Through the Looking Glass
by Brian E. Small
The lens you choose is probably the single most important
component of your bird photography equipment. By picking the
proper lens for the right photographic situation, you will be
equipped to take the photographs you want. Just by choosing a
lens for a given circumstance, you are already determining what
kind of photograph you are going for. The amount of
magnification and the aperture (f-stop) of the lens you are using
may be the biggest factors in the kind of photos you take.
As fall turns to winter, you will find many new opportunities to
use a variety of lenses. When the weather begins to turn cold,
great flocks of migrating geese, cranes and ducks will be on the
move. Places like Bosque del Apache, New Mexico, California's
Klamath Basin, Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin and the Wilcox Playa of
Arizona are wonderful locations to break out any or all of your
lenses. Whether you own macro lenses, short and medium zoom
lenses or a long telephoto, there is a use for all of them in
your bird photography. So reach deep into your camera bag and
pull out all your glass because it is time to put it to work.
Have you ever thought about trying for artistically composed
photographs of a feather caught on a branch or a bird's footprint
in the snow? Maybe this fall you will come across an old nest or
eggshell that would make an interesting composition. Whatever
you choose to photograph, remember to try exciting new ideas in
your photography. I have been photographing birds for close to
10 years now and always enjoy the challenge of finding new ways
to take pictures. Now let's consider what different lenses mean
to your bird photography.
A Closer Look
I am often asked, "What is the single best lens for photographing
birds?î My usual reply is that whatever equipment you currently
own has a use for outdoor and bird photography, so don't get
stuck on the idea of using just one piece of equipment for all of
your photographs.
Now having said that, I would also tell you to be realistic in
your expectations. You should not expect to get frame-filling
images of the chickadees, nuthatches and sparrows at your
backyard feeders with a short zoom lens. Conversely, you cannot
take a close-up photograph of the detail in a birds' feather with
a 600mm telephoto from 2 feet away. The point is that different
kinds of photographs require different types of lenses.
As I mentioned in my September column, for bird photography you
want to own the absolute best quality lenses you can afford. You
may even want to go a little beyond that point because the
quality of your lenses can, at times, make or break the quality
of your photographs. As a general rule, I would also encourage
you to own the longest (highest magnification) lens you can
afford. Whether that means a 75-300mm zoom, a 400mm f5.6 or
500mm f4 telephoto, a super-telephoto 600mm or 800mm lens or
something in between. When it comes to birds, it seems that you
can never have too much magnification.
You may also want to look for lenses that have some "Extra-low
Dispersion" glass elements. Different camera manufacturers have
different designations for this term, so ask the salesman at your
local store about this type of glass. Without going into a
technical explanation of this term, I will just tell you that
lenses with this type of glass are of the highest optical quality
on the market today. Also, if you have a choice, another
important feature I highly recommend you look for in a lens is
"internal focusing" or "IF". IF lenses are lighter and better
balanced, have very rapid and smooth focusing and can focus
closer than non-IF lenses.
Autofocus is another important consideration you will make when
buying lenses for bird photography. I think that if you asked 10
different photographers about autofocus you might get 10
different answers. However, there is no argument that autofocus
can be an awesome tool for flight and fast action bird
photography. Spectacular photographs of birds are being made now
with autofocus lenses that were literally impossible to make
before their invention.
Autofocus technology has greatly improved since it's initial
introduction about 10 years ago. Over the years, autofocus
lenses have gotten much smoother, faster and quieter. Canon has
long been the leader in autofocus equipment and now Nikon's newly
designed series of "silent-wave" lenses are the state of the art.
Minolta, Sigma, Tamron and Tokina all offer autofocus capability
in their line-up as well. Generally speaking, autofocus lenses
cost more than their manual focus counterparts and it appears
that camera manufacturers are making less and less manual focus
equipment. If you choose not to own autofocus lenses, do not
worry; you can still take many beautiful photographs with manual
focus equipment. I have managed pretty well without autofocus
for the past 10 years and so can you.
Magnification
Macro lenses, wide-angle lenses and short zoom lenses can all be
useful for some of the more creative aspects of bird photography.
You will not take frame-filling portraits of songbirds with
these low magnification lenses but they can be used in a number
of ways that will add variety to your bird photographs.
Short lenses are terrific for photographing large groups of
birds. These lenses can provide a large field of view and the
ability to get tremendous depth of field to get an entire flock
of birds in focus. Think of the compositional possibilities of a
pond full of beautiful white Snow Geese on crystal blue water
where every bird is in focus. Or perhaps a flock of migrating
Sandhill Cranes in flight against a magnificent golden twilight
autumn sky. Photographs like these can be every bit as dramatic
as frame-filling portraits and using shorter lenses is the best
way to take them!
Short lenses are also wonderful for documenting birding locations
or new habitats you are visiting. Maybe you want to photograph
other birders and photographers in the field. Perhaps you will
have the chance this fall to take close-up head shots of
migrating raptors being studied at a research station. Try using
a macro lens to photograph the amazingly intricate details and
patterns of a feather. There are limitless possibilities for
short lenses if you use your creative instincts.
Medium magnification lenses, say those between 100mm and 400mm,
can be used effectively in a number of ways to photograph birds.
There are quite a few, relatively inexpensive, good quality
medium magnification lenses on the market today. In particular,
the Sigma 400 f5.6 APO lens has gotten very good reviews by a
number photo experts. A very lightweight lens like this, with a
matched 1.4X teleconverter would be a great way to start your
telephoto bird photography without spending too much money.
A 75-300mm or 200-400mm zoom would be marvelous to use at a
feeding station in your yard. The ability you have with a zoom
to change your amount of magnification can be very handy when you
have different size birds coming to a feeder. You may get a tiny
nuthatch or a much larger jay to land on the same perch near your
feeder. The ability to zoom the lens will let you compensate for
big differences in the size of the birds.
Lenses in this category can also be useful for portraits of
larger, tame birds in well-traveled refuges and sanctuaries. At
places like the Anhinga trail in Everglades National Park, the
famous heron rookery at Venice, Florida or the Galapagos Islands
of Ecuador you will find these lenses to be very effective.
Medium focal length lenses can also be great for photos of bird
groups. At other times, you may get to use a 300mm or 400mm lens
for individual birds in flight. Because the lenses are small,
light and maneuverable, you can also handhold them in some
instances for flight photography.
Finally, there are the high magnification 500mm, 600mm and 800mm
telephoto lenses. The lenses in this category are for the most
part heavy, expensive and require a tripod at all times to be
used effectively. Because they provide so much magnification,
too much vibration of the lens will render photographs
unacceptably soft. Now if I have not scared you off, let me also
tell you that many of the beautiful photographs you seen in
books, calendars, CD-ROM programs and magazines like WildBird are
probably taken with a high power telephoto lens.
Well-known and respected professional bird photographers like
Arthur Morris, Kevin Karlson and Tom Vezo need these amazing
lenses to help them make a living. Long lenses not only provide
these photographers with the magnification they need, but also
with the narrow field of view and narrow depth of field that can
isolate a bird from its' surroundings. A long telephoto lens
will also give you a greater working distance from a subject and
therefore, provide a better chance of not spooking a bird.
If you have an interest in owning a big telephoto, a great way to
save some money is by buying used equipment. You will find that
most people who own lenses in this category take very good care
of their biggest investment. A few years back I was able to buy
a mint condition, used Nikon 800mm lens for only $3,800. Now I
know that is a lot of money, but when you consider that the same
lens sells for over $6,000 new, you can see my point.
Camera lenses can truly be the most important photo equipment you
will own. This autumn, I encourage you to become more familiar
with what your lenses can do for you by experimenting in new ways
with your outdoor and bird photography. Attempt new
compositions, use your macro capabilities, experiment with wide
angles, photograph at the feeders in your yard and seek out new
locations to use a telephoto lens. If you make an effort to
expand your photographic knowledge and skill by using a variety
of lenses, you won't be disappointed.
Brian E. Small
Phone: 310/440-9443
Mobile: 310/849-0306
E-mail: BSmallFoto@aol.com
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