Birdwatcher or Fowl Photographer? – 10,000 Birds

Although it’s greater than 50 years since my first hen {photograph} was printed, I’ve at all times remained a birdwatcher who images birds, not a photographer whose favorite quarry has feathers. The distinction isn’t fairly as delicate because it sounds, as I can take pleasure in enormously an amazing time out once I fail to take a single {photograph}, however for a photographer such a day could be a failure.

There was a time once I flirted with the concept of turning into a correct photographer. Again within the 80s I used to be utilizing a stunning pair of Nikon FE2 cameras, and even had a 400mm f5.6 lens that was sharp and simple to make use of, regardless of being handbook focus. Nevertheless, 400mm wasn’t actually lengthy sufficient for hen pictures, so I finally purchased myself a secondhand Nikon 600mm f5.6 lens, then the favorite lengthy lens of many severe hen photographers. I even purchased a 2x convertor to go together with it. 

Sadly, I by no means bought on with the 600mm, because it was just too large, too cumbersome, to take pleasure in utilizing it. It was unimaginable to make use of hand-held, so needed to be mounted on a tripod, which added to its already appreciable weight. I used to be utilizing Kodachrome 64 transparency movie – most likely the perfect transparency movie then obtainable – however it was a really gradual, and unimaginable to make use of in low mild or on uninteresting days.

I did take the 600mm on a few severe journeys – one to Siberia, the opposite to California – and managed to take some passable footage, however it by no means gave me any pleasure once I was utilizing it. One of many issues was discovering the hen within the viewfinder, significantly when utilizing the converter. On the time I used to be a helpful shot with a shotgun, so my hand-and-eye coordination was high-quality, however with the massive lens on a tripod I used to be painfully gradual, and all however probably the most dim-witted of birds had flown by the point I had the wretched factor pointed at them. This was again within the days of handbook focus, so even when the hen stuffed the viewfinder you continue to needed to fiddle with the focussing. 

As for flying birds – neglect it. I didn’t have the ability (or energy) essential to level the contraption at something flying. After a pair years I made a decision to do away with it, and remarkably managed to promote it for precisely the identical worth as I had paid – £1600. This was a fortunate escape, as inside a short while autofocus lenses arrived, and no one needed a manual-focus 600mm lens anymore. The worth of those lenses plummeted, depreciating as quick as a peregrine can stoop. 

My first-ever digiscoped hen – a Nice Noticed Cuckoo in Cyprus

On the time I used to be travelling rather a lot searching for birds, normally main holidays. One of many unwritten legal guidelines of hen excursions is that the chief shouldn’t take images as his (or her) job is to point out the purchasers birds. This normally means carrying a telescope, and most definitely not a digital camera with a whopping nice lens. Thus I wasn’t tempted to purchase one of many new autofocus cameras and lenses, however I did have a small Nikon E5400 digital camera in my pocket for panorama photographs. (This was, after all, earlier than the times of cell phones with built-in cameras.) It was on a visit to Cyprus, watching a Nice Noticed Cuckoo (above), that considered one of my purchasers prompt I ought to have a go at digiscoping it, a way I’d by no means even heard of. Remarkably, the lens of the Nikon fitted snugly into the eyepiece of my Swarovski telescope. Much more shocking, the outcomes have been good, too.

Digiscoping had the nice benefit that it was attainable to {photograph} birds whereas main hen excursions, and I discovered that lots of my purchasers favored to see the images I had taken. There have been frustrations, as my golden rule was that my purchasers ought to have the ability to have a look at the hen, or birds, by my scope earlier than I tried to take any images, however I did take many footage that on the time I discovered pleasing. 

A Purple-Headed Bunting in Kazakhstan – a satisfying digiscoped shot

I modified the lens on my Swarovski to a 25 x 50 zoom, and although this didn’t work so effectively with the previous Nikon digital camera, it did with the Panasonic DMC-TZ7 digital camera that changed it. I’ve a powerful looking intuition, and digiscoping gave me the satisfaction of bagging my quarry. It was enjoyable to come back dwelling from a day within the discipline to load my images on to my lap high, and later my iPad. 

I by no means used adapters, simply putting the little digital camera on the telescope’s lens. The ensuing image wanted cropping, however this was a job that took just some seconds. I used to be at all times fairly fast at pointing the scope at my quarry, and I turned equally speedy at taking my images. Arguably the excessive level of my digiscoping profession was in 2012, once I received the digiscoping class within the British Birds Fowl Photographer of the Yr awards.  My successful image was of a Wryneck, photographed in an apple tree in an orchard in Poland the earlier yr. It was a lovely shot: the publicity was spot on, the hen not too large within the picture, whereas the out-of-focus background and blossom on the apple tree complemented the topic. Because the Wryneck is a misplaced breeding hen in Britain it’s additionally a hen of particular curiosity to us Brits and one I by no means tire of photographing.

Nevertheless, digiscoping did have its limitations. Flying birds might not have been unimaginable – I managed to take some cheap footage of Dalmatian Pelicans in flight, whereas the shiny ibises (beneath) are OK – however was exceedingly difficult. And each {photograph} required the telescope to be arrange on a tripod, one thing that took time. Spontaneous pictures was out of the query. The standard of the picture produced by small digital cameras was nothing like nearly as good as that from respectable SLR. Nevertheless, it could actually nonetheless be spectacular, because the header {photograph} of a Hoopoe on the high of this web page demonstrates.

It was on a visit to western Sicily that I used to be launched for the primary time to the answer. One among my purchasers had introduced with him his new Olympus digital digital camera, an EM-1. It was mirrorless and compact, and each small and lightweight sufficient to be extremely transportable. I used to be sufficiently impressed to go dwelling and purchase one. That first digital camera broke down throughout a birding journey to Portugal, however Olympus changed it with a brand new one which labored completely till I traded it in for an EM-1 Mk II, which stays my digital camera at present. The subsequent improve shall be to an OM-1.

I coupled the EM-1 with an Olympus 75mm-300mm lens, which was notably mild and remarkably cheap. This gave me a extremely transportable digital camera that, due to the digital camera’s four-thirds system, offered the equal magnification of the previous 600mm lens. It was the type of equipment that I might cling from my shoulder and hardly comprehend it was there, making the proper digital camera for a birdwatcher. The little 75-300mm lens additionally proved to be satisfyingly sharp, particularly contemplating how little it value.

DT birdwatching in Andalucia. I’m nonetheless principally a birdwatcher, regardless of the digital camera (with 100-400mm lens) hanging on my shoulder

Although I nonetheless use this lens, my commonplace birding lens is now the OM System’s M-Zuiko  100-400mm f5-6.3. It’s nearly compact sufficient for me to stay a birdwatcher with a digital camera, not only a photographer, whereas its weight (1120g) is on the higher restrict of what I’m ready to hold on my shoulder. At round £1000 it’s additionally inexpensive. Because of an excellent picture stabilisation system I can use it handheld and get razor-sharp outcomes, whereas it additionally performs effectively with a 1.4 convertor. Additionally it is extremely efficient for butterflies, because it permits very shut focus.

Along with this lens, OM Techniques (what was Olympus) affords knowledgeable 150-400mm f4.5 lens. It’s a great piece of equipment, and even has a inbuilt 1.25x teleconverter, however it is rather costly (practically £7000). Additionally it is significantly greater than the 100-400mm, weighing a hefty 1875g. An expert hen photographer pal of mine enthuses about his, and the outcomes he has achieved with it are very good. I’ve used it and was deeply impressed. I’d love one, however possession of such a lens would flip me right into a severe photographer, not a birder with a digital camera. I’m completely happy as I’m.