This is a timely thread as I flying to Florida today. 100-400 and 600 pf..... don't yet own the 180-600. And Steve's update to the Z8/Z9 book just hit! Downloaded to my iPad.
Plane reading.
Plane reading.
Lens Advice for Florida Bird Photography
- Thread starter tegel
- Start date
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Len Cohen
Member
I go to your proposed locations frequently. I have a 500pf which is the lens I use exclusively. I sm most interested in BIF and a light lens is key. There are relatively stationary birds where you can use a tripod. The birds are relatively close to the boardwalk . A 1.4 is such a small item it doesn’t take up space. I would take the 100-400
You're just like me then…ordered the 180-600 yesterday and have been using the 100-400 and 600PF on my 2 bodies.
I live in Florida and have a 800mm pf and 600mm pf. I try to come up with excuses to use the 600mm pf but keep wishing I had the 800pf when I use the 600mm. I would say the longer the better especially when you are shooting shore birds. The exception would be if you are somewhere like the St. Augustine Alligator farm or Wackodahatchee where there is a lot of close up shooting possibilities. At locations like that a 180-600mm or 100-400mm would work well.
I live in Florida, I carry my Z8 with Nikon 500 PF ((I never take it off)), and my D850 with a 300MM PF. I have no desires to change. I Airboat to a place made by God with hundreds of nesting Ospreys and a Rookery full of nesting birds that runs through April and May.
So what you’re saying is that when I go to Ft. DeSoto in April, sounds like my “kitchen sink” kit (MindShift Backlight 36L, Z8, 186, 800PF) is the way to go
I’d normally bring my Fuji X-T5 and lenses, but instead should hopefully have the X100VI so that I can lighten the load somewhat 
Calson
Well-known member
I would take the advice of the guide which makes the most sense. In Florida the birds tend to be large and not at all shy around humans and so no issues with relatively small camera to subject distances. Nothing worse in my experience than having too long a focal length and having problems tracking a bird in flight or having an image so tightly cropped that it may as well been taken in a zoo.
For a trip to Florida I would want to tack on a few days or more to go to other locations, including ones where a boat gets one closer to wildlife as with Blue Cypress . This is when a hand held lens and camera can make a great deal of difference in what your are able to capture.
I would also give some consideration to using two bags for photo gear as you can have a 18L size backpack that qualifies as a "personal item" with most airlines. I do this to have less weight in my 32L size backpack which is easier on my body. The 100-400mm lens for example is only 9 inches long and 4 inches in diameter and can easily fit in a smaller bag. My Bataflae 18L has interior dimensions of 16 x 11 x 6.25 inches not including the separate pocket for a small laptop.
Quite a few bags that qualify as a personal item by the airlines including the Ruggard Thunderhead 35 camera and laptop backpack sold by BH Photo. Something like this is easy to have on your back as you go through the airports and are on a plane and to have both hands free for your primary backpack and for other items.
In most areas where there is a boardwalk shared with other people a long exposure is not likely to be successful as people walking about are going to bounce the camera enough to ruin the shot. It may be less of a problem with a mirrorless camera with its internal image stabilization but still a consideration. Where a monopod with a tilt head can be useful is in shooting video and getting a more stable pan.
For a trip to Florida I would want to tack on a few days or more to go to other locations, including ones where a boat gets one closer to wildlife as with Blue Cypress . This is when a hand held lens and camera can make a great deal of difference in what your are able to capture.
I would also give some consideration to using two bags for photo gear as you can have a 18L size backpack that qualifies as a "personal item" with most airlines. I do this to have less weight in my 32L size backpack which is easier on my body. The 100-400mm lens for example is only 9 inches long and 4 inches in diameter and can easily fit in a smaller bag. My Bataflae 18L has interior dimensions of 16 x 11 x 6.25 inches not including the separate pocket for a small laptop.
Quite a few bags that qualify as a personal item by the airlines including the Ruggard Thunderhead 35 camera and laptop backpack sold by BH Photo. Something like this is easy to have on your back as you go through the airports and are on a plane and to have both hands free for your primary backpack and for other items.
In most areas where there is a boardwalk shared with other people a long exposure is not likely to be successful as people walking about are going to bounce the camera enough to ruin the shot. It may be less of a problem with a mirrorless camera with its internal image stabilization but still a consideration. Where a monopod with a tilt head can be useful is in shooting video and getting a more stable pan.