Hugely Expensive Lenses
Powerful telephoto lenses are not only hugely expensive, but they are not designed to be hand-held -
ideally they should be
supported by a heavy tripod to reduce camera shake.
To eliminate any camera shake even further, the
camera's shutter should be fired using a remote or cable release.
That's not easy when you're in the passenger seat of a vehicle with a bunch of other people.
So my bird photography has been limited, not only by lack of suitable equipment, but also by lack of enthusiasm as a result.
Digital Photography
However, digital photography is changing the landscape.
Not only are there affordable cameras available with powerful 24x or more zoom lenses, but the "consumer" SLR digitals
(like the Canon EOS 600D and Nikon D90) have a built-in multiplication or crop factor of 50% to 60%.
So using a 400mm F5.6 lens (or a 300mm lens with a 1.4x converter) is like shooting with a 600mm. Add image stabilization and
it becomes much more feasible to photograph birds from your vehicle while visiting game and nature reserves.
Thumbnail Captions
Row 1:
1.Lilacbreasted Roller, Kruger National Park, South Africa
2.Threebanded Plover, Kruger National Park, South Africa
3.Southern Ground Hornbill, Kruger National Park, S Africa
Row 2:
1.Woodland Kingfisher, Kruger National Park, South Africa
2.Bateleur (immature), Kruger National Park, South Africa
3.Carmine Bee-eater, Tuli Block, Botswana
Row 3:
1.Brownhooded Kingfisher, Kruger National Park, S Africa
2.Woodland Kingfisher, Tuli Block, Botswana
3.African Spoonbill, Ndumo Game Reserve, South Africa
Row 4:
1.Saddlebilled Stork (male), Kruger National Park, S Africa
2.Saddlebilled Stork (female), Kruger National Park, S Africa
3.Martial Eagle, Kruger National Park, South Africa
Row 5:
1.Whitefronted Bee-eater, Kruger National Park, S Africa
2.Lilacbreasted Roller, Kruger National Park, S Africa
3.Masked Weaver building nest, Kruger National Park, S Africa
Row 6:
1.Greater Flamingo, Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
2.Great White Egret, Chobe River, Botswana
3.Helmeted Guinea Fowl, Kruger National Park, S Africa
Return to Wildlife Galleries
See also:
Bird Photos Pg 2
Bird Photos Bonus Page
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