The longer the lens the more pixels you have for the bird. As long as those numbers matter it is good to have the longer lens, but if can use only 1000 or at the most 1500 pixels on the long side, then you might as well as crop using a smaller focal length. The 300mm F4 is ideal in such cases as it is much sharper than most of the long zooms so that even downsizing may not match the crop IQ.
Bird photography,lens,subject size,crop and working distance for beginers
- Thread starter mikew_RIP
- Start date
I am following this thread in hopes of finding the optimum distance for a 300mm lens from the target (feeder/perch) to the camera, considering the DOF, background etc. I am setting up a blind in the back yard and can put the feeder pretty much any distance necessary. Another consideration I have is the background. I like nice blue sky but is it going to be too hard to focus and meter a small target like a bird or just use manual settings as things really won't change for the focus and small spot for the metering? I realize a little trial and error will be in order to get it all dialed in. My plan is to attract the birds with the feeder but have some perches for them to wait their turn on where I will photograph them. Would be a more pleasing setting than on the feeder, (IMO)
Yes i wouldn't be interested in 300mm too much to over come. unless your working in a controlled situation,if the light drops you up the iso, the crop doesn't work quiet as well then, i would have no problem dropping from 600 to 500,especially if it had a edge on IQ and 1/2 a stop faster.
Sounds like you have the perfect situation for a 300mm lens,you could consider making a painted background and keeping it OOF.
Hi Mike, I'm thinking of trying to do something along those lines if possible. Not sure if I'll be able to keep the background out of focus or not. I should go outside and take a few readings....I'm thinking I'd like to use 1/400th/sec at ISO 200 and see what kind of f stop that will render, in bright sun. BRB
It's a nice sunny day here and here is a test shot. I shot shutter priority at 1/400th/sec at ISO 200 and the camera set the f stop to 5.6 here is the full frame shot from 43 feet.
And here is cropped
I see a background that I don't care for so that's my next thing to work on.....Oh, and I better buy some bird seed.
edit: I see I had some EV comp set....inexperience with this 7100 ....I'll set it to zero when I see where that setting is.
And here is cropped
I see a background that I don't care for so that's my next thing to work on.....Oh, and I better buy some bird seed.
edit: I see I had some EV comp set....inexperience with this 7100 ....I'll set it to zero when I see where that setting is.
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I hope your birds are going to sit nice and still for you, otherwise you may need to up that shutter speed.
salukfan111
Senior Member
I can provide a picture on how not to shoot a finch. I was shooting an Osprey across a river with a 400mm f/3.5 with teleconverters (I think a 1.4 and 2.0 stacked with 1.3x crop in camera applied as well about 2000mm FX equivalent) and saw some yellow birds in the distance (thinking p. warblers but they weren't). It was bright and hazy and I cannot afford a 122mm circular polarizer (working on finding one for the drop in). I think I might have set a record for the longest finch shot ever. It is a cropped a lot and wasn't "fixed" in LR. I'm not sure what is up with exif, I don't even own a 35mm lens.
salukfan111
Senior Member
salukfan111
Senior Member
Shooting with bad light in the woods is always a challenge for me. The warblers are always bouncing around. I brought a MF 300mm worried the leaves would throw off the focus but there has to be a better way. I should have brought the 180mm f/2.8 and just cropped I suppose. Next time it will be the 300mm with AF teleconverter.
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Two of the most popular lenses many start with are the Nikon 55-300 and 70-300 VR versions,they soon find they are too short and often ask can i fit a converter to these lenses,well you can if you shop around enough and find one that will physically fit due to rear elements being too close to the converter element or other problems.
Even if you fit a converter you will lose too much light so no AF and IQ will take a dive,even a lenses like mine the Sigma 150-600 that is designed to take a 1.4 converter but not sure i would want to use one.
Many times especially with the Nikon lenses there is a better way to get reach without buying a longer lens, that is buy a Nikon 1 series and the FT-1 adapter,you will lose some of the 1 series settings but will keep the important ones like AF and VR.
You will have a crop factor of 2.7 which gives the effect of making the lens 2.7 times longer,notice i say effect and crop,nothing changes apart from putting a smaller sensor in behind the lens and mostly keeping more pixels in the image area.
Shot taken with a Nikon 1 V2 and Nikon 55-300
Shot taken with the Nikon 70-300 VR
Shot taken with the Sigma 150-600,not all sigma tamron ect lenses will work with the 1 series
Even if you fit a converter you will lose too much light so no AF and IQ will take a dive,even a lenses like mine the Sigma 150-600 that is designed to take a 1.4 converter but not sure i would want to use one.
Many times especially with the Nikon lenses there is a better way to get reach without buying a longer lens, that is buy a Nikon 1 series and the FT-1 adapter,you will lose some of the 1 series settings but will keep the important ones like AF and VR.
You will have a crop factor of 2.7 which gives the effect of making the lens 2.7 times longer,notice i say effect and crop,nothing changes apart from putting a smaller sensor in behind the lens and mostly keeping more pixels in the image area.
Shot taken with a Nikon 1 V2 and Nikon 55-300
Shot taken with the Nikon 70-300 VR
Shot taken with the Sigma 150-600,not all sigma tamron ect lenses will work with the 1 series
Some additional thoughts on the 1 series,the chances are you would not be able to get action shots or bird in flight shots due to there tendency to be slow in operating,some do not have a viewfinder so you would be working on the rear screen,if these draw backs are not a problem then the new j5 looks like a good option.
I prefer to have a viewfinder so opted for the V2 but am giving serious thought to the j5 if i can confirm it will work with my sigma,20.8 mp on the sensor sounds interesting.
Nikon 1 J5 Advanced Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera
I prefer to have a viewfinder so opted for the V2 but am giving serious thought to the j5 if i can confirm it will work with my sigma,20.8 mp on the sensor sounds interesting.
Nikon 1 J5 Advanced Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera
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Sorry about the new post but i cant type any thing after a link at the moment it just vanishes,for your lenses to AF on the 1 series they would need a motor built in,you can use some of the older lenses but you lose some of the comparability,here is a link to a flickr group with images from the 1 series and FT-1 adapter.
https://www.flickr.com/groups/2104901@N24/pool/with/21693357319/
https://www.flickr.com/groups/2104901@N24/pool/with/21693357319/
salukfan111
Senior Member
Could you shoot the same object with the lens at 300mm (no cropping) and the maximum in camera crop on that Nikon1 versus the 7100 (1.3x extra in camera)? I believe you but want to see the uncropped pictures next to each other. I would like to get one of those but need a comparison.
Thanks
The chances of that in the next few weeks would be slim,i can however show you two shots taken one day after the other both from the same position, the bird would have been perched within a couple of feet of the same place each time,the first is the V2 with 55-300 @ 280mm the second is the D7100 with the Tamron 150-600 set at 550mm,i fully understand what and why you are asking but have never bothered to check, i knew the reach of the V2 gained against a crop of the D7100, i will do some form of test but it would require a certain set of circumstances to come together at the same time.
First full frame no crop or PP V2 Nikon 55-300 @ 280mm
Second D7100 Tamron 150-600 @550mm no crop or PP
If your wondering why the shots got taken with the gear they did,the V2 was being used while my Tamron was away
The crop factor on the V2 would make it 756mm and the crop on the D7100 would make it 825mm
First full frame no crop or PP V2 Nikon 55-300 @ 280mm
Second D7100 Tamron 150-600 @550mm no crop or PP
If your wondering why the shots got taken with the gear they did,the V2 was being used while my Tamron was away
The crop factor on the V2 would make it 756mm and the crop on the D7100 would make it 825mm
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Not everything you wanted but this was all conditions would allow.both tripod mounted and i didnt move the tripod
Nikon D7200 @ 300mm no crop
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Nikon V2 @300mm no crop
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