Camera Recommendations (1 Viewer)

Hi,

My father just recently noticed swifts nesting in the top corner of the house which is 30 feet. He's never done photography but is really wanting to try his hand at photographing the swifts in flight, He also has blue tits in the garden that he would love to get photos of. Could you please recommend a camera that would be suitable without any blur. As he's never done it before he doesn't want to go too expensive his budget is £300, any advice would be greatfull.

For this budget the option is a superzoom.
See: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=192909

thunda600 said:

Hi,

He's never done photography but is really wanting to try his hand at photographing the swifts in flight,

his budget is £300, any advice would be greatfull.

Click to expand...

He is setting his sights very high......as exerienced photographers with top end equipment would struggle with this.
As Christian says-a superzoom would do for the Bluetits when they are still(ish) but flight shots of small birds are notoriously difficult.

Welcome to Birdforum! Swifts are indeed very difficult, but if he is used to seeing them come in a predictable distance, then manual focus just might do the trick. That is usually possible (even if not easy) using a superzoom, but be prepared to take several hundred pictures to get a few that seems good.

This composite was the best I could come up with after an hour of shooting swifts one afternoon using a panasonic superzoom.

Niels

I agree with what David said. I think it would be extremely difficult to photograph swifts with superzoom camera. Six years ago I also started with a superzoom and once I was lucky to manage to photograph a pigeon in flight with the "pre focusing" trick, but I think that you will only end up disappointed with the results you will get when it comes to swifts.

My advice is to either try to come up with at least a little bit more money and for starters get some cheaper dslr camera, maybe even a second hand one, and some good lens (for example Canon 70-300 IS is not too expensive to start with)... or, buy a superzoom and don't expect much when it comes to swifts in flight... on the other side superzoom can be a very nice start when it comes to bird photography, but you will surely come to a point where you will want more of your camera and it will again come down to some dslr.

On a side note, I have swifts flying above my balcony all summer. They are amazing birds to watch and I love them! They seam so happy, and playful and they are sure flying like crazy! I have been photographing birds for 6 years now, and they are still a challenge for me to photograph. I kinda joke that I photograph them as a training, in order to get better and better when it comes to birds in flight. Now I use Canon 50D and Canon 400 f5.6 lens, but even with that combination I am still not fully satisfied with the results I am getting but that is because I look at other peoples amazing bird photos on the internet and it is always a challenge that it can be better

Anyway, enjoy the swifts, and whatever you decide to buy, happy shooting

Here is a collage of swift photos I took few days ago:

For a beginner with a budget of £300 a superzoom is clearly what you should be looking at.

But as others have pointed out swifts in flight would be a challenge with a DSLR set-up worth thousands. They are pretty much the most difficult thing to photograph because of the speed they fly at.

CyberKat said:

Here is a collage of swift photos I took few days ago:

Click to expand...

Superb - i too love swifts and these are great pics - particularly the top left because of the light

I can recommend the Fuji HS20 superzoom... but agree with others that swifts in flight are setting the bar very high

The swifts will have gone now, of course, to Africa. So save up for a DSLR or at least a micro four thirds camera. I have a Panasonic G3 and 100-300 lens and have managed some fair shots, though not as good as Cyberkats - but then my equipment is a lot lighter, smaller, and cheaper.
Sean

http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=334579&d=1309812056

I have the Canon 75-300 DO IS which has seen me through but I am looking to upgrade soon. I would love to get some people's expert opinions also any website recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

One last note, I have already used Ebay.co.uk , Amazon.com & Groupon.ie

So any others would help!

Thanks again

Super zooms are not the cameras for bird in flight (BiF). Swifts/swallows are incredibly fast and probably one of the most difficult birds to photograph.

At his price range he is going to struggle to get a DSLR. However the Pentax Kx with an 18-55 (both used) for day to day stuff and then add a very inexpensive but decent quality Tamron 70-300 (new) which will have the reach for garden birds, and that should come in around the right price. Importantly it has in-camera stabilisation (with every lens) for those hand-held shots.

For those swifts it will be a frustrating exercise because no camera can focus quick enough to catch them. He will need to use manual pre-focus at around the distance / location he expects the swifts to fly through (MUCH easier if they are nesting) and then 'machine-gun' (hold the shutter button down for as many shots per second as the camera can manage).

There are a few super zooms that do exceptional high FPS (frames per second) but lack the IQ of a DSLR - it really depends how high, IQ-wise, your father in aiming.

I have a 250 dollar Nikon with a rather nice little lens and a whole lot of buttons. It does well for stills, but my Swift pictures are a complete blur. I usually mount my camera on a cheap tripod, aim it at a stationary bird, set the timer, and hit the button. I get nice pictures this way, but no action shots.

For his limited budget I would suggest a secondhand DSLR and lens, a canon 350D and tamron 70-300 Di LD zoom lens would suit his needs and whilst both are older equipment they are capable of getting the shots he desires, he would struggle with a compact or bridge camera, but the DSLR will do the job.

350D's can be picked up for under £150 second hand and the lens for between £60-80