Red Sky At Night

What lens would you recommend for a D70 for bird pictures? I have a Tamron AF 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 LD but the birds are microscopic looking out of my breakfast nook window. And they aren’t all that far away. Do I just need the same with a longer zoom? Recommendations please. I specifically want to use the D70. Just need the right lens.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Nikon 200-500E is sharp and will provide an equivalent AOV of 750mm.

Tamron 150-600 G2 is another good choice and will give equiv. of 900mm.

Keep in mind these are not light lenses and will require a tripod for extended shooting.

Red Sky At Night

Thank you.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

The Nikon D70 with 6.1 megapixels is a camera that is 14 years old. I have nothing against older cameras. But, if I were to invest in a quality long range zoom lens, I would want to pair it with a higher megapixels camera. You would be better off getting an entry-level Nikon D3300/3400 DSLR with 24 megapixels. And then purchase those quality long range zoom lenses. That's just my opinion. Good luck.

Red Sky At Night

Thanks. I have a D850. But I wanted to let my grandkids play around too and I won't let them touch my "baby". We all enjoy watching the birds which are in abundance in our backyard. I was wondering if I could find a better lens than the one I have for the D70 that might make it more fun for them. But I'm not sure that is possible. I was hoping maybe Tamron or someone with less expensive lenses than Nikon might have something. Or maybe I could find a good refurbished lens that might do the trick but I don't really have any idea what might be compatible. And websites I looked at don't seem to offer anything so I might just be out of luck. I guess with the pictures they would be taking it doesn't have to be too professional so I can crop away and not worry about pixel loss and keep with the lens I have. The pictures area actually pretty good if I don't crop them too much. Appreciate your input.

Skiextreme2 Loc: Northwest MA

I used a D70 with a Quantaray 70-300 and I could photograph people sitting on a huge rock a 1/4 mile away so birds you can see with your eyes shouldn't be a problem with your Tamron. If you're describing the birds being small in the viewfinder, try taking some photos and put them on the computer to see. You should be happy with what the camera can do with that lens.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I actually shot with a Tamron G2 150-600 earlier today - and found it to be an absolute pleasure to work with - it is only 1 lb heavier than a Nikkor 70-200 F2.8 AF-S VR II and it has excellent optical stabilization, making it easy to hand hold. Very surprised at how quickly it focused and how sharp it was. I typically shoot with either a 600mm F4 on a tripod (lens weighs 12 lbs) or a Sigma Sport 150-600 hand held (it weighs 6.4 lbs).

Your issue is that the D70 is only 6 mp, which means you have to be dead-accurate when it comes to keeping the subject in the frame and in focus. The D70 is not particularly strong with it's autofocus system. A 12 yr old camera that has been significantly improve upon through the years - it might be time to upgrad your camera as well.

Handling a 600mm on a crop camera can be a frustrating experience, and losing the freedom of hand-holding by using a tripod helps ensure more frustration over lost opportunities, unless you are just interested in shooting birds perched or mostly immobile.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

If it is just a fun thing you want for the kids, using the D70, and they want to take distant photos of wildlife. I suggest you to look into cheap long range lenses that require a T-mount. The name Brands are Opteka, and Vivitar. Vivitar has a 500mm f8 prime lens for less than $100, new. These lenses are not quality glass. But, would be good training for kids interested in photography. The Opteka zoom lenses go for about $180 brand new. I don't know the aperture though. Opteka has two long range zoom models. Check B&H Photo. The T-mount is separate for about $20. I do suggest using a tripod for these lenses. The Tamron 18-400mm, designed only for crop sensors, is on my wish list for this year, $649. Congrats on your new D850. Good luck. Hope you find something.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

For your kids I would recommend a mega-zoom camera like the Canon SX60HS or similar model from any manufacturer. Any lens long enough for birding with a DSLR will be too heavy for them to want to lug around. In addition, the mega-zoom camera will be MUCH more economical.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

I have an older manual focus 400mm Nikkor that I used to use on my D70s (before I gave it to my eldest son, the camera that is). All manual, but it will work metering must be done manually though. Onlyan AF lens will meter... Sigma did make an older AF 400mm F5.6 (which I have but it has fungus) but it can only be found used.. The 500mm mirror lenses are another choice but are difficult to get good images with.
As far as more current AF lenses, the longer the focal length, the more expensive they become. That applies to manual focus lenses as well.

BebuLamar

Or you can use a macro lens and put the bird in a cage or you may want to take picture of a dead bird?