Kr for bird shots?
Posted 21/01/2011 - 20:26
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For bird shots ,the camera is of very little consequence!...It's the glass on the front that matters!....the kr will be fine!,if you are on a budget,the 55/300 is a very good option!...sorry nearly forgot..Hello and welcome!
K20D...ist DS ,DA18/55,DA16/45.DA* 50/135,"A"1.7 50MM..."A" 70/210..M 50mm f2...Tamron 90mm macro,28/300 Tamron,200/500 Tamron 6.9....A Pentax DA*300... Sigma10/20,FA31mm 1.8 Ltd*********,FA 77mm Ltd!
Posted 21/01/2011 - 20:35
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Welcome Pete. I think you will struggle to get acceptable bird shots with a 55-300. It does not have the reach. At the 300mm end gives you the equivalent of 8x binoculars. A Sigma 50-500 or 150-500 will get you a lot closer but for a lot more money.
Dave
Dave
Posted 21/01/2011 - 20:59
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It all depends on your country craft!....I do ok with my DA*300!...
K20D...ist DS ,DA18/55,DA16/45.DA* 50/135,"A"1.7 50MM..."A" 70/210..M 50mm f2...Tamron 90mm macro,28/300 Tamron,200/500 Tamron 6.9....A Pentax DA*300... Sigma10/20,FA31mm 1.8 Ltd*********,FA 77mm Ltd!
Posted 21/01/2011 - 21:10
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Hi Pete and welcome.
In all honesty, any DSLR will be far superior to a bridge camera when it comes to birds. You have a far larger sensor and better optics.
When it comes to specifics, the K-r will be a fine camera to get birds, and the 55-300 will be okay (not from an IQ point of view - which will be excellent, but from its reach)
I have shot birds with a 300mm lens, but the reach was too short. Something that will go to 500mm will be better. Even my old Sigma 170-500 is good when it comes to birding.
Now, your second query. Canon or Pentax.
Well the reality comes down to price.
The K-r is getting a great reputation as a mid range DSLR (and has features that Canon can only dream of - this is not Canon bashing, far from it). Bodies are much of a muchness in the same price band, with some exceptions.
It comes down to lenses and price.
Now, if you really want to get a 500mm lens with Pentax, you get a reasonable price Sigma and will get excellent results.
However, if you go down the Canon route, you can either, have the same Sigma Lenses, or Canon's own 500mm lens, which, I am not kidding, is big, heavy and priced the same as a small car.
I have a few friends who are Canon users, and they have 500mm Lenses with Pro spec DSLR's. Yes the images are great, but in the cold light of day, are their EOS 1D mk4 and 500mm F4 ten times better than my K20D and Sigma 170-500 combo? Of course not! It is the law of diminishing returns.
So unless you are a Pro photographer or someone who is very flush with cash, stick to a K-r and a Sigma 150-500 (or second hand 170-500) and enjoy taking photos of birds. You will get results that you are proud of
Hope this helps
In all honesty, any DSLR will be far superior to a bridge camera when it comes to birds. You have a far larger sensor and better optics.
When it comes to specifics, the K-r will be a fine camera to get birds, and the 55-300 will be okay (not from an IQ point of view - which will be excellent, but from its reach)
I have shot birds with a 300mm lens, but the reach was too short. Something that will go to 500mm will be better. Even my old Sigma 170-500 is good when it comes to birding.
Now, your second query. Canon or Pentax.
Well the reality comes down to price.
The K-r is getting a great reputation as a mid range DSLR (and has features that Canon can only dream of - this is not Canon bashing, far from it). Bodies are much of a muchness in the same price band, with some exceptions.
It comes down to lenses and price.
Now, if you really want to get a 500mm lens with Pentax, you get a reasonable price Sigma and will get excellent results.
However, if you go down the Canon route, you can either, have the same Sigma Lenses, or Canon's own 500mm lens, which, I am not kidding, is big, heavy and priced the same as a small car.
I have a few friends who are Canon users, and they have 500mm Lenses with Pro spec DSLR's. Yes the images are great, but in the cold light of day, are their EOS 1D mk4 and 500mm F4 ten times better than my K20D and Sigma 170-500 combo? Of course not! It is the law of diminishing returns.
So unless you are a Pro photographer or someone who is very flush with cash, stick to a K-r and a Sigma 150-500 (or second hand 170-500) and enjoy taking photos of birds. You will get results that you are proud of
Hope this helps
Some Cameras
Posted 21/01/2011 - 22:54
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See my Robin taken today on the gallery (uncropped with my new budget Pentax 55 to 300mm) Depth of field is critical and the standard focus screen on my KX not the best when manually fine tuning. Autofocus sometimes slow
Posted 21/01/2011 - 22:59
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[IMG]http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af43/kenp6/pentaxbirds.jpg[/IMG]
One from the DA*300!
One from the DA*300!
K20D...ist DS ,DA18/55,DA16/45.DA* 50/135,"A"1.7 50MM..."A" 70/210..M 50mm f2...Tamron 90mm macro,28/300 Tamron,200/500 Tamron 6.9....A Pentax DA*300... Sigma10/20,FA31mm 1.8 Ltd*********,FA 77mm Ltd!
Posted 21/01/2011 - 23:52
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Welcome to the forum Peter
Now all of the above may get you a few funny looks and tuts of disaproval from folks dressed like soldiers in the jungle but they will rarely scare away birds.
My advice is you start with the best you can afford in a camera body and 300mm to 300mm+ lens and learn to use them to the best of your ability before moving on with the affliction of the dreaded LBA, if that is the KR and 55-300 then go for it, OK so it may not focus as quickly as other gear and you may miss a few shots, so what? you use what you have until you can afford to upgrade.
Quote:
and uses a screw drive to work it
And so did every body I've use my Bigma on (thats the Sigma 50-500 to newbies) My Pentax 80-320 was also the noisiest most hunting for focus of lenses you could ever hope to possess, niether of them scared birds away, neither did the mirror slap on my istD, K10D or K20D and currently the K5 (nice and quiet), even a burst of flash has had little effect.and uses a screw drive to work it
Now all of the above may get you a few funny looks and tuts of disaproval from folks dressed like soldiers in the jungle but they will rarely scare away birds.
My advice is you start with the best you can afford in a camera body and 300mm to 300mm+ lens and learn to use them to the best of your ability before moving on with the affliction of the dreaded LBA, if that is the KR and 55-300 then go for it, OK so it may not focus as quickly as other gear and you may miss a few shots, so what? you use what you have until you can afford to upgrade.
Posted 22/01/2011 - 00:08
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Who says you can't get close enough with the 55-300...
Wide open at 300mm. Some cropping, but not a huge amount.
My advice: Go with the K-r and 55-300. You wont regret it.
Wide open at 300mm. Some cropping, but not a huge amount.
My advice: Go with the K-r and 55-300. You wont regret it.
Posted 22/01/2011 - 09:32
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If you want to know how good the 55-300 is take a look at Yve's portfolio
The 55-300, for its money, is a brilliant lens and will be a great lens for you to find your feet. It is very sharp, just look at the definition in the fur, and those whiskers...amazing.
Here is an example (I hope you don't mind Yve)
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The 55-300, for its money, is a brilliant lens and will be a great lens for you to find your feet. It is very sharp, just look at the definition in the fur, and those whiskers...amazing.
Here is an example (I hope you don't mind Yve)
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Flickr
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" (John Lennon)
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" (John Lennon)
Posted 22/01/2011 - 09:44
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There are a couple of (p)reviews you may wish to consider...
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You need have no fear that these bodies will / not do what you're after - they'll do it in spades.
And, as others have said, the lens choices open to you with any Pentax body is very attractive.
The cropping that can be done with sensors in the 12 / 16 mp range will serve you well, in conjunction with the focal length of Pentax or 3rd party lenses you're using.
No comparison to bridge cameras - go for it!
link
link
You need have no fear that these bodies will / not do what you're after - they'll do it in spades.
And, as others have said, the lens choices open to you with any Pentax body is very attractive.
The cropping that can be done with sensors in the 12 / 16 mp range will serve you well, in conjunction with the focal length of Pentax or 3rd party lenses you're using.
No comparison to bridge cameras - go for it!
Posted 27/01/2011 - 18:38
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Firstly, appologies for not responding earlier, the power supply went on the pc and only got it back yesterday.
Thanks for all the advice guys, and yes Yve's pics are just fabulous.
I was just worried as it seemed a bit loud, but I'm sure it'll be ok. Will get one at weekend hopefully.
Do you think the 55-300 will focus faster then my pany bridge?
thanks
pete.
Thanks for all the advice guys, and yes Yve's pics are just fabulous.
I was just worried as it seemed a bit loud, but I'm sure it'll be ok. Will get one at weekend hopefully.
Do you think the 55-300 will focus faster then my pany bridge?
thanks
pete.
Posted 27/01/2011 - 18:52
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I used to have a Minolta A200 bridge camera followed by a Canon G9. My Pentax KX with the 55 to 300 ED lens outperforms both by a very long way and I'm still learning.
You do have to consider though that long lenses even stopped down have narrow depth of field. There is then the compromise between aperture and fast enough shutter speed unless the subject is very still. Pentax Shake reduction helps a lot of course! I find fine manual tuning often necesary for birdlife especially when amongst branches an foliage. If in auto mfocus mode spot focussing is essential. I have lots of shots of beautifully in focus branches with fuzzy birds!!!
You do have to consider though that long lenses even stopped down have narrow depth of field. There is then the compromise between aperture and fast enough shutter speed unless the subject is very still. Pentax Shake reduction helps a lot of course! I find fine manual tuning often necesary for birdlife especially when amongst branches an foliage. If in auto mfocus mode spot focussing is essential. I have lots of shots of beautifully in focus branches with fuzzy birds!!!
Posted 27/01/2011 - 23:41
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I took this today with the 55-300 on the K5. It's a shame about the foreground twig but I can't blame that on the lens. The lens does hunt a bit, so to avoid that I first focus where I think the birds will be and the autofocus then doesn't have to adjust much:
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7 posts
15 years
I currently shoot wildlife especially small birds with my Panny fz18.
I want to upgrade to a dslr to get better resolution and shutter speeds and am considering the KR with the dal 55-300mm lens.
However, I have heard the Kr is very noisy and will scare the birds, and the dal55-300 is not a very fast focussing lens and uses a screw drive to work it, and again it is quite noisey. My concern is that they will scare away the smaller birds which currently I can get very close to. I've held the kr and liked it.
I cant afford the K5 (dont want a k7) is the Kr suitable or do you think I may be better off going down say the canon route (sorry no offense!).
Pete.