None of the hummers we saw in August on Steve’s trip were anywhere close to being in reach for the Plenao get any sort of size in the frame I was either using the 600PF or the 100-400 towards the long end. I had my 24-70 along and it never came out of the bag. The wider aperture is nice…but I think it will mostly just be too darn short to be useful.
Would you use the Nikon Plena for humming birds in CR?
- Thread starter jhallettbc
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Calson
Well-known member
With hummers I use flash 100% of the time even if it is a single camera mounted speeflight that provides fill lighting. A zoom is nearly always my first choice and the only primes I have used in CR were the 600mm f/4 super telephoto and the 200mm f/4 macro lens. I like to crop with the zoom lens when taking a shot and not to crop in post processing.
Fill flash reveals the colors of the hummers and also helps with separation from what are often bright backgrounds.
Fill flash reveals the colors of the hummers and also helps with separation from what are often bright backgrounds.
The OP has listened to all comments and has made a decision. I think we should respect that.
I have photographed hummingbirds with lenses as short as 24mm. These are, of course, images taken with multi flash setups of birds habituated to coming into feeders. As the focal length gets shorter and shorter, one needs to get closer and closer to fill the frame with the hummingbird and to avoid the curve one gets with short lens close ups. Here is an image taken under these circumstances, Nikon D850, 1/200 second @ f/13, ISO 400, multi flash (5 flashes triggered by the camera shutter). I was less than 6 inches from the hummer. Thus, I don't think the focal length matters, the set up matters much more. As an aside, while I greatly admire the detail and frozen in time wings one gets with this set up, I prefer taking hummingbirds feeding naturally without a set or multi flash, but that is another discussion.
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That is an amazing photograph. Even though most of us would not bother with such a setup, thanks for showing us what is possible.