Camera for birder recommendations (2 Viewers)

[njlarsen]

Regarding being steady: there is a cheat but no free lunch: making sure you have a fast shutter time will help. However, that will also increase the noise in the image unless the light is really good (or the sensor is really large which is not the situation we are discussing).
Niels

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

You're fitter than me Paul.... I can't get down on the ground any more, or rather, I can't get up if I do.

Usually I try and find a tree or something to lean against. A couple of times I've used a friend's shoulder to rest the zoom on.

As long as you're doing the best you an and enjoying it, Delia, that's all that matters!

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

I see a lot of love/recommendations for the P900

I have the P950 and haven't tried bird watching mode. I have a feeling the camera is best left with pretty much everything on neutral and kept in its simplest form, and any adjustments done through post processing.

What I would say about the P950 is that the active dynamic lighting feature does a very good job of judging EV, surprisingly good, and if you have Nikon's software then you have the option to change ADL during post processing. That has turned out very useful for me because I always have it on normal when I'm taking pictures but more or less every time I change it to low using Nikon's software. I suppose it depends how you like your pictures to look. I like mine slightly underexposed, and Nikon's software gives you the option to compare ADL high, normal, low, off. That to me is an outstanding technological feat.

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

Regarding being steady: there is a cheat but no free lunch: making sure you have a fast shutter time will help. However, that will also increase the noise in the image unless the light is really good (or the sensor is really large which is not the situation we are discussing).
Niels

You certainly can help yourself though, Niels, and I think the difference is stark. The only time I take pictures standing up is when the sky is hazy or cloudy and I know the impact that will have on image quality through experience, so if lying down means I'm shooting up into the sky in those conditions and standing up means I'll have some nice green in the background instead, then I'll stand up and take the picture. But all things being equal, I never take pictures standing up: the difference is huge in keeping the camera steady and I reckon it matters more than shutter speed, particularly when you add in that anything above 400 ISO on a bridge camera could well be a bit too grainy for anyone's liking.

 

[simmojunior]

Thanks all. I think I am going to go for Nikon p900 although part of me is still tempted to splash out on the Sony. Given the P900 has been discontinued, what do people think about buying a second hand camera? I regularly buy optics second hand but a bit more nervous about electronics?

 

[delia todd]

Mine was second hand, but hardly used. In fact, all my cameras have been second hand! Either from a shop or from members on here.

If you trust the vendor, go for it.

 

[poledark]

Simmond, go for the 1000. I have a 900 and upgraded to the 1000. there are several features on the 1000 like the focus ring (manual) a godsend when searching undergrowth, particularly birds at distance on the ground. Always difficult advising others what to buy, but as a guy who never travels anywhere without my camera and takes pics of anything and everything then the 1000 is the best camera I have ever used. Don't worry about image quality and sensor size, for sheer all round ability and practicality the 1000 is the answer. Just don't expect to get BIF with it zoomed out to 3000mm but even here the "snapback" function can help.

Den

 

[simmojunior]

I've ordered a "Boxed, As new" Nikon P900 from Park Cameras for £470. Thanks all for the advice. I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

I've ordered a "Boxed, As new" Nikon P900 from Park Cameras for £470. Thanks all for the advice. I'll let you know how I get on.

With the benefit of hindsight that's exactly what I would have done. The P950 is twice the price but it's not giving you much more than what you get with the P900. The P900 doesn't have a RAW shooting option, but for people like us that doesn't matter much anyway because the difference, RAW versus JPEG, is negligible.

What I would say is download Nikon's own post processing software, which is called "NX Studio". It does a better job of judging colour adjustments because it is built to be compatible with Nikon cameras, unlike third party software. I always run my pictures through Nikon's software and save as TIFF before doing a bit more in Affinity. There are things Nikon's software can't do that Affinity can simply because Affinity is in a different league, but no third party software can judge the colour like Nikon's own software.

By the way, I've bought stuff second hand from these places, and in my experience they mean what they say. I think it's the type of world where reputation and being good for your word, matters.

 

[simmojunior]

I finally took my Nikon Coolpix out for a play at the local reservoir and am quite happy with results. Does anyone know what is best free photo editing software?

 

[stevo]

Gimp is a good editor.