olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

As others say, for birds - long reach, or a blind, or a lot of footwork, stealthy approach, or some combination of all. Sounds like the images pleased you, testament to the gear, and your ability. The biggest issue I see with birds (in general) is that they move "a lot". Even when standing still they are often dealing with bugs, flicking, scratching, preening, watching out for predators, and wild photographers, etc.. So you often need fairly fast shutter speeds, to freeze motion, and good low light performance (like with your F2.8). Remember too, the birds feathers, textures, colors and other features are much more complex than a streetlamp, so further testing will tell you a lot.

Get out there with what you have and see how you do, note the shortcomings, then research the right lens type (length, speed, zoom or prime, budget) and select the one that sounds right for the job, rent or borrow, try one if possible. You have one of the best cameras available for whatever lens you decide on.....so you want to make a great choice, don't rush the purchase...note what advice you get here, read reviews, etc. A prime would be excellent, but the ability to do some zooming can greatly reduce the footwork, or need for blind, or a lot of sneaking about (think like a "sniper"). The great feature of a forum like this is you get input on a lot of gear that would take a lot of time and effort to access and test out. Even though they are opinions, they come from hands on usage, and folks who care about what they are doing.

Good luck and good hunting.
My$.02

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

Probably all good advise. Whatever you choose, longer is better, always, for bird photography. But just remember, you are entering into a very addictive and very expensive realm of photography. You will always be looking for faster and longer lenses and quick focusing bodies. The combination of those parameters will put pressure on your bank account. I speak from experience.

Bill_de Loc: US

All Nikon dealers in the U.S. sell Nikon gear at same price, unless they are selling "grey market items". Grey Market items have no Nikon USA warranty.

Online you can order from Nikon USA, B&H, Adorama, and a few others with confidence.

Although the price is the same, the return policies may vary even among authorized Nikon dealers. For example, the last time I checked Best Buy which might be convenient had a 15% restocking fee.

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BooIsMyCat Loc: Somewhere

Here I used the Canon EF400 f/4 DO IS II USM with the 2x III converter.

I sometimes use the EF70-200 f/2.8 also.

If you can get close, use what you have. If not, it's going to cost you money to go big. The 150-600 is OK... you are the one who has to decide if OK is what you want.

photoman43

With the D 850 use DX and the longest focal length lens you own. Usually 200mm is not enough focal length for bird photography. For larger shore birds, a 500mm lens is usually what is needed and sometimes with a 1.4x tc. For smaller birds, you will need more than 500mm.

Here are some Nikon lenses to consider for your D850 for bird photography:

Nikon 300mm f4 PF lens with the Nikon 1.4x tc.
Nikon 200-500mm tele lens
Nikon 80-400mm tele lens
Nikon 500mm f5.6 PF lens
Nikon 500mm f4 E FL ED VR lens
Nikon 600mm f4 E FL ED VR lens


Go to Steve Perry's Backcountry website and look at his videos on wildlife and bird photography. He is a great source of good information.

My first long bird lens was a manual focus Nikon 500mm f4 P lens. You might find one used for about $1000-2000. It will couple electronically to your D 850 but there is no AF. I used it for about 10 years before I got a AF long Nikon tele. It is a very sharp and well made lens. You might find it used at Hunts Photo, B&H, KEH Camera and other places.

https://photographylife.com/lenses/nikon-nikkor-500mm-f4-p-if-ed

CaptainBobBrown

IMHO go with the longest prime lens you can afford unless you're always shooting eagle size birds or larger. Zooms do not produce the sharpest images even though they seem like a good less expensive option. My own favorite these days is Nikon's 500 mm 5.6 pf lens. It is light weight and about the same size and weight as the Nikon 70-200 so is good for BIFs as well.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

It makes absolutely no difference if you set the camera to shoot a DX crop or shoot FX and do the same crop yourself later in post-processing. Think about it. The result is EXACTLY the same.

Just shoot with the longest lens/teleconverter combo you've got, leaving the camera in FX mode.... get as close as you can to the subject... fill the viewfinder as much as possible. Then crop in post-processing when necessary. (You may already know, too, it's better to shoot RAW when you'll be doing some cropping and other post-processing work on images).

photoman43

Yes, but there is a but: Other factors may be involved too. See here:

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1509520/0

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

I recommend using a 1.4X with your 80-200 on the 850 full frame FOV - maximizing your native IQ - and CROP where and when necessary and use well applied pixel enlargement software as needed. The crop mode in camera does nothing good for you.

You will loose too much AF speed and ISO with a 2X for moving birds.
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SAVH Loc: La Jolla, CA

I recently returned from a visit to northern Minnesota where one of my plans was to photograph some birds - especially woodpeckers. I use a Nikon D-850 and mostly used my 200-500 lens as well as my 28-300. I had great success with my 200-500 set to spot focus. I was able to hand hold it for the most part.

tiphareth51 Loc: Somewhere near North Pole, Alaska

The Nikon 200-500 is my go-to lens for birding photography. Mounted on a tripod attached to my D810 or D750 has yielded some fantastic results. As someone already stated, you need reach for birding.

adrianpd

I have been using the Sigma 60-600mm lens and get superb results.

Nickaroo

I currently have a D500 with a Tamron 150-600 G2 for birding. It yields great results, but I tried the Nikon 600 f/4 and I can really see the difference and that is why I own it and use it when I go out to shoot Hawks and Eagles plus Owls.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

As you can see, using DX mode makes a severe reduction in pixels and is the same as cropping in post. For better reach you need a longer lens.

williejoha

The combo of a Canon 7II and the 100-400 L II is about as good as it gets for me.
WJH