BIRDING ZOOMS

Our pick of budget-friendly lenses that will put your feathered friends in the frame

You can soon find yourself running out of fresh photo opportunities while stuck at home for so long.

The flipside is that, with the reduction in traffic and general noise, garden birds have been easier to hear and therefore easier to spot. Many people have found a new interest in bird-spotting from home, and as photographers we’ve found a new interest in capturing garden birds on camera.

There’s a significant challenge in photographing birds without scaring them away before you’ve even taken aim. You’ll typically need to keep a respectful distance, and since most garden birds are small, a powerful telephoto reach is the order of the day. However, super-telephoto lenses can be big, heavy and expensive to buy. The last of these factors is particularly problematic when we’re feeling a financial squeeze.

Thankfully, good telephoto lenses can be reasonably compact and lightweight, and needn’t cost a small fortune. This is particularly true for crop-sensor cameras, thanks to the focal length multiplier that gives you greater ‘effective’ telephoto reach. For example, we’re fans of the Panasonic PZ 45175mm f/4-5.6 Power OIS lens for Micro Four

Thirds lenses, which gives an effective zoom range of 90-350mm, thanks to the 2x crop factor, and costs £330/$398. For Fujifilm and Pentax APS-C format cameras, the Fujifilm XC50-230mm f/4.5-6.7 OIS II (£319/$399) and Pentax 55-300mm f/4.5-6.3 DA PLM WR (£349/$360) are good options.

For this group test, we’re focusing on the best choices for Canon and Nikon DSLRs. For APS-C format bodies, own-brand 70-300mm zooms are the best choice, whereas Sigma and Tamron 100-400mm give more suitable reach on full-frame bodies. Let’s take a closer look at how they compare.