Wildlife Photography

[azurbanclucker]

I know nothing else is really that good with this shot but I'm liking the sharpness.

Juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker.

View attachment 3258316

Nah, it's a clean shot and I like it. You can fiddle with the exposure/lighting/color balance a bit to bring it up a bit and it'll be a totally different shot. Can't do a lot with the crowded frame (unless you already cropped it in which case you can just back the crop out a bit to give yourself some more space.)

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Some waterfowl in the neighborhood...

Merganser and her brood, wood ducks, great blue heronView attachment 3259540View attachment 3259541View attachment 3259542View attachment 3259543View attachment 3259544

LOVE these photos! Fantastic work

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Curious on any camera recommendations, currently use the Panasonic Lumix FZ82 and I really like the easy of use however the sharpness especially at any level of zoom is just not great. Got this camera for £250 secondhand but high quality, hoping to find something that would be under £500 preferably.

For the record the camera may be fine I may just be a bit pants at the taking photos part

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Oops! Woke them up!

 

[SarahLadd]

LOVE these photos! Fantastic work

Thank you, I have more pictures, but I don't want to flood the thread with them. I have wildlife photos from remote regions of North Caicos that would be nice to share.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Thank you, I have more pictures, but I don't want to flood the thread with them. I have wildlife photos from remote regions of North Caicos that would be nice to share.

I doubt anyone would complain!

 

[mdees88]

Thank you, I have more pictures, but I don't want to flood the thread with them. I have wildlife photos from remote regions of North Caicos that would be nice to share.

Flood it!!!

 

[SarahLadd]

I doubt anyone would complain!

There are species of reptile that exist only there. The smallest python in the world lives in North Caicos, there is a species of iguana only found there, and a species of curly tailed lizard. Truly remarkable, it is one of the last places on earth that it is legal to harvest queen conch for food. To do this, divers wearing only a mask dive to the sea floor and pluck them from the sand. The guy takes a hammer to the shell, at a very specific section of the whorl, to disrupt the suction it has and make it easier to pull from the shell. The shells get tossed back into the ocean, where they collect in great huge colossal piles, to bake white in the sun.

Fun story about the queen conch, it is one of the few animals on earth known to create a non-nacreous pearl. These calcretions are phenomenally rare, the deeper the pink and more symmetrical the shape the higher the value. Borscheim Jewelers famously has a multi strand conch pearl necklace. Mikimoto also works with the conch pearl. In my travels there, I learned the locals are generally unfamiliar with their value, and tend to simply throw them away as garbage that comes with their food. I sold one for $1,200 here in the states, that was 1/3 carat in weight.

 

[SarahLadd]

Here are a few more local wildlife ones from the backyard. Wild turkeys, mature bald eagle, great blue heron, baby bald eagle, pileated woodpecker, great horned owl

 

[mdees88]

Curious on any camera recommendations, currently use the Panasonic Lumix FZ82 and I really like the easy of use however the sharpness especially at any level of zoom is just not great. Got this camera for £250 secondhand but high quality, hoping to find something that would be under £500 preferably.

For the record the camera may be fine I may just be a bit pants at the taking photos part

Looking at most of your photos I have been thinking that the camera may be part of the sharpness problem.

If you're looking to upgrade I would buy into a system you could grow into. Like a DSLR with interchangeable lenses. All I have ever shot is Canon so that's the only system I feel like giving specific recommendations on.

I think Nikon is a better value for your money (get a little more bang for your buck). Sony is a good choice too. I keep forgetting which Nikon @Alyssa-Bee uses but it's a good value setup that can produce great results.

The hardest part is finding a lens that performs well at a low price point.

If you go with Canon, the best lens for the money is their EF-S 55–250mm f/4–5.6 IS STM lens. It is a very sharp lens and can be bought used for less than $100. The only downside to this lens is 250mm is a little short on the long end. I used mine for a while but wanted more reach so I ended up buying a 400mm which was very expensive. The 250 will work you just have to practice getting a little bit closer to your subjects. But for your budget I think it is the best choice.

As far as bodies go, I pretty much always recommend the Canon 80D. Not just because I owned one but because it is a good balance between price and performance. You can find them used for between $400-500. You definitely will want a canon with the dual pixel autofocus. I believe that started with the 70D. You can pick up a Canon rebel t7i (make sure it has the "i") for a little bit cheaper and it has the same sensor as the 80D. It is basically 90% the same as an 80D, but if you want a camera you can grow into I would go with the 80D. It has weather proofing, a better button layout, and a few extra features like micro focus adjustment that you can tune to each lens.

Regardless of which brand you choose I definitely recommend going with a DSLR and buying used.