| Joined: | Sun Apr 1st, 2012 |
| Location: | South Lakeland, UK |
| Posts: | 4066 |
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Bird photography is a very challenging aspect of photography. Highly detailed images of distant, textured subjects, subtle colours and frequently moving.
Focus, exposure and poor light are distinct issues. Fieldcraft skills and technical perfection can only go so far, for the very best, their success is still a percentage of their exposures. What you are trying to do is up the percentage rate of your good images.
I would be delighted with the excellent images you are producing but I understand that it will never be 'good enough', nor should it be, is it right? Are you satisfied? If so it's good enough. I don't think you should ever be completely satisfied, it's the driver you need to keep standards high.
FX isn't the way forward for birding in my opinion, except perhaps a D850, but for ordinary people who can't justify multiple, highly expensive equipment, I doubt it will out perform a D500 sufficiently to merit the outlay. If you are constrained cost wise then I think the D300S is a very good choice and put up with the foibles. Again, in my opinion Dxxxx bodies may seem tempting but in truth are hobbled to keep the price down to be ultra competitive in the market place, not optimised to take the best possible exposures on the day.
Simplified, from the Nikon DX stable you have the D300S or the D500. I doubt there are significant gains to be had from other makes because I have seen bird images which would knock you over, from highly competent photographers made with Nikon cameras, photographers who are easily able to afford any camera they need, they currently choose the Nikon D500 or D850, to me that speaks loudly.
However, it's also worth remembering, many a good tune has been played on an old fiddle, the current new cameras have not made the old ones worse, when the D300S was current it was highly acclaimed.
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Robert.