Bird images - Which camera equipment do you need?

For successful bird images a DSLR is almost a must. Some of the DSLR-like cameras on the market have very good zoom capabilities and can be very good option when taking bird images. The best is of course if you have a long telephoto lens.

If you want to photograph birds in the wild there is no way but investing in a decent telephoto lens. You will need at least a 300mm lens, but the longer the better. Preferably the lens should be a fast one. Fast telephoto lenses however are very expensive.

When photographing bird images in your backyard you don’t necessarily need long tele lenses. You can to take nice photographs of bird with a compact camera with a decent zoom range.

A tripod and a remote control is always nice. This way you can set up your camera close to where the birds come. You can then compose and focus on a branch where you know the birds are landing. Then you can remotely fire the shutter when the bird is in the right position.

A teleconverter can be an option if you do not have a very long telephoto lens. I have used my Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 lens with a teleconverter with good results. For compact cameras different tele conversion lenses which can be attached in front of the camera lens. These converters can increases the existing focal length many times.

Important camera settings for the perfect bird images

Exposure
Since the birds are quickly moving I use shutter priority mode if I am not using manual settings. In shutter priority I try to set the shutter at least 1/500 sec to avoid any blur.

When I am photographing birds in the backyard I often use spot metering. This way I ensure the birds are properly exposed regardless of the surroundings. I try to use as wide aperture as possible to blur the background. Often due to limited light the widest aperture is needed to get a proper exposure. For birds in flight it is often better to use manual exposure. Meter for the bird so it is correct exposed regardless of the background.

Manual or auto focusing
When shooting bird images it is equal important as with portraits of people to focus on the eyes. My experience of photographing birds is from the backyard. I can get very close to the birds and with a telephoto lens I often have very short depth of field. Therefore the focusing has to be very accurate to get the eyes sharp. Because of this most of the time especially when I come very close to the birds I use manual focus.

Another way of doing it is to pre-focus on the place you know the birds will land. This can be a perch or a branch where you know the birds will land or sit on before approaching the feeder. When photographing larger birds in flight the continuous auto focus mode is very useful especially against a clean background like the sky. If the bird is flying in front of a cluttered background it gets more difficult to focus as even the most advanced autofocus system can be tricked.

Single or multiple focus points
DSLR cameras today have advanced and fast focusing systems. You can set your camera to focus on one single point or you can use all focus points. When the bird is far away and small in the frame it is better to use single point focus. Also when precise focus is required as when focusing on a birds eyes single point focus can be an advantage.

When the bird is large in the frame or you are shooting a bird in flight, you need to be very fast. In these situations using all focusing points is recommended.

Continue to some creative ideas to successful images of birds (page 3).



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