most anything in Lightroom later, but I need to get good clear shots in the first place. You might want to post this question in the Main Photography section, most people won't see you here. Also, unless you are visually impaired, typing in all caps is considered screaming in most places on the web. Enjoy your time here!
Jan 27, 2014 04:34:04 #
D3X Body
AF-S NIKKOR200-400mm f/4G ED VR II
AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E II
AF-S NIKKOR200-400mm f/4G ED VR II
AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E II
Jan 27, 2014 06:36:17 #
alggomas
Loc: Wales, United Kingdom.
As suggested by others any camera capable of a fast shutter speed. If you do not have a camera go and feel one in a shop,as you may not like the feel of suggested cameras. A 70-200 lens may be a good starter. Try your garden first. Sit and wait and shoot. Practise.
Good luck and welcome.
Good luck and welcome.
Jan 27, 2014 07:11:14 #
PMAILMAN wrote:
WOULD LIKE FEEDBACK ON THE BEST CAMERA TO USE FOR IN FLIGHT BIRD PICS . CAMERA AND BEST LENSES TO USE . CLARITY IS A MUST . ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED . THANKS
Canon 7D or the 7DMKII when it is released this spring and
a 100-400L would be one good choice. Also the new Tamron
150-600. mdh
Jan 27, 2014 07:12:51 #
PMAILMAN wrote:
WOULD LIKE FEEDBACK ON THE BEST CAMERA TO USE FOR IN FLIGHT BIRD PICS . CAMERA AND BEST LENSES TO USE . CLARITY IS A MUST . ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED . THANKS
Welcome to our forum! Before someone else mentions it, avoid using all caps. It's the equivalent of shouting.
Birds in flight is a popular topic, and you'll see lots of comments and images posted here. Go to the Photo Gallery and look for them. Then you can post any questions you might have.
Jan 27, 2014 08:34:00 #
Mark7829
Loc: Calfornia
What to look for is FPS frames per second. Birds move and move fast, flying, landing, snatching a fish or mouse. How many frames? The top Nikon and Canon cameras shoot 10 frames and higher per second. You will want to shoot RAW, and these are big files, so a big buffer is nice. You can shoot jpeg and get faster frames but you give up a lot in post processing with jpeg. Many high end cameras have a shutter speed of 8,000 of a sec. Some up to 12,000.
Nikon D4 (D4S out in a few months) and the new Canon EOS 1DX. Look for others that at least get close to how these two camera's work. Look for good lens f/2.8 to f/4.0. These lens allow you to use faster shutter speeds in low light. Best out there are 500 mm with a TC. A 200 mm is barely enough, 400 mm is like a minimum.
Make sure the auto focus is FAST. This is critical! Even some new lenses/cameras are too slow and this can be very frustrating when you see the picture you want but the camera or lens is still trying to focus!
Good luck
Nikon D4 (D4S out in a few months) and the new Canon EOS 1DX. Look for others that at least get close to how these two camera's work. Look for good lens f/2.8 to f/4.0. These lens allow you to use faster shutter speeds in low light. Best out there are 500 mm with a TC. A 200 mm is barely enough, 400 mm is like a minimum.
Make sure the auto focus is FAST. This is critical! Even some new lenses/cameras are too slow and this can be very frustrating when you see the picture you want but the camera or lens is still trying to focus!
Good luck
Jan 27, 2014 09:22:28 #
alggomas wrote:
As suggested by others any camera capable of a fast shutter speed. If you do not have a camera go and feel one in a shop,as you may not like the feel of suggested cameras. A 70-200 lens may be a good starter. Try your garden first. Sit and wait and shoot. Practise.
Good luck and welcome.
Good luck and welcome.
Faster Burst rate the better
Jan 27, 2014 09:31:25 #
I two Kodak cameras and I invariably use the one with the view finder to take photos of birds in flight. If I try using the LCD display, I lose the birds and consequently the shot.
Now, a friend of mine cannot use the view finder on her camera and gets great photos using her LCD. I would suggest a trial run before purchasing a camera with only the LCD display.
Now, a friend of mine cannot use the view finder on her camera and gets great photos using her LCD. I would suggest a trial run before purchasing a camera with only the LCD display.
Jan 27, 2014 09:32:15 #
Jan 27, 2014 10:02:45 #
PMAILMAN wrote:
WOULD LIKE FEEDBACK ON THE BEST CAMERA TO USE FOR IN FLIGHT BIRD PICS . CAMERA AND BEST LENSES TO USE . CLARITY IS A MUST . ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED . THANKS
A gentle note: Using all caps is considered "shouting" on the web. Please take off your caps lock.
:P
Jan 27, 2014 10:13:54 #
oldmalky
Loc: West Midlands,England.
You do not need a high end camera and it need not be a nikon or a canon, I have a Sony a57 with a burst rate between 10 and 12 I also use a Tamron 18-270 lens, but the first thing you will need is how to take the photographs or no matter what camera you have you will not get the clarity you wish for.
Jan 27, 2014 10:33:13 #
Mr. PC Wanted to say thanks for input . Have some homework to do and shopping. Will look online for the best price. Noticed your pic posted . Was that taken in Texas or out of ? Heard about a ranch with stock brought in awhile back . Austin is a nice town . Was there awhile back . One of those places one visits and wants to return . Has both old and new . Well thank you for your help ,did not want to make a expensive mistake . regards pmailman.
Jan 27, 2014 10:40:37 #
PMAILMAN wrote:
WOULD LIKE FEEDBACK ON THE BEST CAMERA TO USE FOR IN FLIGHT BIRD PICS . CAMERA AND BEST LENSES TO USE . CLARITY IS A MUST . ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED . THANKS
You kinda left out a few pertinent details, such as what is your price range and level of expertise.
A Canon 1D MK IV with a Canon 500 f4 would make a nice combo but those will set you back $15,000 and you pretty much have to know what you are doing to take full advantage of such gear.
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