Photographing Robins is 300mm enough. (1 Viewer)

[Bluben79]

I have a Nikon 3200 with a prime 35mm,1.8g that I've been using for a few years primarily for pictures of fish captures when angling. I have a relative who has recently fallen in love with all things Robin related and I would like to be able to get some decent images of said plucky bird.

Obviously my 35mm isn't appropriate. I have been using a Lumix FZ48 but I haven't been happy with the images and the auto focus isn't the best.

I know that 300mm isn't considered the best for birding but Robin's are easier to get close to. I'm considering the Tamron SP 70-300mm. Des anybody have experience of using this for close contact birds? Any other suggestions?

Thanks

 

[Goneandhopefullyforgotten]

I don't have any experience with that particular lens but 300mm should be long enough to get close to Robins. You might need to do a bit of cropping but your camera has a decent sensor so that shouldn't be a problem. You'll need to check that that particular lens will actually auto focus with the camera body you have.

If you want to move beyond Robins though, 300mm will be a bit on the short side.

 

[Bluben79]

Thanks, I've checked and the Tamron has an integrated focus motor.

I hoping to upgrade the D3200 to a D7200 or 7500 later in the year and then will start thinking about longer lenses.

 

[I_A_N]

you could also think about the used market, you can get a great deal on D500 and 300mm primes or 150-500 /600mm

 

[iveljay]

When your local robin gets confident i.e. feed it from close up, you can easily get within 6 ft of some. Depends a lot on environment, no of local cats etc., obviously garden environment best so robin can get used to you. Blackbirds too can get confident, one spent weeks annoying hairy thing in picture by standing a few inches away from its nose and yelling at it until chased off. Both managed to concuss them selves once by hitting a fence together and ended up lying side by side mildly concussed, bird came too first and was back following day taunting dog.

Attached 1st shot on 35mm equiv lens - crops well, after a few shots close up replaced lens with 400mm equiv to give the robin some space and it performed nicely completely oblivious to fill in flash 2nd attachment. Very mild crop - shot October 2007 Olympus E-300 (and sorry yes I would have been shooting for a card or calendar at the time).
300 mm would have been fine as final crop very slight indeed. October in and under bushes needed flash fill in to get best colour, detail and dof.

Amodern camera would have made it even easier.

 

[Bluben79]

I'm loathed to attract the birds to my garden as we have a possee of Cats in the neighborhood. I've been on a few country walks recently and found a couple of sites with Robins so might try bait and wait at those locations.

 

[iveljay]

Was summoned once by dogs as robin fledgling was sitting in dining room - pretending to be invisible. Two great hairy things sitting one each side of it, guarding it until I removed it. After picking it up to take outside, it decided it wasn't invisible and started trying to eat me. Last seen scurrying towards the bush that held its parents.

 

[iveljay]

Two great hairy dogs are great for getting birds in garden, dogs ignore birds, birds ignore dogs, cats avoid dogs, dogs provide nesting material for birds. Also if you get a sick or injured bird you will be notified by concerned hairy thing. Dogs do need training to ignore birds, but one day I found one young dog that had been slow to learn sitting about 5 feet from a robin listening to it sing, after that it was no problem. Unfortunately I know no way of training cats! I sympathise with your problem as no longer have dogs.

 

[Dave Williams]

300mm will be more than adequate, I have had a Robin feeding out of my hand and captured the images with my phone. They are the most confiding birds you can find....just start digging the garden and there will be one near by. If you want to try feeding them put a bird table out in the open where the Robin has a clear view of potential danger from the cats. Normally you would recommend that the feeders are near to cover for the birds to dive in to but in this instance maybe not.

 

[iveljay]

Chaffinch 400 mm equiv, 1/60, f5.6, ISO 400, no flash, uncropped 8/9/2007 , Oly E-300, again a modern sensor would have made this easier and less grainy. Shot a lot of small rodents on the same shoot

 

[iveljay]

Probably shot from monopod as no image stabilisation then, and only 8 Mp.