Think Tank Photo, well known for the photography backpacks, has announced the new Hydrophobia 70-200 Rain Covers. So far, Hydrophobia lens covers were available for big lenses like a 2.8/300 or 4/500. The new version allows the protection of 70-200 or smaller lenses.
Those covers are very helpful in rainy conditions and even allow the changing of memory cards without getting the cards or the camera wet.
For nature photographers, rain is not an excuse to stay at home! Often, during rain, you can get unusual and special images.

More information about the new Hydrophobia rain covers on the Think Tank Website:
New Hydrophobia® 70-200 Rain Covers Released!

UPDATE: There is a new version of this article which has been expanded and covers all the currently available Nikon cameras.

See here for the new version:
Choosing a Nikon DSLR for nature photography

Which Nikon DSLR should you buy for bird and wildlife photography?
Nikon currently offers a large range of different digital SLR cameras, ranging from the entry level D40 to the professional Nikon D3 which costs several thousand dollars.
In this article I cover the various Nikon models and explain which one I think is best for bird and wildlife photography.

Here is an overview of the Nikon DSLR lineup:

Nikon D40, D40X and D60

Those are the entry level DSLRs. The D40X and D60 have 10 megapixels, the D40 only 6.1 megapixels. Although those cameras provide good value for the money spent, I don’t recommend them for the serious wildlife and bird photographer. They are not very robust, have a slow autofocus (compared to other models like the D300 and D700) and can only shoot 2.5 or 3 frames per second (fps), which is not enough for action shots like when photographing birds in flight. If at all, I would recommend using those cameras as a backup body for a larger model.
That said, it is of course possible to make great pictures with those cameras.

Nikon D90

This is the successor to the popular D80. The Nikon D90 has a 12 megapixel sensor and offers the same image quality as the Nikon D300. The ability to shoot 4.5 fps makes it interesting for action shooters, although it lacks the really high frame rate of the more expensive models and the powerful autofocus of those cameras.
If you are just starting and don’t want to spend too much money, I think the D90 is a great camera for the price it costs.

Nikon D300

If someone stole my current Canon equipment, I would probably switch to Nikon (at the time of this writing) and buy a Nikon D300. I think it is the best semi-professional camera currently on the market. The high frame rate of up to 8 fps (with the battery grip) and the fast autofocus with 51 AF points make the D300 a wonderful tool for shooting birds in flight and other action scenes. The 1.5 crop factor of the 12 megapixel sensor gives you more pixels per animal than the 12 megapixel full frame sensor of the D700 and D3.
The wonderful Nikon 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED VR AF-S becomes an actual 4/300-600 on the D300 which is great for wildlife and birds. Add the Nikon 600mm f/4G ED VR AF-S and you have a perfect (and expensive!) combination for almost all situations you will encounter when photographing wildlife.

Nikon D700

The D700 is an awesome camera if you want a full frame DSLR. It has the same image quality as the D3, can shoot 8 fps and has a powerful AF. For bird and wildlife photography, I would prefer the D300 as it gives you more pixels per subject, but if you have a long lens like the Nikon 600mm f/4G ED VR AF-S and live in an area where birds and other animals are used to people, the D700 offers a better image quality than the D300 (mostly noticeable at high ISO settings).
The D700 is almost as good as the D3 but considerably cheaper. Compared to the D3 it can shoot “only” 8 fps (with battery grip) compared to the 9 fps of the D3 (11 frames in DX mode). The D700 only has a 95% viewfinder and not 100% like the D3. And the D3 can take two CF cards. If this is worth an extra 1.500 US $ is something you must decide and it depends on what and how you shoot.
One advantage of the D700 over the D3 is the self cleaning system for the sensor, which the D3 lacks.

Nikon D3

The D3 is the ultimate Nikon DSLR. It has everything you ever want – except for sensor cleaning. It has probably the best autofocus of all DSLRs (including those from other manufacturers) currently available and the highest frame rate of all Nikon DSLRs.
The D3 has a 100% viewfinder, the sensor (the same as the D700) delivers amazing image quality, even at high ISO settings of 3.200 and even 6.400 (the D3 can even go as high as 25.600 but the image quality suffers at those numbers).
The body is the most robust and feels like a truly professional tool. If you shoot a lot under very harsh conditions like the Arctic, rain forests and deserts, the D3 may be your best choice.
Before buying the D3, I recommend giving the D700 a serious look. It might offer all you need.
And for the price of the D3, you can get a D700 and a D300.

Conclusion:

If possible avoid the D40 and D60. They are not bad but have many limitations for the serious bird and wildlife photographer.
I think the best value for money currently is the Nikon D300. The 8 fps, the fast AF and the 1.5 crop factor are all great for wildlife and bird photographers. If the D300 is too expensive, go for the D90.
If you shoot a lot in situations that require high ISO settings, then I think the D700 is the best choice. It’s lighter and cheaper than the D3 and has built in sensor cleaning. If you can afford to two bodies, I suggest to get both the D300 and D700.
The D3 is for all who want the most robust body with the highest frame rate and a 100% viewfinder. It’s the ultimate Nikon DSLR and has everything you will ever need (except sensor cleaning). But I think the D700 provides more value for the money.

Keep in mind that the lens is more important than the camera. It’s better to have a D90 and a Nikon 500mm f/4G ED VR AF-S super telephoto lens than a D700 and just a Nikon 300mm f/4 ED-IF AF-S Nikkor. The 300mm lens is just too short for most situations (but is a great addition to a 500mm lens).

I hope I could give you an overview of what’s currently available from Nikon for wildlife and bird photographers.

This page will be updated when new Nikon DSLRs are announced.

Nikon DSLRs at amazon.com:

Today I want to give you a list of 10 great nature photographers and their websites. I often visit those websites for information and inspiration.
One of the best ways to improve your photography is to learn from others. Visiting the websites and galleries of other photographers is a cheap and wonderful way to improve your skills and get new inspiration.
So here’s my list:

Alan Murphy
One of the best bird photographers in the world.

Moose Peterson
Famous wildlife photographer. Great website with a lot of useful information and a great news blog.

Andy Rouse
Amazing images and an interesting blog.

Arthur Morris
One of the best and most famous bird photographers in the world.

Jim Neiger
Another great bird photographer with a specialization in flight shots of birds. Amazing images on the website.

Miguel Lasa
Great bird and wildlife photographer with spectacular images of Polar Bears, White-tailed Eagles and many others.

Juza Nature Photography
Very talented Italian nature photographer. Very interesting website with many very good articles and also with many beautiful images.

E.J. Peiker
Great landscape and wildlife photographer. Many amazing images and some very useful articles.

Ofer Levy
Another great bird and wildlife photographer with many spectacular images on his website.

Chris Gomersall
Famous bird photographer from the UK. Author of a great book about bird photography.

If you want to add your favorite nature photographer to this list, please leave a comment.

When you are a nature photographer, there are so many subjects to choose from that it can be overwhelming sometimes. With about 10.000 species of birds, over 5.000 mammal species, much more species of insects and many wonderful landscapes all over the world, you will rarely run out of possible subjects to photograph.

If you are just starting with nature photography you may be thinking whether you should photograph everything or concentrate on one or a few particular subjects.
Many good nature photographers photograph everything from small insects to large whales, from flowers to the grand landscapes. But many of them also have their favorite subject to which they devote most of their time.

Specialization has the advantage that you might get some extraordinary shots of a subject, simply because you get to know it better and spend more time with it. If you spend thousands of hours in your live photographing woodpeckers, than you will get much more and probably much better woodpecker shots than a person who only spends a few hours a year with woodpeckers.

Specialization can be pretty broad. You might just say you want to specialize in birds which is a pretty wide topic or you can decide to specialize on raptors or even just on a single raptor species.

Of course, specialization does not mean that you never take images of anything else.

Another way is to specialize in a small group of subjects at home, but when traveling to photograph everything that you encounter in the field.

Your main topic might also depend on how much you want to invest. It’s normally cheaper to concentrate on close-ups than on birds because you need longer and therefore more expensive lenses for birds than for close-ups.

Let’s take a closer look at the various genres of nature photography, what’s special about them and what equipment you might need.

Landscape Photography

A very popular category. You can concentrate on the landscape around your home or you can travel the world in search for the last places of pristine wilderness. If you live in a place that has strongly been changed by humans, you might not find landscape photography very interesting, at least not at home. Many landscape photographers prefer wild places. But that’s a matter of personal preferences.

The equipment for landscape photography normally involves lenser from about 15 to 300 mm. In rare cases a longer focal length is suitable. You don’t need lenses with a large aperture for most situations. That means you can choose lighter and cheaper lenses. For example, a 4/70-200 is often a better choice than a 2.8/70-200 if your manufacturer offers one.
As landscapes look best on large prints, you probably want to have a DSLR with at least 10 megapixel, probably more. That’s way many landscape photographers choose full frame cameras with many megapixels or they even buy medium format which is considerable more expensive than a DSLR from Nikon, Canon or Sony.

A basic equipment for landscape photography would consist of a (full frame) DSLR and two or three zoom lenses covering the focal length from 16 to 200 mm.

A tripod is essential for landscape photography.

Close-up Photography

Another popular topic. You can find interesting subjects almost everywhere and at every time of the year (of course, many flowers and insects are not available during winter in many places of the world).

If you already have a DSLR and a lens, all you need might be an extension tube to get started. If you are serious about close-up photography, you will want a macro lens. Those lenses are not too expensive and, except for the 180 and 200 mm lenses from Canon and Nikon, normally cost well below 1.000 Dollars or Euros. Lenses from third party manufactures like Sigma, Tamron or Tokina also offer good quality at a lower price.

As for landscape photography, a tripod is essential. For many situations, you will also need an external flash, at best a dedicated macro flash unit with two flashes like the Canon MT-24 EX Speedlite (Nikon has a similar macro flash system).

Bird and wildlife photography

Birds and wildlife are probably the most popular subjects.
Birds can be found everywhere, even close to our home. There are many different species, from the small hummingbirds to large birds like eagles, albatrosses or even ostriches. If you have a backyard, you will have the possibility to take many great bird pictures right there.
Mammals are often harder to find as they are often nocturnal or very shy. But some places like the Serengeti or Yellowstone National Park offer great opportunities for wildlife photographers.
Of course, you can also get great shots of mammals closer to your home.

The equipment for bird and wildlife photography is often much more expensive than that for macro or landscape photography as you will need a long focal length. 300 mm is a minimum, but often too short. Most bird photographers use a 500 or 600mm lens, often with a 1.4x or even a 2x extender.

Those lenses are very expensive and you will also need a sturdy tripod and tripod head.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many, many subjects to choose from. If you are not sure where to start, think about what interests you most and start there. Of course, it also depends on your financial recourses. Starting with a 100mm macro lens for close-up photography of flowers is definitely cheaper than starting with a 500 mm lens bird photography.

Many photographers will also change their focus during their life. I know photographers who started with landscape and now do mostly wildlife or photographers who started with birds and not do mostly landscapes.

Our nature offers so many opportunities, it will never get boring and there is always something exciting to photograph. I wish you a lot of fun out there with your camera.

Recently I did a lot of close-up photography with my Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4x extender and a 25mm extension tube from Canon.
That’s not the most usual combination for close-up photography, but has several advantages:

1. Long working distance:
Due to the long focal length (420mm) I can work at a longer distance from your subject than with a macro lens like my Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro or my Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro. This is very useful when working with shy insects or when working from a trail and I don’t want to leave the trail when photographing subjects that are a short distance away from the trail (I might want to do this in order not to destroy any flowers that are between me and the subject or because in some national parks and other protected areas it may be forbidden to leave the trail).

2. It’s easier to get a calm background:
Due to the narrower angle of view of the long focal length, it’s easier to isolate the subject against a calm background. Distracting subjects in the background (like other flowers, stems of plants or human made subjects) can often ruin an otherwise very good shot. See my articel Choosing a macro lens for a more detailed explanation of why a longer focal length is helpful when you want a clean and calm background.

Here is an image taken with the Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4x extender and a 25mm extension tube:

EOS 40D, EF 4/300L IS, 1.4x, extension tube

The image was taken before sunset. The butterfly was still a little active and about 1.5 meters away from the trail. This was the perfect situation for the 4/300 + 1.4x + extension tube. I didn’t want to move closer to the butterfly in order not to disturb it and also not to trample down the vegetation that was close to the butterfly. There where a lot of stems behind the butterfly which could have ruined the background, but the narrow angle of view helped me to isolate the butterfly against a clean background. The background is still not perfect here, but had I taken the shot with a 2.8/100, it would have been much worse.

How to best use this combation?
If you put the extension tube between the extender and the lens, you can get a little closer than with the extension tube on the camera and the extender between the extension tube and the lens. The difference is not much but noticeable.
On my Canon EOS 40D, autofocus does not work with that combination. But when I switch autofocus off and focus manually, the red light around the focus point where the subject is sharp appears. That is, the cameras confirms my manual focusing, but is not able to find the focus itself when in AF mode.

I highly recommend using a tripod with this combination and to use mirror lock-up and a cable release if you are using a long shutter speed.

Get it from amazon.com

If you own a Canon EOS 40D and want to see what the best settings for bird photography are, check out the this article by famous bird photographer Arthur Morris.

The article also includes some interesting comments on the EOS 40D and some great bird pictures.
The following follow up article includes one correction for the first article.

Arthur Morris is one of the best bird photographers in the world and I highly recommend reading his bulletin archives and subscribing to them. They contain many great images and useful tips on how to improve your bird photography.

The settings in the articles mentioned above apply not only for birds but for most other uses in nature and other types of photography.

This picture was shot today evening during heavy rain:

EOS 40D, EF 2.8/100 Macro, tripod, fill flash -2 stops with Speedlite 580EX II

It’s not my best close-up but I like it. If I had stayed at home because of the rain, I would have missed that shot (and several others).

Photographing during the rain is not without problems. I don’t mind if I get wet. I just have to pick proper clothes. But it’s more important to protect the camera and lenses from the rain.
Some rain drops probably won’t damage your camera. My Canon EOS 40D gets wet from time to time without any problems so far. But I don’t leave it out for hours in heavy rain. I always try to protect it. Many lenses from Canon and Nikon are weather sealed, but not all, especially not the cheaper ones. Check the manual of your lens. And most cameras (expect the professional bodies) are not fully weather sealed, either.
The most important thing is to keep the front lens dry. A drop of water won’t ruin your lens, but you will see the drop on your image and that will be ruined (or you will spend some time in Photoshop).

NEVER let water inside your camera when changing the lens. DSLRs are full of electronic stuff. If you get water into them, it might seriously damage the camera.

When I shoot in the rain, I always take an umbrella with me. I hold it over the camera when changing lenses or CF cards or when I am adding an extender. Some people take plastic bags with them and change lenses in there. Pick a method that suits your needs. The only important thing is to keep your camera dry inside.

You can also mount an umbrella on your tripod to protect your gear from the rain. There are several solutions available. See here for an example. Be very careful during wind when mounting an umbrella on your tripod. The wind might knock down the tripod and umbrella and your lens and camera can be ruined.

For some lenses and cameras, there are special water proof covers available, like those here in the Naturescapes.Net store.

Rain offers many possibilities for good photographs. You can include the rain in the image. This works especially when it’s very heavy rain or you can see raindrops falling on water.
Or you could find an animal that’s totally wet because of the rain (works very good with mammals when the fur gets wet).

In the case of the moth above, the rain let the temperatures fall so low that it was to cold for it to fly. So it rested on the flower where I could photograph it easily. During sunny weather, that would have been much more difficult.

You see, with a little preparation, there is no reason why you should stay inside during a little rain the next time you want to go shooting.

One of the best things you can do to improve your photography (beside practice, practice and practice!) is to participate in forum where you can show your pictures and have a look at the work of others.

In a good forum, you will get feedback on what is good about your shot and what you can improve. And by looking at the work of others and carefully analyzing their shots, you will learn a lot about how good images are made.

Beside image critique, many forums also feature discussions about cameras, lenses, field techniques, Photoshop and more.

Here is a list of some great forums where you can show your shots and see how others do it. The websites mentioned provide more than just a forum. Often you will also find great articles and other useful resources there, sometimes including stores where you can buy a lot of useful items for nature photography like blinds or tripod heads.

Naturescapes.Net
My favorite forum. The quality of the images shown there is very high and many of the top nature photographers can be found there. I’ve learned a lot at Naturescapes.Net.

BirdPhotographers.Net
Another great forum with many famous bird and nature photographers. Despite the name, it’s not only focused on birds but all aspects of nature photography.

Nature Photographers Online Magazine
A great website with many interesting articles and a very good forum.

Juza Nature Photography
A great website with many useful articles about nature photography and a very helpful forum. Currently there are less people at the Juza forum than at Naturescapes.Net or Birdphotographers.Net but the number of members is constantly growing.

Rules for participating in a forum

Be sure to read the rules that apply to all members before posting something at the forum. Often the size of the image is restricted (it doesn’t make sense to post a full resolution 21 megapixel file).

The most important rule is to always be friendly. When you criticize another picture, always do it in a friendly way but still telling the other photographer what he or she could improve the next time.

If you show your pictures and someone tells you how you can improve it, be thankful and not upset. After all, you want to learn something.

Keep in mind that some shots don’t work for all people. You may show a picture that you really like and all your friends like but the other nature photographers don’t consider very good. Accept that. Photography is also a form of art. And art is always perceived differently by different people.

If you changed something in the image with Photoshop (beside sharpening) be sure to tell the other members of the forum.
Also show the basic information about how you took it: Location, camera, lens, f-stop, shutter-speed, ISO, exposure compensation, if you used a hide (blind), etc.
Those information is often very interesting to other photographers and will also help them give you advice.

If you aren’t already a member of one of the forums above, I strongly recommend to join one or more of them. You won’t regret it.

Butterflies are a favorite subject among many photographers. And with the right equipment and some basic knowledge, everyone can get good butterfly photographs.
In this post, I want to share with you 11 tips about photographing those amazing little creatures.

1. Use a long macro lens

Most butterfly species don’t like it when you approach to closely. Because of this, a macro lens with a longer focal length is better suited for photographing them. A 50mm or 60mm lens is too short. I recommend to use at least a 100mm lens. Better is a macro lens with 180mm or 200mm like the Canon 3.5/180L Macro or the Nikon 4/200 Micro. Another great lens for at least the larger species is a 4/300. If necessary combine it with an extension tube or/and an 1.4 extender.

2. Learn about the biology of the different species

One of the most important tips in nature photography is to learn as much about your subject as possible. Learn in which habitat you can find which species, at what time of the year they fly or what plants they prefer. For example, if you want to photograph a particular species that you think is very beautiful and that occurs only in forests, than it’s pointless to search for the species at the coast.
There are many good books and websites available about butterfly identification and biology. Get a good one for your area.

3. Get up early

In the early morning, many butterflies can be found attached to flowers and other plants where they spend the night. In the early morning when it’s still cold, they normally won’t fly off when you approach them as it is still too cold for their body to warm up. This gives you much more time to compose and make your image. Use a tripod to keep your camera sturdy during exposure, which can often be only 1/15 or longer in the early morning hours. In the early morning, sometimes the butterflies are covered with dew which can make a picture much more interesting.
Sometimes, you can also find butterflies in those positions late in the evening.

EOS 10D, EF 3.5/180L Macro, tripod

4. Move slowly

If you are trying to approach an active butterfly flying from flower to flower, move very slowly to approach it. Try to not block the sun as many species will try to get out of the shadow. Once you are close, stick to slow movements when composing your image. Often, the butterfly will fly off before you get the shot. Be patient and try again.

5. Use a (prepared) perch and wait for the butterfly

Another way instead of that mentioned in point 4 is to pick a flower that is visited again and again by butterflies and setup your tripod and camera there. Then stay still and wait until the next butterfly lands. It’s good to use a cable release, so you don’t have to look through the viewfinder all the time. You could also take some flowers from your garden and set up at a good location with many butterflies.
Be sure to pick flowers that are visited by the species you want to photograph. Otherwise you will wait a long time without any butterfly ever landing.

6. Pay attention to the background

The background is very important. Make sure you get a calm background that has no distracting elements like bright flowers or stems of other plants. A longer focal length helps to get a calm background. Use the depth of field preview button of your camera to check the background.

7. Position your camera parallel to the butterfly

This is not always easy, but try to position your camera as parallel as possible to the butterfly so all of the wings is sharp.

EOS 40D, EF 3.5/180L Macro, tripod

8. Check if fill-flash can improve your picture

When photographing butterflies during midday when there is harsh sunlight, think about using a flash to reduce the contrast. Fill-Flash can also help in the morning or on overcast days when you want to get brighter colors. If possible make images with and without flash, so you can later see what works best. Often both approaches give you great images.

9. Don’t damage any butterflies or flowers

Don’t do anything that could harm the butterfly or flowers on which they perch. Don’t take pictures in the middle of a meadow where you would destroy many flowers just to get one good butterfly shot. Photograph only from trails are where you don’t harm anything.
In some books, you can read to put insects in the fridge for a while so they don’t move and you can photograph them. Don’t do that!
The animals and plants always come first in nature photography.

10. Create a butterfly friendly garden

If you have a garden, think about making it more butterfly friendly. Plant native flowers and trees, don’t use pesticides and leave some parts of your garden “wild”. Ask your local nature conservation society about what you can do to improve your garden as a butterfly habitat.
This will help you to attract various species to your garden where you can photograph them whenever you have time. And it will also do something good for their conservation.

11. Help to protect butterflies

Although this last tip is not about photography, if you want to ensure that there are butterflies to photograph in the next years and decades, try to join a conservation organization that helps butterflies. Many species are endangered and we all should work together to ensure their survival.

I hope those tips are helpful and I wish you as much fun photographing butterflies as I have.

UPDATE: There is a new version of this article which has been expanded and covers more lenses.
See here for the new version:
Choose a lens for bird photography

Bird photography is fascinating. You work with some of the most amazing creatures on our planet. In order to get good pictures, you need a good telephoto lens, often with a long focal lenght like 400 or 600mm. Sometimes a smaller lens like a 70-200 is enough.

The following list describes the various options you have when choosing a lens for bird photography.

70-200mm

This is a popular zoom range. Nikon offers a 2.8/70-200 VR. Canon offers a 2.8/70-200 IS, a 4/70-200 without IS and a 4/70-200 with IS (which I use). VR stands for “vibration reduction” and IS for “image stabilization” and describes a technique to reduce the vibration of the lens when hand holding it or even when on a tripod (some older lenses don’t support IS on a tripod). The 70-200 lenses are too short for most bird pictures, but can be handy if you want to photograph a landscape with birds in it. In same places, for example in some bird colonies at the coast or in parks, birds can be quite tame and then a 70-200mm zoom lens may just be perfect.

Artic Tern, EOS 40D, EF 4/70-200L IS

300mm

A 2.8/300mm lens is used by many photographers. Both the Nikon and Canon lenses are extremely sharp and have very fast AF (Autofocus). But 300mm is still to short for most situations. That’s why you will see most photographers who use a 2.8/300 using 1.4x or 2x extender with the lens. The 2.8/300 lenses are not cheap and cost several thousand Euros or Dollars. A cheaper choice is a 4/300 like the Canon 4/300 IS (which I use). Those lenses are also very sharp but much lighter and cheaper. The downside is that you will lose AF with some cameras. My Canon EOS 40D will not autofocus with the 4/300 and a 2x extender. With Canon, only the cameras from the 1D series provide AF with f8, for the other cameras, AF is turned off at f8. Nikon does not switch off the AF at f8 for their cameras. At the time of this writing, Nikon’s 4/300 does not yet offer VR (the Nikon 2.8/300 does have VR).

400mm

Canon and Nikon both offer a 2.8/400 with VR/IS. That’s a heavy beast (the Canon weighs more than 5kg ) and very expensive. I do not recommend that lens for bird photography. It’s too heavy, in my opinion and 400mm is still not very much when it comes to birds. But keep in mind that many photographers use that lens successfully, especially with good 1.4x and 2x extenders.
Canon also offers a 4/400 IS which is very light. That would make a great lens for flight photography and many photographers use it successfully. Some claim that it’s not as sharp as Canon’s 4/500 and 4/600. If you think about getting the 4/400 from Canon, try it out first on your camera and see if you like the results. Canon also offers a very light and small 5.6/400 (without IS) which is very popular for birds in flight as it can be handhold for a long time. The 5.6/400 is a very sharp lens and hopefully, a version with IS will follow soon. Nikon does not offer a 5.6/400 at the time of this writing.

200-400mm

Currently only Nikon offers a 4/200-400 lens. Canon does not although many Canon photographers (including me) would love to see such a lens. The Nikon lens is a dream of a lens. Very sharp and fast AF. Together with Nikon’s great D300 and it’s 1.5 crop factor, that lens would be like a 4/300-600 – a dream for bird and wildlife photographers. The downside of the lens is the high price. If you are a Nikon shooter, you should definitely consider trying that lens and see if the 400mm are long enough for your type of shooting. If that’s the case, the zoom advantage of the 4/200-400 can save you many pictures that you wouldn’t get with prime lenses, because sometimes you have to change focal length so fast, that changing a lens is not an options. Zooms win here by far.

100-400mm

Canon offers a very good 4.5-5.6/100-400 IS and Nikon a 4.5-5.6/80-400 VR. They are much cheaper than the 4/200-400 from Nikon and also much lighter. The sharpness is good, although not as good as with the 4/200-400 or 2.8/300. AF is slower due to the smaller f-stop. Nikon’s 4.5-5.6/80-400 is particularly slow, especially when used with an entry level DSLR from Nikon. When you have that lens and want good AF, use A D300, D700 or D3.

500mm

Canon and Nikon both offer a 4/500. Canon already introduced IS many years ago for this lens. Nikon recently (finally!!) came up with a new version of it’s 4/500 with VR. For me the 4/500 is the perfect bird lens. I love my Canon 4/500L IS. Those lenses are very sharp, f4 is still good, and they deliver amazing quality with a 1.4x extender and even with a 2x. I can handhold it for a while and have used it successfully for birds in flight like Black-headed Gulls, Griffon Vultures and Cinereous Vultures. It will still fit in a backpack that you can take with you on a plane. It’s cheaper than the 4/600 and although heavy (the Canon around 3.9kg). it’s still much lighter than the 4/600. That are the reasons why I chose the 4/500 over the 4/600. I use it a lot with a 1.4x extender on my Canon EOS 40D. That’s a dream combination for bird photography, as is Nikon’s 4/500VR together with the D300.

Black-tailed Godwit, EOS 40D, EF 4/500L IS, 1.4x

600mm

The 4/600 lenses from Canon and Nikon (recently also with VR) give you a longer reach than the 4/500. That’s the only advantage of the 4/600 over the 4/500, but a significant one. If you are shooting a lot of shy birds and don’t have to travel by plane a lot, the 4/600 might be a better choice than the 4/500.
The best would be to own both, the 4/500 and the 4/600 but that’s quite an expensive option. I do not own the 4/600.

800mm

Recently Canon introduced a new 5.6/800 IS. It’s lighter than the 4/600 but more expensive. I would prefer the 4/600 + 1.4x as this is a more flexible solution but I am sure some bird photographers will be very happy with Canon’s new 5.6/800. At the moment, Nikon does not offer a 800mm lens.

300-800mm

Sigma offers a 5.6/300-800mm lens for both Nikon and Canon. It’s very sharp and the zoom range is perfect for bird and wildlife photography. It’s expensive, heavy and long and it does not have IS/VR. But for some it’s a dream lens because of the zoom advantage. It would be great if Sigma would update the lens with image stabilization or Canon and Nikon would produce one themselves.
If you want a large super telephoto zoom lens, then the Sigmonster (as it’s sometimes called) may be what you want.

200-500mm

That lens does not yet exist from Canon or Nikon. But what’s needed is a 4/200-500 with IS/VR from Canon or Nikon with a weight not over 3.5kg and the optical quality of Nikon’s 4/200-400. That would be the killer lens for bird photography. The zoom advantage would be great and allow for a much better composition of an image without the need the change your position of the lens (which is often not possible). I really hope that Canon or Nikon will come up with such a lens in the future.

Sigma offers a 2.8/200-500 but that is a real monster. The lens has a weight of over 15 kg (and a price over 20.000 dollars) which makes in completely unusable for almost all bird and wildlife photography. If Sigma would offer a 4/200-500 with image stabilization I think they could sell many of them but currently they offer only the 2.8/200-500 which looks impressive but as I said I think it is useless for nature photographers.
If you want to learn a little more about that lens click here.

What do I use?

Currently, I use the following Canon lenses for bird photography:

• EF 4/70-200L IS
• EF 4/300L IS
• EF 4/500L IS
• EF 1.4x extender

For over 90% of my pictures, I use the 4/500L as the longer focal length is simply necessary for most bird species. The 4/300L is great for tame birds in a park or for flight shots of gulls, gannets and other large birds that fly close to me. The 4/70-200L is only used for very tame birds like some Artice Terns I photographed recently (see image above). They flew just 2 meters above.
For me, the 4/500L is the best option. Lighter, smaller and cheaper than the 4/600L. It’s optical quality is superb, even with a 1.4x extender and also with a 2x extender.
If you use Canon and can afford it, I highly recommend that lens. But be sure to also check out the 4/600L. In the end, it depends on your specific situation what’s best for you.

Be sure to also read my post about Choosing a camera for bird photography.

Recommended books for bird photographers: