Last Straw

[wmchauncey]

I know nothing about lenses but I'm using a 10.1 MP Canon Rebel XTI with Sigma lenses (18x50 & 55x200).  This morning I took a shot of a Great Blue Heron ( maybe 3' tall) at about 100 yds. using the 200mm size.  I use a tripod on 90% of shots.
My complaint is the Heron only occupied about 25% of the image height in ACR.
What size lens would I need to double the size of the Heron and should I trade in the 55x200 or get an another lens?  Cost is a consideration.

[dchew]

Here is a link to a field of view calculator on Bob Atkins' website:

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/techn...ld_of_view.html

Using your sensor size multiplier of 1.6, a 600mm lens at 100 yds would give you a vertical field of view of 7.5 feet, making your heron about 50% of the image height (for a horizontal shot).

You could of course get a 300mm and ad a 2x converter, but with questionable results.  Not only because of the equipment quality but because 100 yds is a lot of air to shoot through. Air quality and heat waves will limit your results even with the best glass.

100 yds is a long way for bird photography, even big birds.  Great bird shots take time and patience.  Learning habits and characteristics of the subject, finding a setting that gets you close but not threatening to the bird and then sitting there for long periods waiting for the right moment.

I don't have any great photos of birds because I haven't committed the time...

[wmchauncey]

Here is a link to a field of view calculator on Bob Atkins' website:

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/techn...ld_of_view.html

Using your sensor size multiplier of 1.6, a 600mm lens at 100 yds would give you a vertical field of view of 7.5 feet, making your heron about 50% of the image height (for a horizontal shot).

You could of course get a 300mm and ad a 2x converter, but with questionable results.  Not only because of the equipment quality but because 100 yds is a lot of air to shoot through. Air quality and heat waves will limit your results even with the best glass.

100 yds is a long way for bird photography, even big birds.  Great bird shots take time and patience.  Learning habits and characteristics of the subject, finding a setting that gets you close but not threatening to the bird and then sitting there for long periods waiting for the right moment.

I don't have any great photos of birds because I haven't committed the time...
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Perfect, thanks

[juicy]

Hi,

Check out "http://www.birdphoto.fi" for example, most of the photos there are tagged with info about the equipment used. That info combined with the  field-of-view calculator will give you some perspective on the distances that great bird pictures are normally shot at -quite close actually.

You should also check out books about bird photography.

Most of the great shots that you see have been shot from some kind of hide/tent etc. In many cases that's the only way to get near enough. You should also use camo clothing if trying to get near wild animals.

Cheers,
Juicy

[Wayne Fox]

100 yds is a long way for bird photography, even big birds.  Great bird shots take time and patience.  Learning habits and characteristics of the subject, finding a setting that gets you close but not threatening to the bird and then sitting there for long periods waiting for the right moment.

I don't have any great photos of birds because I haven't committed the time...
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ditto ... I bought the 500mm but found that all wildlife photography takes much more experience, patience, and even luck than landscape photography.  I have yet to get a bird shot that I like, save for perhaps some seagulls silhouetted in a sunset.

I really have a lot of respect for great wildlife photographers.

I also believe the secret is they find ways to get pretty close, not sit there with a 1000mm lens.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I also believe the secret is they find ways to get pretty close, not sit there with a 1000mm lens.
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I suspect you are right. In fact, one can often get quite close to Great Blue Herons. I saw one on a pond near my house last year and got close enough to get a shot with my 70-200 (at 200) on the Canon 10D that I was using then (effective focal length 320mm) with the bird just about filling the frame. And I am definitely not a bird photographer.

[stever]

Eric is right about getting close to Great Blue Herrons (if you get too close, they'll just go for your eyes)

but in general i've found that even for medium to large birds you need 600mm effective -- 400mm on a crop-frame camera

i have very good photos from a 100-400 on 20D, but most are from exotic locations where there are numbers of interesting birds that you can get reasonably cloes to

little birds are another story, i'm still trying to get a decent shot of a quail chick in my back yard with a 1.4x on the 100-400

a lot of people really like the Canon 400 f5.6 as a "budget" bird lens (you really need to start with a pretty sharp lens because you're still going to crop most of the time)

[dobson]

I am not much of a bird photographer, but I spend a bit of time in my backyard shooting songbirds. The trick seens to be patient and persistent enough to get really close. With some patience you may find that it's the close focus distance (and magnification ratio) that limits how well you can fill the frame (at least with small birds).

[attachment=2600:attachment]

This was shot at 300mm with a 1.6 crop camera. I was within 10 feet of the bird and still didn't fill the frame. Even if I was fortunate enough to own a 500mm lens, I would have been standing well within the close-focus range of the lens, rendering it useless.

Phillip