Beginner "Virgin" needs experienced help !

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johnmay

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john
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Hello all. This is my first camera and I have virtually no knowledge of the subject, so just about anything you say will be of interest. It's a Lumix DMC-FZ72, the X60 optical zoom caught my eye to be honest. The zoom is indeed very good, and it is the zoom that is my first question to you all. We have Ospreys nesting on a loch near by (Balgavies) and yesterday I was trying to get a shot of the three chicks on the nest on the island in the middle of the loch. The zoom was at its max but it wasn't quite enough to get a clear image, so can I buy an additional lens for this camera to help with long distance stuff like this. First day on the forum and it is packed with information. Look forward to your comments and advice.
 
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…catchy thread title! :cool:
 
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The short answer is maybe, but not recommended.

A very, very long time ago I had a Fuji bridge camera and you could buy tele and wide adapter lenses to fit on the front. I bought the tele adapter which was a 1.4x converter but with it on the image quality was crap.

Whilst the Panasonic is probably a pretty bridge good camera, you unfortunately fell for the marketing hype of a 60X zoom. Your camera will have a small sensor and only a limited space for glass so you will be pushing the camera to it's absolute limits in terms of image quality when zoom all the way. Adding another bit of glass to the front will just degrade that quality even more.

My suggestion is that if you are just a "bit" short, then crop the image down a bit in post.
 
ecoleman said:
The short answer is maybe, but not recommended.

A very, very long time ago I had a Fuji bridge camera and you could buy tele and wide adapter lenses to fit on the front. I bought the tele adapter which was a 1.4x converter but with it on the image quality was crap.

Whilst the Panasonic is probably a pretty bridge good camera, you unfortunately fell for the marketing hype of a 60X zoom. Your camera will have a small sensor and only a limited space for glass so you will be pushing the camera to it's absolute limits in terms of image quality when zoom all the way. Adding another bit of glass to the front will just degrade that quality even more.

My suggestion is that if you are just a "bit" short, then crop the image down a bit in post.
Click to expand...

The one I quoted above reviews are positive about image quality except one or two saying IQ affected too much
 
GTG said:
The one I quoted above reviews are positive about image quality except one or two saying IQ affected too much
Click to expand...
The thing about IQ is that it's subjective.

The reviewers were being honest, some will think the IQ is fine, others not.

As a photographer I'd go nowhere near it, but I wouldn't have bought your camera either.

But millions of people are happy with the images they get from their camera phone.

The other thing is...
you have a longer (effective) lens than most pro wildlife photographers, getting the shot isn't necessarily about a longer lens, but field craft. Learn to get a better position without spooking the neighbours.

Sorry to complicate rather than simplify your decision. But here's it simplified again. Buy the adaptor (second hand if you can) and if you don't like the quality, flog it.
 
Welcome to the forum. What kind of distance are we talking? There is an Osprey nest at Rutland Water that is on a post ottshore. The limitation of my equipment is that I won't get a good image, I've resigned myself to not getting one and just watch them instead. Anything you add to a lens will degrade image quality, how much by is very dependant on the user, one persons acceptable limit differs to another person.

Like Phil says getting closer without disturbing is the key to wildlife photography. Often that means the photographer (or someone else) has put in the leg work over a period of time to get the animals in the right place and close enough to get great images.

You may not of heard about it (apolygises if you have) but Ospreys have schedule 1 legal status. Basically "It is also an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb the birds close to their nest during the breeding season" so whilst we say get closer it's not such a good idea with schedule 1 species. There is a reason why the nest was put up in the middle of the loch.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/o/osprey/legal_status.aspx

Using a long zoom hand held especially over long distances can induce blur into the image, making sure you have a steady hold or stable base would help. I personally would advise against buying anything as you have just started using the camera and are getting used to its limitations.
 
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Superb response and very welcome advice from you all. Think I may be trying to run before I can walk. It seems I have a decent bridge camera with obvious limitations, so I will take what seems to be the general advice and enjoy the camera as it is and build some knowledge of the basics of photography before spending on bits of kit that will not improve the current camera. Look forward to having a bit of time to trawl through the various forums. Cheers to all
 
rob-nikon said:
Welcome to the forum. What kind of distance are we talking? There is an Osprey nest at Rutland Water that is on a post ottshore. The limitation of my equipment is that I won't get a good image, I've resigned myself to not getting one and just watch them instead. Anything you add to a lens will degrade image quality, how much by is very dependant on the user, one persons acceptable limit differs to another person.

Like Phil says getting closer without disturbing is the key to wildlife photography. Often that means the photographer (or someone else) has put in the leg work over a period of time to get the animals in the right place and close enough to get great images.

You may not of heard about it (apolygises if you have) but Ospreys have schedule 1 legal status. Basically "It is also an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb the birds close to their nest during the breeding season" so whilst we say get closer it's not such a good idea with schedule 1 species. There is a reason why the nest was put up in the middle of the loch.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/o/osprey/legal_status.aspx

Using a long zoom hand held especially over long distances can induce blur into the image, making sure you have a steady hold or stable base would help. I personally would advise against buying anything as you have just started using the camera and are getting used to its limitations.
Click to expand...

I'm aware of the legal status , thanks. They are a very long way out from the loch bank. The last time I was out to see them ( no camera just bins) the adult was coming back from a fishing trip with quite a large fish in its claws, very clear with the bins. Great fun.
 
Don't listen to all those photography bum holes! They're a a bunch of oozlum birds.
I've got a Panasonic tz70 which has a fair old zoom but fits in my pocket. The thing you need to remember is that if you're zoomed to extremes the slightest vibration of the camera will cause blur unless you use a fast shutter speed. In good light 1/125 sec to 1/250 sec should be used as a basic. If the shutter works that fast it will beat camera shake.
As a suggestion as to what you should research first when getting into photography The Exposure Triangle should probably be first, followed by the effects of shutter speed & iris (F Number). They're the good basics...
 
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