bittern

I'm a beginner for photography.
I'm finding a DSLR for bird photography.
I have no experience in camera choosing.
Suggestions?
And I hope to have lenses long enough to view birds in the Boardwalk(so far away!)
P.S. What's the most light-weight DSLR?

hkwongkit

Depending on your budget you won't go wrong choosing either Canon or Nikon DSLRs.
A good entry lens to bird photography is 400 mm.
My suggestion would be a combo of ...
1. Canon EOS-7D, EF400/5.6L  or
2. Nikon D300s, AF-S 300/4D ED + TC14E II
Both rig would be very portable.

Getting the DSLR camera and lens is one thing. Don't forget there is another major undertaking in digital photography which is Post-processing of your image files!
A learning curve that you need to invest time in it.

handrew

And may I suggest a tripod! You can certainly hand hold these lighter lenses but using a tripod is a good habit to get into.

aishiwoo

Agree with the above C hings ~

For beginners, 400mm is fair enough, RAW should be used and the photo could be chopped.
Actually, you would find that even though you have 800mm lens, it is still not long enough (the birds are as small as a seed in your image)
Thus, more importantly, you can take nice photos if you have a good position and a good understanding on their lives.

I also use 7D + 400mm f/5.6.  I am satisfied with this combination.  But my techniques in birding are required to improve.  

456 is not so general for other topics as the closer focus length is 3.5m and no image stabilizer.  If you would like to use the len for other purposes, it would be better and flexible to have 300mm f/4 + extender.  Bear in mind, the quality would be decreased by using 300mm f/4 + extender, especially the photo are chopped.

louislee

May I ask a question about the Canon 400mm f5.6, which I am also interested in ?

A common criticism about this lens is its lack of Image Stabilization.

But as I search for the photos taken with the lens, I found that most pictures are of superb quality.

So what are the techniques needed for using the 456 ?

handrew

One of the joys of the F5.6 is its relative small size and weight. Compared to the 400mm F4 for example it looks almost like a toy. Indeed Arthur Morris called it his toy lens but produced amazing results with it. If you want to carry it in the field for any length of time you will appreciate its lightness. If you can hand hold it steadily this will offset the lack of IS. My wife is not a regular photographer but used it on safari in Kenya and found it very manageable. IS is not a direct substitute for good technique!

aishiwoo

I also think that image stabilizer is good and useful but not essential.
It is better to carry 456 with a tripod.
The correct pose to hold the camera and len is also important to have a good image.
I would use Tv mode to fix the shutter speed at around 1/400 - 1/600 and auto ISO.  So far, hand shaking is not a main problem.

louislee

Thanks, also I recognized that before the invention of IS.

There have been excellent photos, and even better than today's photos

tbob

I would also like to back KK Hui and Andrew Hardacre's choice of Canon 7D and Canon EF 400mm f5.6 lens. It is ideal for bird in flight shots and better still as a travel camera. I don't use it with a tripod, here are some shots taken with the camera setup

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jingbar/sets/72157626905782182/

Bob

aishiwoo

Welcome ! Right ~~ Louis, people in the past also took excellant photo without IS even without AF.

Nice !! Bob   Haha ~ for convenience reason, I seldom take tripod.  But it is a good habit to have tripod with the camera specifically in birding at a fixed point.

bittern

Does anyone have anything to say in using a Sony Alpha camera(esp. 65 or 77) in bird photography?
Anyone has sample bird photos with these cameras?

wilsondring

i am currently using 1D4 with 800 5.6 but my wife is using 7D with 400 5.6 ..

i often find myself asking my wife if i can borrow her lens .. for a number of reasons;
1/ shorter min. focal distance  .. only 3.5 compare with 6m on my bigger lens
2/ lighter and easier to handheld
3/ relatively fast focusing  ..

Here is an example of the 400mm 5.6 in action .. the yellow-backed sunbird is with 7D 400 5.6 and the other is 400mm 5.6 with 1D4 ..

my wife likes to use a tripod with this lens whereas i tend to handhold ..