MARKUS VARESVUO

BIRD PHOTOGRAPHER’S LENSES

Different lenses give you different types of images.

At least in Europe it’s safe to say that most birds are very wary of people, which spells trouble for a bird photographer because it’s usually difficult to get close enough to the birds for photographing them. Bird photographers therefore prefer telephoto lenses with focal lengths ranging from 300mm to 600mm, even up to 800mm. This isn’t to say that shorter lenses would be useless, on the contrary. An image of a bird in a landscape stands out from the mainstream, as do closeups taken with wide lenses.

During the past decade, the 500mm f/4.0 became the lens of choice among bird photographers, both dedicated amateurs and professionals. The lens is light enough to use without support for short sessions, and its focal length offers a really nice magnification, especially when coupled with a 1.4x extender. Add to that a camera with a crop factor of about 1.3, and you have a tool for getting close enough to many species, even for closeup framing, provided that you approach cautiously or settle somewhere to wait and watch.

Telephoto Lenses

You face fewer financial risks when you buy a telephoto lens than when you invest in a DSLR because lenses have been so good that there have not been any revolutionary developments for more than 10 years. I had my Canon 500mm f/4.0 lens for more than 12 years, and when I updated it to the new generation 400mm f/2.8 II lens in autumn 2011, it was still a high-quality lens. Late 2011 saw the arrival of the new generation Canon 300mm f/2.8 II and 400mm f/2.8 II lenses, and in mid-2012 the 500mm f/4.0 II and 600mm f/4.0 II were released. High-quality lenses keep their value far better than DSLRs, where major technological advances are frequent. The biggest differences with the newer lens models are that they are much lighter and have faster autofocus and better image stabilization. The image quality is only marginally better.

The main factors to consider when selecting a telephoto lens are related to focal length, lens speed, image quality, focus speed, weight, stabilization, and price. These factors are interrelated. Broadly speaking, the faster the lens (or the smaller the f-value), the faster it focuses and the better its low-light performance. Fast lenses require big lens elements, which add to the weight and raise the price. It’s also good to remember that your camera plays a role in how fast your lens focuses, and especially in how good it is at keeping a moving subject in focus. The focusing capabilities of professional cameras are in a different league compared to cheaper cameras.

A stabilizer is an important asset in a telephoto lens because it significantly increases the number of sharp frames. I keep the stabilizer on all the time in my Canon lenses, set at 1, whether I am using a tripod or shooting handheld. Especially with long focal lengths and long exposures, the stabilizer gains relevance. But check your lens manufacturer’s recommendations concerning the use of image stabilization on a tripod. Some models, especially older ones, might create minimal lens shake and therefore a slight blur.

A 500mm lens doesn’t stop you from photographing handheld, but it requires practice. Norway, 2010.

For a fledgling bird photographer with limited financial resources, I recommend starting with a 300mm f/4.0 or 400mm f/5.6 lens and getting it secondhand. And for the camera to go with that lens, get one with a crop-frame sensor, 1.5 for a Nikon or 1.6 for a Canon. The effective focal length of a 300mm lens, when coupled with Canon’s 1.6 crop-frame sensor, becomes 480mm, which is getting close to magnifications needed in bird photography. The light weight of these lenses is an added bonus.

For years, the best lens for bird photography was the Canon 500mm f/4.0. The focal length of the 300mm f/2.8 is a little too short, and the 400mm f/2.8 I and 600mm f/4.0 I are way too heavy for handheld shooting. Admittedly, most bird photography is done with a tripod, but there’s no way around the fact that when you have fast flight action, handheld shots often yield better results. For a long time, the lack of stabilizers was a disadvantage in Nikon’s long lenses. However, the updated 500mm f/4.0 that Nikon released a couple of years ago features a stabilizer, and for a while it had the upper hand compared to Canon. This changed again in 2012 because Canon launched its new and improved 500mm, which weighs 680 g (24 oz) less than the Nikon and is at least on par with the Nikon in every way.

Both Canon and Nikon manufacture a 500mm telephoto lens, and both suit bird photography beautifully. They are fast enough, they have good stabilizers, they produce excellent image quality, they focus quickly, and with the Nikon at about 3.8 kg (8.4 lb) and the Canon at 3.2 kg (7.1 lb), they can both be handheld. If you plan to get just one lens and money is not an issue, I recommend getting a Canon 500mm f/4.0 II. At the workable weight of 3.8 kg (8.4 lb), Canon’s updated 400mm f/2.8 II and 600mm f/4.0 II nips at the heels of the 500mm f/4.0 II, but in my opinion the latter is still the best lens for bird photography.

If the 500mm f/4.0 lens is too heavy, Canon’s 400mm f/4.0 DO telephoto lens, which is based on new lens technology and weighs less than 2 kg (4.5 lb), is a good option. The image quality is slightly poorer than the 500mm f/4.0, but if you value light weight, this is a good choice.

In addition to my 500mm f/4.0 I and 400mm f/2.8 II, I’ve been using Canon’s 800mm f/5.6 lens since it was launched in autumn 2008. Its range, especially with a 1.4x extender, is huge. With the 1.3 crop factor of the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV the effective focal length is 1456mm. And despite this long focal length, the image quality is excellent (as long as there is no heat haze), and the focusing works surprisingly well even in flight situations, provided that the subject is larger rather than smaller.

I used the 400mm f/2.8 II for about a year but switched back to a 500mm lens as the updated f/4.0 II was launched because the focusing distance range of 7 m (23 ft) to infinity in the 400mm isn’t well suited for taking action images of birds. The lens takes too long to find the target when you hunt for it in this range, and the action can be over before the lens has settled on the target (see page 76). Even with the new Canon EOS-1D X, there was no big improvement. The new 500mm f/4.0 II has a much better focusing distance range of 10 m (32.8 ft) to infinity. Also, since it is about 600 g (21 oz) lighter, it makes handheld photography easier.

I use my 500mm and 800mm lenses about fifty-fifty. Nikon has announced it’s going to release an 800mm lens in 2013.

Even though the 800mm f/5.6 is only about half a kilo (1.1 lb) heavier than the 500mm f/4.0, in my experience it doesn’t suit handheld cameras well, or birds flying close. It’s hard to keep a close-flying bird in the viewfinder, plus the lens has poor focusing ranges: 6 m (19.7 ft) to infinity, 6 m to 20 m (19.7 ft to 65.6 ft), and 20 m (65.6 ft) to infinity. In practice, with this lens you can photograph flying birds only with 20 m (65.6 ft) to infinity, but with small birds you ought to be able to take pictures within less than 20 m (65.6 ft), so for a bird photographer it would be nice if the lens offered a focusing range option at 15 m (49.2 ft) to infinity.

The airlines impose very strict size and weight limitations for carry-on baggage these days, meaning that sometimes you can carry on only one long telephoto lens. For shorter trips I take only the 400mm or the 500mm lens, but for longer trips I want take my 800mm lens too. One goes in my carry-on bag, and the other goes into the cargo hold, packed in a locked protective case inside a big, padded bag or a sturdy suitcase.

There are also some high-quality telephoto zoom lenses. Sigma has a 300–800mm f/5.6 zoom with a great price–quality ratio, but its image quality lags behind lenses with a fixed focal length, particularly when used at longer than 600mm. Also, the autofocus is slower, and these lenses lack stabilization, so they should always be used on a tripod.

Nikon’s updated 200–400mm f/4.0 II zoom lens has a stabilizer, and its image quality and focusing speed approaches fixed focal length lenses, which makes it a good lens for photographing in a blind. Canon is coming out with a 200–400mm f/4.0 lens of its own in 2013.

Sometimes I’m glad I brought along some wider lenses too. I was photographing Rock Ptarmigans and Willow Ptarmigans on the arctic hills in the Utsjoki region in north Finland when we came across a very confident Willow Ptarmigan that was not bothered by our presence in the least. After it had finished eating, it settled into a snow burrow, where it was snug and cozy against the piercing wind and raging snowstorm. In the smaller image, a 500mm lens is used for taking the closeups that captured the spirit of the brave bird and the power of the storm.

A Willow Ptarmigan in the arctic hills (Lagopus lagopus)
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II, 35mm f/2.0, 1/640 second, f/16.0, ISO 200, one-shot focus with a central focusing point, handheld camera on the ground. Utsjoki, Finland, April 2007.

Bird photographer Tomi Muukkonen is taking a closeup of a Willow Ptarmigan using a 500mm lens (Lagopus lagopus)
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II, 500mm f/4.0, 1/160 second, f/32.0, ISO 400, one-shot focus with a central focusing point, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto 501 video head. Utsjoki, Finland, April 2007.

Just 30 minutes later the cloud cover parted and the bird took off again. It eventually stopped in the shelter of a small rock. I mounted a 35mm lens to the full-frame camera, which allowed me to include a lot of landscape in the image. I crawled toward the bird and got to within 2 m (6.6 ft), where it allowed me to take my time composing the image and trying different exposures.

Wide Lenses

Both Nikon and Canon have very good 70–200mm f/2.8 zoom lenses rigged with stabilizers, making them a nice complement to a bird photographer’s kit in addition to the main lens. Canon has a lighter and less expensive f/4.0 version of the 70–200mm zoom, but in the trade-off for lighter weight, there’s some loss in the lens speed and focus speed. There is no loss in image quality, though.

These zoom lenses are very versatile in bird photography and are useful not only for images of birds in landscapes, but also for photos taken from a blind and with birds that aren’t shy around people.

A Snowy Owl in flight at its wintering grounds (Bubo scandiaca)
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 70–200mm f/2.8, 1/2000 second, 195mm, f/9.0, ISO 1000, continuous focus with an extended central focusing point, handheld camera. Canada, February 2010.

A Siberian Jay is heading off into the woods to stash the photo fee (Perisoreus infaustus)
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 70–200mm f/2.8, 1/3200 second, 140mm, f/8.0, ISO 1600, continuous focus with an extended central focusing point, handheld camera. Kuusamo, Finland, March 2010.

I also carry at least one wide-angle lens in my camera bag. If I have to tote the bag for long stretches, I choose the ultralight 35mm f/2.0 lens.

For special circumstances I pack my ultrawide 14mm f/2.8 or 24mm f/1.4 lens. These lenses require a bold bird that can be lured super close to the camera—with food, for example—or if the bird is not so bold, a remote shutter release can be used.

The Snowy Owl flight shot was taken in Canada at a typical Snowy Owl wintering ground, with colorful farms and barns dotting the wide-open fields. I used my 70–200mm zoom lens to get a tightly framed flight shot that would still include some of the elements in the owl’s winter world.

Telephoto Extenders

The most commonly used telephoto extenders increase the focal length of the lens by 1.4x or 2.0x (Nikon also has a 1.7x extender).

A 70–200mm zoom lens is handy for taking flight shots of confident birds

I use Canon’s 1.4 III extender frequently; it extends my 500mm lens to 700mm with practically no loss in image quality or focus speed. The lens speed drops one stop to f/5.6.

I use the 2x extender now and then with the 500mm f/4.0 II lens. It drops the lens speed by two stops and slightly slows down the focus speed, but the image quality is still surprisingly good. The autofocus is lost when the combined speed of the lens and the extender is slower than f/8. For example, a 2x extender turns an 800mm f/5.6 lens to 1600mm with an f/11.6 lens speed, and you must use manual focus.

For the extreme closeup of the Snowy Owl, I used an 800mm lens with a 1.4x extender to get a tight, partial frame of the bird as it was about to take off.

A Snowy Owl taking off (Bubo scandiacus)
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 800mm f/5.6 plus 1.4x extender, 1/200 second, f/11.0, ISO 800, one-shot focus with a central focusing point, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto 501 video head. Canada, February 2010.