After falling head over heel hooks for climbing in a gym in Boston, she moved to Golden, Colorado because the mountains were calling. Now Kate spends as much time as possible exploring the crags of the Front Range and beyond, usually with her camera in hand. B&H offers a good rundown of. If you are passionate about bird photography, but want to keep your costs under $10,000, the Z-mount 800mm f/6.3 offers an insane amount of reach at a lower cost than the traditional f/4 primes. And you'll also find lenses for Sony, Fujifilm, and Olympus cameras. ED glasses are Extra-Low Dispersion Glass, an optical glass developed by Nikon to reduce or remove chromatic aberration. Or do you want a high-quality prime lens with a set focal length? Nikon Lenses for Bird Photography Nikon 200-500 mm Telephoto. Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Sport, 14. Here at The Adventure Junkies, we have sorted through a variety of Nikon lenses to give you the lowdown on your options and help you choose the best Nikon lens for bird photography to keep in your camera kit. Basically, if youre not sure which lens youll need, you definitely dont need this one. The optical path is top drawer too, featuring no less than five ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements plus a Super ED element. Nikon budget: Nikon Z50. Naturally, it has a fixed focal length, equivalent to 600mm in full-frame terms, and lacks the versatility of a zoom. It results in faster and more precise exposure control and exposure consistency. Many aspiring wildlife shooters will no doubt be aware of the stratospheric prices of supertelephotos. the best birds in flight photography lenses cost thousands of dollars, which just doesn't make sense for a beginner. 7 Best Camera for Bird Photography. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Its also the sharper lens at 400mm, although the 100-400mm is no slouch. Capturing stunning images of birds is not easy, and you definitely need the right lens to be able to do it. The lighter weight helps in more rapid framing and composition, giving the extra few milliseconds to create the masterpiece. Astrophotography in March 2023: what to shoot in the night sky this month, "Thats the beauty of photography, it is a democratic medium", AI portraits are hard work, says deceitful Instagrammer with 28K followers, The Lumix S5 II is a serious tool for content creators here's why, GuruShots: Winning photos from the Beautiful Nights competition, Sony's new camera is a "baby A7S III for vloggers", Motorola's mini $99 widget turns any phone into a satellite communicator, Good news! When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Finally, the Nikon Z 400mm is also 190 g lighter than the 100-400mm, which makes a difference if you are carrying the lens and other equipment all day. Its tripod-compatible VR offers up to 4 stops of Vibration Reduction. The lens is designed for Canon and Nikon DSLRs but is also an option for Canon RF and Nikon Z mirrorless cameras using a mount adapter. And if you need an 800mm equivalent lens, you could always put a 2x TC on the 400mm f/2.8. Except that one. So, this is a great lens for bigger or closer wildlife, but its not the right choice for all wildlife photographers. An accurate, high-quality focus powered by an upgraded Ultra Silent Drive (USD) motor results from fine engineering. Theres more, however, with the construction boasting an upgraded lens construction. Tamrons 150-600mm was a gamechanger. The best bird photography lenses help you grab those moments. However, the price tag is hefty at just above $12,000. It is an upgraded version of the earlier lens. However, its weight and size are its biggest enemy. The biggest consideration when buying a Nikon lens for bird photography is focal length. It is a massive lens for a reason its large aperture of f/2.8 requires huge glass elements to transmit so much light into the camera. If you want to get into wildlife photography on a tight budget, the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E VR AF-P is the lens you want to get. Sony budget: Sony 6400. lighter. Impeccably turned out, the XF100-400mm looks and feels a high-quality item Looks arent deceiving either, as the internals include a super-fast autofocus system based on dual linear stepping motors, and a high-performance 5-stop optical stabilizer. No also f/1.4. If you are still shooting with a DSLR, then this might be a good option, since you cannot use the new Z-mount version. Without a doubt, wildlife photography is a very expensive hobby to have (unless you are so good that you can sell your pictures and make good money), especially once you add up all the gear and travel costs. This is a very specialized tool. This large lens, when coupled with the DX-format sensor, gives him the optical equivalent of an 18x binocular. Featured key specs: Notable reviews: 5. Combined with Canon's legendary L-series build quality and stunning optical performance, it's up there with the very best Canon zoom lenses we've tested. Unique VR modes like the Sports VR take the VR game a notch higher. Among other notable features are a lag-free switch from automatic to manual focus. You will be able to capture all sorts of birds in the perfect frames with these cameras for sure. A 70-300mm lens, providing them an effective focal length of 450mm. 11 Best Lenses for Macro Photography (2023) Sigma Announces Three Lenses for Nikon Z-Mount Cameras 10 Best Travel Tripods You Can Buy (in 2023) Upcoming E-Mount Lenses: . It also has a dust- and moisture-resistant rubber gasket on the mounting plate, although it lacks the additional weather seals of the Sports lens. I have the 80-400, never use it. This lens gives you telephoto superpowers in a relatively lightweight package. Extending the focal length gives it even more reach, though the trade-off is a pretty modest maximum aperture of f/7.1 at the long end. Theres a more effective, triple-mode image stabilizer and the Mark II also gains weather-seals and fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements. These cookies do not store any personal information. The first is that the maximum aperture of f/5.6 on the long end doesnt let in as much light as an f/4 or f/2.8 lens, which also makes it harder to use teleconverters. Undoubtedly, the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 is the most popular budget lens for bird shooters. Even so, thats rarely a disadvantage for birding, as youre likely to use a zoom lens at its longest available focal length anyway. You are a bit mixed up. A lens that can vary between focal lengths. It offers bird photographers an opportunity to capture almost anything in the wild. And feeders, offering . Both DSLR and mirrorless full-frames should be considered. The Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM (and the Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM (opens in new tab)) is designed for EOS R-series mirrorless cameras and offers a very different experience to a typical prime telephoto lens. I have in fact met some people using this lens on a monopod. Getting a gently used model could save you many thousands of dollars, which would go a long way towards other gear. All of these can be used on Z-mount cameras with the FTZ or FTZII adapter, and since some of these do not yet have Z counterparts, they are worth a look whether you shoot a Nikon DSLR or a Nikon Z mirrorless camera. Lenses are the second half, and in some cases, the better half. Many hobbyists are foraying into this field who start with a crop frame body. Sharpness, contrast and other image attributes are excellent and very consistent throughout the entire zoom range. Sony premium: Sony 1. Tamron 150-600mm Review and how to use it for Wildlife Photography, 24 Tips for Fantastic Flower Photography (2022), Video Courses from Friends of Photography-RAW. More so, it has a focal range of 70-300mm. The autofocus takes a little setting up, and isn't quite as fast as that of rival lenses from Sony and Tamron, but this is still an impressive lens for birding. Best Canon: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens Best Canon premium: Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM Lens Best Nikon: Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED Best Nikon premium: Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED It's tough to do, especially when photographing moving birds. It was originally introduced as an answer to third-party large focal length telephoto zoom lenses. But no matter what camera system you use, we've found the best lenses for bird photography. It's not cheap, but less than half the price of the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S. This recent addition to Sonys E-mount line-up has the same 600mm maximum focal length as Sigma and Tamron 150-600mm zooms for Canon and Nikon SLRs. It renders the lens incompatible with older Nikon DSLRs. This telephoto zoom lens can capture beautiful images of birds far in the distance as well as birds who fly closer to you. For Z-mount users, the Nikon 100-400mm seems far more attractive at 1.4kg, and the 500mm f/5.6 PF is a great alternative if you are mostly at 500mm. Still, its hard to beat the price of this lens at $1400. Heres how it works. And I dont want to spend thousands more on new zooms. In fact, it is significantly lighter than the F-mount 300mm f/2.8G II lens, which is very impressive! Has a 20.9MP resolution and records 4K video in ultra-high definition. Get the best camera deals, reviews, product advice, competitions, unmissable photography news and more! The Nikon 200-600mm lens in particular will be the generalist wildlife lens suitable for most shooters who need the versatility of a zoom. The Nikon Z 100-400mm is currently the only Nikon zoom for Z-mount that has some reach. The speed of continuous shooting is not compromised with modern cameras like D4S. The equivalent lenses in full frame would be approximately 24mm f2, 45mm f2, and 85mm f2. We also have bird lenses for Nikon and Canon. Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD, 10. He is recognized as one of the leading educators in the photography industry, conducting workshops, producing educational videos and frequently writing content for Photography Life. The Nikon 500mm f/4E VR is sort of a sweet middle between the 400mm and 600mm lenses. Nikon has made several innovations to make this lens lighter, but it is still quite a large lens, so you will benefit from a sturdy tripod setup to hold it steady. The flip side is that no optional tripod mounting ring is available, which would have enabled a better balance, especially in portrait orientation shooting. This is the lens that many wildlife photographers get, especially those that photograph birds. I make sure that you get the best articles about photography. If youre heading out into the backcountry, you might not want to lug around a heavy lens, but if youre only planning to hike short trails, that might be okay. But it will come in handy on a third camera at some point on some wildlife expedition. See sample zoom photography (View in a lightbox) View the COOLPIX P1000 Product Tour . One of the newest Nikon telephoto lenses at the moment is the 600mm f/4 TC VR S. Just like the 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S, this 600mm lens has a built-in 1.4x teleconverter. Performs well at broad daylight with quick auto focus. The Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 is about the same size and weight as Sigmas competing Contemporary lens, but adds a more comprehensive set of weather seals, similar to those of Sigmas more exotic Sports edition while splitting the difference in terms of price. It also helps reduce weight and is ideal for outdoor shooting. 1. If you dont have your lens with you, it cant help you capture stunning bird images, so youll want to factor in the weight of lens you choose. If one plans to use the camera hand-held, it is better to look for lighter lenses while compromising slightly on the range. The only possible con for the lens is the electromagnetically controlled aperture. Best lens for street photography: NIKON AF NIKKOR 35MM F/2D. Diaphragm control via electric signals from the camera body provides reliable AE control. The lens is fully weather-sealed and features a fluorine coating on its front and rear elements. If you're shooting on the Nikon Z-mount system, then the newly released 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 is a good choice. Many hobbyists are foraying into this field who start with a crop frame body. If you are one of those, the best combination for bird photography would be something like the Nikon D5 or D500 + one of the above-mentioned lenses + 1.4x TC ( TeleConverter ), which will give you the best performance and reach. The best lenses for bird photography provide you with enough magnification to fill the frame with a feathery subject and have a fast enough autofocus to track it as it moves. I have been shooting with the Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR lens for the last 4-5 years and I can assure you that the Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II is overall a better lens to buy (unless you shoot large animals from a close distance, like bears in Alaska). I used the Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II for several months and I was very impressed by its performance, especially when coupled with teleconverters. The NIKKOR 300mm is not a zoom lens with a varied focal length. A fast aperture of a constant f/5.6 works well in low light conditions such as sunset and provides the effect of a blurred background to highlight the birds. I would say a much longer lens would be significantly harder to aim. Best Lens For Wildlife Photography Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED VR Zoom Lens Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 SP Di VC USD XLD Best Lens For Sports Photography Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 DG OS HSM Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD Best Budget Telephoto Lens For Nikon Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR This is a lens you'll want to partner with a sturdy monopod for long periods of shooting. In daylight conditions the Nikon 70-300mm VR can overall produce great results, but its performance does suffer in low-light situations something to be expected from a slow variable aperture zoom lens. Nikon 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G VR The Nikkor 70-300 f4.5-5.6G VR must be on the list of bird photography lenses purely to provide an entry. Image quality wise: an entry level Nikon DSLR matches the image quality you can get from any other camera in Nikon's line up . They are reporting the actual lens specifications, 16mm f1.4, 30mm f1.4, and 56mm f1.4, which is irrespective of the sensor size they are to be used with. This is 1.4 stops faster than the Nikon 400mm f/4.5 and thus will perform much better than slower lenses, both in terms of light-gathering and autofocus. Theres no clear winner between the prime or telephoto debate. At 1,260g, its perfectly viable for long periods of handheld shooting, aided by a highly effective optical image stabilizer. The next big jump (in terms of size, weight and cost) gets us to the Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II a phenomenal lens. These large animals often need much wider focal lengths around 200mm and it would be difficult to capture them with a fixed prime in all situations. Its more comfortable for long periods of handheld shooting and you can also use it with the camera body mounted on a tripod or monopod. For hobbyists, a zoom lens might be a better shot. A camera that takes high-definition images and comes with a lens for up-close shots of subjects. The upgraded VR II provides three stops of image stabilization. If youre looking for the longest reach without teleconverters, the Nikon 800mm f/6.3 is your lens! Although it is an F-mount lens, it is still used by many Z-mount users with an FTZ adapter. They have some great F-mount lenses that have been supplemented in the past few years with some amazing new Z-mount lenses. That's why, in my opinion, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR is the best bird photography lens for the money at a touch over $2000 (or significantly cheaper pre-owned). The only downsides of the mirrorless version are that the Z 800mm f/6.3 is a PF lens, it is very slightly slower, and so may show slightly worse bokeh in some rare instances. I have a personal sweet spot for the 200-500 mm for its versatility as well as sharpness as also for the 500 mm PF for its lightweight as well as sharpness. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. It has a super-fast ring-type ultrasonic autofocus system, a highly effective optical stabilizer with switchable static and panning modes, dual switchable autofocus modes giving priority to either automatic focusing or manual override, and switchable custom modes that you can set up via Sigmas optional USB Dock. Since this lens offers a 1.4X TC with still excellent image quality and significant 850g weight savings over the Nikon 400mm f/2.8E, this new Z mount 400mm f/2.8 could indeed be the ultimate wildlife lens. Best macro lens: TAMRON 90MM F/2.8 Di VC USD. You cant move much during wildlife photography, as you may disturb the surroundings. The narrower aperture range of f/5-6.7 is going to restrict you a little in terms of how much light you need, which is simply something to be aware of and factor in. It really depends on the types of subjects that you shoot. But there are still good values to be found, and I hope that this article can point you in that direction, too, if thats what youre after. It is the lightest native 800mm lens that Nikon makes. Its autofocus is pretty good in daylight and its versatile zoom range of 70-300mm is great for large animals and perched birds. Sir, Pls. The Best Canon Lens For Bird Photography Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L is II USM Lens, Lens Only Compact, high performance L-series super-telephoto zoom makes it ideal for sports and wildlife photography Rotation-type zoom ring allows for more precise composition and excellent balance when handholding In addition to using the twist-action control ring, you can alter the zoom setting in a push-pull fashion. The next best wildlife lens is Nikons heavyweight super telephoto bazooka, the Nikon 400mm f/2.8E VR. Its wide range and 0.38x magnification (minimum focus distance of 75cm) make this lens well-suited to larger wildlife and pseudo-macro shots of insects. Then again, for maximum image quality at the longer focal lengths, the 600mm f/4 TC VR S would be the one to beat. Still, weighing just 1,725g without the tripod collar, the Tamron 150-500mm is perfectly useable hand-held. What are the best Nikon lenses for wildlife photography? It also lets you play with selective focus to highlight the birds in your shot, due to the aperture opening and the amount of light it lets in. Fujifilm XF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR, 11. Theres no other difference between the two versions. Theres also lens lightness that helps them enjoy the process and learn the art of bird photography. Best portrait lens: CANON EF 85MM F/1.2L II USM. Its also plausible that Nikon will eventually release a 300mm f/2.8 and 500mm f/4 to match the F-mount lenses it already makes. You can only shoot at the widest aperture possible on older Nikon bodies. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense to look at some lightly used F-mount lenses, the E-versions of which are still optically outstanding. Out of the many options available for you in the market, here are the bird photography cameras that are worth the purchase. A mixture of zooms and primes, these are the lenses that bring distant subjects closer, filling the frame with birds and animals and making the most of your camera's sensor to capture them in all their gorgeous detail. Find out more about how we test. It is capable of producing relatively good bokeh, especially on its longest end, although its sharpness performance also drops quite a bit at 300mm. One of my favorite lenses for photographing birds at my feeders is the AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED. Nikons Silent Wave Motor AF system allows for super fast autofocusing, but with just a turn of the manual focus ring, you can take control yourself. longer. The Nikon 800mm f/5.6 is no doubt an astounding and absurdly expensive lens. Capture birds in flight or bears on the hunt without disturbing them with powerful, high-quality Nikkor wildlife photography lenses designed for the nature enthusiast. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, This has seen a weight saving of some 25%, though it still tips the scales at an arm-wobbling 3,810g. The main problem with prime is that it requires a photographer to observe the birds behavior and spots. A long lens to capture subjects in the distance. You might be wondering, does it still make sense to get an F-mount lens now that Nikon is focusing its effort and support on Z-mount? Landscape vs Portrait Orientation in Photography. A decent lens is an essential piece of camera equipment for capturing beautiful bird photos. The uprated ring-type autofocus system is faster and more accurate, and a fluorine coating is added to the front element. For absolute beginners with a lesser budget, a non-VR version may suffice. Our Top Picks Best Price: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR Best Choice: Nikon 300mm f/4E PF VR AF-S ED-IF Telephoto Nikkor Lens Best Overall: Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 80-400mm f.4.5-5.6G ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens Most Durable: Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens Hey Im Peter. If youre new to wildlife photography and you have only one lens in your kit, a zoom lens is the best option since it provides you more flexibility, But if youll be switching lenses out, you can use a variety of prime lenses based on the situation and terrain you find yourself in. Our readers often ask us about lenses for nature photography, and while I have already written about which Nikon lenses I consider to be the best for landscape photography, I have received numerous requests to write about lenses for wildlife photography as well. In many cases, it still does. For full compatibility with Canon EOS R and Nikon Z series mirrorless cameras, V2 or later firmware can be applied via Tamrons optional USB-linked TAP-in Console. The Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | S is a pro-grade zoom that goes all-out for speed and performance. For example, the best 100-400mm lenses (opens in new tab) on a full-frame sensor will cover 150-600mm on APS-C and 200-800mm on Micro Four Thirds! Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. But if you have the budget, then the Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR II is the best option for image clarity. It has very impressive optical features and it delivers exceptionally good-looking images, especially at its maximum aperture of f/2.8. Do you have any recommendations or questions? The best lenses for bird photography let you get closer to birds and capture incredibly sharp, beautiful images. Nikons 200-500mm f5.6E has carved a space of its own among hobbyist and semi-professional wildlife photographers. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. But if youre photographing small birds that are 10-15 meters away from you or greater (30+ feet), 800mm will be ideal. With advancement, the quality has come quite close to prime. Going up to 500mm, while not the longest lens on this list or even in the Sony section, is pretty handy, and it's helped by the Tamron lens's real ace in the hole: it's super-fast autofocus system. A VR lens helps create sharper pictures and provides three stops insurance. No matter the focal length of the lens, the closer you are, the bigger the subject. The second is that 400mm isnt always long enough for smaller or more distant birds. The fixed zoom mechanism feels smooth throughout the entire range and is near silent, which is exactly what you want if you're stalking skittish wildlife and don't want to alert it to your presence. NY 10036. The Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD is a lens designed exclusively for Sony E-mount; it's made for full-frame bodies, but will work with APS-C, delivering an effective focal length of 225-750mm (though it will produce a pretty unbalanced setup).