"You pictures can be as good as the photographer you are".
Truly said, your best shot would be the result of the skills you have. If art could be taught then artists could be cultivated. Photography is an art and if you are good at it, you may not need a DSLR to create magic. A simple mobile phone camera could be best for you. If photography doesn't come to you naturally you may not be able to justify even the most expensive of the camera in the market.
I started learning using a mobile phone camera and then graduated to a point and shoot. I still remember clicking many good shots using my Sony k790i cybershot mobile.
While we discuss here that photography is a medium that can be done without proper equipment, there is one genre of photography that does not qualify for this. Unfortunately, Bird Photography is totally dependent on specialized equipment. A mobile phone camera would not suffice for this.
Now, clicking birds would need us to shoot from a distance and shoot fast. we can not expect close shots at all. For this a very fast camera is needed that can operate at around 2000 - 4000 shutter speed so that we easily freeze motion from a distance and get sharp pictures. It will also need a camera that can shoot above 6 fps. A faster auto focus also ensures that we capture many good shots that we can miss on slower cameras. We will later talk about the camera mode as well but nowadays all camera come with it. I would also want a LCD display in the camera that shows you clicked pictures. This ensures that you can correct your errors if any at the earliest. A very important part is auto focus points as well. These need to be checked as well before we finish this list. All these ensure faster focus at the subject and if the bird is moving these would be needed the most.
There are many professional camera that come with this. However, you may not have a budget for them. Some entry level DSLRs also come near by and hence can be easily acquired. I use a canon and hence can tell you about the them. EOS 450d, 550d, 600d all can supply the above mentioned feature and hence could fill up our needs for the same (at least I have to say that). They may not be as good as the professional canon's like 5d but for much shorter budget they are all that is available today. Nikon also has very good camera line up for the same. Nikon Pro Level camera like D3, D700 etc are really good and can be explored as well.
Next, we come to another most important gear - Optics or Lens. You would definitely need a telephoto lens for bird photography. I shoot with a canon 55-250 mm. While I do manage some of the shots with this but we may not get everything we need for our requirements. 250 mm is a good telephoto lens but I always wished for a greater zoom. As per my experience with birds I would have wished I had a minimum 400 - 500 mm lens. While these lenses are there in the market, they are quite expensive for us to obtain. The most obvious choice for us it to obtain the lens with maximum zoom that fits our budget. Just read the reviews that are available before purchasing. Telephoto has many other issues to look at as well. These may include image stabilization, auto focus availability, auto focus speed, weight, size etc. You should be aware of all these before buying any lens.
A cheaper telephoto lens option is a 500 mm bower lens. Although, I have not used it but I have read that it doesn't come with auto focus.
Another cheap option is to buy mirror lenses instead of regular telephoto. They are cheaper and much smaller, of course a bit compromise on quality.
Tele-converters are another option to increase zoom. They attached to your 250mm or 300mm lens and can increase the zoom to 500-600 mm. They come in 1.4x or 2x versions and can be mounted on lens to increase the effective zoom. A very cheap and light accessory to get a desired effect. It however can decrease light entering your camera and hence you may have to adjust few other options to accommodate the same.
While we have talked about camera and lenses we should also consider other important accessories as well. Tripod for instance is extremely important. It will help in stabilizing your shots. You can allow lower light situations not effect your shot at all. While not every shot would need a tripod but I still would say use one. You'll soon be tired holding your camera with a telephoto lens attached.
Another very important aspect would be your extra memory cards and battery. Make sure you have enough for the trip you planning. These are small additions that are very important and would help you a lot on these excursions.
A camera bag is another important unit. You should make sure you buy one that houses your gadgets properly and safely. Also keep camera and lens cleaning stuff handy.
Truly said, your best shot would be the result of the skills you have. If art could be taught then artists could be cultivated. Photography is an art and if you are good at it, you may not need a DSLR to create magic. A simple mobile phone camera could be best for you. If photography doesn't come to you naturally you may not be able to justify even the most expensive of the camera in the market.
I started learning using a mobile phone camera and then graduated to a point and shoot. I still remember clicking many good shots using my Sony k790i cybershot mobile.
While we discuss here that photography is a medium that can be done without proper equipment, there is one genre of photography that does not qualify for this. Unfortunately, Bird Photography is totally dependent on specialized equipment. A mobile phone camera would not suffice for this.
Now, clicking birds would need us to shoot from a distance and shoot fast. we can not expect close shots at all. For this a very fast camera is needed that can operate at around 2000 - 4000 shutter speed so that we easily freeze motion from a distance and get sharp pictures. It will also need a camera that can shoot above 6 fps. A faster auto focus also ensures that we capture many good shots that we can miss on slower cameras. We will later talk about the camera mode as well but nowadays all camera come with it. I would also want a LCD display in the camera that shows you clicked pictures. This ensures that you can correct your errors if any at the earliest. A very important part is auto focus points as well. These need to be checked as well before we finish this list. All these ensure faster focus at the subject and if the bird is moving these would be needed the most.
There are many professional camera that come with this. However, you may not have a budget for them. Some entry level DSLRs also come near by and hence can be easily acquired. I use a canon and hence can tell you about the them. EOS 450d, 550d, 600d all can supply the above mentioned feature and hence could fill up our needs for the same (at least I have to say that). They may not be as good as the professional canon's like 5d but for much shorter budget they are all that is available today. Nikon also has very good camera line up for the same. Nikon Pro Level camera like D3, D700 etc are really good and can be explored as well.
Next, we come to another most important gear - Optics or Lens. You would definitely need a telephoto lens for bird photography. I shoot with a canon 55-250 mm. While I do manage some of the shots with this but we may not get everything we need for our requirements. 250 mm is a good telephoto lens but I always wished for a greater zoom. As per my experience with birds I would have wished I had a minimum 400 - 500 mm lens. While these lenses are there in the market, they are quite expensive for us to obtain. The most obvious choice for us it to obtain the lens with maximum zoom that fits our budget. Just read the reviews that are available before purchasing. Telephoto has many other issues to look at as well. These may include image stabilization, auto focus availability, auto focus speed, weight, size etc. You should be aware of all these before buying any lens.
A cheaper telephoto lens option is a 500 mm bower lens. Although, I have not used it but I have read that it doesn't come with auto focus.
Another cheap option is to buy mirror lenses instead of regular telephoto. They are cheaper and much smaller, of course a bit compromise on quality.
Tele-converters are another option to increase zoom. They attached to your 250mm or 300mm lens and can increase the zoom to 500-600 mm. They come in 1.4x or 2x versions and can be mounted on lens to increase the effective zoom. A very cheap and light accessory to get a desired effect. It however can decrease light entering your camera and hence you may have to adjust few other options to accommodate the same.
While we have talked about camera and lenses we should also consider other important accessories as well. Tripod for instance is extremely important. It will help in stabilizing your shots. You can allow lower light situations not effect your shot at all. While not every shot would need a tripod but I still would say use one. You'll soon be tired holding your camera with a telephoto lens attached.
Another very important aspect would be your extra memory cards and battery. Make sure you have enough for the trip you planning. These are small additions that are very important and would help you a lot on these excursions.
A camera bag is another important unit. You should make sure you buy one that houses your gadgets properly and safely. Also keep camera and lens cleaning stuff handy.
