Beginner ... D90 & 300mm?

[Ptarmi]

Hi, after taking a photo of a Hen Harrier the other day, being mobbed by a bunch of Crows, only to get home, stick it on my PC & see nothing but Sky |>:(| I'm now thinking it's time I get a proper camera & lens.

After poking about a bit I'm thinking a D90 + a 300mm lens might be a pretty good starting point ..... any thoughts?

[john woosh]

try to get a 400mm lens i had 300mm lens and soon realised it was to short unless you use a tc with it. i just wish i had got the bigger lens the first time around.

[Duke Leto]

what do you currently use, that may have a bearing on where to go

[mike from ebbw]

If you let us know your budget then we can advise on a suitable starter combo.;)

[pshute]

what do you currently use, that may have a bearing on where to go
I agree, because many compact cameras can take good pictures, better in fact than many SLRs if you take into account that you might not be able to afford such a long equivalent focal length lens for a larger sensor size. They might take grainy pictures in poor light, but there shouldn't be NOTHING in the picture.

You problem might be one of technique, not equipment.

Of course, compact cameras often make it hard to find the subject because of low res viewfinders.

[ikw101]

400mm is significantly better for birds than 300mm particulary if you prefer tightly cropped images. However a 400mm lens is also considerably heavier and not as portable as a 300mm. (400mm = same field of view as 8x binoculars, 300m = 6x - I can't recall seeing any birders 6x binoculars) !

Unless you've got several thousand pounds to invest in a lens a 400mm lens will be slower eg. f5.6 rather than f4 typically found on a 300mm prime lens. Although this doesn't sound like a big deal in effect you'll lose autofocus if you try to attach a teleconverter to give you a bit more length likewise you'll also lose AF if you attach extension tubes for close focusing or macro type work.

Personally I'm a birder first and I prefer to see a bit of habitat in the image therefore I prefer the portability of a relatively lightweight 300mm prime lens. If I spent most of my life in hides I'd be happy with a 400 or even 500mm lens. On the occasions I need the extra reach the teleconverter is fitted likewise if I need macro/close focusing the extension tubes come out. The only time I've found the 300mm lens to be too short is with anything smaller than a goldfinch. Even then it's still sufficent for a record shot.

At the moment the most affordable options are:

Nikon D90 (£650) + 300mm f4 (£950) + Nikon 1.4 Tc (£300) = 420mm at a cost of £1850.
Canon 50D (£720) + 400mm f5.6 (£1100) = 400mm at a cost of £1820

Both are superb set-ups and capable of excellent results.

[Tim Taylor]

Why not have a play with some second hand gear first? The most important thing by far is the lens - 400mm min - something like a 100-400mm Canon for flexibility or 400mm f5.6 (sorry, not familiar with the Nikon range) and stick a second hand body (30D or similar) on it. If you like it, you can upgrade later. Don't waste money on new kit if you're just starting out is my advice.