Bird Photography

[rob_w]

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I have a friend who is an avid bird-watcher.  He recently considered adding bird photography to his outings and asked me for advice on where to start his research.

Since I have never taken any bird photos I thought I would ask here, from those who may know better.  I imagine a smaller sensor -- M4/3 or APS-C -- would give better reach, and that OIS in-lens or in-body is pretty important.  A good quality long lens is obviously essential (and not all long lenses are good quality!).

I'm not sure Leica make anything that would fit the bill.  I think I remember someone praising an Olympus lens that was good for this purpose (JaapV?  But I thought Jaap used Panasonic M4/3 rather than Olympus).

Any thoughts?

[phib]

A good starting point for a fair price is the Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary. I used it on a Nikon D7500 which was ASP-C and now I'm using it on a Nikon Z6.
While it was easier to catch a bird in full with the crop, the improved quality with the full frame Z6 is just amazing. If needed cropping later is not a big issue.

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[jaapv]

On 5/27/2019 at 11:17 AM, rob_w said:

I have a friend who is an avid bird-watcher.  He recently considered adding bird photography to his outings and asked me for advice on where to start his research.

Since I have never taken any bird photos I thought I would ask here, from those who may know better.  I imagine a smaller sensor -- M4/3 or APS-C -- would give better reach, and that OIS in-lens or in-body is pretty important.  A good quality long lens is obviously essential (and not all long lenses are good quality!).

I'm not sure Leica make anything that would fit the bill.  I think I remember someone praising an Olympus lens that was good for this purpose (JaapV?  But I thought Jaap used Panasonic M4/3 rather than Olympus).

Any thoughts?

Panasonic. I would advise a used GX8 over the GX9 for the better grip   Add the Leica  DG Vario Elmar 100-400 and you are there. The Panasonic IS is better than the Olympus one with this lens. 

[rob_w]

Thanks both.  Will pass on this info.

Jaap, I am relieved I remember your comment more or less correctly.

[wildlightphoto]

I'm using the Sony a7rIII and 100--400 GM

 

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Edited June 26, 2019 by wildlightphoto

[koss]

I second the sigma 150-600 contemporary, it's a really nice lens for the job and won't break the bank, here's a shot I took last weekend with it. I have it on a nikon d3s body, just for this type of photography. My suggestion is to try various systems and see which one is fit for his style. Maybe rent some and test, before buying? So he understands more what reach he needs - there are multiple options, also teleconverters can be taken into account if he needs a longer reach.

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[zeitz]

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Wildlight (Douglas Herr) uses Sony a7rIII and 100--400 GM plus an incredible amount of patience.  Doug knows how to get close to birds.