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#1 |
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Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Santa Barbara, California
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Will More Megapixels Help Me Here?
I photograph birds for identification and record shots. I don't care so much about actually taking good photos, but photos that are good enough to serve as a good ID. Often this entails going full zoom and then heavily cropping in post processing. This usually leads to a fuzzy picture, but of course this is not unexpected.
I am wondering if I had more megapixels, would these cropped images come out sharper? I currently shoot with a Nikon D5000 - 12.3 megapixels. 300mm lens. Below is a link to an original and a cropped version of one of these shots. If I upgraded from my 12.3 MP to, say, a D500 with 20.9 megapixels, would I get more detail in the zoomed/cropped version? Appreciate any input here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/YM24uRr7EyQSyCPm2 |
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#2 |
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Or possibly identify the birds live before converting them to pixels? A good scope and bins and lots of practice will make the need of record shots a very occasional affair. This is cheaper than a 20 mp camera and one acquires a skill that will increase with time and bring much pleasure.
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#3 |
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A longer lens would help so less cropping, i hate to say it but a much later camera with more MP and better iso handling plus better DR.
If you have the money steady hands and want to do much BIF my basic Nikon recommendation would be D7200,300mm f4 and 1.4 tc. Would like to see some of your static bird images that you are happy with as it would be easier to recommend kit to beat it. I opted for the D500 and Sigma `100-400 as i like to do BIF but for mainly static birds the D500 is over kill IMO.
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#4 | |
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#5 | |
It's true, I quite like Pigeons
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#6 |
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I would also recommend shooting in RAW rather than jpeg if you can because it captures all the photos details not just a compressed image . So more can be done to enhance using suitable software.
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#7 |
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Personally I prefer photos for identification, like the OP. Even with scope or bins I often have trouble to see the details fast enough with my 55 year old eyes. No doubt an experienced birder can identify most birds easily with binoculars, as he or she knows voice, behaviour, habitat and other stuff that provide additional orientation. I can't do that (yet). Also, for me it is much of the fun of birding that I can walk through my photos in front of the computer and have all the time in the world to ID them and simultaneously study my books to learn more.
Last week I visited the German North Sea coast. In two days I saw 14 new species. In such a situation it is extremely valuable for me to have the Nikon V2 + CX 70-300 for birds in flight. The camera nails almost every bird that flies by. The example below, a spotted redshank, was one of the birds that I had seen before. It can nevertheless be a problem for me to ID a single, fast flying wading bird. Other birds were closer, this one might have been 40 or 50m away. From my series of 7 photos that showed this bird the first shot is one of those in original size. The others are unedited crops. Another shot (missing here) also shows the dark upper side with the oval white patch characteristic for the species. This series was taken with 5fps. In many situation I prefer 15 fps, sometimes 30fps. Cases where I don't find the details necessary for ID are rare. The Nikon V2 has 14MP, the Nikon V3 would have 18MP. I guess other factors are just as important as megapixels - a good AF, sharp lens and high fps can all be useful. Last edited by HermitIbis : Sunday 15th October 2017 at 22:17. |
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#8 |
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Thanks for the input everyone.
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#9 | |
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#10 | |
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You actually need to upgrade lens and body i had the D5100 and 55-300 took some nice shots and kept the lens for quiet a while as it was nice. I dont see the need for you to get a D500 unless your interest moves more to photography than bird watching and ID. The D7200 would give you better noise control at higher ISOs better AF and better cropping,other things as well but thats the three that you are asking about. Lens is more difficult to answer as i dont know what you would be happy carrying around but as you talk about cropping it needs to be a good one.
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#11 | |
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#12 |
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To follow up on that, before shooting birds, I rarely used telephoto and rarely was significantly cropping my photos. So I am a bit inexperienced here (obviously), and unfamiliar with where to look for gains. This has been helpful. Here is a link to an example shot (cropped + original) that I wish could have been a bit sharper. A bigger zoom would help here, that much I realize.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/lA46AU1TtMgbPs592 |
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#13 | |
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not sure thats been resolved yet ![]() Not suggesting you join but if you look at the bird threads and hover over the images you can see the exif, then most members have their gear listed, so if the exif says 150-600 you can check below the image if its Tamron or Sigma. https://nikonites.com/forum/#axzz4r4HLVBwC
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#14 | |
Given to Fly
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#15 | |
Given to Fly
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As far as birds go, focal length, speed, and quality rule - often at the expense of heavy weight and high cost. Reasonable results can be had with either the Tamron or SigmaC 150-600 f6.3, though they are a little softish from 500-600mm at longer distances and f6.3 can run out of puff as light levels drop. Other options are Nikon's 200-500 f5.6 which is better, but both heavier and more expensive. For a few more dollars still there is Nikon's lightweight (about a 1/3rd of the weight!) 300mm f4 PF which takes a 1.4xTC well. For these 3 options the equivalent focal lengths are 900mm f6.3, 750mm f5.6, and 630mm f5.6, or using the 1.3x in-camera crop they become 1200mm f6.3, 1000mm f5.6, and 840mm f5.6 repectively at 15.4MP. The D7200 represents great value, and if you need incrementaly better performance the D500 would be a better bet than the D7500, though about double the price of the D7200. For your purposes the D7200 would be the one I would get ![]() Chosun ![]() |
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#16 | |
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Totally correct but be aware that the file size of each shot will be much bigger than jpeg so you may need a couple of extra memory cards if you're taking a lot of pictures. Back to the OP, surely the simple answer to his question is yes! A |
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#17 | |
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With photos, I often wonder how long we spend actually admiring them, in minutes. I'd just rather spend the time drooling over them in real life - 30 minutes goes fast. So for me, scope and bins over a camera - though I'd push myself to carry a camera as well. Of course I do love photos, so someone's got to take them ![]() |
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#18 |
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Also remember that more megapixels the more you are at risk of ‘camera shake’
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#19 | |
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My wife uses a D810 with the Sigma sport 150-600 and gets some great results. https://www.parkcameras.com/p/G24726...yABEgKRzPD_BwE A |
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#20 | |
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Luckily for me, my wife is a photographer who carries all her kit on all our walks. A |
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#21 |
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Appreciate the input everyone. I am planning on upgrading my kit, with a new body + lens. Looking at the D7200 + 80-400mm AF-S VR. I probably can't afford both at once, so will stagger my purchases. I've got a trip to Australia coming up. If I could only buy one before I depart, which do you think would offer the biggest improvement? The body or the lens? I figure the lens, but am curious to hear any input. And again, thanks for all the help.
Last edited by HeadWest : Thursday 19th October 2017 at 05:43. |
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#22 | |
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#23 | |
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#24 | |
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#25 |
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Glad to be of help. They can often be tricky to separate, rather like Bar- and Black-tailed Godwits, amongst others.
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