…to be beside the seaside! I do like to be beside the sea! I do like to stroll along the Prom, Prom, Prom! Where the brass bands play, “Tiddely-om-pom-pom!”
So just let me be beside the seaside! I’ll be beside myself with glee And there’s lots of girls beside, I should like to be beside, Beside the seaside, Beside the sea!”
by
John H. Glover-Kind 1907
Cairns Esplanade is a sight to behold early in the morning. It seemed like the whole of Cairns is there clad in lycra leggings, shorts, and vests exercising in every conceivable form. I immediately felt slovenly, ill disciplined, and over dressed. It definitely felt as if this was an odd place to be looking for birds and I did feel surprisingly self conscious. But, having said that, the seafront at Cairns is not some luxurious tropical palm fringed sandy beach, but a mudflat with mangroves at the northern end and that means birds. Lots of birds. So many birds that Sue Taylor in her book “The 100 Best Birdwatching Sites In Australia” rates it as her number three destination. So that is what drew us to the Esplanade.
Cairns Esplanade, Queensland.
It is Australia.
As I settled in to get some photos a woman sidled up to me and said “You’re not from here are you? I know all the birders here and you’re not local. Where are you from?”. I politely told her I was from Western Australia and was over on a birding holiday thinking I could gain some valuable local information. “Oh I went to Western Australia once. There was nothing there.” At this point I could sense that the conversation was already starting to take a strange turn. She carried on. “You’re wasting your time coming here. They’ve all gone. There’s nothing left. Nothing to see.” I’d just seen 4 species I’d never seen before and told her so. “There’s no point,” she replied, “the light is too bad it makes it pointless to take photos.” . At this point I quietly and quickly moved in the general direction of away.
Apparently the light was so bad it was a waste of time trying to take photos of birds that weren’t there. Bar-tailed Godwit, Limosa lapponica.
A different species of non-existent birds – Great Knot, Calidris tenuirostris.
Masked Lapwing, Vanellus miles.
In hindsight Moaning Minnie was sort of right about the light. The rising sun meant that the birds were strongly backlit, but I never subscribed to the old school photographic technique of having the sun at your back. I’ve always liked contre-jour lighting and as long as you know how to meter and avoid lens flare there’s nothing to worry about. What was bothering me more was that I couldn’t get at eye level with the birds as the Esplanade was about 1m above the mud. The obvious answer to this was to get out onto the mud and lie down, but this is Australia and the mudflats were perfect for saltwater crocodiles and there were signs warning about their presence everywhere. Not wanting to be breakfast for a large ravenous reptile I decided to stay on the Esplanade.
Striated Heron, Butorides striata.
Nankeen Night Heron, Nycticorax caledonicus.
As I walked along the Esplanade I kept seeing this small brown bird flitting between the trees. I thought it was vaguely familiar but couldn’t place it in context. It was only when I looked at a photo of it I realised that I had see it before as it was a House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), another animal that some homesick Brit introduced circa 1870 thinking it was a good idea. Like all these events it was disastrous and the birds soon became a major pest and colonised the whole of Eastern Australia. Another introduced species that could be seen in great numbers was the Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis). It was introduced about the same time as the House Sparrow to control pests, and particularly in the case of Northern Queensland, plague locusts and cane beetles, but they bred prolifically and soon became another introduced pest on the eastern seaboard. It’s not everywhere you can witness two ecological disasters within 2 minutes. It wasn’t all bad news though we saw loads of different birds and 4 completely new species – Bar-tailed Godwits, White-breasted Swallows, Great Knots, and Striated Herons.
White-breasted Woodswallow, Artamus leucorynchus.
Common Myna, Acridotheres tristis.
House Sparrow, Passer domesticus.
While walking back to the car I was amazed by the Nankeen Night Herons. We have them here in York so they are not new to me, and are actually one of my favourite birds. What was so surprising was how chilled they were around people. Here in York a mere glimpse of a person will put them to flight. On the Cairns Esplanade they were walking along the walkway amongst the people. We sat down to have morning tea by a BBQ and one came up looking for food. It was so close that to photograph it I had to use my compact camera as my other camera’s lens was too long.
All up a good haul for the morning and a great start to the trip.
A Nankeen Night Heron hoping to score a free meal from the BBQ. Cairns Esplanade, Queensland.
This Nankeen Night Heron was literally at my feet forcing me to use my compact camera to take a photo of it.
Mangroves are a very new experience for me. My first real experience of them was in 2024 when we went to Darwin in the Northern Territory. So I was looking forward to having a look at the mangroves in Broome.
Streeter’s Jetty takes you out among the Broome Mangroves. Broome Western Australia.
Mangroves are basically shrubs or trees that have adapted to living in the upper tidal zone in saline or brackish water. Their root systems have developed so they can resist tidal forces and cope with saltwater immersion. They stabilise coastal areas preventing coastal erosion and protect from tsunamis. At the same time they provide an important ecosystem that support an incredible diversity of species. In Broome the mangrove systems occur east and south of Roebuck Bay. The tidal range is huge which means a vast expanse of mud can be exposed at low tide. Now there were two things that put me off exploring when the tide was out. The first was that the mud is soft. I’d seen Reef Egrets and Striated Herons sink quite deep into it. The other was salt water crocodiles. They live in the tidal rivers, creeks, and mangroves around Broome. At Streeter’s Jetty there was a sign warning of the dangers of crocodiles and the Jetty does get closed if there is a sighting. So as you can see my exploration was a bit limited, but it was enjoyable and it was nice to see and photograph something a bit different.
Flame-backed Fiddler Crab, Tubuca flammula. Streeter’s Jetty, Broome, Western Australia.
Flame-backed Fiddler Crab, Tubuca flammula. Streeter’s Jetty, Broome, Western Australia.
Mangrove Climbing Crab, Metopograpsus latifrons. Streeter’s Jetty, Broome, Western Australia.
Australian land hermit crab (Coenobita variabilis). The mangroves at Town Beach in Broome, Western Australia.
Purple Climber Crab, Metopograpsus frontalis. The mangroves at Town Beach in Broome, Western Australia.
When you start wildlife photography it is very easy to get disappointed. You see all these marvellous photos other people put up on social media and you are left wondering why your photos are not as good. Usually people put it down to not having the best gear – if only I had that 800mm F5.6 lens – maybe if they had better photographic technique or access to exotic animals in exotic locations the photos would be better. Photographic technique is easily learnt, you don’t need expensive equipment and nor do you need to travel to exotic locations. I think patience is very important and that is something we can all develop.
Koordji-koordji or Australian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus australis subspecies gouldi). Lake Leschenaultia, Chidlow, Western Australia.
Breakfast.
The other morning I was at Lake Leschenaultia. The previous day there had been the tail end of cyclone coming down the coast which brought rain and strong winds. The rain had passed, but, there was still quite a bit of wind about. As I got down to the lake I could see it was choppy and there were no waterfowl about and there was nothing much happening in the trees. I could have given up and gone home, but I know from experience that there are a few sheltered spots to be found as you walk round the lake so I set off for them. The first couple yielded nothing, the third was alive with the sound of Australian Reed Warblers, Splendid Fairy Wrens, Silvereyes and Inland Thornbills. They were feeding on the insects found amongst the reeds. There was no way I could quietly approach – the forest floor down to the lake was covered in dry leaves and bark. It is like walking over corn flakes – very crunchy and noisy. Even if I could get down there quietly suddenly appearing out of the tree cover would put everything to flight. Nevertheless I made my way into the dry portion of the reed bed and as expected everything cleared off. Now this is the point where it was tempting to think that’s it and move on. However, I knew that the food source won’t have moved and the birds were hungry. I also know that these particular birds are quite tolerant to people if you are quiet and don’t move around much so all I had to do was wait. I’ll admit it was hard – the mosquitoes were ferocious – but after 20 minutes or so the birds came back. In that time I positioned myself to ensure I had a good background and if the birds wanted to take off they would have to fly towards me. All these birds are incredibly quick, but the knack is observing how they move through the reeds and where they like to perch when having a breather. Pre-focus on one of those spots as it will give your cameras AF system a good chance of locking on to the bird. Then it was a case of being patient and waiting until they came close to me and taking the photo. Forty minutes later and it was all over. The birds had moved onto another spot which was too inaccessible for me to follow.
Doolor or Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis). Lake Leschenaultia, Chidlow, Western Australia.
Kadar or Musk Duck (Biziura lobat), Lake Leschenaultia, Western Australia. Canon EOS 30 with Sigma 150-600mm and Ilford Delta 3200.
Can you shoot wildlife using film? Well the obvious answer is yes. People took wildlife photos using film for a lot longer than they have using digital. Cherry Kearton (1871-1927) and his brother Richard (1862-1928) the naturalist and writer were very early pioneers of wildlife photography and they published the first natural history book entirely illustrated with wild photographs in 1895. Their 1898 book “With Nature And A Camera: being the adventures of a field naturalist and an animal photographer” illustrated with 160 photos was a best seller and inspired many people to become wildlife photographers. Other notable wildlife photographers from the film days include Eric Hoskins, Stephen Dalton and Heather Angel. “Hold on” I hear you say “they shot film because that was what available”. It’s a valid point, so can you shoot wildlife on film in 2024? The answer is yes, but it’s not as simple as it once was.
The film stock I’ve chosen for photographing wildlife.
Back in the 1990’s and early 2000’s there were a lot of high speed film emulsions. Kodak had Ektar 1000 in colour negative, Ektachrome 400 slide film which could be pushed to 1600 ISO and TMax P3200 in black and white. Ilford had its Delta 3200 black and white emulsion. Fuji had Fujicolour 1600 colour negative film, FujiChrome Provia 1600 which was a colour reversal film and Neopan 1600 Professional black and white film. Agfa (there’s a blast from the past) had a couple of 1000 ISO C41 film stocks and a 1000 ISO slide film. 3M made an E6 1000 ISO film which was sold under several trade names. Sakura, later Konica, had a 3200 ISO colour negative emulsion. Now in 2024 the situation is very different.There are no E6 films, only 2 colour negative films, but they are 800 ISO, and two black and white emulsions nominally rated at 3200. Camera and lens wise, well the secondhand market is your friend and top of the line cameras such as Nikon’s F4 or F5 can be picked up quite cheaply (although that is a relative term) as can Canon’s EOS1. Lenses aren’t difficult to come by, but their prices haven’t dropped like those of the camera bodies as they can still be used on DSLRs.
The Canon EOS30 is an enthusiast level 35mm SLR that is a very capable camera for shooting wildlife.
The Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 DG Contemporary lens is a relatively inexpensive lens that is excellent for photographing wildlife.
The parameters I set for myself with this project was that I had to use stuff that I already had, so while there are camera bodies more suited to shooting wildlife that have better autofocus and higher frame rates I stuck with my Canon EOS 30. Lens wise my Sigma 160-600 was the obvious choice. I did briefly think about using my Olympus OM cameras, but I didn’t have a suitable lens and I didn’t want to have to hunt around for a good copy of the hard to find Olympus OM 600 mm f/6.5. Also I didn’t fancy trying to find focus with my ageing eyes. So the Canon and Sigma combination won out.
The elephant in the room is the cost of film and developing. This is the major consideration. The following prices are for Australia as this is where I live. Kodak Portra 800 is $37 for 36 exp, Ilford Delta 3200 is $18, Kodak TMAX P3200 is $30, and Lomo 800 can cost as much as $48 for a single roll, but multipacks of 3 36 exp rolls can be bought for $140. The cost of processing is $10 for C41 and $18 for D76 (black and white). Those prices are for developing and cutting and sleeving. Now my Canon EOS 30 can shoot at 4 frames per second, so machine gunning birds in flight would see you get through a roll every 9 seconds at a cost of more than $1 per shot. Typically when I go out in the morning for three hours or so I’ll shoot around 3-4000 frames with my digital cameras so when I decided to undertake this project I decided that I’d only shoot a maximum of two rolls on an outing. Using my Canon EOS 30 meant that after finishing the film I could switch the body to my Canon 80d so I could make the most of the morning. I know that by developing your own film you can reduce the costs, and I’m hoping to do this in the future.
All the photos below are the full frame, and you can look at them larger by clicking on the image.
Djindjokoor, Brown Honeyeater, Lichmera indistincta. York, Western Australia.
Djindjokoor or Brown Honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta). York, Western Australia.
Kool-boort or Singing Honeyeater (Gavicalis virescens). York, Western Australia.
Kanyinak or Sacred Kingfisher (Todirmphus sanctus). Kodak Portra 800.
Caspian Tern, Hydrprogne caspia. Heirisson Island, Western Australia.
Bulland or Great Egret, Ardea alba. Heirisson Island, Western Australia.
So after a few months what can I say? Well the first thing that really stuck out was the grain. Many photographers complain bitterly about noise in images, but that ain’t got nothing on the grain in these fast emulsions. Funnily enough I wasn’t too bothered with it in the black and white shots on Ilford Delta 3200 as I quite like the look. I had a Tri-X 400 pushed 2 stops developed in Rodinol phase many years ago which might explain that foible. The shots taken on Kodak Portra 800 were a bit different. I suppose I’d just become used to noise free images up to 1600 ISO on my digital cameras. Having said that I’ve got used to it and I quite like the results.
Digitising the negatives was an interesting experience. To keep costs down I scanned the images myself using a DSLR and a macro lens. The learning curve has been a bit on the steep side, especially for the colour negatives, and I’m still not sure whether I’m happy with the results or not. If I were to continue with this, and I think at this stage I will, I’ll probably get a dedicated film scanner. The reason being that while scanning using a camera was quite quick, about 1/2 an hour for a roll of 36, it was the faffing around in Lightroom and Photoshop that took a lot more time.
Was I happy with the final results? Yes. I think that it is an interesting exercise as it makes you really think. Firstly which film stock to use. The Ilford Delta 3200 is great for low light and misty atmospheric conditions. It’s not a film to use if getting the maximum feather detail is your aim. The Kodak Portra 800 is best suited to brighter conditions with a nice light. When shooting digital I use shutter priority and and auto ISO which means I can just concentrate on the composition. With film the ISO is not a variable, once you’ve loaded the film and start using it at that ISO you’re committed to that for the whole roll. The net result is that I have to be very aware of what my exposure is all the time. This is not a bad thing as it makes me more engaged with whole picture taking process. Were there any downsides beside the expense? Yes. I found that using film made me be a lot more conservative in my photos. I was not so inclined to experiment. Shooting birds in flight I’d only take 2 or 3 frames, whereas on digital I’d think nothing of taking 20 or 30 frames as I’d want to be sure of getting the wings in the perfect position. I’ve just become accustomed to subject tracking and have become quite reliant on it. Going back to an autofocus system developed in the 1990’s was a bit of a shock. It wasn’t as positive or sticky which meant there were a lot of out of focus pictures. I missed having a histogram in my viewfinder and the lack of instant feedback of the LCD screen. This meant I had to remember how much exposure compensation to give for a black bird on a very dark background or a backlit white egret. Having to wait a couple of weeks for the films to come back from the lab was a lesson in deferred gratification.
Would I give up digital and convert solely to film? Is my name Rothschild? No. I don’t see it as a binary choice. In many ways digital is a better medium for wildlife photography. It gives you more freedom – you can shoot in incredibly low light and you don’t have the feeling a meter is running as you take photos. Film does have its place as a creative alternative, if you are after a specific look or mood then it is ideal.
We fancied a bit of change in scenery – well to be honest a lot of change. We wanted tropical climes, interesting new animals and places we’d never seen before and we didn’t want a lot of hassle. So we headed off up to Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia for a few days. Why Darwin? Well it’s within Australia. It has birds from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia as well as quite a few found nowhere else. At the turn of the season – end of the “dry” heading towards the “wet” it was great value for money.
The entry to Knuckey Lagoon.
For photographing birds it is ideal. At the end of the dry there is very little water about so the wildlife tends to concentrate around the few permanent water sources which makes finding them a little easier. More by luck than planning our accommodation was near a pearler of a location – Knuckey Lagoons. We went there twice, once at dawn and the other time at dusk and both time were great with different birds being active.
A Great Egret (Ardea alba) flying over Knuckey Lagoon in the early morning mist.
An Australian Darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae) waiting for the sun to burn off the mist.
Radjah Shelducks or Burdekin (Tadorna radjah) flying in formation.
Whiskered Tern, Chlidonias hybrida at Knuckey Lagoons Conservation Reserve.
In the morning when we arrived we initially thought that our presence had spooked the birds, but actually we were the least of their problems as various raptors flew over looking for a meal. I was excited to see a white-bellied sea eagle as I’d never seen one before. Even more exciting was watching the masked lapwings drive it off. Black kites made regular forays, but try as I might I just could not get a good photograph of one – they were either too quick or too faraway. There were wading birds aplenty – Great Egrets, Wood Sandpipers, Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Comb-crested Jacanas, Straw-knocked Ibis, Pied Herons, White-necked Herons are just a few to mention. This one spot delivered 12 species that I’d never seen before. It was like being a kid in a sweet shop, I didn’t know where to look. In fact for the first hour it was a bit overwhelming as I just didn’t know what to concentrate on.
A White-bellied Sea-eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) basking in the early morning sun.
Masked Lapwings on the mudflat of Knuckey Lagoon.
In coming! A Masked Lapwing (Vanellus mile) begins its approach to dive bomb a White-bellied Sea-eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster).
Contact!
This next run was the final straw and the White-bellied Sea-eagle scarpered.
The only drawback was my equipment. I took the Olympus EM1x that I have on loan and wrote about here. It worked very well apart from struggling with autofocus when the the light levels were low and there was a bit of a mist on the lagoon. Lens wise I wish that I’d had something longer than my Panasonic Leica DG Vario 100-400mm f4-6.3. That would mean looking at the OM System M.Zuiko ED 150-600mm F5.0-6.3 IS lens which would give a 35mm equivalent of 1200mm which on paper sounds just the ticket. But the reality is that that it weighs 2.065 Kg. Apparently the lens is based on a Sigma design and I have a similar lens which weighs roughly the same and it is a real chore to take out. OK if I’m working from the back of a car, but a real PITA if I’m having to carry it any distance. So if I bought the OM System 150-600 there is every chanced that I’d end up leaving it at home and taking the the Panasonic 100-400. For those who would say get closer there were signs on the banks of most waterways around Darwin warning about crocodiles so you can understand why I was not so keen to start wading in the water. Having said that the only crocodile we did see was a stuffed on in the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT Darwin).
One of the many warning signs about crocodiles.
The only crocodile we saw on the trip. The stuffed remains of the salwater crocodile “Sweetheart” at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT Darwin).
It was an epic trip and it has really whetted our appetite for more travel and so we’re already planning our next ones.
The farewell committee. A Little Kingfisher (Ceyx pusilla) sitting on the fence as I left Knuckey Lagoon.
For wildlife photographers on a budget I happen to believe that micro four thirds (M4/3) has a lot to offer and represents incredible value. The micro in micro four thirds is a reference to the size and weight savings the system brings, it has no impact on the features and performance on offer.
Available Lenses
The Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f4-6.3 and the Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II lens are just two of the long lenses available for Micro Four Thirds wildlife enthusiasts.
The M4/3 system is now at the time of writing 15 years old and is, therefore, fully fleshed out. This means that there is plenty available on the second hand market. But, before we consider camera bodies let’s look at lenses first. Both Olympus (now OM Systems) and Panasonic provide a range of long lenses suitable for photographing wildlife. At the budget end there’s the Olympus 75-300mm II f4.8-6.7 and the Panasonic 100-300mm f4-5.6 which represent excellent value. On a M4/3 camera these two lenses have the same angle of view as a 150-600mm and 200-600mm lens respectively when used on a camera with a 35mm full frame sensor at a fraction of the weight and cost. The Olympus 75-300 can be found for around $500 AUD second hand (or $600 new) and the Panasonic 100-300 can be picked up for about $550 2nd hand ($1000 new). This means it is very feasible to put a good kit together for under $1000 AUD which is about $650 USD.
The Olympus 75-300mm lens delivers amazing performance for its price.
In the midrange category both companies offer 100-400mm zooms. The Olympus 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS sells for around $1500 2nd hand or $2200 new and the Panasonic Leica Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f4-6.3 sells for around thee $1200 mark second hand or $2200 new. This is for the original version. It has just been updated to make it compatible with tele-converters and will likely retail for around $2600 AUD.These two lenses give an angle of view equal to that of 200-800mm on a 35mm sensor in a very compact package.
Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f4-6.3 is a premium lens that be picked up on the secong hand market for a fraction of the price of full frame equivalents.
At the top end of town there are two lenses. The Olympus 300mm f4 IS which apparently is a gem of a lens and can be had for approx $2800 on the used market or $4000 new. Then we reach the stratosphere with the Olympus 150-400mmf4.5 IS PRO which retails for an eye watering price of $11500 new. Good luck in finding one new at a dealer as they are in short supply. I have seen a used one on a Japanese dealerswebsite going for $7500 and it was gone within a day.
The Panasonic G85 with the Panasonic 100-400mm lens compared to a Canon 6d with Sigma 150-600mm lens. The Panasonic combo is a fraction of the weight and has more reach.
So out of all these lenses I own the Olympus 75-300 and the Panasonic 100-400. Both of them have been very good, but with some caveats. The major criticism of the Olympus 75-300 is that it is soft at the long end. First I’d like to say get real! This is a budget lens. But, seriously this is a common complaint about zoom lenses especially at the budget end of the market. In my opinion,and based upon the example that I own, it is not as bad as people make out wide open and it improves if you stop down a bit. The pluses are it is amazingly small and light. I did intend to sell it when I got the Panasonic 100-400 but I kept it for those moments when I don’t want to carry the larger Panasonic ie when I’m out walking the dog. The Panasonic 100-400 is an amazing lens and I really enjoy using it. When it was first introduced there were complaints about it having an overly stiff zoom ring and it couldn’t be repaired. I’ve not experienced any problems and have used the lens extensively in all sorts of weather since I got in 2018. My only criticism of the 100-400 is that the lens based image stabilisation isn’t compatible with that of my Olympus cameras’s IBIS.
Click on the image to see full size
Click on the image to see it full size
Click on the image to see it full size.
Click on the image to see it full size
Camera Bodies
The Panasonic G85.
Once you’ve decided upon your lens then you can consider camera bodies. As things are at the time of writing I’ll be looking at the following camera which can be picked up easily second hand. The Olympus EM 1 mk I (approx $400 AUD), the Olympus EM1 mk ii, and the Panasonic G85. I own all three and think they all offer tremendous value for the wildlife photographer on restricted budget.
The Olympus EM1 is a very capable wildlife camera for those on a restricted budget.
Panasonic G85
Olympus EM1
Olympus EM1 mk ii
Year of Introduction
2016
2013
2016
Resolution
16 Mp
16 Mp
20 Mp
ISO range
200-25600
200-25600
200
Boosted ISO
100
100
64 and 100
IBIS
5 axis
5 axis
5 axis
File Formats
RAW and jpg for stills
AVCHD and MP4 for video
RAW and jpg for stills
H.264 and Motion jpg for video
RAW and jpg for stills
H.264 and Motion jpg for video
Auto Focus
Contrast only (DFD)
Multi area
Centre zone
Selective single point
Single AF
Continuous AF
Tracking AF
Face detection AF
Touch screen AF
Contrast and phase detect hybrid system.
Multi area
Centre zone
Selective single point AF
Single AF
Continuous AF
Tracking AF
Face detection
Touch screen AF
Contrast and phase detect hybrid system.
Multi area
Centre zone
Selective single point AF
Single AF
Continuous AF
Tracking AF
Face detection
Touch screen AF
Manual Focus Aides
Focus peaking
Focus peaking
Focus peaking
Focus Points
49
81
121
Maximum Shutter Speed
1/4000 mechanical
1/16000 electronic
1/8000 mechanical
1/32000 electronic
1/8000 mechanical
1/32000 electronic
Exposure Modes
Program, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual.
22 Creative Control modes.
iAuto, Program, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual.
22 scene modes and 12 Art filters.
iAuto, Program, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual.
22 scene modes and 14 Art filters
Built In Flash
Yes
No
No
Dive Modes
Single frame
9 frames per second with the mechanical shutter and continuous AF. Up to 40 fps with the electronic shutter and the autofocus set to single point.
Single frame
6.5 fps with mechanical shutter and continuous AF. 11 fps with single AF and electronic shutter.
Single frame
Up to 18 fps with mechanical shutter and continuous AF. 60 fps with single AF and electronic shutter
Buffer
300 large jpgs,
45 RAW and RAW plus jpgs
50 large jpgs,
34 RAW
117 large jpgs,
84 RAW
Metering Modes
Multi zone, centre weighted and spot metering.
Multi zone, centre weighted, and spot metering.
Multi zone, centre weighted, and spot metering.
Video
4K up to 30 fps
HD up to 60 fps
HD up to 30 fps
Cinema 4k 24fps IPB
4K up to 30 fps
HD up to 60 fps
Storage media
1 x SD card slot UHS-II compatible
1 x SD card slot UHS-I compatible
2 x SD card slot with only 1 UHS-II compatible
Environmentally Sealed
Yes
Yes
Yes
Anti Aliasing Filter
No
No
No
Weight
505g with battery and card
497g with battery and card
574g with battery and cards
Battery CIPA Rating
330 shots
350 shots
440 shots
The Olympus EM1 mk ii is an extremely well specified camera that can be found for less than $1000 AUD on the used market making it somewhat of a bargin.
All three cameras feel good in the hand. The G85 has the easiest to navigate menu system. The Olympus menus cop a load of flack for being labyrinthine but they do allow a phenomenal amount of customisation and once these are set, your custom modes set up, and you use the Super Control Panel (SCP) you shouldn’t have to deep dive them often.
The Panasonic G85 with Panasonic Leica 100-400mm lens makes a very good wildlife video set up.
Which one should you get? Well that depends upon your budget and what you intend to do with the camera. If cash strapped the the EM1 is the one to go for. It’s a beautifully built camera that turns out a great performance. The only place is where it is lacking is video. If you shoot primarily stationary targets and some video capability is important I think the G85 is a great buy. It is only let down by its auto focus the DFD technology Panasonic uses just wasn’t as good for action as phase detection autofocus. Having said that I have used the camera to shoot some wildlife videos – you’ve just got to be patient and pick situations that the camera can cope with. If you’ve got the budget then the EM1 mk ii is the one to get.Not as accomplished in the video department as the G85 but it does produce a solid result and the AF for video and stills works quite well. You’d have to spend quite a bit more money to get better performance.
The Olympus EM1 is a very capable wildlife camera for those on a restricted budget. Pair it with the Olympus 75-300mm lens and you have a compact lightweight, but powerful combination.
This is the second part of an ongoing series called “Birds On A Budget”. It really should be “Can You Do Wildlife Photography On A Limited Budget?”, but that’s not as catchy or succinct.
TLDR
When looking for secondhand cheaper alternatives for wildlife photography it is all too easy to get preoccupied with specifications sheets without looking at the whole picture. It can mean that just because Camera X does have a specific feature that Camera Y has then it must be inferior. Well let’s look at an example.
The cameras I’ve chosen to look at are the Canon EOS 80d and the Sony A6500. Both were introduced in 2016, both have 24Mp sensors, and both can be found second hand for about the same price. The 80d is a DSLR and is probably considered retro-tech now and the A6500 being mirrorless is seen as the more up to date technology. Let’s see how the specs compare.
Sony A6500
Canon EOS 80d
Introduced
December 2016
February 2016
Resolution
24 Megapixels
24 Megapixels
Camera type
Mirrorless interchangeable lens camera
DSLR
Sensor size
APSC (23.5 x 15.6mm)
APSC (22.5 x 15mm)
In Body Image Stabilisation
Yes
No
ISO range
100-256,000 which can be extended to 512,000
100-16,000 which can be extended to 25,600
Dynamic Range
13.67 EV
13.17 EV
Autofocus
425 AF points covering the whole sensor.
On sensor phase detect AF supplemented with contrast detect AF.
Multi area, centre zone and single point modes.
Tracking
Single AF
Continuous AF
Face detection
Live view
45 AF points clumped in the centre of the frame when using the optical viewfinder
Phase detect AF
Multi area, centre zone and single point modes
Tracking
Single AF
Continuous AF
Face detect in live view only
Live view AF with ‘Dual Pixel CMOS AF’ which means every pixel can be used for phase detect auto focus
Rear LCD panel
Tilting 3 inch touch screen with 921,600 dots
Fully articulating 3 inch touch screen with 1,040,000 dots
Viewfinder
Electronic viewfinder with 100% coverage with 1.07 magnification (0.71 x 35mm) and 2,359,296 dots.
Optical viewfinder with 100% coverage at 0.95 magnification.
Shutter speed range
30 sec – 1/4000 sec
30 sec – 1/8000 sec plus ‘B’
Built in flash
Yes
Yes
Flash synchronisation speed
1/160 sec
1/250 sec
Frames per second
11 frames per second in both mechanical and electronic shutter modes with no live view and 8 fps with live view.
7 frames per second using the optical viewfinder and 2.4 fps when using live view.
Buffer
100 frames in RAW or RAW + jpg
300 frames in jpg only
When using the optical viewfinder:
Unlimited frames at 7fps in jpg
24 frames in RAW
20 framesin RAW and jpg
When using live view:
Unlimited in jpg
Unlimited in RAW
36 images in RAW + jpg
Metering modes
Multi-zone
Centre weighted
Spot
Highlight weighted
Multi-zone
Centre weighted
Spot
Video
Available codecs AVCHD, XAVCS, H264, MP4
4K (3840 x 2160) 30p, 25p, 24p
HD (1920 x 1080) 120p, 100p, 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p
Available codecs MPEG-4, H264 with a choice of all I or IPB
HD (1920 x 1080) 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p
Storage
SD card (UHS-1)
SD card (UHS-1)
Connectivity
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
3.5mm microphone port
Micro HDMI
WiFi – 802.11b/g/n + NFC
Remote control via a smartphone
Tethered shooting to a computer
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
3.5mm microphone port
3.5mm headphone port
802.11/b/g/n with NFC
Wired remote control
Remote control via a smart phone
Tethered shooting to a computer
Battery
NP-FW50 battery with CIPA rating of 350
LP-E6N battery with a CIPA rating of 960
Weather sealing
Yes
Yes
Construction
Magnesium alloy
Composite construction with an alloy chassis with plastic shell
Weight
453g
730g
Dimensions
120 x 67 x 53mm
139 x 105 x 79mm
Other functions
Inbuilt Timelapse function
On the whole the Sony seems the better camera as it has an electronic viewfinder that provides realtime exposure feedback, better video capabilities, better ISO range, better dynamic range and In Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS) all in a smaller and lighter package.
Sony A6500 real world usage
The A6500 body is not overly small, but the button and dial placements leave a little to be desired. There are twin control dials but they are both on the rear of the camera meaning your thumb has to do double duty. To me the lack of a front dial around or near to the shutter button is a big handicap. Now when it comes to using Sony cameras this is not my first rodeo. I have an A7r and A7r ii so I am quite familiar with the idiosyncrasies of the menu system. But, having said that I still find them labyrinthine and illogically laid out and the paucity of physical buttons and dials means that menu diving on the A6500 is quite frequent.
There is only one SD slot on the A6500 and although I prefer 2 slots it is not a big consideration. The SD card slot is located in the battery compartment and this is major pain. Even when shooting handheld it is fiddly to change cards and shooting on a tripod makes it downright frustrating. Often I find myself having to take the battery out to access the SD card. Speaking of the the battery compartment the battery in itself is hopeless. If I go out for the day shooting photos then I have to take 2 spares and if I intend to shoot any video I take at least 4. Luckily they are readily available and reasonably priced.
The LCD EVF on the left side of the body is good – for its time it is nice and detailed while being responsive. The rear LCD is of the flip up variety. I prefer the fully articulated type but it’s no big deal and I can work with both. The quality of the screen is abysmal – it is very hard to see in bright sunshine and it becomes very dim when shooting 4K video making it all but useless. Sony claims it is a touch screen but it is very limited in function. It can only be used for selecting AF points and nothing else and the implementation of that is pretty poor as it is laggy when working well and down right unresponsive when it isn’t. I’ve been in situationswhere I’m repeatedly touching the screen and the focus point is not moving meaning I’ve lost the shot.
Speaking of autofocus it works very well. Having AF points spread over the whole sensor is great which means you can really concentrate on composition. The AF is very quick and locks on moving subjects. Another nice feature is that you can link spot metering to the active AF point. The electronic shutter is another feature that I really like and although the rolling shutter is quite pronounced when shooting moving subjects I like to use it with shy wildlife as it means I won’t disturb it. In Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS) is fantastic. While not as good as that on other cameras I’ve used (Olympus and Panasonic) it works well and is very welcome when shooting handheld video.
Image quality is impressive. Shooting RAW the files are very malleable in processing as long as you get your exposure right. The high ISO performance is quite impressive and the dynamic range is such that I don’t feel the need to blend exposures to get details in the shadows and highlights when shooting scenes with a high subject brightness range. When shooting video the story is a little complicated. The 4K is nice and detailed and looks very good, but it is only 8-bit and so can’t be pushed too much in post. The provision of flat profilesSLOG 2 and 3 is good to have when shooting contrasty scenes outside. Shooting HD the footage is softer and doesn’t look so good. It’s OK but I prefer to shoot 4k and downsize to HD on export. Focus peaking, zebras, and a live histogram are features that make shooting video easier and it is good to see them on the A6500.
All these points are well documented so why did I get the A6500? Well I’d switched from Canon full frame cameras to a Sony A7r ii a couple of years ago and I’ve really enjoyed the whole experience. Initially I was using adapted lenses but gradually I switched over to native Sony EF mount lenses with the exception of my 150-600mm. Just for giggles I started doing some bird photography with the A7r ii and I found myself using the crop mode a lot which gave me a 15 Mp image. After 18 months of doing this I thought well why not get a second hand A6500 and have a quicker camera that has electronic shutter and more importantly has 24 Mp. I was also toying with the idea of shooting more wildlife video and the A6500 fit the bill for that as well. Overall I persevere with the A6500 because I like the final image, but it is a real effort as I just find the camera so awkward to use.
Nidoolyorong or Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops). Monger’s Crossing, York, Western Australia. Sony A6500 with Sigma MC-11 and Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 OS lens.
Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa) duckling. Avon River, York, Western Australia. Sony Alpha a6500, Sigma MC-11, Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary.
A juvenille White-faced Heron (Ardea novaehollandiae) roosting in a dead sheaoak tree. Monger’s Crossing, York, Western Australia. Sony A6500, Sigma MC-11 and Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 OS lens.
Canon EOS 80d real world use
During the later part of the Film Age (1822 to 2000) I used Olympus OM4s, but by 2003 I could no longer get them repaired and my father-in-law generously gave me a Canon EOS3 SLR. Whenever I pick up any Canon camera from the EOS 650 introduced in 1987 to the Canon EOS 5d iv introduced in 2016 I feel immediately familiar with the control layout, the handling and the operation of the camera. Canon, for all their faults, of which there are many, has always produced well sorted nice handling cameras. The 80d is no different. The camera fits perfectly in the hand, the buttons and dials are well laid out and intuitive to use. This attention to the user experience extends to the camera menus which are simply and logically laid out.
Like the Sony A6500 there is only one card slot, but it is positioned on the side of the handgrip behind its own door. It is easy to access under all scenarios. The battery is the venerable Canon LP-E6 and it lasts forever. Sure this is partly down to the fact that SLRs draw less power than mirrorless cameras, however, it is also gutsier at 7.2V, 1800mAh and 13Wh compared to 7.4V, 1080mAh and 7.3Wh of the Sony NP-FW50 which is in the A6500. The upside of this is that I’ve rarely used more than one battery for a full day of shooting.
The optical viewfinder is nice and large and clear. Although I now prefer EVFs because of the realtime exposure feedback the 80ds viewfinder is very pleasant to use. The rear LCD screen is of the fully articulated flippy flappy type which I really like not just for shooting video but also for shooting landscapes and macro in the vertical orientation.The screen has a teensy-weeny bit more resolution than the A6500s, but more importantly it is bright and clear when using in bright sunlight. It is also a touchscreen– you can control the camera, go through the menus and review images with it. While there is no joystick to select autofocus points you can use the screen to do this and it is responsive. While we’re talking about autofocus it helps to view it as two cameras in one body. Using it as a SLR with the optical viewfinder the 45 AF points are all centrally grouped. If when composing an image your subject is outside of that area then you have to focus and recompose. The autofocus is quick and with a well calibrated lens very accurate. When using the rear LCD screen in “Live View” the performance is like a mirrorless camera with every pixel on the sensor doing double duty as an AF point. The 80d has face detection that works well. Although how responsive this is will depend on the lens – those with STM motors work the best. I did consider just using the camera in the live view mode but there is a significant performance hit with the maximum frames per second of 7 reduces to 2.4. I also find it hard to track birds using the rear screen and a super telephoto lens. Another much missed feature is In Body Image Stabilisation so you have to depend upon the IS in the lens if it has it.
The image quality is good – a real leap up from the 18Mp sensor that Canon seemingly used forever. But with that said it is not as good as that in the A6500. The dynamic range of the Canon 80d is 13.17EV as opposed to the 13.67EVof the Sony as measured by DXO. The amount is paltry and in real life terms negligible. If we look at ISO performance and particularly noise then both cameras are fairly equal up to ISO 800. At 1600 the A6500 is about a stop better and at 3200 is 1 1/2 stops better. The highest maximum native ISO on the 80d is 16,000 and this can be extended to 25,600. The A6500 tops out natively at 256,000 which can be extended by a stop to 512,000. In reality the highest ISOs on both cameras aren’t much chop, on the 80d the furthest I’d go is 6400 and the A6500 can be used up to 12800. But having said this I am using Topaz DeNoise AI to clean the images up. Your tolerances to noise maybe a lot lower than mine. If you shoot RAW colour output is pretty much the same, you should be able to get the results you want in post. Shooting jpgs well if you like punchy reds and warmer looking images then you’ll prefer the Canon. For video the lack of 4k can be seen as a major drawback. I shoot 4k and then in post will often crop in because I’ll output the final file as HD. The HD video on the 80d is an improvement on the previous 18 and 20Mp sensors that Canon used. It is also better than the HD from the Sony. There is no flat profile on the camera, but I solved that by installing the Cinestyle Profile from Technicolor and I am getting great results. The video output is again 8-bit so can’t be pushed around too much in post.
When shooting video the lack of an EVF is a bit of hindrance, but, thankfully the rear LCD screen is of high quality. The touch screen implementation makes operating the camera a doddle. Another feature I really like is the ability to create a ‘My Menu’ spread over three pages and I’ve made one of the pages dedicated to video. The AF in video works much better than I expected but again this is really lens dependent. While it is quick to acquire and initially lock on it does have the annoying tendency to drift off the subject and onto the background. You need to keep taping the touch screen to maintain focus on the subject. Unfortunately Canon doesn’t provide any focus peaking for help with manual focusing and no zebras to warn about clipping. Also Canon’s pre-amps are not the best.
I bought the Canon EOS 80d with the sole intention of testing cameras at various price points to see how they’d fare for nature and wildlife photography. I fully intended to sell the camera once I’d finished with it. Now having used it for several months it has become one of my favourite cameras (my favourite being the Olympus EM 1 mk ii). The 80d is such a well thought out camera that it is above all fun to use to use. No it’s not a hybrid camera as the video implementation doesn’t perform well enough, but it is certainly an excellent tool for the photographer on a budget. It has certainly piqued my interest in the 90d which addresses some of the limitations of the 80d.
Ngoolyak or Carnaby’s Black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris). Yanchep National Park, Western Australia. Canon 80d with Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 OS lens.
Djer-djer or Splendid Fairy-wren (Malurus splendens). Yanchep National Park, Western Australia. Canon 80d with Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 OS lens.
Yongka or Western-grey Kangaroo(Macropus fuliginosus). Yanchep National Park, Western Australia.
Ngalkaning or Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus subsp mannillenis). York, Western Australia.
Conclusion
The thing that became very apparent when using both of these cameras is that user experience plays an important part. Canon and Sony have very different design philosophies. Sony is more a technology company and looks to throw as much technology into a product without any consideration of the users experience when using it. Canon take a conservative approach to technology – nothing cutting edge – and look to bundle it in a product that is pleasant to use and reliable. Both cameras are very suitable for nature and wildlife photography, but the user experience is very different. The technology of the A6500 is negated by poor design and handling. I feel I’m fighting the A6500 every inch of the way to get it to work and that is miserable. The 80d overcomes its shortcomings by being a joy to use – it disappears allowing me to concentrate on photography. Unfortunately when it comes to wildlife videography both are wanting. The Canon needs more technology in the form of 4k video, focus peaking and waveforms. The A6500 needs a better touchscreen, a better rear LCD panel and better menus to make it more useful.
So when buying a camera, whether it be new or second hand, while the specification sheet maybe useful as a guide I think more attention should be given to the ergonomics. What does it feel like in the hand? What’s it feel like to use? These are the questions that need to be addressed rather than how many megapixels or how much dynamic range.
The title is really an exercise in alliteration. It really should be “Can You Do Wildlife Photography On A Limited Budget?”, but that’s not as catchy or succinct. I used to think it was impossible. I thought to be a wildlife photographer you needed deep pockets to be able to afford the cameras and lenses. The photo review sites would have you believe that you need to drop unto $10K AUD on a camera body and up to $24K AUD on a lens to be in with a chance of taking a decent photo. Then you had to have the wonga to be able to travel to Africa, Antartica etc to actually find animals worthy of being photographed. About twenty years ago my sister tried to encourage me to enter the BBC Wildlife Photographer Of The Year competition my response was that I didn’t have the money for the equipment let alone alone being able to travel to a suitable location.
Richard and Cherry Kearton photographing a birds nest.
Twenty years later my views have radically changed. What changed them was the confluence of learning about two of the pioneers of wildlife photography and the digital camera revolution. The photographers were Cherry Kearton (1871-1927) and his brother Richard (1862-1928) the naturalist and writer. They were very early pioneers of wildlife photography and they published the first natural history book entirely illustrated with wild photographs in 1895. Their 1898 book “With Nature And A Camera: being the adventures of a field naturalist and an animal photographer” illustrated with 160 photos was a best seller and inspired many people to become wildlife photographers. A very young David Attenborough attended one of their film lectures and in an interview to The Guardian Newspaper said “It captured my imagination and made me dream of travelling to far-off places to film wild animals.” (Vidal, J; The Guardian 4th December 2021).In their book the two brothers list what it takes to be a wildlife photographer:
“The great points about successful natural history photography are: the possession of suitable apparatus to work with, an aptitude for taking care in stalking timid creatures and plenty of patience and determination to wait for and get what is wanted in spite of obstacles.”
p.334 Kearton, R and Kearton, C; With Nature and a Camera, 1898, Cassel, London.
The “suitable apparatus” was a half plate (4¾ × 6½ in or 120mm × 165mm) Dallmeyer camera with a pneumatically controlled silent shutter for still subjects and a large quantity of hemp rope for scaling cliffs.
The “suitable apparatus” was a half plate (4¾ × 6½ in or 120mm × 165mm) Dallmeyer camera with a pneumatically controlled silent shutter for still subjects and miniature plate camera (probably 3 1/4” x 4 1/4” glass plates with a 5 1/4” f8 lens) for birds in flight. There was no autofocus with bird recognition AI. No 40 fps. Nothing under 4Kg in weight and certainly no endless digital images on a memory card. The plates had a sensitivity of 2 to 25 ISO. They’d be lucky to carry a dozen glass plates and take one picture every 2 minutes. They initially started just photographing the fauna of their native Yorkshire in their days off often sleeping in hedges or barns. No luxury safaris with 5 star accommodation and the convenience of modern jet travel.
No memory cards giving unlimited shooting for the Keaton’s. This is a box of Ilford photographic glass plates.
The digital camera revolution has meant for the last twenty years camera and lens manufactures have brought out new products with amazing technological innovations every year. This has meant that the second hand market has been flooded with equipment as photographers unload their “obsolete” stuff so they can buy the new stuff only to do the same 12 months later. This now means that there is a wealth of extremely capable second hand equipment out there to suit every budget.
Advances in in digital photographic technology has meant that there is a plethora of second hand equipment for sale.
TLDR
Needs Versus Wants
This is quite important as it will help us decide on equipment and set a budget. For instance if all you want to do is post some photos on social media then pretty well any interchangeable lens DSLR or mirrorless camera released in the last 20 years will suffice. If you want to print photos up to A3 in size then a 12Mp camera is adequate. If HD video and 4K video are important then that sets another parameter. It’s nice to day dream about having top of the line equipment such as a Sony A1 and a Sony 600mm f4 lens, but that combination will set you back $27000 AUD new and won’t be had for thrift shop prices second hand. But, say you want to print up to A3 it is possible with a bit of careful shopping on EBay or GumTree to get a DSLR with an APSC sized sensor and a 75-300mm lens for less than $500 AUD second hand.
I basically find that deciding on the lens is the most important part of the exercise and you really should aim to put most of your budget to that. So what are we looking for?
Sensor size
Full frame (36x24mm)
APSC (23.6 x 15.7mm or 22.2 x 14.8mm [Canon cameras only])
Micro Four Thirds (17.3 x 13mm)
Minimum Focal length
400mm
300mm
300mm
Best Case Scenario
600mm
600mm
400mm
The focal length will determine how close you need to get to your subject. The shorter the focal length the closer you will have to get. Having said that a shorter focal length is not a handicap because you’ll have to learn bushcraft so you can approach animals and that is a very good skill to have in this game and it’ll also stand you in good stead if you get a longer lens later on down the track.
You can use zoom lenses or primes. A prime lens is a fixed focal length, whereas a zoom lenscovers a range of focal lengths such as 75-300mm, or 100-400, or 150-600mm. In theory a prime lens will give better image quality and have a larger maximum aperture value which will let more light in. The down sides are that primes are usually more expensive and being a fixed focal length means that if your subject gets too close (it does happen more often that you’d think) you won’t be able to take a picture. Zooms offer flexibility in that you’re not stuck at one focal length, but the trade off is that they’re not as optically good as primes at the cheaper end and the maximum aperture value isn’t as great meaning that you may have to stop shooting as the light goes down.
A comparison of the common camera sensor sizes.
Now as soon as you tell another photographer what you’re planning to do they will inevitably tell you that you should get a camera with a full frame sensor as you’ll get a whole heap of benefits over the other smaller sensors. Now if we just content ourselves with reading spec sheets maybe, but out in the real world other things come into play. You want to photograph a bird that is 20cm long and fill the frame with it, so that’ll mean getting 5m away from it. To do that with a full frame camera you’ll need a focal length of 800mm, with an APSC camera 600mm and with a micro four thirds camera 400mm. There is a magnification factor when comparing the focal lengths on the different sensor sizes. It is x1.5 (or 1.6 for Canon) for APSC and x2 for micro four thirds. We’ll look at this comparing three common focal length ranges for the three sensor sizes.
75-300mm
100-400mm
150-600mm
Full Frame (36x24mm)
75-300mm
100-400mm
150-600mm
APSC (23.6 x 15.7mm)
(22.2 x 14.8mm Canon cameras)
112-450mm full frame equivalent
120-480mm full frame equivalent when used on a Canon APSC camera
150-600mm full frame equivalent
160-640mm full frame equivalent when used on a Canon APSC camera
225-900mm full frame equivalent
240-960mm full frame equivalent when used on a Canon APSC camera
Micro Four Thirds (17.3 x 13mm)
150-600mm full frame equivalent
200-800mm full frame equivalent
300-1200mm full frame equivalent
So a smaller sensor will mean you don’t need very long lenses and that is good because they are expensive. Shorter lenses have the advantage of being lighter which is good when carrying stuff in the bush.
Canon EOS 300d body with Canon EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens.
I started my nature photography using a Canon EOS 300d with a Canon EF 75-300mm lens. The camera has an APSC sensor so that gave me almost enough reach to fill frame with my 20cm bird at 5m. It did me well until I decided that I wanted to invest more into the hobby. So if your budget is really tight I would recommend getting either a Canon of Nikon APSC camera and a 75-300mm lens as the bare minimum, and we’ll look at what’s available a bit later on.
Memory cards are now very cheap. Develop a strategy for keeping them safe while working in the field.
The other thing to consider is that when you buy a camera and lens you also have to budget for batteries and memory cards. First things first; when looking at memory cards over the last 20-25 years there have been roughly ten types of memory card and many of them have gone obsolete so when buying a camera I would suggest that buying one with a commonly available card such as Secure Digital Card or SD Card. Similarly with batteries, make sure batteries are easily obtainable. With both cards and batteries try to buy the best you can afford and I’ll expand on this a bit further later on. Buying second hand also means that there is a chance where you’ll be able to buy the camera with spare batteries, a memory card, strap and possibly some form of bag as a package. Just make sure you’re getting things you actually want and are not paying more than if you to buy each item separately.
All the cameras I’ll be talking about are cameras I’ve owned or used. They’re not recommendations they are to give an idea of what’s about and where possible I’ll suggest equivalent models from other manufacturers.
Bargin Basement
You’ve got next to no money. OK a bit of a draw back, but not insurmountable. Back in the dim dark days of digital photography there existed a class of camera that you don’t hear much about now – the bridge camera. They are a cross between a point and shoot compact and an SLR. You get a wide range zoom lens with a small body. They were popular with enthusiasts in the early noughties as more serious cameras were way way expensive. Every manufacturer offered at least one some several at different price points. Sony and Panasonic still make a few models and they range in price from $500 to $2400 AUD new. But on the second hand market that’s where things get interesting. You can pick up something for less than $50.
What you are looking for is camera models with the terms “UltraZoom“, “superzoom” or “mega zoom” in the model name. Ideally look for something with at least an 8x zoom, better yet 10x or 15x. The more zoom the bigger your subject will be in the final image.
Olympus Camedia C-720 Ultra Zoom
Olympus Camedia C-720 UltraZoom bridge camera.
The Olympus C-720 was introduced in 2002 and is fairly typical of models from that era. It has a whopping 3 Megapixels and an 8x zoom range (24x if digital zoom is switched on but it is crap). It’s small, light, and cheap. Typically expect to pay about $15 to $35 AUD for one. What makes it ideal is that the camera runs off 4x AA batteries which are plentiful and cheap. The downsides are that it takes a SmartMedia memory card which while obsolete can still be bought. The downside is that you will probably spend more on the memory card than the camera. Another problem is that the largest capacity card is 128MB which can hold 14 photos at the best quality TIFF setting, 58 in SHQ jpg, 170 HQ, 196 in SQ1, and 206 in SQ2. The last two come at a smaller resolution. Although 3MP is a bit limiting you can print a postcard sized print comfortably and print an A4 sized print at a stretch.
In use it is not a speed demon, it takes about four seconds to power up. When shooting in sports mode with medium quality jpgs the camera can manage to shoot at 1 fps for a total of 15 frames. The autofocus is slow and very noisy. The top shutter speed is 1/1000 and the maximum ISO, or sensitivity, is 400. At 400 ISO the noise is bad and prevents you from recoding fine details. This is not a camera with which to take pictures of fast moving subjects in low light. But in good light, with a heap of patience and an understanding of the cameras limitations you can get some pictures. Whether you enjoy the process or not will depend upon your outlook.
Little Corellas taken with the Olympus C720UZ camera.
When light levels fall the inadequacies of the C720UZ are quite apparent. The noise patter prevents detailed images.
Canon EOS 300d with a 75-300mm lens
Canon EOS 300d body.
If you can swing to $250-300 AUD there are better alternatives than the very old bridge cameras. The Canon Canon EOS 300D (Canon EOS Digital Rebel in North America and the Canon EOS Kiss Digital in Japan) was the first real consumer budget DSLR when released back in 2003. For $60-100 you should be able to find a body only. I’d look to team this up with a 70-300mm zoom lens. With a bit of careful searching the combo should come in at under $300. Alternatives from that period going for around that are the Canon EOS 10d and the Nikon D100. They’ll be a little bit more money but they have slightly better features. The downside to them is that they were often used professionally and so they might not have much life left in them.
Canon EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens
So with the 300d what do you get for your money. Well you get a 6MP camera that takes Canon EF mount lenses – one of the biggest ecosystems of lenses in the world which means lots of choice at a variety of prices. Canon themselves have made an assortment of 75-300mm lenses over the last 30 years and you should be able to pick up something for $120 AUD and the one I’m looking at with Image Stabilisation for about $220. Sigma and Tamron are third party lens makers and you can find their versions for around the $100 mark.
The good points of the 300d are that it’s cheap, batteries (Canon BP-511a) and memory card (Compact Flash) are still available. The camera has a 6MP sensor that produces very nice A4 prints and it is very simple to use. The downside is that the camera was built to a budget and it is not possible to shoot in Continuous Autofocus when shooting RAW, the buffer is 2.5 frames per second for 4 frames, and the plastic body looks a bit tacky (but at least it feels solid). On the copy I have the rubber panels have gone a bit soft and sticky. To use Continuous AF you need to shoot in the Sports mode which is jpg only and you cannot adjust the exposure using exposure compensation in this mode. There is no being able to use the rear LCD screen to compose pictures on and there is no video mode. Maximum ISO is 1600 and the quality is ropey, but files can clean up quite well in image processing software.
The 70-300mm lenses at this price point are not going to win any awards for optical performance, but they will suffice to get you started. Irrespective of the manufacturer they all tend to be a little soft at the 300mm end and are not the fastest to find focus especially in low light, but they are capable of giving you a nice image if you don’t shoot wide open and keep the shutter speed up.
If you don’t want to buy Canon then at this price point look at the Nikon D100. Obviously you’ll have to substitute Nikon fit lenses as well.
Australian Pelican at Woodman Point, Western Australia. Canon EOS 300d with Canon EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS.
Kadjinak or Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa). York, Western Australia.
Djidi-djidi or Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys). York, Western Australia.
Djida or Yellow-rumped Thornbill (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa). York, Western Australia.
Koolbort or Singing Honeyeater (Gavicalis virescens). York, Western Australia.
Kaaka-baaka or Yellow-billed Spoonbill (Platalea flavipes) in the rain. York, Western Australia.
Djangkang or Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata subs woodwardi). York, Western Australia.
Canon Eos 550d with a 75-300mm lens
Canon EOS 550d body.
If you can squeeze another $50-100 then a good option would be to go for something like the Canon EOS 550d. You have a substantial increase in resolution with an 18Mp sensor with better high ISO performance – now up to 6400 natively or 12800 by expansion. Continuous auto focusing in all shooting modes and the frame rate is increased to 3.7 frames per second with a buffer of 34 frames shooting jpg and 6 frames shooting RAW. The AF system has been beefed up a little and while still only having 9 centrally arranged focus points it has a cross type sensor in the centre with extra sensitivity. The camera uses SD cards which are cheap and easily found. The battery, the Canon LP-E8 is a bit of a down grade in terms of performance compared to BP-511a used in the 300d, but it is readily available and affordable. While being able to shoot 1080 video it is only really suitable for still subjects as the contrast based autofocus is is too slow to lock onto moving subjects. My first videos were shot with this camera and it is capable of producing a good result if you are prepared to manually focus. Other downsides are the limited buffer and the slow frame rate, the lack of a second control dial also makes using exposure compensation a little fiddly. I try and keep my ISO below 3200 as the chroma noise is quite intrusive and difficult to clean up without destroying fine details. But, having said all that this is a camera which is capable of producing very good results. Even though I now have other better cameras I still like to get the 550d out and use it because it is just fun to use.
Canon EOS 550d with Canon EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens.
Quokkas are a small marsupial that inhabit Rottnest Island. Canon EOS 550d with Canon 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens.
Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) at the Coal Mines Historic in Tasmania. Canon 550d with Canon 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens.
Like many cockatoos Galahs, Eolophus roseicapilla, nest in hollows in eucalypt trees. Woodbridge Riverside Park. Canon EOS 550d with Canon 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens
Maned Duck (Chenonetta jubata) also known as the Australian Wood Duck, Swan River, Woodbridge. Canon 550d with Canon EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens.
Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus), Swan River, Woodbridge. Canon EOS 550d with Canon 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens.
This would be a camera which would benefit with a better lens if you can afford it. Something like a Canon EF 300mm f4 (approx $500 on EBay) or a 400mm f5.6 (approx $600 on EBay). This would be a nice nimble set up that would give great results.
The Nikon equivalent to this camera would be the Nikon D5000 for about the same amount of money.
Summary
It is quite possible to put together a competent kit to photograph wildlife for less than $500 AUD. It won’t have all the bells and whistles of more modern high end cameras but you will be able to make it work. The limitations mainly are speed of operation and picture quality. Learning how to make up for the short comings will inevitably make you a far better photographer in the long run than having the latest and greatest camera will.
99% of nature photography is performing the process persistently and repetitively – almost an obsessive compulsive behaviour if you will. After last weeks lack of success in photographing dragonflies in flight I was determined to have another crack at it. After a bit of reading I’d found out that dragonflies and damselflies are ectothermic – which means that they are not able to regulate their internal body temperature and are to a certain extent dependent on sunlight and ambient air temperature. They don’t actually sleep as we understand it, but, rather go into a torpor and they roost in the undergrowth overnight and wait for the warmth of the next day. Which means at sunrise they don’t move around so quickly. This time I went down to some of larger pools of water in what remains of the Avon River at first light.
Waiting for the daylight to revive it after the nocturnal torpor. Aurora Bluetail, Ischnura aurora. York, Western Australia.
The warmth of the rising sun finally reaches this Aurora Bluetail (Ischnura aurora) and it wasn’t long after this that it flew off.
As I walked along the dried out river bed I spotted some damselflies waiting for the sun to come properly. Much easier to photograph as they were staying still! After a brief interlude I carried on up the river. In quite a few places there were large holes where the water had evaporated leaving a thick salt crust. In other places the river bed was quite rutted and potholed which meant the unwary could easily turn an ankle or worse.
Salt on the dried out River Avon.
Eventually I made my way to Mile Pool which is a large permanent pool fed by an underground spring. This means that a lot of wildlife can be found there. At the near end the pool is quite narrow, about 1m and shallow with over hanging tree branches and tree roots which would provide lots of perching spots. In my reading I’d also discovered that male dragonflies are quite territorial and will fly a set pattern around a territory often stopping at the same few perches while looking for females to mate with and chasing off other males who’ve dared to trespass. Sitting down on the ground I’d found my subject – a large Tau Emerald dragonfly. He had a regular flight pattern and every time he went round he’d pause and hover for a second or two. I realised that this would provide me my best opportunity to get a photo of it in flight. Sounds simple doesn’t it? The reality was that it took an hour with repeated tries. Eventually I got a sequence of ten photos and the best one is below.
Tau emerald, Hemicordulia tau. York, Western Australia.
As I got up and stowed my kit I noticed I’d had an audience and they didn’t look that impressed that I was intruding on their secluded pool. I grabbed a quick photo and head off home happy that I’d succeeded in getting my DIF photo. DIF is the abbreviation of Dragonfly In Flight. I’m determined to get better shots than this, but it is a good start.
The audience. Three little pied cormorants and one little black cormorant.
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