Fortkentdad
Senior Member
When out birding there are times I'm glad I have a zoom as sometimes the bird ain't that far away. I'd guess that the majority of the time (80%+) I shoot at the full 500 ,,, or 700 if using the T.C. ... or 1050 if on my D7100 and with the TC, in any case, get the max reach to bring that birdie closer... but it is not all that uncommon to see a bird on a post just 10 feet away - and sometimes you want to get the post too.
I copied this image from my FB as I don't have the original file at the moment - but this was probably not shot at 500mm as I was about three posts back of this bird. Sometimes you want the whole flock too. (checked the EXIF - says 700mm - with a lens with max of 1050, so it was on my D7100 with Kenko 1.4 T.C. so lens set to 335mm)
You could go to the Birds or Birds in Flight forum page here and just scan it with an eye to the focal length and lenses used to get an idea of what people are doing.
As for carrying it, I have a "Speed Carry" heavy duty strap that I connect to the lens not the camera. You do want something strong enough and comfortable, expect to spend more than $19.99 for a good one. Speed Carry ran into some sort of copyright issue and isn't available in the USA I understand - and while it is good if you can get one I'd not recommend it as additional plates are hard to come by. There are others, buy one you can try one with the lens to get the feel for it.
I copied this image from my FB as I don't have the original file at the moment - but this was probably not shot at 500mm as I was about three posts back of this bird. Sometimes you want the whole flock too. (checked the EXIF - says 700mm - with a lens with max of 1050, so it was on my D7100 with Kenko 1.4 T.C. so lens set to 335mm)
You could go to the Birds or Birds in Flight forum page here and just scan it with an eye to the focal length and lenses used to get an idea of what people are doing.
As for carrying it, I have a "Speed Carry" heavy duty strap that I connect to the lens not the camera. You do want something strong enough and comfortable, expect to spend more than $19.99 for a good one. Speed Carry ran into some sort of copyright issue and isn't available in the USA I understand - and while it is good if you can get one I'd not recommend it as additional plates are hard to come by. There are others, buy one you can try one with the lens to get the feel for it.
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