Sep 25, 2019 - What’s the BEST Lens for Wildlife Photography? Variable focal length lenses with a maximum focal length of between 400mm and 600mm are by far the most popular lenses for bird photography as they provide 8X magnification at 400mm and 12X magnification at 600mm when shooting with a full frame sensor camera. Thirdly, depending on the camera and lens you are using, you may lose autofocus functionality or have reduced autofocus performance. Length: 4.6 inches. It is true that the best quality glass will help you to achieve exceptionally sharp pictures, but if your technique is poor then your lens is not going to fix that. The Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS Lens is one of the sharpest lenses I've ever used — the image quality it produces is outstanding. Choosing the correct size (aka focal length or magnification) camera lens for bird photography has therefore become a really important decision. The standard responses to questions about lenses for street photography tend to revolve around 50mm and 35mm focal lengths. What’s the Best Camera for Landscape Photography? I learnt how to deal with the limitations of the lens, and even when photographing birds I was able to freeze the action! In those situations a longer focal length buys one distance from the subject. For the last 9 years (wow, time really does fly), I have been using a lens that goes no further than 400mm. E.g. What’s the Best Camera for Wildlife Photography in 2020? Because fixed focal length lenses have fewer moving parts, they tend to deliver higher quality results when compared to variable focal length lenses. Look no further – I have the answer! ... What the focal length means got a bit more complicated when most photographers switched from 35 mm film to digital capture cameras in the APS-C format. Short eared owl, Canon 1DX Mark II, 600mm f/4, f/4, 1/2000s, ISO 1600 It's one of the few areas in photography where one needs every ounce of auto focus capability, long focal length, and number of pixels to increase the odds of getting a great shot. Bird photography often gives you the opportunity to capture amazing action shots. 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Take a look at the lens magnification table below for the magnification achieved by a full frame and crop sensor cameras using 1.4X and 2X teleconverters. Another important consideration is whether the magnification of the lens is variable, allowing you to zoom in and out to frame your subject to your choosing. If the light isn’t good, I might spend days doing this. Sometimes I’d miss a shot, sure, particularly when the light was low on a dull day or late into the evening. Adding more glass, even something as thin as a UV filter, will reduce image quality. And to cut right to the chase, there is no one or right answer to this question. A variable focal length lens gives you a lot more options in the field. Besides, a lens with a longer focal length can create that hazy blur in the background making the bird seem zip through the air. Since then I have moved to Canon (because I now work in the film industry, and it is more appropriate for that), and I shoot with the Canon 100-400mm Mark II. If you can get fairly close to larger animals, a 70-200mm zoom can work. A teleconverter is a small device that is mounted between the lens and the camera to increase the focal length of the lens by between 1.4X and 2X in most cases. If I had a nickel for every time I was asked this question, I could retire. Luminar vs Lightroom Comparison: Which Software is Best? It is a focal length used primarily in sports and wildlife photography, but it is also the option of professionals in other fields. Next up, we have a huge number of free bird photography tutorials and I recommend you start with the following: Also, be sure to check out our in-depth beginner’s guide to wildlife photography. The Nikon 600mm f/4E FL ED VR is one of the company's longest focal length lenses available, and with a price tag that's nudging five figures, its squarely aimed at the professional sports and wildlife photographer. With something like the Canon EF 100-400mm, you could be snapping away at a bird at your feet one minute and then zoom into a bird at distance the next minute. NIKON D4 + 300mm f/4 @ 300mm, ISO 400, 1/100, f/8.0. While 300mm, 400mm, and even short zoom lenses can be useful at times for bird photography, my recommendation to those seriously interested in making quality photographs of birds is to purchase a lens with a focal length of at least 500mm. I sucked big time in the first 10 years, with a Canon Rebel and a first generation Canon 100-400. For some reason Canon have not priced this lens higher than $2,000, and it is just as sharp as the $10,000 200-400mm lens that they offer. But there is a focal length that gets used over and over again and I feel is the best one to start with. Get our best tutorials sent straight to you, and enjoy a copy of "10 Ways to INSTANTLY Improve Your Nature Photos". It allows you to fill the frame and get great close-ups. Home » Photography » What’s the Best Focal Length for Bird Photography? The table below is the focal length equivalent after factoring in the additional magnification from teleconverters and crop sensors. With this in mind, the Canon 100-400mm lens on a crop sensor camera such as the Canon 7D Mark II would have an equivalent focal length of a 160-640mm lens. Focal Length: 70-300mm. Best Budget Lens for Bird Photography. You may want to consider using a teleconverter to increase the magnification of your lens, but be aware that this will stop-down the f-ratio of your lens. This latest generation optic is significantly lighter than its predecessor thanks to the Flourite lens elements used. Here are a few of the best lenses for bird photography. So, for example, a 400mm lens on a full frame sensor camera has a binocular-equivalent magnification of 8X (400mm divided by 50mm). You’ll find that a lot of Canon professional wildlife photographers are using the 100-400mm Mark II lens (crucially, the Mark II – the previous generation is not so good) and I cannot recommend that lens enough if you are shooting with Canon gear. Camera lens sizes are measured in mm focal length rather than an 8X or 10X magnification value as they are for binoculars and video cameras. For longer focal length lenses above 500mm, fixed lenses tend to be heavier than variable lenses. Digital photography has been a game changer for birders and given rise to bird photography at a level never seen before. It’s the focal length I started with and depended on for the first years of my career. I have found my Canon 100-400mm on a Canon 7D mk II really useful for identifying birds that are beyond the range of my 10X binoculars. Easy crafts for kids: How to make Birdwatching Binoculars! However, if you’re looking to arm yourself with the best equipment for the job, you’re probably wondering what the best focal length for bird photography is? First up is the focal length. But, actually, it’s almost a bit overkill. Bird photography is an exciting and rewarding sub-set of wildlife photography, but it can be frustrating as well. However, if you were to use the same 2X teleconverter on a f4 lens, your maximum aperture is reduced to f8 and autofocus will stop working. Don’t go for a prime – you want that flexibility to allow you to compose your shots. The thrill of discovering birds to photograph set in, and we knew it was time to invest in a camera lens with a longer focal length. It really helps for composition, and you can adapt your shot for a tiny sparrow all the way up to a huge eagle swooping in to catch a fish. In contrast, variable focal length lenses with high focal lengths are available in a wider variety of qualities and prices. Yes, crop sensor cameras do impact lens magnification. To calculate the magnification value of a lens, the focal length value of the lens needs to be divided by 50mm, the 1X equivalent magnification. Ok, so now I’ve hopefully addressed the issue with “lens envy,” what do I actually recommend? E.g. Chirp Birding App 1.0.4: Add Sighting and Leaderboard. If you’re going to photograph birds that are fairly tame, you can get by with a focal length of 150mm to 200mm. Some of the most popular long lenses are the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS mk I & II and the Nikon 80-400mm VR Lens both of which fit neatly into the 8X magnification range for full frame cameras and 12X magnification range for crop sensor cameras. 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