ewmaster5122

Is anybody using this setup for birding. How good does it work.

PaulDBowen Loc: Belfair, WA, USA

Sony A77 camera: one of the best and state of the art with 24MP which is important for bird photos where you frequently can't get close enough and end up having to crop the photo. A 100% crop still leaves you with 12MP! Camera also has a unique builtin Teleconverter software feature not found in other cameras (not same as digital zoom, since you can re-compose in camera to zoom to an off center area before taking the picture).

The 70-400mm G lens is one of the sharpest lens on the market, some say even sharper than the faster 70-300mm G, but the 300mm would allow autofocus with an added teleconverter. Sony also has a new 500mm f4 lens that will mate with a 2X TC if you got lots of money!

I have used the A 65 (cheaper version of A77) with the 70-400mm and love it, but always wish for something longer. I also have the older mirror 500mm f8, but strictly tripod and no good for birds in flight or hand held. I have also adapted an older 400mm prime Minolta MD mount with 2X TC to get 800mm or 1,200mm equivalent full frame: all manual focus and exposure, but works well. You can use all the old Minolta autofocus lens without adapters and there are some good telephoto primes available. You can use the older Minolta MD mounts also, but need an adapter in order to focus to infininity, which works out OK since the adapter acts like a teleconverter.

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

It works great! Purchase with confidence.

oldmalky Loc: West Midlands,England.

This past weekend i viewed the a77 with a 500mm lens,taken by a professional the subject was swallows gathering mud for their nests taken with a burst and they were fantastic so i would imagine a 400 would do the job as well