Cameras for Bird Photography
1/22/17
By David Brown
Photography is a popular way to enjoy birds but deciding what camera to buy can be difficult.
When choosing a camera it is important to consider your own needs and budget. A professional nature photographer may use a large lens that requires a tripod to get the highest quality shots whereas someone with a casual interest may only need a cheaper compact camera.
For high quality bird photography DSLR cameras are still the top choice. They have large sensors, fast autofocus, and high quality lenses available. They have optical viewfinders so when you look into one you are actually seeing out through the lens and not at a digital screen. However, DSLRs are large and a decent camera body and lens can cost thousands of dollars.
Mirrorless cameras have become popular in recent years for many other types of photography. The lack of a mirror means that the camera body can be thinner but that comes at the expense of not have an optical viewfinder. Instead the viewfinder is a small electronic screen or in some cases there is no viewfinder at all. Mirrorless cameras often have smaller sensors than DSLRs and the autofocus is generally not as good. They are an option but would not be my first choice for a dedicated birding camera.
Bridge cameras are a cheap and portable option. Cameras in this category are usually relatively small and have built-in lenses that can zoom from wide-angle to telephoto making them a good choice for someone who wants a general use camera that can also get decent photos of birds. However they usually have small sensors so image quality can suffer and photographing birds in flight is difficult.
Sensor size is an important consideration. Smaller sensors capture a smaller portion of the image than a larger sensor would, essentially cropping the image and making objects fill more of the frame. This is why a bridge camera with a lens that is only actually 200mm may advertise that it is the same field of view as a 600mm lens on a full-frame DSLR camera. However, this comes at the expense of image quality. For this reason don't get caught up in comparing the number of megapixels that cameras have without also considering the sensor size.
For using a camera outside and in poor weather be sure to consider durability and weather sealing. Size and weight are also important if you plan to hike with the camera.
Keeping all these factors in mind here are my recommendations. If you want a cheaper camera to occasionally photograph the birds at your feeder, a bridge camera will be sufficient.
If you are planning to get into bird photography in any serious way go for a DSLR. Buy the highest quality lens you can afford even if that means initially settling for a cheaper camera body. A popular lens focal length for bird photography is 400mm. Many companies make quality cameras but choose a brand you plan to stick with because it can be difficult to switch later once you have purchased a lot of gear.
Regardless of what equipment you have the most important thing is to go out and have fun using it.
