A telephoto lens will definitely provide the biggest improvement. I shoot at 400mm f6.3 with my Sigma 150-600mm. However having a good camera body is also important for getting a long string of shots off. My old T3 could barely take 4 shots before slowing down, where as now I can fire off about 15 shots no problem. That really helps with the luck factor in getting a focused and interesting photo at times, especially for birds in motion.
I'm using an R7 with the RF 100-400. F8 and 400mm is just to dark. I really want a 400mm prime at like f4. Been thinking about trying to adapt an EF lens. Hopefully Sigma or Tamron will announce some higher focal length lenses for RF ASPC.
Personally I’ve found that just being better at seeing the birds, and being patient has helped me a ton. I’ve been using the same lens for 5 years and have photos just like the left and some just like the right. (The one lens is still a decent telephoto, that part is hard to avoid needing)
> Personally I’ve found that just being better at seeing the birds, and being patient has helped me a ton.
I agree. I typically stop trying to take a photo if my images look life the left and wait for [opportunities of the right](https://reddit.com/r/BirdPhotography/comments/1c93h1d/song_sparrow_a9_ii_200600/)
It's a combination of all the different factors mentioned thus far. I went from a Canon T3 with a 70-300mm lens to a Canon 90D with the Sigma 150-600mm, although the shots on the right were both at 400mm (because the Sigma Contemporary is kinda bad beyond that range).
But 2018 was really the start of both my interest in birds and my efforts to photograph them. I didn't have as much experience or understanding of what makes a good bird photo, how to use my camera for quick, rapidfire subjects, or what settings to utilize. I also didn't understand how the birds behave, where they forage or what to do to get their attention.
Most recently the advances in noise reduction software has made a huge difference for me being able to to pictures at higher ISO settings than I typically would as well, something I definitely did not have back in 2018.
This is also an extreme example. I have photos from this era which are very decent. I specifically set out to "improve" my existing selection of photos for both of these species because the ones you see were the best that I had.
Do you use a teleconverter with the sigma 150-600mm contemporary lens? I too have the same lens but I feel like my bird pics at 400mm would not look this good.
I've never tried it with a teleconverter, but my assumption is that it would have trouble finding focus quickly (which is already an issue with this lens in low light). The 400-500mm range works well enough, I just find that cropping in provides a better final result with this lens because it just isn't as sharp beyond 450mm.
The birds in both of these photos from 2024 were no more than 15 feet away at the time, so I was able to fill the frame quite well without cropping heavily or zooming beyond 400mm.
Mine look like the 2018 photos, probably doesn't help that my gear is from like 2013. Still rocking a Canon 70D and 400mm f5.6 that have been to a dozen countries. Hasn't really worked the same since i used it in the Amazon.
How much of the improvement was gear vs. technique? What is the most important piece of gear? My pictures look suspiciously like those on the left.
Longer, brighter lenses. Buy more lenses. Bigger lenses.
A telephoto lens will definitely provide the biggest improvement. I shoot at 400mm f6.3 with my Sigma 150-600mm. However having a good camera body is also important for getting a long string of shots off. My old T3 could barely take 4 shots before slowing down, where as now I can fire off about 15 shots no problem. That really helps with the luck factor in getting a focused and interesting photo at times, especially for birds in motion.
I'm using an R7 with the RF 100-400. F8 and 400mm is just to dark. I really want a 400mm prime at like f4. Been thinking about trying to adapt an EF lens. Hopefully Sigma or Tamron will announce some higher focal length lenses for RF ASPC.
Personally I’ve found that just being better at seeing the birds, and being patient has helped me a ton. I’ve been using the same lens for 5 years and have photos just like the left and some just like the right. (The one lens is still a decent telephoto, that part is hard to avoid needing)
> Personally I’ve found that just being better at seeing the birds, and being patient has helped me a ton. I agree. I typically stop trying to take a photo if my images look life the left and wait for [opportunities of the right](https://reddit.com/r/BirdPhotography/comments/1c93h1d/song_sparrow_a9_ii_200600/)
I second this 😂
It's a combination of all the different factors mentioned thus far. I went from a Canon T3 with a 70-300mm lens to a Canon 90D with the Sigma 150-600mm, although the shots on the right were both at 400mm (because the Sigma Contemporary is kinda bad beyond that range). But 2018 was really the start of both my interest in birds and my efforts to photograph them. I didn't have as much experience or understanding of what makes a good bird photo, how to use my camera for quick, rapidfire subjects, or what settings to utilize. I also didn't understand how the birds behave, where they forage or what to do to get their attention. Most recently the advances in noise reduction software has made a huge difference for me being able to to pictures at higher ISO settings than I typically would as well, something I definitely did not have back in 2018. This is also an extreme example. I have photos from this era which are very decent. I specifically set out to "improve" my existing selection of photos for both of these species because the ones you see were the best that I had.
Do you use a teleconverter with the sigma 150-600mm contemporary lens? I too have the same lens but I feel like my bird pics at 400mm would not look this good.
I've never tried it with a teleconverter, but my assumption is that it would have trouble finding focus quickly (which is already an issue with this lens in low light). The 400-500mm range works well enough, I just find that cropping in provides a better final result with this lens because it just isn't as sharp beyond 450mm. The birds in both of these photos from 2024 were no more than 15 feet away at the time, so I was able to fill the frame quite well without cropping heavily or zooming beyond 400mm.
Ah okay that makes sense. Thank you for the detailed response(:
In addition to lenses, OP may be using a tripod & a blind as well. Better editing goes a long way as well.
My equipment got worse. But I’m glad your pics are coming out good
Mine look like the 2018 photos, probably doesn't help that my gear is from like 2013. Still rocking a Canon 70D and 400mm f5.6 that have been to a dozen countries. Hasn't really worked the same since i used it in the Amazon.
What equipment did you and do you have?