Well, maybe I will buy such a camera.
But not a top line Canon or Nikon. Something like a camera and lens that cost less than my car .
This started yesterday. I was at my favorite loitering place down at Baskett Slough Wildlife Refuge in Oregon's mid-Willamette Valley (hoping to see a duck- any old duck ). I was talking to a man about photography, cameras, and the persevering little spider that lives "inside" my driver's-side mirror and has to rebuild his orb web every time I drive at highway speeds. Poor little guy.
The man seemed knowledgeable about camera gear. He did a lot of research to satisfy his personal needs, and is very happy with the results of his most recent camera/lens purchase:
It is an Olympus with a zoom that goes out to 300mm at f 2.8. I forget the exact name of the camera body and the low end of the zoom range; if you can ID the camera and lens for me, please do, so I can research it.
His camera body has the film equivalent of 2X because of its design. Thus, he essentially has a 600mm f 2.8 zoom. He also has a 2X extender- and told me it results in a 35mm equivalent of 1200mm at f 5.6.
That piqued my interest. Hence this cry for help.
I'd be shooting from my car as a movable blind, and using a bean bag on the window-down driver's door.
I do not make prints. All I want is to get good results suitable for the internet. Specifically for FM posting. Can such a rig used in such a way result in that as a realistic possibility?
Are there any other camera/lens combinations that I should also consider? (Specific names for this, so I can research it/them). Please note that the extreme magnification is key to my interest.
Also, please give your personal opinions regarding the potential quality of the results gotten from these combos. All opinions will be welcomed and considered.
And, a reminder- cost IS a factor .
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you have and are willing to share.
There are used super telephotos out there but few and far between. The price of the 400m f/5.6 is really quite a bargain for what you get in this jewel of a lens. With 1.4 TC it will give you 560mm
You might check out the Nikon 1, (and I can't believe I recommended a Nikon... ) PM Tony - he has one, and with an adapter, you can use Nikon's "normal" lenses. He did a post here where he got something like 1100 mm from one of his lenses ~ Ron
Thanks Birdie, Tom and Rattler.
What got my attention was the idea of an equivalent 1200mm at f 5.6 with quality
My situation is such that the vast majority of the time 400mm to 560mm doesn't get me close enough- and I can't physically get closer.
My little Canon P&S zoom actually goes out to 560mm optically, and it's seldom enough.
Also- I couldn't find an Olympus zoom lens that goes beyond 250mm; no 300mm like the man said. Combined with a 2X extender, that's equivalent to 1000mm- with a camera crop of 2X. That's enough for me, I think.
I wonder, though, about the quality. I didn't really talk much about that with the man at the slough.
I'll continue researching on the internet, though.
Charlie
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). I was talking to a man about photography, cameras, and the persevering little spider that lives "inside" my driver's-side mirror and has to rebuild his orb web every time I drive at highway speeds. Poor little guy.
.
) PM Tony - he has one, and with an adapter, you can use Nikon's "normal" lenses. He did a post here where he got something like 1100 mm from one of his lenses ~ Ron