Birdwatcher or Fowl Photographer? – 10,000 Birds

Even though it’s greater than 50 years since my first chicken {photograph} used to be revealed, I’ve at all times remained a birdwatcher who pictures birds, no longer a photographer whose favorite quarry has feathers. The adaptation isn’t relatively as refined because it sounds, as I will experience drastically a perfect day trip once I fail to take a unmarried {photograph}, however for a photographer the sort of day can be a failure.

There used to be a time once I flirted with the speculation of turning into a correct photographer. Again within the 80s I used to be the use of a fantastic pair of Nikon FE2 cameras, or even had a 400mm f5.6 lens that used to be sharp and simple to make use of, in spite of being guide concentration. On the other hand, 400mm wasn’t in reality lengthy sufficient for chicken pictures, so I sooner or later purchased myself a secondhand Nikon 600mm f5.6 lens, then the favorite lengthy lens of many critical chicken photographers. I even purchased a 2x convertor to move with it. 

Unfortunately, I by no means were given on with the 600mm, because it used to be just too large, too bulky, to experience the use of it. It used to be inconceivable to make use of handheld, so needed to be fastened on a tripod, which added to its already really extensive weight. I used to be the use of Kodachrome 64 transparency movie – most definitely the most efficient transparency movie then to be had – nevertheless it used to be an overly gradual, and inconceivable to make use of in low gentle or on boring days.

I did take the 600mm on a few critical journeys – one to Siberia, the opposite to California – and controlled to take some sufficient photos, nevertheless it by no means gave me any excitement when I used to be the use of it. Probably the most issues used to be discovering the chicken within the viewfinder, in particular when the use of the converter. On the time I used to be an invaluable shot with a shotgun, so my hand-and-eye coordination used to be tremendous, however with the large lens on a tripod I used to be painfully gradual, and all however probably the most dim-witted of birds had flown by the point I had the wretched factor pointed at them. This used to be again within the days of guide concentration, so even if the chicken stuffed the viewfinder you continue to needed to mess around with the focussing. 

As for flying birds – disregard it. I didn’t have the talent (or energy) important to indicate the contraption at anything else flying. After a pair years I made up our minds to do away with it, and remarkably controlled to promote it for precisely the similar value as I had paid – £1600. This used to be a fortunate break out, as inside a short while autofocus lenses arrived, and no person sought after a manual-focus 600mm lens anymore. The price of those lenses plummeted, depreciating as speedy as a peregrine can hunch. 

My first-ever digiscoped chicken – a Nice Noticed Cuckoo in Cyprus

On the time I used to be travelling so much looking for birds, generally main vacations. Probably the most unwritten regulations of chicken excursions is that the chief shouldn’t take pictures as his (or her) task is to turn the purchasers birds. This generally way wearing a telescope, and maximum by no means a digicam with a whopping nice lens. Thus I wasn’t tempted to shop for some of the new autofocus cameras and lenses, however I did have a small Nikon E5400 digicam in my pocket for panorama photographs. (This used to be, in fact, sooner than the times of cellphones with integrated cameras.) It used to be on a go back and forth to Cyprus, observing a Nice Noticed Cuckoo (above), that one among my purchasers prompt I will have to have a cross at digiscoping it, a method I’d by no means even heard of. Remarkably, the lens of the Nikon fitted snugly into the eyepiece of my Swarovski telescope. Much more sudden, the effects have been just right, too.

Digiscoping had the nice merit that it used to be conceivable to {photograph} birds whilst main chicken excursions, and I discovered that a lot of my purchasers favored to peer the images I had taken. There have been frustrations, as my golden rule used to be that my purchasers will have to be capable of have a look at the chicken, or birds, via my scope sooner than I tried to take any pictures, however I did take many photos that on the time I discovered pleasant. 

A Crimson-Headed Bunting in Kazakhstan – a delightful digiscoped shot

I modified the lens on my Swarovski to a 25 x 50 zoom, and although this didn’t paintings so smartly with the previous Nikon digicam, it did with the Panasonic DMC-TZ7 digicam that changed it. I’ve a robust searching intuition, and digiscoping gave me the pleasure of bagging my quarry. It used to be a laugh to come back house from an afternoon within the box to load my pictures directly to my lap most sensible, and later my iPad. 

I by no means used adapters, simply putting the little digicam at the telescope’s lens. The ensuing image wanted cropping, however this used to be a role that took only some seconds. I used to be at all times beautiful fast at pointing the scope at my quarry, and I changed into similarly fast at taking my pictures. Arguably the prime level of my digiscoping profession used to be in 2012, once I received the digiscoping elegance within the British Birds Fowl Photographer of the 12 months awards.  My profitable image used to be of a Wryneck, photographed in an apple tree in an orchard in Poland the former 12 months. It used to be a satisfying shot: the publicity used to be spot on, the chicken no longer too large within the symbol, whilst the out-of-focus background and blossom at the apple tree complemented the topic. Because the Wryneck is a misplaced breeding chicken in Britain it’s additionally a chicken of particular pastime to us Brits and one I by no means tire of photographing.

On the other hand, digiscoping did have its boundaries. Flying birds would possibly not had been inconceivable – I controlled to take some cheap photos of Dalmatian Pelicans in flight, whilst the shiny ibises (under) are OK – however used to be exceedingly difficult. And each {photograph} required the telescope to be arrange on a tripod, one thing that took time. Spontaneous pictures used to be out of the query. The standard of the picture produced through small virtual cameras used to be not anything like as just right as that from first rate SLR. On the other hand, it will possibly nonetheless be spectacular, because the header {photograph} of a Hoopoe on the most sensible of this web page demonstrates.

It used to be on a go back and forth to western Sicily that I used to be offered for the primary time to the answer. Considered one of my purchasers had introduced with him his new Olympus virtual digicam, an EM-1. It used to be mirrorless and compact, and each small and light-weight sufficient to be extremely moveable. I used to be sufficiently inspired to move house and purchase one. That first digicam broke down right through a birding go back and forth to Portugal, however Olympus changed it with a brand new one who labored completely till I traded it in for an EM-1 Mk II, which stays my digicam nowadays. The following improve might be to an OM-1.

I coupled the EM-1 with an Olympus 75mm-300mm lens, which used to be particularly gentle and remarkably reasonably priced. This gave me a extremely moveable digicam that, on account of the digicam’s four-thirds gadget, equipped the an identical magnification of the previous 600mm lens. It used to be this kind of package that I may cling from my shoulder and infrequently realize it used to be there, making the easiest digicam for a birdwatcher. The little 75-300mm lens additionally proved to be satisfyingly sharp, particularly making an allowance for how little it value.

DT birdwatching in Andalucia. I’m nonetheless mainly a birdwatcher, in spite of the digicam (with 100-400mm lens) putting on my shoulder

Even though I nonetheless use this lens, my usual birding lens is now the OM Device’s M-Zuiko  100-400mm f5-6.3. It’s with regards to compact sufficient for me to stay a birdwatcher with a digicam, no longer only a photographer, whilst its weight (1120g) is on the higher restrict of what I’m ready to hold on my shoulder. At round £1000 it’s additionally reasonably priced. Due to an excellent symbol stabilisation gadget I will use it handheld and get razor-sharp effects, whilst it additionally plays smartly with a 1.4 convertor. It is usually extremely efficient for butterflies, because it lets in very shut concentration.

Along with this lens, OM Methods (what was Olympus) provides a qualified 150-400mm f4.5 lens. This can be a super piece of apparatus, or even has a inbuilt 1.25x teleconverter, however it is extremely pricey (just about £7000). It is usually significantly larger than the 100-400mm, weighing a hefty 1875g. A qualified chicken photographer pal of mine enthuses about his, and the effects he has accomplished with it are excellent. I’ve used it and used to be deeply inspired. I’d love one, however possession of the sort of lens would flip me into a major photographer, no longer a birder with a digicam. I’m glad as I’m.