Bird Scoping
2021
This albums is meant to be used in conjunction with TODO ARTICLE LINK. The images below are examples of what can happen when a birder needs to get closer - and mostly compare 2 cameras:* Nikon COOLPIX P1000 (0 - 3000mm)* Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark iii with Sigma 150 - 600mm and Olympus 100-400mmThe intent was 2 fold:1) Find a way to get closer to birds for identification - pictures do not need to be clear even, just allow colors and identifying marks to be seen.2) Find great pictures of birds for sharing. The Olympus won hands down in this.Conclusion:1) The P1000 can get you close to birds almost a mile away. Pictures would not want to be printed, but they will work for identification. When dealing with shore birds, lake birds, and other birds, this is a win. There is no substitute for Optical Zoom. Picture Quality and Scope Quality rivals Spotting Scopes, without the hassle and problems that digiscoping brings. The P1000 is 3lbs, much, much lighter than any spotting scope, and can be used with manual focus, just like a spotting scope.2) The Olympus kills the image quality. The 400mm lens (effective 200-800mm) is 6 inches long, and with camera, weights 4.5 pounds - about a 50% more than the P1000. Yet, it can get you close enough to ID all but the most extreme birds, and the pictures are Gorgeous.Both of these cameras perform well in challenging conditions, as long as the intended purpose is kept in mind - you will not want to print the P1000 pictures at sunset, for instance. But you will be able to see the birds!Almost all pictures were taken handheld - and that is where the Sigma really lost out - it was just way too heavy to handle for long periods of time. Combined with the adapter, you only gained about 24mm over the Olympus 400mm, so it wasn't worth it.