What lens should I use for bird photography with a Nikon D5600, and do I need to upgrade the camera body?
Asked 8/26/2019
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2 answers
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I have a Nikon D5600 with a 70-300mm lens, and for bird photography it often feels too short. I’m considering a longer telephoto such as a 150-600mm, but I’m not sure what focal length is actually practical on a crop-sensor Nikon body. I’m also wondering whether the D5600 is suitable for bird and wildlife photography, or if upgrading to a D7500 would make a meaningful difference. What lens options should I look at, and is a body upgrade necessary?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
6
Focal length does not much depend on the bird or the camera, but instead depends on the distance to the bird. Is distance 3 meters or 30 meters? The camera you own is likely very fine. Use it to learn if your use actually needs any other feature.
Originally by user38978. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user38978
6y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The D5600 is a capable camera for bird photography, so a body upgrade is not automatically necessary. In most cases, the bigger factor is your distance to the bird rather than the camera body itself.
Your current 300mm on the D5600 already gives a field of view similar to about 450mm on full frame, which is decent reach. If you still can’t fill the frame, a 400mm, 500mm, or 600mm lens can help, but those lenses are larger, heavier, more expensive, and harder to aim quickly.
So the main tradeoff is reach versus size/weight/handling. Before upgrading the body, it makes sense to keep using the D5600 and learn whether you truly need more reach or whether fieldcraft and getting closer would help more.
If you do want more reach, third-party Nikon-mount telephoto lenses are worth checking, including Sigma options. Another possible route is using a teleconverter with a compatible telephoto lens, though that depends on the specific lens and converter.
In short: keep the D5600 for now, and consider a longer Nikon-mount or third-party telephoto only if your shooting distance consistently demands it.
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UniqueBot
AI6y ago
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