BIRDING GEARS

Birding photography is a very demanding genre as it involves trying to capture the birds at a quite a distance from the camera. What makes it more difficult is the size of the birds which most of the times are quite small. Add to this the constant movement of certain species like the Sunbirds which do not stay still more than a second, the gears that are required need to be the top of the line.

Whatever camera that is used needs to address the issue of distance,fast focus and shutter speed so not to miss the shot. Of course the high noise compression capability at high ISO of the camera is crucial especially during a bad light day (overcast), early morning or late evening in order to achieve a reasonably fast shutter speed to avoid blur when not using an external flash. This requirement usually point to using full frame cameras with native ISO up to 12800 or 25600. Some like Canon full frame EOS5D MK3(which what i use for my birding) can boost the ISO up to 102400, which becomes too noisy to be used for anything in my opinion. However, using full frame camera has a slight disadvantage as the crop factor of 1.6x of the image is lost as opposed to using the APSC camera like the EOS7D, which is quite popular among the birders. The 1.6x crop factor also magnify the longest focal length of the zoom or prime lens i.e 1.6 x 400mm = 640mm which can address the distance issue when shooting a bird perching high up on a tall tree. A full frame camera like the EOS 5D MK3 will read the 400mm lens as 400mm only. However, because of the high resolution of the image of 22mp, and the high quality produced by the sensor, the image can be magnified many times more through cropping in the computer and still able to produce detailed and high quality images. On the other hand, using an APSC camera like EOS7D with a crop factor can save you money because you do not have to break a bank in order to buy high end prime like EF500, 600 or 800mm L prime telephoto lenses which will cost between RM20,000 to RM45,000 respectively! I only use the Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 OS HSM zoomlens and an EF400mm f5.6L non-IS Canon lens for my birding as they are quite affordable costing RM4200 for the Sigma and RM3500 for the EF400mm f5.6L Canon lens. Using these lenses with my EOS60D will give me maximum focal length of 800mm for the Sigma and 640mm for the EF400mm f5.6L Canon lenses. As i use both APSC EOS60D and full frame EOS5D MK3 camera i have the flexibility of swapping lenses for distance or image quality in the field.

Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 OS HSM lens with Canon EOS60D APSC body

                                                  

    

                                              

Canon EF400mm f5.6L non-IS lens with Canon EOS5D Mark 3 full frame body                                                     

                                                     

Another issue when selecting the type of camera or lenses for birding is the IS capability. IS stands for image stabilisation in lenses for Canon, VR (vibration reduction) for Nikon lenses or OS (optical stabiliser) for Sigma lenses.Sony has the IS in the camera body instead of in the lenses. The importance of the IS is when we have to shoot using the low shutter speed (1/30 second downwards) in bad light handheld with the subject keeps moving. Any movement of the subject or the shooter will result in blurred images. Of course a lot of birders solve this issue by using good tripods and remote shutter release. Good IS lenses will automatically sense the tripod and switch off the IS anyway to save battery life and produce sharp images. Another way to solve the issue of shooting using low speed without IS is using an external flash unit, however some hardcore birders treat this as a taboo. I shoot most of my birds using the handheld technique as i find that the tripod that i have is not fluid enough to follow the birds movement and it is such a burden to carry the tripod all over the place. Investing in good tripod like the ones by Benro or Wimberly can cost a bomb as they cost between RM1500 to RM2500 for the head alone! I have tried using the Monopod but at the end i threw it away because it is useless if i cannot keep my body still.

So if you are the type that like to shoot handheld and on the move like me, investing in fast telephoto lenses or camera body with fast auto focus and tracking capability is crucial especially when shooting bird in-flight (BIF). Of course not all of us are endowed with tons of money, so buying the best you could afford. Lenses with the aperture f2.8 with IS or below ( smaller f number means bigger opening therefore more light going into the lens ) are preferred as they perform well in low light condition even when handheld and able to produce fast shutter speed. Lenses with f4.0 aperture are acceptable while f5.6 and above are considered slow and should be used in bright condition to obtain fast shutter speeds. The difference in cost for some lenses with a one stop or two stops difference in aperture and IS is quite huge, take for an example my Canon EF400mm f5.6L non IS lens which costs RM4200(RRP), while the EF400mm f4.0 D.O IS cost RM19000 and EF400mm f2.8L IS USM lens costs RM31500! All is not lost if we cannot afford the most expensive lenses with the fastest speed because we still can boost the ISO up to say ISO 1000 or 1600 in order to get high shutter speed like 1/500 or 1/800 second which are good enough to prevent blur or freeze birds in flight in low light condition,even without IS. The noise produced at this setting is acceptable with high end bodies like EOS7D, 5DMK3 and 1DMK4. Some of the Nikon models like D700, D300s and D3s are very good low light performers.

When selecting lenses for birding we always got into this dilemma between choosing the zoom lenses and telephoto prime lenses. The issue at hand is between weight, flexibility,and cost on one hand, and high image quality produce by prime lenses on the other. I went through this at the beginning by buying a Canon EF70-300mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM lens at a cost of RM4300 thinking that it should cover all the distance needed to shoot birds. However, the 300mm focal length is not enough and the image produced at the long end is soft. Pairing it with my Kenko 1.4x Pro DG teleconverter will give me 420mm f8.0, however the image produce is so soft, furthermore i have to rely on manual focus as Canon cameras are designed to auto focus below f8.0 aperture. Some people taped the contact points in order to fool the camera into believing that the teleconverter is not there and the aperture is still f5.6 in order to use the auto focus. Anyway, i have never tried this trick because the final image with the teleconverter is not acceptable to me unless i pair it with a lens with f2.8 or below. So, i bought the Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 OS HSM zoom lens as i could not afford a 500mm prime lens by Canon. It is a good zoom lens up to 400mm focal length with sharp images produced in reasonably good light. However, at 500mm the images are soft and the color saturation drops. The biggest problem is the weight at 1.9kg which can give you shoulder aches when carried for the whole day.

Sigma 150-500mm zoom lens - flexible but heavy                                                     

  

                                                 

Canon EF400mm prime lens, affordable light, and produce very good image quality                                                     

                                                    
 While i still use the Sigma paired with my Canon EOS60D which give me a maximum 800mm focal length option, i just bought a Canon EF400mm f5.6L non-IS lens which costs RM3500 (RRP RM4200) because i want to know what i can achieve with a prime lens. The f2.8 IS USM version RM31500 which is equivalent to a new small car in Malaysia and without a return on investment it does not make any sense to buy it, unless i want to turn pro, which i am miles away from it. So, how is the EF400mm f5.6L perform for birding? The answer is fantastic considering the cost issue against the more expensive EF500, 600 and 800mm prime lenses.It is 660gram lighter than the Sigma, smaller and very easy to carry all day long. Its auto focus is very fast and good for bird in flight shots. The absence of IS is felt since i am used to IS, however i managed to overcome this by supporting my arm to my chest and holding my breath while shooting to avoid blurred images. Using the burst shot mode and leaning against something also helps. The only thing i wish it had is a full weather sealing against light drizzling in the jungle. Anyway, i will recommend this lens as it is a good value for your money.

I will not go too much into using flashes as the images produced are harsh if not set up properly and i rarely used them in the field. However, i do own a Nissin Di 622 Mark 2 with Guide no.144ft/44m at 105m ISO 100 with zoom in case the situation calls for it. A lot of professional birders used a flash funnel which is attached to the flash unit to concentrate the beam to far away birds, therefore increase its effectiveness.

I think i have cover enough on the gears required for birding photography to get you started. I will add more in the future to this post when i have tried new gears or new techniques.