I recently spent a very enjoyable morning photographing birds at Hendrie Valley Sanctuary at the Royal Botanical Gardens in the Hamilton Ontario area.
Photography Life reader Ray Miller suggested this location to me, and since I’m relatively new to bird photography I jumped at the chance to join him during his latest visit.
We spent about 3 hours at the sanctuary photographing various birds. Many of the smaller species are quite acclimatized to people and if you bring some bird seed with you it will generate a lot of interest and action from the birds…you’ll need to keep the squirrels at bay!
The Hendrie Valley Sanctuary covers 100-hectares. There is a good sized river-mouth marsh complex as well as four creeks which create a mixed habitat that appeals to a variety of bird species.
The sanctuary is named after William Hendrie, a Scottish immigrant to Canada, who purchased land here in the 1870’s. As a memorial to his father, son George donated the property to the Hamilton Parks Boards. About a decade later it became a part of the Royal Botanical Gardens.
In addition to the marshlands, oaks, hickories and Black Cherry trees are in abundance. Given its current beauty it is hard to imagine this same area being a series of shallow, muddy ponds a few decades ago.
By the 1990’s the marshland area had been destroyed by carp and a major initiative, Project Paradise, was undertaken. This project involved the installation of carp barriers and artificially constructed river banks to restrict the invading carp.
The Hendrie Valley Sanctuary now features 4.5 km of trails, 5 lookouts, 2 boardwalks and 5 creek crossings. It attracts a lot of visitors from the area, especially on weekends so if you can plan a mid-week visit you’ll find it much less crowded.
While I’m able to identify some of the more obvious species like red-winged blackbirds, cardinals, and black-capped chickadees readers can feel free to share their knowledge of birds species!
All images were shot hand-held using a Nikon 1 V2 and a 1 Nikon CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 zoom lens.
I used center-weighted metering, auto white balance, and shot in Manual with an Auto-ISO setting (Auto-ISO 160-3200).
My standard workflow of DxO OpticsPro 10, CS6, and Nik were used to process RAW files.
There really wasn’t anything special required to process the files. I just let DxO do its automatic lens corrections, added a touch of sharpness, then ran the files through PRIME noise reduction. A couple of small tweaks in CS6 and Nik finished them off quickly.
While at the Hendrie Valley Sanctuary we came upon a few young mothers out for a stroll with their toddlers.
It was wonderful to see the expressions of awe on the faces of the young children as their mothers held out bird seed in the palms of their hands, then had black-capped chickadees land to feed. This struck me as a terrific way to introduce a love of nature to the next generation.
If you are in the Hamilton Ontario area I would certainly recommend a visit to the Hendrie Valley Sanctuary if you enjoy photographing birds or like to go for a pleasant walk in a natural setting.
Article and all images Copyright Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, adaptation or reproduction of any kind is permitted without written consent. Photography Life is the only approved user of this article. If you see it reproduced anywhere else it is an unauthorized and illegal use.
How beautiful the bird over a hand !
Glad you liked the image Jorge!
Tom
To me the question is not what can be marginally done with a certain camera, but rather what is the most cost- and weight-effective tool for a specific task.
By the way, the best viewer or sight for BIF and other fast moving targets is a red dot sight like for example the re-introduced Olympus EE-1 red dot sight which leaves your viewing in focus and unobstructed.
Speaking of clarification … closer to 2.5 lbs.
Bengt
Thanks for a very detailed explanation in the comparison of the different cameras / sensors which make sense.
With my DX cameras and my current lenses for the most part I also need sufficient light and I have considered adding the Tamron 150-600 or Sigma 150-600 contemporary when I determine which one is best for my Nikon D300. But even with the bigger and heavier lens I will need good lighting.
Since wildlife is a hobby for me a 300mm f2.8 prime is not an option because of the cost and weight.
I am curious if the Nikon 1 V2 mirror less camera is very quite over a DX camera with a mirror?
Thanks
Duane
Hi Duane,
When I was doing my field work for my review of the Tamron 150-600 lens I did witness some focus lag when that lens was used with an older Nikon body. In terms of my original review I used a Nikon D800 and a Nikon D7000. There were no focusing issues with the D800 but noticeable lag with the D7000.
The amount of focus lag was greatly reduced with a later copy of the Tamron 150-600 so it would appear that Tamron likely did some firmware changes. I can’t comment with any direct experience about how your D300 may perform with the Tamron 150-600 in terms of auto focus. Before making a third-party lens purchase it may be a good idea to test your D300 to make sure the auto-focus performance meets your expectations.
Tom
Hi Duane,
DX is a good option for wildlife photography. Tamron and Sigma offer a resolution of 35 LP/mm (Line Pairs/mm) at 600 mm. Unfortunately both lenses have their sweet spots (45 LP/mm) at 150 mm. With either one you get a big and heavy lens with a lot of reach but modest sharpness. I use the older Nikon 300mm f/4 which has excellent sharpness at a very reasonable price. Even with a TC1.4 the results are good.
Most mirrorless cameras ar quieter than a DSLR. The newer ones with electronic curtains are totally quiet.
I have been looking at the Nikon 1 for a long time, waiting for a better image sensor and a top notch prime lens to make it competitive with the heavier equipment. I am still waiting. Meanwhile I have satisfied my BIF needs with what I described above and I am glad I did.
Good luck with your choices !
Hi Bengt,
I’m certainly not disputing that folks looking for gear best suited to a very specific task will often look for an optimal solution as your post confirms.
Everyone has different needs and buying criteria. For many photographers budget is a significant consideration and being able to use their cameras in adaptive ways may make sense for them, i.e. use of a Hoodman. While I wouldn’t personally choose to do this some folks do and it meets their personal needs.
The only information on weight I could find on the Nikon site for the V3 was 324 grams and 550 grams for the CX 70-300 for a total of 874 grams, or about 1.92 lbs. I think you are correct that by the time a grip, EVF and battery are added the weight is likely closer to 2.5 lbs…so let’s agree on that.
As far as my V2/CX 70-300 combo goes it does weigh right in at about 900 grams with a battery, or about 2 lbs. This enables me to shoot hand-held for 8-10 hours at a stretch which is a primary consideration for me.
Tom
Agreed.
The optimum camera and lens for birding depends on the photographers tolerance for weight and cost. The big difference in weight is not between cameras but between lenses. The best results are achieved with a Full Frame DSLR with a 600 (800) mm lens. Images are 36-40 MP, the weight is around 12 lbs and the investment around $20,000.
Second choice is an APS-H or APS-C camera which gives you up to a 1.5X crop factor and lets you can get by with a 400 mm lens. You end up with 24 MP images, a weight of 10 lbs and a cost of $15,000.
Third choice is a micro four thirds camera with a 2X crop factor and the new Zuiko 300 mm Pro prime lens. You end up with 20 MP images, a weight of 6 lbs and a cost of $ 4,000. I must admit that I am quite impressed by this option to a point where this is my new tool for birding. For everything within reach under 200 mm I stick with my FF Nikon DSLR gear for now.
robinwong.blogspot.se/2016/…eview.html
The Nikon 1 offers a fourth choice with a 2.7X crop factor which lets you get by with a 250 to 300 mm lens. You end up with 18 MP images, a weight of 3 lbs and a cost of $ 2,500. In expert hands, like Thomas´, you obviously also get very good results. I just wish that Nikon offered a 250 or 300 top quality prime to complete this option, even though it would probably bring you up in weight and cost closer to the micro four thirds option.
Hi Bengt,
It should also be added that for photographers who shoot primarily static nature subjects the Nikon 1 J5 could be an acceptable choice as its lack of a viewfinder would not be as big of an issue as when used for moving subjects.
If a J5 is used the cost of the set-up with a 1 Nikon CX 70-300mm lens (efov 189-810mm) drops to under $1,500 US.
The sensor in that camera is 20.8MP with BSI technology which yields performance not too far off M4/3 in terms of colour depth and dynamic range. There still would be at least a one stop difference in low light.
Some Nikon 1 owners use the J5 with a Hoodman or other type of loupe to shoot birds in flight. I attempted this when doing my field work for my review of the Nikon 1 J5. While a bit cumbersome the approach does work.
A small point of clarification…the weight of a Nikon 1 V3 with the CX 70-300mm would be about 2 lbs.
Tom
Hi Thomas
I guess I’m still living in the old days but can you explain the benefits of using the Nikon 1 V2 series camera over digital dslr for wildlife photography? Unless I misunderstood is the Nikon 1 series camera sensor like 30% smaller than a APS-C sensor?
Regards
Duane
Hi Duane,
The CX sensor in my Nikon 1 V2 is considerably smaller than an APS-C sensor…with a CX sensor being only about 1/3 the size in terms of square mm. In terms of image quality there is no advantage as a DSLR with an APS-C or FX sensor will have better low light performance, colour depth and dynamic range. A camera like the Nikon D500 with an appropriate telephoto lens would be able to handle a much wider variety of shooting situations, including inclement weather, far better than would my Nikon 1 gear. A camera like my Nikon 1 V2 can do a decent job when shooting in good light and where a fast AF-C frame rate is desired. The relatively small size and light weight of the 1 Nikon CX 70-300mm also makes it a great set up at those times when these attributes are preferred. I imagine that most folks who specialize in shooting wildlife would prefer to shoot with a DSLR.
Tom
Lovely work Thomas. I’m curious if you’ve ever tried a flash unit for fill. I think with the N1 system it would help. Used judiciously it would not look unnatural.
Thanks for the positive comment Spy Black! This is a good suggestion that some Nikon 1 owners may want to try. Nikon 1 cameras need a dedicated Nikon 1 flash which I never bothered buying. Pretty much all of my client work is video so all of my studio lights are either continuous LED or fluorescent.
Tom
I keep forgetting about N1’s proprietary flash mount. There is an standard shoe adapter available, which I believe works with the V2. I think a flash could be handy with some of the nature shots.
Hej Thomas.
Som alltid snyggt jobbat.
Har du testat den nya Zuiko 300 mm f/4, på en OMD E-M1 ?
Jag tycker nog att resultatet blir ett litet strå vassare.
Dessutom kommer det väl en E-M1 mark II vad det lider.
Jeg ikke har tilgang til en OMD E-M1 eller Zuiko 300 mm. Jeg har ikke testet som utstyr. Kanskje noen andre på fotografering liv, kan gjøre det.
I do not have access to an OMD E-M1 or the Zuiko 300mm. I have not tested that equipment. Perhaps someone else at Photography Life may do so.
Tom
Hi,
Sorry I slipped into Swedish.
Here is a good test of the combo that I mentioned:
robinwong.blogspot.se/2016/…eview.html
Hi Bengt,
Looks like a beautiful lens! It is likely best compared to full frame lenses in terms of its size, weight and price. It’s almost 3 times the weight and 2.5 times the price of my 1 Nikon CX 70-300mm.
Tom
Some of these are really nice images:)
I see your wildlife photography articles are often shot at bird sanctuaries/refuges and this obviously gives you a much easier challenge with this Nikon1 gear than if you were out in the bird’s natural environment where they are much more sensitive to humans and far more difficult to get near.
I am curious if you have ever given this equipment a good test in this type of situation, I ask becuase it would be a truer test and evaluation than in these protected and controlled areas. Probably more useful information could be shared with us all if you did.
I know whenever I have shot in a refuge it seems just too easy and a lot of the fun and excitement is taken out of the experience.
Hi Monte,
I have not used my Nikon 1 gear out in the ‘raw’ bush to take bird images. I would think that a DSLR with a long telephoto lens would do a better job as it would have more megapixels with which to work and much better low light performance.
Tom
Hi Tom
Great pictures!!
I have a question on what the distance you were from the birds? How much did you have to crop to make the bird large enough to bring out the detail? If you were not at a sanctuary would you be using a different lens than the one you were using?
I’m asking because I noticed you were using the same lens that I use to take pictures with but sometimes because of the distance I have to crop quite a bit to make the bird large enough for viewing. In fact I’m strongly considering in purchasing the Tamron 150-600 or the Sigma 160-600 Contemporary.
Great pictures!!
Regards,
Duane McClun
Hi Duane,
From memory the crops were about 10-20% on the height and a maximum of about 35% on the width depending on the subject. As far as distance, likely 15 to 30 feet or so for most images.
Tom
Very nice photographs.
Thanks Merlin!
Tom
Looks alike a wonderful place. However, the images are not really that great. In some images you have branch shadows over the subject, distracting elements in the background, some are just static and lacking a story, while others actually do. You cut-off tails on some. The bokeh was less than desired. Don’t know if that was so much a lens issue as a camera setting or just is what is. I don’t mean to be offensive, derogatory or demeaning but if images are posted, I am not one to say.”nice shot” to be polite but to take a learning opportunity to address strengths and weaknesses. That being said, a truly nice place to visit and to photograph.
Hi Oneshot,
I don’t find your comments the least bit offensive, derogatory or demeaning. I agree with all of your observations. I was just out having some fun walking along the trail and grabbing some quick images with the intention of simply showing some of the species that I was able to capture in a 3 hour period. It was really just a ‘catch as catch can’ outing.
Tom
Perfect and wonderful.