I am using a Nikon D5600 (cropped sensor) with an AF-S Nikkor 500mm 1:5.6E lens. I am in a Facebook group called Australian  Bird Photography and took note of what lenses the photographers of the more professional looking photos were using. That's how I came across the Nikkor 500mm. I've only had the lens for a reasonably short while so am still very much a 'learner'! I feel a lot of the time my photography is a bit 'hit and miss'. I'm still trialing what settings work best in various situations. My goal is to shoot crystal clear shots that I can crop to show the exquisite detail of the bird. I love water birds particularly but any bird is a pleasure to photograph! I hope Melissa will be talking about how to get crisp photos! Sometimes I come home and load up my day's efforts onto the computer only to find the great majority of them are okay uncropped but not sharp enough to do a close crop. So disappointing. Hopefully I'll discover the trick to it one day soon! Any tips and tricks are welcome! Does anyone know if I could use a Nikon teleconverter with this set-up? Here's a couple taken recently with this lens.A grey shrike-thrush and two hoary-headed grebes.

I use a Canon 7D markII with a Tamron 150-600/ f 5-6.3. I mostly shoot from my car and use a beanbag tripod which has made a significant difference in my shots. Most of my photos are of birds perched, and close up. I enjoy seeing birds in flight and want to practice in this area. Browsing the photo library, which I was not familiar with, (and thank you ) I felt I had the right equipment and was very interested in the settings, particularly the shutter speeds. The few times I have attempted a bird in flight, I found it difficult to track the bird and my neck would start to hurt. Also the camera and lens weight make it difficult to assume a position to photograph. Would love to hear how others do this. All the photos below are held held and taken within a few minutes of each other. Lake Afton, outside of Wichita KS.

I use a Canon 7D Mark II with a Canon 100-400 4.505.6 IS II USM and a l.4 converter.  I am very pleased with this gear and have been using it for about 4 years.  Most of my photos are handheld.  My photos are for my own enjoyment.  Here are a couple shots of Cedar Waxwings.

I was using a Canon 5D Mk II (full frame) and 7D (cropped sensor) in combination with a 400 prime and 100-400. These are great lenses but I wanted a bit more range. I tried adding a 1.4 teleconverter but then  remembered (when I'd already arrived at my destination) that autofocus wouldn't work with the combination I had. I tried it with manual focus but I had to bin most of the photos. You can tape the pins to engage autofocus but I was reluctant to try that. So I decided to treat myself to a Sigma 150-600 Contemporary. I was unsure about getting a lens with such a big range after mostly using a prime, but so far so good. And I can take pics of the birds that would have been too close with the 400mm. I'm using it with the 7D to get even closer.

I started birding a year ago for real (even though I have always enjoyed the presence of birds). I started taking pictures of birds so that I could later identify them at home and recognize them the next time. I have used ebird, Merlin and the Audubon app extensively, I have joined my local Audubon and went on numerous field trips. The more I am birding the more I want to take nice photos of birds. I used a Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT with a 135mm lens at first. It was very challenging to take close up photos of birds - but it taught me to get close to bird without spooking them so I guess it was a good training. I then bought a used 300mm to see how it would change my photos. The added focal length made a huge difference and I got hooked on birding and taking photography. I now have an instagram account and I share my bird photographies daily. I am also following a huge community of birders/photographers and look at their inspiring photos daily on instagram. I listen to lots of birding podcast. I enjoy Wildlife Photo Chat where Melissa was recently a guest. I was lucky to acquire a Fuji Film XT-3 camera with a XF50-140mmF2.8 lens. I quickly added a teleconverter x2 and have taken great shots with this combination for a while. I very recently got a XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 lens. It gives awesome results. It has a great reach and is also excellent to take video. My goal is to know my gear inside out to be able to make the most use of it. I am mostly using the autofocus mode and would like to get familiar with manual focus. I can say that it took me about a year, taking daily pictures of birds to get my head around how a camera works. I want to improve my knowledge of my equipment to be able to photograph what I exactly see on the field. Watching birds is so beautiful, I want to share the beauty I witness in nature through my photos. For now I am only photographing handheld.

Like most people taking this course, I want to improve the quality of pictures I take of birds.  I currently have a Nikon D300 and a AF-S Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens.  While I have taken some nice pictures (mostly by accident), I am taking this course to improve my technique and learn about equipment I can reasonably purchase to consistently take better, sharper pictures.  I recently decided to purchase an full sensor camera and looked at Nikon D780 and D850.  I decided on the D 780 because it fit my photography needs and goals and the extra money I saved would go to a lens. Most bird photographers recommend putting your money in a good lens.  While I can't afford a 500 mm or 600mm lens, there are a couple of lenses I have been thinking about.  One is the Nikkor 200-500 f/5.6 lens.  Another is the new Nikkor 500 f/5.6 E PF ED VR lens because it is lighter and less expensive than the Nikkor 500 f/4 lens.  Since both of these lenses are on backorder, I suppose I have time to get input from bird photographers with much more experience than I.  I am also reviewing proper support for these lenses and have had good input on Really Right Stuff and Induro tripods.  I will need to decide on a type of head for the tripod,  either a ball head or gimbal to hold the camera and lenses.  I suspect that I would like to add a teleconverter as well. My current lens will not support the use of a teleconverter.  Since this section of the course is dealing with equipment, then any suggestions and input is greatly appreciated.

I have been into birding since I was a child but have never acquired a decent camera system to document by passion.  I have been using my phone!  Ha ha.  I decided to take the leap into professional gear and so 6 weeks ago I purchased a Canon EOS 7D camera and  EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens.  I’m really loving the clarity and power of this lens!

Does Melissa respond to the discussion group?  I would like to get a teleconverter for these to lenses and was wondering if there is one specific converter that would work for both.

I'm keen on learning how to photograph effectively from a car, as it appears to disturb the birds less than exiting the car and setting up. I have a bean bag to support the camera and lens, but would like to ask if anyone can recommend a good type of bag or stowage solution that makes it easy to stow and maneuver large lenses between stops. Especially when driving over rough terrain, putting the camera and lens on the car seat does not seem to work well. I'm wondering how Melissa stows her supertelephoto and DSLR between stops in the video "Compare Blinds" (at 4:30) :)

I tried editing my original note but it doesn't show up. I added a note that the original kingfisher photo is 3105 x 2070 pixels and 3.6 MB. The version displayed is 1020 x 680 and 94 KB.

I enjoy photographing birds but don't consider myself a birder. Bird photography is hard, capturing birds in flight harder which is why I enjoy the challenge. I presently shoot with a Nikon D7100, 70-200 mm f2.8 lens with a 1.4 x extender. Being a crop camera, this gives me a maximum focal length of 420 mm. I'm toying with the notion of getting a full frame Nikon Z series mirrorless and a 200-500 mm f5.6 lens. I recently took a hard look at my bird photos from the past few years and find that whereas I previously cropped tight to the bird, I now prefer to crop to include much more of the bird's environment. So I reprocessed a number of these photos. In following this course, I looked at the Macaualy Library and find that it recommends a tight crop which I guess is appropriate for technical views of the bird but, in my opinion, does not offer optimum artistic scope. I've attached a photo of an Amazon Kingfisher to illustrate my point. This photo, was taken with a Nikon D80 and the 70-200 mm lens at maximum zoom.

My bird photography can be split into two areas. 1.) Most of it is done on specific birding trips to exotic (non-UK) locations were I am cramming as much birding into two weeks as I can, with the aim of seeing as many species as possible and getting the best photos of those I do see. So here there is often little opportunity to plan and set up ideal photographic situations, and I need to get what photos I can and use the conditions I am presented with as best I can. As my experience and camera kit have improved I have got better at this, but there is always room for improvement. 2.) Photographing birds around my home area in Somerset, U.K. where the numbers of species are fewer than in the exotic locations, but where I do have the time to plan, wait for right conditions etc. I need to get better at this. This is my immediate main goal, and I want to be able to regularly get good portrait and action (flight) shots of my local birds. I have a Canon 7D MKII camera body and a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L ID II USM lens that I am very happy with. I also have a Canon 1.4X teleconverter, but I tend to only use this when light conditions are good. In time I may add a 500mm fixed length lens and I am debating whether a Canon 5D MKIV body with a larger sensor may help me in low light situations, as I have had some disappointing results with my current system in critical, usually late afternoon or early evening shots of rare/unusual bird species that I only see once on a trip. But, that could be operator rather than kit? Hopefully this course will teach me where I have gone wrong. I feel that I am not using camera support systems well enough although I do have a large and smaller tripod and a conventional Manfrotto  head and a smaller ball head. The tripods are aluminium and the large one is heavy. I may (budget depending) look at acquiring a Gimbal head and a  carbon-fibre tripod in the future. With regards blinds and clothing etc I am not a great enthusiast of Ghillie Suits or camouflage clothing, and I am not sure whether a popup blind would still be there the next day if I left it in my local wood. The nature reserves in our area would not be too enthusiastic about bird photographers leaving blinds around the reserves or going off the designated paths. They provide permanent hides (or blinds) that photographers use a lot, and this is what I use. I have learned some tips from the experienced locals who spend a lot of time in these hides. I also get to see some amazing camera kit from some of the "professionals". I don't think I have every seen any of these photographers in a Ghillie Suit?