Photography Q&A
Q I’m buying a DSLR, but must admit I’m confused by the number of zoom lenses out there. What would be the ideal size for photographing birds? I do most of my birdwatching at a local gravel pit. N Huntley, Newport, Gwent A The issue for most British birds is they’re rarely close enough for photos! For the best image quality prime lenses are generally considered the best option, however, these are normally expensive, heavy and don’t offer the versatility a zoom lens does. A minimum focal length of 400mm will be required to get decent images of most birds. There are a number of very good telephoto zooms with a range of at least 400mm. Both Sigma and Tamron offer lenses with a zoom range of 150- 600mm that come in multiple camera mounts.
The Sigma 150- 600mm 5- 6.3 Contemporary is probably the best quality and value for money. It’s a fairly compact lens and, combined with excellent image stabilisation, is easy to hold. The 600mm will offer excellent reach and should be long enough to photograph birds on your gravel pit. If you’re using it with a camera with a cropped sensor, that will increase to an equivalent 960mm. Q Is there a best time to photograph birds? I’m guessing early morning and late evening, but as a beginner, I do find it hard to handle the low light at these times. D Sheppard, Blackburn A From a photographic point of view, you’re correct. Times when the sun is low in the sky tend to offer the most aesthetically pleasing images. At these times, lighting is soft which will prevent harsh shadows on the bird and will create the all- important catchlight in the bird’s eye to bring the bird to life in your image. Golden hour is generally the hour one hour after dawn, or the hour before the last hour of daylight in the evening. During the breeding season, this is a great time to capture birds as they sing from exposed perches before they become more difficult to find as they go off to feed.
The disadvantage of these times is that although the light is good, it’s not very bright, so will result in slow shutter speeds. Depending on the subject you’re photographing, you can counteract this by increasing your camera’s ISO and lowering your lens’ aperture. Using a tripod or monopod is also very important as you’re likely to be shooting at a very low shutter speed, so the minimising of shake is vital.