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Best Lens for birding with (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter hartley
- Start date
Probably best to give some idea as to what your budget is, then I'm sure someone will be able to recommend a good lens.
Keith Reeder
Watch the birdie...
Plenty of good lenses - Sigma 135-400mm, Sigma 80-400mm OS, Nikkor 80-400mm VR, Tamron 200-500mm, Sigma 50-500mm - all of which are used to good effect by D70 users on this forum (I've got the Sigma 135-400 and the 80-400 OS, and they're both great).
But best?
Can't help you there!
As Postie says, an idea of budget would be a great help.
So would something about how you'd want to use the lens - handheld, tripod-mounted - and what kinds of birds you want to shoot: different requirements/solutions for taking pics of the birds on your garden feeders from ten feet away, compared to (say) shooting hunting ospreys from 200 yards off...
But best?
Can't help you there!
As Postie says, an idea of budget would be a great help.
So would something about how you'd want to use the lens - handheld, tripod-mounted - and what kinds of birds you want to shoot: different requirements/solutions for taking pics of the birds on your garden feeders from ten feet away, compared to (say) shooting hunting ospreys from 200 yards off...
I don't know the Nikon world at all but I can tell you that in the Canon world there are two prime lenses that pros love for wildlife photography, including birds These are the 300 f2.8 (with IS, preferably) and, better yet, the 500 f4. Both are very expensive and pretty heavy but definitely 'the best' in terms of resolution, light gathering, etc. Nikon most likely has something equivalent.
Keith Reeder
Watch the birdie...
Hi Art,
kind of in line with your posting, Nikon have a 300mm prime - the AF-S 300mm F4 IF ED - which is right up there.
Review here:
http://www.bythom.com/300AFSlens.htm
Best of all (apart from how good it is with a 1.4x teleconvertor) is that it's (by the general standard of quality primes) very reasonably priced - £860 or therebouts (equating to $1734 CDN/$2011 AUS at today's exchange rate).
kind of in line with your posting, Nikon have a 300mm prime - the AF-S 300mm F4 IF ED - which is right up there.
Review here:
http://www.bythom.com/300AFSlens.htm
Best of all (apart from how good it is with a 1.4x teleconvertor) is that it's (by the general standard of quality primes) very reasonably priced - £860 or therebouts (equating to $1734 CDN/$2011 AUS at today's exchange rate).
Keith Reeder
Watch the birdie...
Thanks Yossi - praise indeed if you rate it so highly.
I must admit, I was very close to going down that route myself recently - it seems like an awful lot of lens for the price.
I must admit, I was very close to going down that route myself recently - it seems like an awful lot of lens for the price.
hartley
Member
Hi all, thanks for the replies, not really sure about the money front -350 mark maybe, if I can save a little extra then I will go up to 400, can't justify anything more than that at the moment (seeing that I am not the one doing the earning).
Have written down those mentioned so I'll go and have a look see!
Thank you, hartley
Have written down those mentioned so I'll go and have a look see!
Thank you, hartley
Keith Reeder
Watch the birdie...
Forgive the silly question, Hart - but 350-400 what?
Aussie dollars?
Aussie dollars?
Keith Reeder
Watch the birdie...
OK,
in that price range, some of the options I've suggested become difficult unless you can get a break on a used lens, or buy from Hong Kong via Ebay.
Of the lenses I mentioned, the only one I know fits is the Sigma 135-400 (which I highly recommend, incidentally).
It comes in at anything between £300 and £400+ depending on which site.
Note also that there's a brand new "DG" version which is more expensive, but the older model (the one I've got), is a cracking lens anyway.
Examples attached...
in that price range, some of the options I've suggested become difficult unless you can get a break on a used lens, or buy from Hong Kong via Ebay.
Of the lenses I mentioned, the only one I know fits is the Sigma 135-400 (which I highly recommend, incidentally).
It comes in at anything between £300 and £400+ depending on which site.
Note also that there's a brand new "DG" version which is more expensive, but the older model (the one I've got), is a cracking lens anyway.
Examples attached...
Attachments
SeanKP
Fledgling
Keith Reeder
Watch the birdie...
Oh aye, if the 170-500mm is on the cards at the right price, consider that too.
The reason I didn't mention that lens earlier is that I haven't seen many examples of its use that have really impressed me - but that was before I realised that Psilo uses one..!
The reason I didn't mention that lens earlier is that I haven't seen many examples of its use that have really impressed me - but that was before I realised that Psilo uses one..!
jimmypotts
Active member
Sorry for the late response. I had a Nikkor 80-400VR, & sold it as fast as I could. Terible results across the board.
I went for the big gun & bought a Nikkor 200-400VR. UNbelievable. You'll hate buying it because of the $$$$, but only until you start seeing the results of its images.
I went for the big gun & bought a Nikkor 200-400VR. UNbelievable. You'll hate buying it because of the $$$$, but only until you start seeing the results of its images.
Keith Reeder
Watch the birdie...
That's a big surprise, Jim.
This site - http://www.pbase.com/alvalentino/raptors - is full of staggeringly good pictures taken with a D70 and 80-400mm VR.
This site - http://www.pbase.com/alvalentino/raptors - is full of staggeringly good pictures taken with a D70 and 80-400mm VR.
hartley said:
I use a Sigma 300mm 2.8 and Sigma 500mm 4.5, both A/F but normally used on manual. Good quality lenses but support in the form of a tripod or monopod essensial for most of the time. They also have the advantage of a 1.5 times effective increase in focal length on th D70/70S.
