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cameras (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter jed
- Start date
rezMole
Well-known member
I think you need to be more specific.
Best camera would be a top DSLR with a set of prime lenses going up to about 800mm! But you'd be looking at a cost somewhere equivalent to a decent new car!
Are you looking at digiscoping with a compact camera?
What sort of price range?
Best camera would be a top DSLR with a set of prime lenses going up to about 800mm! But you'd be looking at a cost somewhere equivalent to a decent new car!
Are you looking at digiscoping with a compact camera?
What sort of price range?
RAH
Well-known member
Jed, if you want to take pictures of birds, you need as much magnification as possible. Therefore, you should be looking at the "super-zoom" cameras, which have 10x or 12x OPTICAL zooms. (Ignore the "digital zoom" specs - you shouldn't use it anyway). There are many manufacturers that make them nowadays, Olympus, Panasonic, etc.
As far as megapixels, most of these 10x or 12x cameras have 4 or 5 MPs.
If you want to spend BIG bucks, you could get a digital SLR and a large zoom lens. We're talking thousands here.
As far as megapixels, most of these 10x or 12x cameras have 4 or 5 MPs.
If you want to spend BIG bucks, you could get a digital SLR and a large zoom lens. We're talking thousands here.
RAH
Well-known member
Good point rezMole. With the 10x and 12x EVF (electronic viewfinder) digital cameras, they mostly start at 38mm. For example, the 10x Olympus cameras (C-730, C-740, C-750, C-765, etc) go from 38mm to 380mm. I'm pretty sure that the Panasonic 12x cameras also start at 38mm and go somewhat above 400mm at the top.
(To get the magnification, divide by 50 - thus a 380mm lens gives 380/50 = about 7.5x).
(To get the magnification, divide by 50 - thus a 380mm lens gives 380/50 = about 7.5x).
greypoint
Well-known member
To some degree it matters what sort of birds and where they are. Best range and quality at the moment seems to be the Panasonic FZ20 - 420mm stabilised f2.8 zoom. If the birds are'nt too far away you'll get great results but 420mm does'nt reach that far. Of course, for real long distance you're into the realms of digiscoping. What's the budget? To be honest, if I lost all my equipment, and had to spend the absolute minimum to get going again, I'd get the cheapest DSLR possible - probably a s/hand Canon D30 and s/hand lens from Ebay. Even at 3mp it would beat a compact.
If the budget can stand it then I recommend the Nikon D70 - as it's the best camera I've had for this sort of thing.
If the budget can stand it then I recommend the Nikon D70 - as it's the best camera I've had for this sort of thing.
Robert L Jarvis
Robert L Jarvis
Good points made about the zoom. Eg the Canon powershot S2 IS qoutes a 12x optical zoom, but goes from 36-432mm so on RAH's formula at 432 mag is 8.64!
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