WHAT IS THE BEST FOCAL LENGTH LENS FOR BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY?
WHAT IS THE BEST FOCAL LENGTH LENS FOR BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY?
While 300mm, 400mm, and even short zoom lenses can be useful at times for bird photography, my recommendation to those seriously interested in making quality photographs of birds is to purchase a lens with a focal length of at least 500mm.
For photographing birds in flight, however, handheld 400mm f/5.6 lenses perform superbly. And in places where the birds are extraordinarily tame, a 400mm lens may suffice as a general purpose bird lens.
Before you run out and buy a 600 f/4 lens, rent or borrow one and see if you can manage it in the field. Remember, you may be walking miles on occasion. Manual focus 800mm lenses can be purchased for well less than either the 500mm or 600 autofocus lenses, and provide a reasonable option for serious bird photographers. Their minimum focusing distances are in the 30-45 foot range. Extension tubes need to be added and removed constantly when working with birds at close range. The 600mm autofocus lenses feature minimum focusing distances of less than 20 feet, even when used with a 1.4X teleconverter at 840mm effective focal length.If you are interested in checking out all of your available lens options I would recommend you begin your search at B&H Photo. Now lets get down to viewing some of my favorite images from some very good bird photographers.
Colourful duo by Rivertay
Cedar Waxwing by janruss
Chestnut-backed Chickadee by janruss
- Photo by Joe McBroom
- Photo by Joe McBroom
- Tango-Anyone.. by Natures Haven
- What you staring at by B. Dudley
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Till next time, peace & health…
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