…so I can do a Branko and actually take some pictures when traveling around the city. I bike to work at about seven AM every day (well, only ten minutes or so to the ferry to take me to Central Station) and there’s all sort of wildlife coming out that early, in the various unclaimed pieces wasteland by the water side. One spot in particular, when I have to cross a canal and which used to be used by the building crews for the North-South metro tunnel, is rife with birds as well as rabbits, profiting from a benign neglect. Lots of undergrowth, fairly quiet and nobody as of yet interested in redeveloping this little area. So each morning I’m greeted by sparrows, magpies (whom I always greet: “hello mr magpie, how are you today” as apparantly it brings bad luck otherwise; when they do say something back it’s usually just a “mustn’t grumble”), pidgeons, rabbits as well as parakeets or parrots, the latter descended from escaped/released cage birds.
It would be nice to be able to take pictures of this, especially since S. is still in hospital, having had to go back in in early July, with the prospect hanging in front of her of quite a few more months of having to stay there, with another operation to look forward to. Having some pictures of what she’s missing this year might help a bit in taking her mind off when the internet, radio or television are no longer working…
Branko Collin
August 5, 2010 at 5:04 pmIf you want to take pictures of birds, keep in mind that these critters are both relatively tiny and shy. The more telephoto your lens, the better. But telephoto lenses are bulky, and if you get a pocket camera (the so-called superzooms) you should keep in mind that the further it zooms in, the further the camera must strain to work with the available light.
Nevertheless, even with moderate equipment some great bird shots can be had. The shy ones tend to fly away, and you might catch them in that moment, and in the city there are plenty of tame birds that are only too curious to find out if they can eat that camera thingy.
Also think about where you are going to publish your photos. Most photography sites start from the assumption that print will be your medium. Unfortunately that means their camera reviews tend to be of little use. If I knew three years ago what I know now, the pocket camera I would have gone with would be either a Panasonic (good lenses) or a Fujifilm (who have a range of cameras that work well under low light conditions, currently labelled EXR).
Branko Collin
August 5, 2010 at 5:09 pm“Tend to be of little use”: if your medium is going to be the screen, that is.
Martin Wisse
August 6, 2010 at 7:13 amThanks for the info. And yes, you’re right, I would largely use it for screen rather than print. My first digicam was a fuijfilm whichw orked well, though after a year or two started having problems with lower light conditions.