Upgrading wildlife photography kit

P

photoPunk

Messages
5
Edit My Images
Yes
I have a D7200 and a Nikkor VR ED AF-P 70-300 4.5-5.6 E

Both were bought second hand for a total of about £900.

I mainly do wildlife photograph so mainly hand held, mainly birds and insects. The lens lives on the D7200.

In general I'm pleased with the results. A great upgrade from my venerable D50 and Tamron 70-300. However I can see photos taken by people with Nikon P950 and frankly most of them look better than what I can get.

If I was to upgrade either camera or lens what should I get?

Or is it time to dig deeper into my pockets and go mirror-less?
 
How do the photos taken by the P950 look better? Once you quantify the reason it’s easier to give advice. Where do you feel your photos fail?
 
Last edited:
The 7200 is getting old now, but there's nothing wrong with it - a perfectly able camera. My daughter still uses my old one.

About the best 'bang for buck' lens for birds is probably the Sigma 150-600.

A tripod may help too in some cases - it depends what 'sort' of shooting you do . . .
 
Mintchocs said:
How do the photos taken by the P950 look better?
Click to expand...
The photos appear to be better focused. Insects in particular, I know someone, who is new to wildlife photography, that has pictures of a bumble bee (with a P950) that I would be very pleased with and don't seem to be able to replicate.

@johnnypanic , @Sky Thanks for your input I'll definitely take another look at the Sigma 150-600 and the D500.

Sky said:
A tripod may help too in some cases - it depends what 'sort' of shooting you do . . .
Click to expand...
I have recently got a nice tripod but not really had a chance to give it a good go. So that will be something else I can give a try.

Thanks everyone
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sky
photoPunk said:
The photos appear to be better focused. Insects in particular, I know someone, who is new to wildlife photography, that has pictures of a bumble bee (with a P950) that I would be very pleased with and don't seem to be able to replicate.
Click to expand...
I doubt it's the camera/lens.

It's possible the P-950's ability to focus from much closer could have made a difference for some images approaching macro. But if that's the case you need a macro lens, not a "wildlife lens."
IMO, it is more likely the P-950 is being operated (nearly) fully automatic and it is just picking better settings than you are.

I think you would probably be better off submitting images (with exif) for critique/feedback rather than chasing gear.
 
The smaller sensor on the P950 would also give more depth of field for the macro shot.
 
Craikeybaby said:
The smaller sensor on the P950 would also give more depth of field for the macro shot.
Click to expand...
Not really... if the magnification of the bee is the same within the composition, then the DOF in the image will be the same.

I.e. same lens/same distance, the smaller sensor provides greater magnification (size w/in composition) and less DOF. Then if you crop the larger sensor image down to match the composition in post it equalizes (lessens) the DOF.
But the smaller sensor does allow a greater working distance for a given composition/lens, which can be a big benefit when working with insects (and lighting)... That's the primary reason I prefer smaller sensors for macro work.
 
I thought I'd replied to this, I must have not clicked post reply.

In general the D7200 should yield better results than the P950, so if you're not getting this then it's likely technique/trying to use the combo for something it's not able to do. For example, the 70-300mm isn't going to be great at insects as it only has a magnification of 0.25x. I'm not sure what the P950 has as I can't find it online, but as it has a macro function I'd imagine it's better than the 70-300mm.

If it's purely a focussing issue then that would be technique, macro is a difficult genre to nail focus.

I wouldn't invest any more money until you find out why you're not getting the images you want, otherwise it's likely you'll get equally disappointing results with the new gear.
 
The D7200 was/is one of the best nikon cameras I have owned in the past .. my suggestion is with the others it’s the lens that’s letting you down . You could try a sigma 150-600 C or if you can find one in good working order the 300mm f4 which also takes t.c’s 1.4 .1.7 and 2X
A tripod and gimbal will also help ..
 
I think you have to decide whether, as in your OP, you want to photograph birds OR bees as there aren't many lenses that will cover both distances. An exception I have found is the Sigma 60-600mm (for DSLR, I wouldn't know about the mirrorless version) which I have used for both subjects; unfortunately, it is not a cheap lens.

This:

BirdPics- by Martin Baxter, on Flickr

and this:

RedAdmiral by Martin Baxter, on Flickr

were taken with the same lens.
 
Last edited:
Without knowing your budget, it is difficult to say, but the D500/200-500 combo is an exceptional 'wildlife' outfit. - As already said, using a good tripod/gimbal, will definitely improve results, as there is no substitute for a rock solid base to shoot from!

.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top