New Equipment

After spending the past three weeks at High Island and getting some decent but not great pictures of some fantastic birds , I decided that I wanted to get better pictures.  So, since most of the problem was that the birds were too far away, I had two options.  Either I could get pictures with more pixels in the pictures so that I could enlarge (crop) the picture to see the birds better, or I could get a stronger lens that would get a bigger image.  Well the first option sounded pretty good.  I was looking at the new Nikon D90 which has twice the number of pixels and better hardware and has some other features that are pretty cool like Hi Def Video and GPS tagging for my pictures.  I had also borrowed a 500mm lens from somebody that I had met at High Island and saw a huge improvement at the location that I was having issues with getting close enough to.  Some had recommended a prime lens which is a lens that doesn't zoom but has a larger diaphragm to allow more light in and thereforebe able to take pictures in darker surroundings, but my current camera does not have the ability to focus those lenses.  So those lenses will have to wait until I upgrade my camera.  Also, those lenses are much more expensive.

So it is a decision between  upgrading from 6 megapixels to 12 megapixels, or from 300mm to 500mm.  They are both about the same price.   From what I understand there is a point of diminishing returns in terms of number of pixels and that a lot of the increase in pixels of the cameras today is hype.  That being said, I believe that there is some need for the increased numbers when printing or cropping really close.  I did some research and most people said to buy better lenses because they will be able to be used on an upgrade of your camera later.  Now there are really good lenses and there are some that are not so good.  My lens that I have is a nice lens, it just doesn't reach as far as I need it to at times.  The lens I was looking at is a good compromise as explained to me by a photographer who also happens to work in the camera store. 

So I decided to buy the lens, a 150-500mm zoom lens with Image Stabilization and an internal drive for focusing, which was necessary for my camera.  It is a big lens that weighs over 4 pounds.  When I took it out for a test run yesterday, I could feel it.  It takes a nice picture, especially in good light, but seems a bit slow getting what I want in the frame.  That may be my fault, hopefully things will improve after I get used to it.  I still have to figure out what the best settings will be to take advantage of its power.  I will have to get a setup for my tripod that will allow me to use either lens on my camera with the tripod.

So I will probably be using my original lens for most of my walking around and birding in the woods and will pull out my big lens when I am going to be able to set up for slower moving subjects.   Here is a picture of the old lens and the new lens:

Here are some of the pictures that I took yesterday with my new lens.  This Mockingbird was just sitting there waiting for me to take his picture. Some of these birds were a distance away that was out of reach for good pics with the other lens.

1:49 PM - April 21, 2009 - post comment

megapixels or lens

no substitute for just being close to the birds which requires patience and field craft and the acceptance that you can't photograph everything you see. sometimes you just have to focus on the birds that will allow close approach

Anonymous - 12:58 AM - April 22, 2009