JARI PELTOMÄKI

BIRD PHOTOGRAPHER’S CAMERA

General information about digital cameras.

Most digital cameras are compact (point-and-shoot) or digital single-lens reflexes (DSLRs), depending on their ability to accommodate interchangeable lenses. Compact cameras are easy to use, and they’re small and fit in your pocket, but you can’t change the lens. Many birders use a compact camera coupled to a spotting scope (digiscoping), but the quality of the images is quite modest. They are good for documentation but not professional use. I use a compact camera for taking snapshots while traveling and documenting arrangements for a photo project.

DSLR cameras are bigger in size and use interchangeable lenses. The camera, the lenses, and the accessories constitute a system that gives photographers a range of options to choose from. The possibilities are many and varied, but it takes dedication to learn all of the camera’s features and use them well. A DSLR is a single-lens reflex, meaning that light travels through the lens into the camera and hits a mirror that reflects the light to the viewfinder, which in turn shows you the image that you are about to photograph. In some cameras, the image in the viewfinder is a tad smaller than what will actually be captured, but this is not a problem because it’s easy to crop the image in post-production.

Nowadays many camera manufacturers also offer compact superzoom cameras that have long lenses and electronic finders. They are about the size of a DSLR camera and have most of the features that you can get in a DSLR. Theoretically they are okay for bird photography, but high-end DSLRs are the most popular among bird photographers.

DSLR cameras can generally be split into three categories: (1) entry level, amateur, hobbyist, and consumer; (2) prosumer and semiprofessional; and (3) professional. The prices rise steeply with each category. As of this writing, good amateur and consumer cameras can be bought for $600 to $1,300, and semiprofessional cameras cost $1,300 to $4,000. Professional cameras cost about $6,000 to $8,000, so for the price of one professional camera you can get several semiprofessional cameras. There are even more expensive professional cameras, and models that fit between these very rough categories, so there are viable options for bird photographers at many price levels.

Professional camera models have metal bodies and have been designed to be sturdier and tighter than the more economical models, so professional cameras can withstand both weather conditions and harsh shooting environments better. This can be an important factor if you plan to photograph in extreme conditions.

Appetites usually grow as we make progress, and it’s normal to start fantasizing about cameras made for professionals. Bear in mind, though, that a DSLR camera is not a particularly good investment because it loses value rapidly in just a few years. If you have to choose, it’s better to get a high-quality, expensive lens than the latest DSLR camera with all the newest features. Good lenses keep their value far better than DSLRs. You can read more about this in the chapter “Bird Photographer’s Lenses.”

The DSLR market is much like the computer market, because they are evolving all the time. For the same price, in a couple of years you can get more and better features in the newest DSLR than what you can get today. On the other hand, if you want to start bird photography, you will eventually have to get that first good camera!

Bird photographer Olli Lamminsalo using the three-camera tactic in Hungary

Three-Camera Tactic

Dedicated bird photographers pack two DSLR cameras and a compact camera in their bag. You can mount a wide-angle lens on one camera for flocks of birds and keep a telephoto lens on the other camera for closeups. The camera with the shorter lens can hang on your shoulder, ready for use, with straps that let you quickly grab it to point and shoot without having to first take the strap off your shoulder. Black Rapid, for example, has good straps for this purpose (http://www.blackrapid.com).

Having more than one camera is also convenient when you are photographing from a blind, plus they can help you minimize lens changes. If you can have two cameras, it’s a good idea to have one with a full-frame sensor and the other with a sensor that crops the scene because you can increase the effective focal length with the latter!

Having a second camera is also a good backup measure because damage to a sole camera could completely ruin your photo trip. A second camera can save the day.

A compact camera is best for taking shots of situations that would probably not be documented otherwise. You can use these images to show where you have been or how your images were taken; these can be interesting extras in a slideshow, and sometimes they can even be handy for illustrating articles in magazines or books.

Key Camera Features

Next you need to choose a brand. Canon and Nikon have been ruling the roost for a long time among bird photographers. Both have their merits, but the absolute best bird photography camera would be created by combining the best features from these two makes. Other brands chosen by bird photographers include Olympus, Sony, Panasonic, and Pentax. In this chapter I will discuss Canon and Nikon cameras.

Selecting your system is an important decision because changing from one brand to another will be costly, so take your time to study the different makes and figure out what camera and lens features are most valuable to you. A secondhand camera is a viable option, but check how many frames have been taken because the shutter release is subject to wear and tear and will need to be replaced at some point, at a considerable cost. Also, the latest camera models have sensor cleaning functions that older models may lack.

Full-Frame Sensor versus Cropped Field of View

DSLR cameras have either a full-frame sensor (24mm x 36mm) or a sensor that crops the field of view (I’ll call it a crop-frame sensor), with crop factors of 1.3 to 2.0. Also, the range of pixels varies from one camera to another; at the moment sensors come with 12–36 million pixels (megapixels).

A factor that affects the image quality in a digital camera is the physical size of the sensor. When you have two sensors that have the same resolution (the same number of megapixels), but one is physically larger than the other, then the pixels of the larger sensor are also larger and result in less noise and better image quality.

With a full-frame sensor the effective focal length of your lens and the magnification don’t change. A 300mm lens will magnify your subject about six times, and a 500mm lens will magnify it about 10 times. A full-frame sensor often produces better image quality than a crop-frame sensor of the same generation, but with the rapid advancements in technology, the newest crop-frame sensors probably produce better images than older full-frame sensors. A drawback of full-frame sensors is that they utilize the lower-quality edges of lenses, which can reduce image quality in the corners.

A crop-frame sensor can benefit a bird photographer because its narrower field of view acts like an extender to the lens, but with an important difference. While an extender reduces the lens speed, a smaller sensor crops the view that the lens projects without reducing the amount of light that reaches the sensor.

The following table illustrates the effect a crop-frame sensor has on the field of view in lenses favored by bird photographers (thus extending their reach).

The size of the sensor affects the depth of field. Suppose you want the subject to be the same size in the frame of both types of camera. In a camera with a crop-frame sensor you would use a shorter focal length. If you were using the same aperture, the combination of a crop-frame sensor and a shorter focal length would give you more depth of field.

In their consumer models, Canon uses a 1.6 crop factor, and Nikon uses a 1.5 crop factor (e.g., Nikon D300S).

Nikon has both full-frame (FX format) sensors and crop-frame (DX format) sensors. The DX sensors have a crop factor of 1.2–1.5, which gives lenses more reach. With the DX format, the number of frames per second (fps) grows from 9 to 11, and the number of RAW files that the buffer can hold rises from 17 to 24, which means that the DX format produces smaller file sizes.

A Whimbrel’s jump is fast—this is every second frame of the series (Numenius phaeopus)
Nikon D3S, 500mm f/4.0 plus 1.4x extender, 1/1600 second, f/8.0, ISO 800, continuous focusing with 51 focusing points, ground pod, Manfrotto 501 video head. Oulu, Finland, August 2010.

You should always use RAW format files because they give you far more freedom in post-production. Even with easy shots, the result is always better than if you had captured the image in JPEG format.

Continuous High-Speed Shooting Mode

A bird photographer who wants to take action photos appreciates how fast the camera can shoot frames and how many RAW files the buffer can hold. As of this writing, the best professional DSLR cameras reach 9–14 fps, and the buffer can hold from 45 RAW files in a Canon EOS-1D X (in the proprietary CR2 format) to 100 12-bit RAW files in a Nikon D4 (in the proprietary NDF format). The transfer rate of the memory card also affects the buffer; the faster the card, the quicker the camera is able to transmit data from the buffer to the card, thus freeing up space for new frames. The combination of a Canon EOS-1D X with a Lexar Professional 1000x 150 MB/second memory card, or a Nikon D4 with a Sony XQD 125 MB/second memory card, means that the buffer is practically limitless, even when shooting RAW files.

Both camera models are aimed primarily at sports and wildlife photographers. Speed matters. With a maximum of 14 fps on the Super High Speed setting, the Canon EOS-1D X leads in shooting speed. The Nikon D4 reaches up to 11 fps. The extra 3 fps can be vital in fast situations. At the fastest shooting rates, the exposure and focus are locked with the first frames in both cameras.

In rapid burst mode you can capture many different wing positions when you photograph a fast-moving bird—the series of three Whimbrel images is an example. The bird’s jump in the air lasted less than two seconds, but with continuous high-speed shooting mode I was able to capture many varied frames, which gave me plenty of shots so I could select the best images.

Focusing

The definitive measure of your camera’s ability to take successful flight and action shots is its focusing speed. A bird flying against an even background, such as the sky, is easy for most DSLR cameras, but the more contrast there is in the background, the harder it gets for most cameras to maintain focus on your subject. The camera settings, focus tracking sensitivity, and selected focusing points, in particular, impact the success of focusing.

With my Nikon D4 I mainly use a nine-point Dynamic-area AF (autofocus), which works great with flying birds. After the camera has focused on the subject, it rarely has problems keeping it in focus, even with birds flying against challenging backgrounds. I use the 51-point Dynamic-area AF when photographing birds flying against even backgrounds. According to Nikon, the focusing capability of the D4 has been greatly improved over the D3—but I have a feeling that it is just slightly improved. However, considering all the improvements in the Nikon D4, it is by far the best Nikon camera ever manufactured.

For its new model, the EOS-1D X, Canon has successfully fixed the autofocus problems that caused trouble with some EOS-1D Mark III cameras and that weren’t fully overcome in the Mark IV bodies. Markus Varesvuo says the Canon EOS-1D X is the best Canon camera so far, and he mainly uses 61 focusing points when shooting fast action, even when the birds are against busy backgrounds.

Quantity and Quality of Focusing Points

The number of focusing points varies greatly among entry-level, prosumer, and professional cameras. The focusing points in Canon cameras range from 7 in entry-level cameras to 61 in professional cameras; Nikon cameras range from 3 to 51 focusing points. There is also variation in how the points are clustered. These configurations affect how you take an image and how easy it is to compose. However, for all camera makes, the central focusing point is probably the most reliable, and it is your safest choice for locking onto a subject.

A young Short-eared Owl flying against a busy background is a challenge to the autofocus (Asio flammeus)
Nikon D3S, 500mm f/4.0 plus 1.4x extender, 1/1600 second, f/8.0, ISO 1600, continuous focusing with 51 focusing points, handheld camera. Oulu, Finland, July 2010.

The 15 cross-type focus points in the central viewfinder of the Nikon D4 are aligned to detect contrast in both vertical and horizontal lines, and each cross-type sensor is responsive in lenses with a maximum aperture of f/5.6. The Canon EOS-1D X has a 61-point AF system, with 41 cross-type sensors in f/4 and faster lenses. Both makes have AF points that are compatible with apertures down to f/8.0, allowing the use of extenders without loss of autofocus. However, where the Canon EOS-1D X allows for one cross-type central point with four supporting points at f/8.0, the Nikon D4 has a larger focusing area and more functioning focus points with cross-type sensors.

Many factors play a role in a camera’s ability to track a moving target and produce sharp images, and focusing points with cross-type sensors is just one of those factors. The photographer’s proficiency is also a factor.

Low-Light Modes

When it comes to a camera’s low-light performance, here’s a good rule of thumb: as the pixel density grows, the image quality drops. In practice this means that noise will increase as ISO values get higher. Newer cameras are better at this than their predecessors because new technology keeps improving camera sensors.

The Nikon D4 has a full-frame sensor with 16.2 megapixels. Even if I occasionally set the ISO to 12800, I can still get useable images. The Canon EOS-1D X has a full-frame sensor with 18.1 megapixels, and it produces equivalent results. There is very little difference in image quality, especially when you consider that post-production is more significant for images shot with a higher ISO. More often than not, it is difficult to make very low-light images look really good. Besides, the usability of an image is always relative; it depends both on the photographer and on how the image might be used.

Video Features

The latest DSLR cameras shoot video, even in full high-definition (HD) resolution. Videography will probably grow in popularity; it’s already common for taking complementary material for slide shows. You should make sure that the camera you have your eyes set on for bird photography has a video function. Canon’s latest DSLR cameras (EOS 5D Mark III and EOS-1D X) and Nikon’s D4 and D800 have full HD video (1920 × 1080).

Never mind what make and model you settle on—the most important thing is to learn how to use your camera’s settings and memorize all the buttons and dials so well that when you’re knee deep in hot action, you don’t have to think, let alone search for the right button!

A frosty Canon
Even though several hours in –30°C (22°F) is extreme conditions for a camera, the cold got to the photographer first.

Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos)
Nikon D3S, 400mm f/2.8, 1/1250 second, f/3.5, ISO 12800, continuous focus with 51 focusing points, ground pod, Manfrotto 501 video head, blind. Utajärvi, Finland, January 2011.