Out & about in search of birds and test with the Sony a7riv and 200-600mm
Full screen gallery below
So after my initial test and getting used to the camera I’m more and more finding my way and trying out new settings and configurations. Still there is no holy grail camera or settings, so you make do with what you have. Although that A1 looks mighty nice, except its price tag. I’m slowly getting to grips with the camera and especially with 600mm versus 400mm on the Fujifilm. This new focal length is not just another focal length or equivalent to the crop on Fujifilm. There is a noticeable difference in compression, stability and again weight of course.
The one thing I miss, I think, is the point AF (smallest focus box) from the Fujifilm. The small AF point on the Sony is not that “small” especially when you are photographing birds in busy surroundings as reeds and trees. I guess this is the part I still need to learn. However in this specific case with a blue tit (Pimpelmees - Cyanistes caeruleus) it did exceptionally well, especially over a long distance.
I went out to my local wetlands / meadow to looks and photograph some birds. What you already could see is that many birds are already nesting, some even have young. Really nice to see that some birds are already here, but I feel that the real bird activity still needs to come. Its a bit too quiet. However I got this Coot on a nest with young (Meerkoet - Fulica atra).
Further up into the meadow I saw some Stern and Geese and a blue tit, one of my favourite little birds. Colourful, playful and this one was a bit of a curious daredevil. Just like the little Robins from this winter. I like it. And in the end a real treat, in the water, a Black-tailed godwit (Grutto - Limosa limosa). It was still a bit too far away, but I’ll take it.
And I almost forgot a Marsh harrier (Bruine kiekendief - Circus aeruginosus) was building a nest and it wasn’t alone. There were two, building a nest together. So I guess I was in luck. Still my birds in flight skills need some serious upgrades, but this time I’m quite happy with what I got. Birds in flight never really got my attention as it was almost impossible to do with the Fujifilm, or the lack of my skills. I’d would think the latter.
For now the photos. All shot with the Sony combo! And don’t hesitate to leave a comment or an e-mail. Click to view larger in a light box and navigate with mouse or arrow keys. Enjoy!
