36 replies to this topic

[dragon49]

Last summer, based on @Merco_61 s recommendation, I picked up a Nikon Coolpix B600.  I use it mainly for birding now.  It served its purpose, but I need something better now, with a much better zoom.

I need advice for an entry level DSLR <$2,000 USD for both body and lens.  I most importantly need a good sports/burst mode.  I'm really pissed off that often with my model, sports mode frequently refuses to take pictures when I press the shutter button.  I asked Nikon support if there were a way to get the camera to honor my requests and take pictures EVERY TIME I press the shutter button, but evidentially, stupid AI logic wins, as the rep replied there is no way to do this.

It's very hard to capture birds in flight, so I like to aim the lens in the direction of the projected flight path and start a burst.  The problem appears to be that because the clouds and/or background are out of focus, the AI decides it is smarter than I and refuses to take pictures.  With what I'm doing, If I can get a long enough burst, (The Coolpix B600 is limited to 7 - I'd like more) and correctly predict the flight path, I'll get some good shots.

 

I'd like to stick with Nikon.  Any ideas?

[bluzman]

Get a lightly used Nikon D500 from MPB, for example. The D500 is acknowledged by many to be among the best DSLRs for wildlife photography. I like MPB because they publish the shutter count and pictures of the actual cameras they offer. I've done business with them on several occasions and never had any issues. YMMV

 

https://www.mpb.com/...duct/nikon-d500

 

Pair it with something like a Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 Contemporary, a Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3, or something else that other here might suggest that keeps you in budget. This sort of combo should meet both your budget and shooting requirements.

 

In parallel, do some research on Back Button Focus. For a place to start, here's an excellent video on the subject (https://www.youtube....h?v=FzqQskGoURE ). It's a technique particularly well suited for shooting subjects in motion like birds in flight. Among its other attributes, it's a way to set up a camera to always take a picture when you press the shutter release, focused or not.

 

Good luck.

[Merco_61]

The D500 is far from entrylevel as it is a professional tool. This means that you won’t have any of the tweaked program settings. OTOH, you will soon appreciate the ergonomics where you seldom need to dive  into the menus to do something while shooting. It is definitely my recommendation as well. It is the best Nikon for BIF still and now that the used bodies are about 40% of what they cost at introduction, the choice is simple.

 

If you can find an AF-S Nikkor 80-400 VR, this is a better companion to the D500 than the third-party competitors as the AF interacts better  with the chip in the lens making for very few missed shots.

 

This combination used will probably go a bit over your stated budget, but is the best you can get in that ballpark. 

[bluzman]

Just checked and it looks like  used Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G VR lenses are available from MPB for less than $1,000.

[g4aaw pete]

Is a UK company the best place to buy when you're in the US?

Perhaps I'm out of touch with buying trends?

[Merco_61]

Mpb have offices in Brighton, Berlin and Brooklyn. 

[lightcapture]

In the same style as your Nikon is the Panasonic FZ300 w/ Leica 25-600mm lens.

https://www.amazon.c...,aps,74&sr=8-12

 

Or how about the Nikon P900 or P1000 w/24-3000mm lens. There's a photog on Flickr that shoots birds w/ the P900 w/ great results.

Elios Amati | Flickr

[bluzman]

In the same style as your Nikon is the Panasonic FZ300 w/ Leica 25-600mm lens.

https://www.amazon.c...,aps,74&sr=8-12

 

Or how about the Nikon P900 or P1000 w/24-3000mm lens. There's a photog on Flickr that shoots birds w/ the P900 w/ great results.

Elios Amati | Flickr

All the cameras that you've mentioned have 1/2.3" sensors and employ contrast detection AF, not great for shooting action although I've seen some exceptions by P950 users. I've owned a P1000 and currently have a FZ300. The former can't be configured for BBF while the latter can. Both are fine cameras but neither is going to do a very good job with BIFs.

 

If the OP was interested in a fixed lens camera that would provide 600mm zoom and be able to shoot BIFs reliably, I'd recomment the Sony RX10 IV (https://www.amazon.c.../dp/B075KTJJPC/ ). It employs a 1" sensor and 315 phase-detection AF points and meets the budget criterion.

[Ellinor William]

There are lots of different kinds of photographers out there. Do you want a DSLR, a mirrorless, or a point-and-shoot? Do you want a full-frame or crop sensor?

Check out this article for better answers, 15 Best Nikon Cameras in 2024 (Updated)

[fallout666]

his best bet would be to find good low shutter round D7200 or D750 camera and go from there. but used to save cash so can get couple lenses to go with it. if can get good used D7200 around $700 could get used gen 1 70-200mm F/2.8 and few other primes. since be around 1.4k for both 35mm prime and 50mm prime. but want birds going to be hard unless get teleconverter for used gen 1 70-20mm on D7200 for reach and be way under 1.6k for it and can get the primes you need 

[MarkT]

Hi,

I am wanting to get back into photography again. It will purely be as a hobby my main focus will be general, landscape, and aviation. I have always been drawn towards the D850 but obviously mirrorless is now upon us. I have watched review after review on YouTube. I have no interest in videography although I might on occasion shoot the occasional video footage, perhaps in aviation. As stated I really like the D850 but obviously I am wondering whether or not it would make more sense to go with the latest available technology.

People seem to be saying that the new Z lens technology is far superior to that of the F mount. Also which ever direction I go in am I better to buy Zoom or prime?

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated. Many Thanks.

[Merco_61]

When you say aviation, do you mean general aviation, military or commercial? This has a bearing on what tele lens you need. 
 

Going with the F-mount will mean that you can save quite a bit of money by buying used lenses. If you go this way, a D850 with the trinity (14-24, 24-70 and 70-200) and a D500 with an 80-400 G as a long tele would cover your needs well. You could get one of the third-party 150-600 zooms instead of the second body and 80-400, but a 70-200 on an FX body for planes on the ground and an 80-400 on DX will make for fewer missed shots, whether you are spotting or at an airshow.

 

For the Z-mount, things get trickier. You have more decisions to make as the Z7II is less well suited to action shots than the Z6II as they are optimized for different tasks. The f/4 zooms are very similar to the f/2.8 versions in optical quality. With the faster versions come professional build quality and the one stop faster aperture. If budget allows, a Z7II with the 14-24 and the 24-70/2.8 are the best you can get for landscape and general photography. For aviation, things get trickier as the 200-600 isn’t out yet. You could get the 70-200 for the Z7II and a D500 with an 80-400 for aircraft in flight with the intention of selling the F-mount camera and lens later when a suitable Z lens becomes available.

 

My loadout for the airshow here in Uppsala will be my D750, the 14-24 and the Sigma 150-600 S in F-mount and my Z6II, 24-70/4 and 70-200 in Z-mount.

[zevell]

If it's between a D7200 and a D500, I would go for the D7200 for 3 reasons:

1. The D7200 has a built-in flash, whereas the D500 does not - can be extremely useful

2. The D7200 takes 2 SD cards, where the D500 takes 1 SD and 1 QXD card, which are extremely expensive, if you can find them

3. The D7200 will cost you a lot less than the D500

[Merco_61]

If it's between a D7200 and a D500, I would go for the D7200 for 3 reasons:
1. The D7200 has a built-in flash, whereas the D500 does not - can be extremely useful
2. The D7200 takes 2 SD cards, where the D500 takes 1 SD and 1 QXD card, which are extremely expensive, if you can find them
3. The D7200 will cost you a lot less than the D500

OTOH, the D500 has the D5 AF and the D7200 has the old D3 AF. For BIF, this makes a big difference.

[MarkT]

Thankyou Nikonian for your advice, the aviation in question was commercial. I think I might just hold out a little bit longer and see if and what this rumoured Z8 or perhaps Z7 iii has to offer.

[Merco_61]

If you are lucky, the 200-600 will be released together with one of the rumoured new FX bodies… 

 

Unless they keep the spotters too far away, you might get away with the 100-400, even on FX for flightspotting. With a high resolution sensor, you can crop a fair bit and still get a good photo. Which is your home Airport?

[MarkT]

Hi Merco 61. Manchester is my nearest airport and the viewing there is extremely good. Once landed the planes taxi right across the front of you at a distance of about 50 feet. But as I said aviation would be only a small part of my photography. The main would be landscape and days out at places of interest etc. The D850 still calls to me. I just want a good camera with good picture quality and my understanding is that the D850 fulfils that criteria. Plus I do enjoy having to think about my photography i.e what aperture what shutter speed etc. I like to be instrumental in the finished product rather that the camera do everything for me. Also I would be interested in your opinion as to zoom or prime when buying lenses.

[dragon49]

I haven't been active here since I posted.  I'm itching to make the purchase now, since on my recent Saturday birding trip, I saw the distance limitation of my B600.

 

Mirrorless cameras aren't as expensive as I thought.  I just found this:

 

https://www.amazon.c.../dp/B089ZYVDRH/

Looks pretty cool as it comes with lenses, and it can shoot in raw.  Seems like mirrorless is the future and these are supposed to be better than DSLR.

A few questions:

Most importantly, do you experts like this model?  Also, can somebody please let me know how the supplied lenses (which one has more zoom?) compare with my Coolpix B600, which has 60x zoom?  Using the same zoom terminology, how much zoom do those lenses have?  Is this model easy to pair with other lenses, and what do you recommend as better.  

I'm officially a "birder" now and am willing to increase my budget a little.  Before I forget, I love my current neck strap with rings (much more stable than tying loops!) and this is the only way I want to carry a camera.

Edit, I don't need all the accessories, and can get it cheaper on Nikon Usa's website:

Nikon Z 50 Two Lens Kit Mirrorless Cameras | Nikon

[Merco_61]

Zooms or primes? Nikkors or third-party? If the budget allows for the current version of the 24-70/2.8, it is about equal to the primes it replaces as long as you don’t need the extra stop or two. Using apertures wider than f/2.8 is difficult, though, as the depth of field gets so narrow. I like primes, but still use zooms for the versatility. If I have the time to plan the shots, the process of pre-visualizing, choosing the right lens and so on gives lots of satisfaction. If you shoot at a faster pace, a zoom is the better tool. 
 

At the ultrawide end, the 14-24 or, if you don’t like temperamental lenses, the Tamron 15-30 G2 is much better than the primes. The zooming with your feet necessary with primes will have much more impact on the perspective than in the midrange. Using a 20 will not give the same result as setting 19 or 21 mm on the zoom as a step closer or further away will result in dramatically different photos. 
 

If I was to build a landscape and general photography kit on the F-mount today, I would go with the D850 with the vertical grip and L-plate, a good tripod with area-swiss compatible ballhead, Tamron 15-30 G2, Nikkor 24-70, a fast normal and a fastish or fast short tele as a starting point.

[Merco_61]

I would rather compare focal lengths the other way around. 60x zoom doesn’t say much as it just means that the longest focal length is 60x the shortest, the starting point is not defined.

 

It is customary to use the field of view on film or FX sensor as so many people has this as a common  ground.

The B600 lens is 4.3-258 mm (angle of view equivalent to that of 24-1440 mm lens in 35mm [135] format)

The normal zoom in the Z50 kit is equivalent to 24-75 on FX.

The tele zoom is equivalent to 75-375 on FX.

 

The factor when comparing the FOV of a DX lens to FX is 1.5. It is only the field of view that is comparable, photos shot with a DX sensor or the small sensor in a coolpix will always have a larger zone that is in acceptable focus (the depth of field) at the same aperture as the DOF depends, more or less, on the actual focal length, not the eqyivalent one.

 

The Z50 is a capable little camera, but not as ideal for birds in flight as a D500. The autofocus and buffer size is closer to a D7200 in performance.  If you get the FTZ adapter, you can use F-mount lenses, even the current third-party ones. Older third-party lenses can be a bit hit-or-miss as they often need updates to the lens firmware to work.

 

I have a small sample gallery shot with the Z50 and mostly the kit lenses here.