davidb1879 wrote:
I am 82 and am thinking of purchasing a lighter camera and a lighter lens capable of shooting birds in flight. I own (among several Nikon cameras and lenses,) a Canon SX 50 and a Panasonic Lumix FZ300. Both cameras have their good points, but are incapable of capturing birds in flight (at least when I am the photographer.) I would welcome your suggestions. Thank you. Davidb1879
Birds in flight are a challenge, even for a big heavy camera and lens combo.
I find that the Sony RX10M4 offers a blazingly fast and accurate auto focus system, capable of catching at least some birds in flight. It is not cheap, but once you start seeing your results, the sting goes away. The more you use it the faster the sting changes to a smile. I have no regrets. I was an early adopter back in 2016 when it was released. I liked the M3 version, but found the auto focus system awkward and not suitable for active subjects - luckily this was one of the things that was significantly upgraded in the M4 version.