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Wildlife camera for an old technophobe - help needed..

Out and about in nature
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Del.Monte
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Wildlife camera for an old technophobe - help needed..

#1

Post by Del.Monte »

I'm looking for advice on a cheap, idiot proof, digital camera for bird photography. Something with a telephoto lens that will see me taking pictures where the bird is the centre of the photograph rather than a dot in the background! I used to take tons of railway photographs, even had my own darkroom, but that was thirty years ago and now I'm a dinosaur and have forgotten almost everything I knew about cameras. I'm obviously going for something second-hand but could do with recommendations - with the emphasis on idiot proof! And, don't worry I won't be using it to trample around seabird colonies to take the 10 millionth shot of a "cute" Puffin.
Thanks in advance.
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Two of my poor attempts with a budget Samsung phone.
'no more blah blah blah'
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dawg
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Re: Wildlife camera for an old technophobe - help needed..

#2

Post by dawg »

Those are far from poor if made with a budget Sammy .

( I'd be interested in suggestion on this too )
CelticRambler
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Re: Wildlife camera for an old technophobe - help needed..

#3

Post by CelticRambler »

Congratulations, Dawg - your query was the prompt I needed to join this site! :D

First off, you're not going to be greatly handicapped by having forgotten everything you knew about photographing trains, because many of the technical aspects of bird photography are (almost) the exact opposite, e.g. you'll usually want a shallow depth of field, and frequently a fast (or very fast) shutter speed, because your subject will generally be a lot smaller and moving a lot faster than a typical loco or set of carriages.

You don't say whether you're thinking of getting a compact point-and-shoot or a DSLR/mirrorless, but while the focal length of your telephoto is going to be a big factor in filling the frame, the sensor size (and sensitivity) is equally important. If you've got a great sensor that allows you to crop the image and still have a couple of thousand pixels each way, you can get away with a shorter focal length, giving you a lighter device and better aperture/shutter speed options, which means more satisfying pictures, which means you'll use it more, which means you'll waste more time waiting for an even more perfect shot ... ... ... :mrgreen:

Don't be put off by the apparent complexity of DSLRs - if you go for an entry-level model and use one of the "auto" modes, saving in RAW format, that's about as idiot-proof as you're going to get. Once you've got a feel for the camera, you can then experiment with the individual settings (aperture being the main one) without having to worry about the cost of processing the "wasted" film! 8-)
Hairy-Joe
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Re: Wildlife camera for an old technophobe - help needed..

#4

Post by Hairy-Joe »

OP, I'd also look for a DSLR also. That allows for upgrades in the future. My main body is about 4/5 year old with the backup body about 15 years old. Both are working well.

One tip that I've learned is that some of the "Auto" modes try to take educated guesses as to what should be in focus and as the birds are small compared to the background, the can decide that the bird isn't to be focused on. By the time you've adjusted the camera, the bird will have moved. What I do is that I fix the focus point in the centre and then put the bird in the centre of the frame. That ensures a sharp image on the bird. I zoom out a fraction and then crop to position the bird where I want.

A handy way of learning is to take pictures of fast moving cars.

For Canon Vs Nikon, I'm a Canon user and I find them fairly easy to use.
bullets
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Re: Wildlife camera for an old technophobe - help needed..

#5

Post by bullets »

If your on a budget you could look into purchasing a Nikon P900 (I think they might be discontinued now) 2nd hand they seem to be 540 Euro ish.
The sensor would not be as large as a DSLR however it has a an 83x optical zoom lens 2000mm equivalent apparently which is massive and might suit taking pics of birds.

~B
kadman
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Re: 35mm Film Photography

#6

Post by kadman »

Not sure if there is a photography forum at the moment. I dont think there is , so I will post my question here for the experts among you.

I would like to buy a camera, secondhand, something with a half recent zoom for wildlife shots out in the country when I am out on the bike.
Something thats point and click, as I have zero knowledge on the subject, and if its got an auto setting thats good enough for me.
I see a couple of Sony cybershot with 63x zoom for 100-200.

Would this be suitable for what I am looking for.
Thanks
CelticRambler
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Re: 35mm Film Photography

#7

Post by CelticRambler »

Am not familiar with that particular camera, but a quick scoot around the Web gives a verdict of "it's grand; not brilliant, but grand".

Beware of the "63x" zoom tag. First of all, the "x" bit only refers to the difference between the starting point and the end point, without actually specifying what the actual focal lengths are. For that camera, the shorter focal length is 24mm, which is relatively long by modern standards (my day-to-day lens starts at 18, and I have another one that covers 10-18mm for when I feel I need even more image in the image.

At the other end, it's 1550mm which is ... :shock: - and that'd certainly get you up close and personal with much of the wildlife you'd meet on your travels. But - and it's an important but - you'll lose light and stability at that end of the spectrum, requiring either a fast shutter speed or a tripod. A tripod isn't really compatible with point-and-shoot concept, so you'll be pushed into using higher ISO setting, and this seems to be a weak point for that particular camera.

In that context, you don't really need 1550mm, and it may in fact be a handicap. For reference, the longest lens I have is "only" 600mm (and comes with it's own tripod mount) but the photos I've been posting here this last couple of weeks have been taken at 250mm at most.

Apart from the capabilities of the camera and lens combo, wildlife photography generally works best when you don't use the full auto settings, as different wildlife subjects require different settings (e.g. very fast shutter speed to freeze wings in motion; or a wide aperture setting to create a shallow depth-of-field; or the aforementioned high-ISO setting to get the right shutter speed in poor light conditions). So semi-automatic is what you should be thinking about.
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esdras
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Re: 35mm Film Photography

#8

Post by esdras »

kadman wrote: Fri Aug 13, 2021 9:46 pm Not sure if there is a photography forum at the moment. I dont think there is , so I will post my question here for the experts among you.

I would like to buy a camera, secondhand, something with a half recent zoom for wildlife shots out in the country when I am out on the bike.
Something thats point and click, as I have zero knowledge on the subject, and if its got an auto setting thats good enough for me.
I see a couple of Sony cybershot with 63x zoom for 100-200.

Would this be suitable for what I am looking for.
Thanks
You won't get the same clarity with that kind of camera than you will with a DSLR.
If you are trying to get wildlife, you are into both range and speed, which unfortunately is the upper end of the cost spectrum.

What might be better is to put as much as you can into a decent 2nd hand lens for the job (perhaps a prime rather than telephoto) and buy a cheaper dlsr camera body. Their auto functions are excellent. You can always upgrade the camera body later, but its the lens that determines what kind of photo you can take.
CelticRambler
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Re: 35mm Film Photography

#9

Post by CelticRambler »

esdras wrote: Sat Aug 14, 2021 4:46 pmIf you are trying to get wildlife, you are into both range and speed, which unfortunately is the upper end of the cost spectrum.
Well ... yeah ... kinda ... not exactly. There's wildlife and there's wildlife, and sure - if you're aiming for award-winning photos, then there's a whole range of camera bodies and lenses with several zeros on the price tag, not to mention monopods and tripods and infrared triggers and motion-activated triggers and ring-flashes and macro stacking racks ... ... ...

In reality, though, the most important part of the equation isn't material: it's knowing how to be in the right place at the right time (or conversely, knowing when it's not worth your while). I took an entry-level DSLR on a trip to Africa a few years ago, with a single "pretty good" zoom lens. Others on the trip took their top-of-the range iPhones and Samsung Galaxies and high-end bridge cameras. My pictures were the envy of the group, for one simple reason: the rest of them all hung around together, went on organised trips with a guide, and fitted their oggling and snapshotting around pre-defined mealtimes. I rented a 4WD with a tent on the top, ate beans out of a tin, and squandered most of the cost of the rental by sitting in it not going anywhere. :mrgreen:

Sounds to me like kadman wants to position himself above snapshotting, but the "wildlife photography" is added value to the bike ride, so no need to invest in expensive equipment until he's been well-bitten by the bug. He might decide that photographing cooperative sheep is far more rewarding than trying to capture a clear shot of a hyperactive squirrel half way up a tree. 8-)
bullets
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Re: 35mm Film Photography

#10

Post by bullets »

kadman wrote: Fri Aug 13, 2021 9:46 pm Not sure if there is a photography forum at the moment. I dont think there is , so I will post my question here for the experts among you.

I would like to buy a camera, secondhand, something with a half recent zoom for wildlife shots out in the country when I am out on the bike.
Something thats point and click, as I have zero knowledge on the subject, and if its got an auto setting thats good enough for me.
I see a couple of Sony cybershot with 63x zoom for 100-200.

Would this be suitable for what I am looking for.
Thanks
I had asked for or suggested a Photography forum over in the housekeeping section of GUBU so perhaps with a bit of interest we might get one, but have not seen one appear yet. Would like to see one for Nature as well as people/model type photography as well as a Togs Nerd hangout where they can argue all day about their equipment and help people etc.

Not sure when you said bike if you meant motorbike or a pedal powered bike, If its just casual shots while out and about in the country side perhaps something like a Premium Compact would be suitable for your needs. mpb.com sell 2nd hand gear and have a good reputation. Take a look at the
Sony RX100 family of cameras, they have lovely features.

Even though the sensor is tiny compared to a full frame or APC sized sensor they can still give you amazing shots. The Technology in cameras nowadays like Animal and Human Eye Autofocus and Lock on Focus that will track your subject is amazing and things like liveview where you see your exposure before taking the shot so you know if your settings are useable ahead of taking the shot are all very useful features for both a Novice and Expert.

I've a 61MP full frame Mirrorless camera and a 200-600mm lens but that's useless to me if I'm off on a Road bike Cycling out on country roads as I'm not going to Lug that gear around with me unless I'm specifically going someplace to deliberately take photos.

If I'm casually going for a cycle or walk etc I want something Tiny that I can stick in a pouch or pocket so if I happen to spot something I'd like to take a shot of like an old church or ruin or recently when out for a cycle I passed a field full of Alpacas that I was surprised to see and I wanted to take some snapshots to show my daughter, or there were times I was walking down the street and spotted a garda chase and crashed car and crime scene and wanted to get some shots from a distance without getting too close and looking like a press photographer, or street photography style shots where you want to blend in with a crowd where people might take less notice of a small tiny camera.

When I've some spare cash, I'm planning on Picking up a Sony RX100 MK VI or MKVII 2nd hand. I've had the MK III version before but sold it and regretted it ever since. They are tiny tiny tiny cameras and depending on the version have a nice zoom lens and all the lovely tech features.

~B
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