Wildlife Photography and Mirrorless

VidThreeNorth · Feb 26, 2019

Mirrorless has been criticized for wildlife photography because one needs to keep the camera on while waiting indefinitely for something to happen worth recording. That is a valid issue, and there is no perfect solution. I was thinking that it is possible to use spotter optics in the accessory shoes.

I was actually looking for something else when I thought of this, so I did not spend much time on looking into this. Here are a couple of possibilities:

"Konus 2062: Konus KonuSmall-2 7-17x30 Monocular"
- "B&H # KO717X30KSZM, MFR # 2062"
In stock, $26.82 US

"KonusKonuSmall-2 7-17x30 Monocular"

"Brunton Echo: Brunton 10-30x21 Echo Zoom Monocular"
- B&H # BR1030X21EZ, MFR # F-ECHOZOOM"
[Sorry, I forgot to record the link.]
In stock, $33.30 US

Actually, I was thinking about more expensive stuff than these, but these might be good enough. I have a couple of binoculars that are tripod mountable (if I can find them). The only thing needed is an "Accessory shoe to tripod mount adapter", and those can be found. I have one of those too somewhere. But these would be a lot more compact than my binoculars.

Strodav · Feb 26, 2019

Why bother. Put a spare battery, maybe 2, in your pocket.

Overread · Feb 27, 2019

The thing is if you're using a spotting scope then the camera isn't ready to take a photo. Now you can do that, many a person has binoculars to spot a subject then swaps to camera; but if the camera has to power itself up, do its anti dust sensor shake, wake up its AF and then you've got to get an eye on the light for the exposure - that's quite a few steps where you might miss a subject. Whilst if you've got a regular DSLR you just leave it running as normal and spot through the lens - as soon as you see the subject everything is 100% ready to take the photo - plus you've been able to keep metering and watching the light so settings are likely adjsuted and ready for the shot.

Mirrorless is a bit like the Emperors New Clothes in my view - its shiny and new but its not really doing anything amazing on its own. About its only big boon, in my view, is things ilke live histogram displays - however kick a DSLR into live-view mode and they can do the same (albeit on the backscreen). Heck if you're doing wildlife and likely to be panning scenes fast I wouldn't want the video feed of a mirrorless but the live view of the mirror prism.

The gap is closing every year, but a simple of reflecting mirrors takes some beating! Esp since they've already got things like digital display overlays.

VidThreeNorth · Feb 27, 2019

I'm just posting options. You do what works best for you. Personally, I have no problem with the idea of having a DSLR for some things and Mirrorless for other things.

I just checked my OM-D EM10 and from full "Off" to ready - to - shoot (not including focussing) is less than 1 sec. I don't do much "wild life" (in fact the ducks and geese that I tend to point at are so domesticated, I doubt if they qualify now), but if I were doing a long distance "blind" stake-out, then the spotter would be enough to alert me to turn on the camera. I shouldn't need more than that.
[2019-03-01 - minor typographic and formatting corrections.]

A pocket full of batteries is fine too. And the latest Sony seem to have a fully capable USB system. I would like to check that. It is proven that you can "extend" the battery by using external USB. Also, if the camera is off it charges from USB (Sony had that long ago -- including my a5000). Can it be fully powered from USB? I'm not sure of that. Can it switch from USB charging to USB supplemented? I don't know that either yet. If I use an Action Camera, it will do all that. I use USB external to keep my Git2 time-lapse recording overnight (~12 hours per session).

The monocular is another option. . . .

dxqcanada · Feb 27, 2019

Dot Sight accessory? ... example:

VidThreeNorth · Feb 28, 2019

Re: Dot Sight:

I am limiting my Internet for the next week so I can't see the video. If this is a LASER sight, then I'd recommend staying far away from it. First, if you point it at an aircraft, the police will roll on you very quickly. Aircraft pilots are very jumpy about being targeted. We've had at least 1 arrest in the Toronto area because of it.

Second reason, some people with guns also get jumpy if they see a LASER dot unexpectedly. A while back we had a report about a cop shooting a photographer in the US. He claim was that he thought the photographer had a firearm. Probably not a LASER sight incident, but still, a person carrying a gun might mistake a LASER dot for one coming from a gun sight.

Best to stay with other technologies and leave the dot sights alone.

VidThreeNorth · Feb 28, 2019

I got interested in the boot time for my cameras and I grabbed my stopwatch. Then I found something interesting. I put an A-Mount lens on my Sony a5000 using an LA-EA3 adapter. The first time I turned it on it took about 3-4 sec. from Full Off to Ready to Shoot. But after that 1st time it came up consistently about 1 sec. My Lumix GF-3 using a 12-32 kit zoom took under 1 sec. consistently. I retested the OM-D EM-10 and it was always under 1 sec. My Yi-M1 was consistently about 1.4 sec. Note that all the camera except for the Yi-M1 were quite old now and are budget bodies. I expect that the current top end cameras are about as fast. I wondered if letting them sit over-night would make a difference, but no, they stayed the same. So I think, if you set up in a "blind" and turn your camera off, the boot time should be about that quick for all the contemporary Mirrorless bodies. If it is critical though, you should check in a store before you buy.

dxqcanada · Feb 28, 2019

VidThreeNorth said:
Re: Dot Sight:

If this is a LASER sight, then I'd recommend staying far away from it.

It does not project a laser at the subject ... the laser is used to project a "target" on the screen to "aim" at.
Gear - Olympus Dot Sight (full review) - Outdoor Photography Canada

VidThreeNorth · Mar 1, 2019

dxqcanada said:
. . .

It does not project a laser at the subject ... the laser is used to project a "target" on the screen to "aim" at.
Gear - Olympus Dot Sight (full review) - Outdoor Photography Canada

It sounds like a good idea. I like the compactness when it's folded.

Jeff15 · Mar 1, 2019

I do not have any problems with my G9 shooting wildlife........

ac12 · Mar 1, 2019

The battery on my EM1 will run approx 4 hours, continuously ON.
I changed the battery at approx 11am and 5pm.
On vacation, I carried 3 batteries total (next time I am going to take 4 batteries).

The power switch on the E-M cameras like the old OM series film cameras is inconvenient to use.
I have to move my right hand to the left deck to turn the switch on.
On my Nikon, the power switch is a rotating switch around the shutter button. Very easy and fast to get to with my shutter finger.
The only power switch that I know of that is worse than the Olympus, is the one on the Minolta SRT-101, where the switch was under the camera, and you had to press and turn the switch with your thumb. My friend who had a SRT-101, just left it on for the whole time of a shoot.

Since you are open to two systems.
I shoot two systems. m4/3 and Nikon dSLR.
The EM1 did not meet my expectations and needs for shooting fast sports, so I stayed with my Nikon D7200 for fast sports (football, soccer, basketball). For everything else, I use the m4/3.

VidThreeNorth · Mar 2, 2019

ac12 said:
. . .

The only power switch that I know of that is worse than the Olympus, is the one on the Minolta SRT-101, where the switch was under the camera, and you had to press and turn the switch with your thumb. My friend who had a SRT-101, just left it on for the whole time of a shoot. . . .

Most of the SLR's around that time used CdS sensor for light metering. If the camera used a "625" battery (was that a "PX13?"), the system could be left "On" for over a year without the battery dying. If you used a lens cap when not in use, there was almost no drain. But those sensors had a problem with response speed. They could take a few seconds to read accurately.

ac12 said:
Since you are open to two systems.
I shoot two systems. m4/3 and Nikon dSLR.
The EM1 did not meet my expectations and needs for shooting fast sports, so I stayed with my Nikon D7200 for fast sports (football, soccer, basketball). For everything else, I use the m4/3.

If I'd started with a Nikon and bought a Mirrorless, that's probably what I would have done. Now, I guess the obvious choice would be to pick up a Z6 or Z7 body. Though I have to say that I don't see the big size savings that M4:3 can give.

Fujidave · Mar 2, 2019

I have seen some stunning wildlife images taken with some Fuji X cameras, some are even fantastic.

beagle100 · Mar 31, 2019

VidThreeNorth said:
Mirrorless has been criticized for wildlife photography because one needs to keep the camera on while waiting indefinitely for something to happen worth recording. That is a valid issue, and there is no perfect solution. I was thinking that it is possible to use spotter optics in the accessory shoes.

I was actually looking for something else when I thought of this, so I did not spend much time on looking into this. Here are a couple of possibilities:

"Konus 2062: Konus KonuSmall-2 7-17x30 Monocular"
- "B&H # KO717X30KSZM, MFR # 2062"
In stock, $26.82 US

"KonusKonuSmall-2 7-17x30 Monocular"

"Brunton Echo: Brunton 10-30x21 Echo Zoom Monocular"
- B&H # BR1030X21EZ, MFR # F-ECHOZOOM"
[Sorry, I forgot to record the link.]
In stock, $33.30 US

Actually, I was thinking about more expensive stuff than these, but these might be good enough. I have a couple of binoculars that are tripod mountable (if I can find them). The only thing needed is an "Accessory shoe to tripod mount adapter", and those can be found. I have one of those too somewhere. But these would be a lot more compact than my binoculars.

perhaps, but I don't have a problem shooting wildlife with mirrorless
www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless

ac12 · Mar 31, 2019

VidThreeNorth said:
ac12 said:

Since you are open to two systems.
I shoot two systems. m4/3 and Nikon dSLR.
The EM1 did not meet my expectations and needs for shooting fast sports, so I stayed with my Nikon D7200 for fast sports (football, soccer, basketball). For everything else, I use the m4/3.

Click to expand...

If I'd started with a Nikon and bought a Mirrorless, that's probably what I would have done. Now, I guess the obvious choice would be to pick up a Z6 or Z7 body. Though I have to say that I don't see the big size savings that M4:3 can give.

The size savings is in the combination of camera body + lens.
My EM1 + PLumix 12-60 is about 50% smaller and 45% lighter than my D7200 + 18-140.

The savings really rack up when you are looking at the longer/bigger/heavier lenses (Nikon 200-500, Sigma/Tamron 150-600) and compare it to the small Olympus 75-300.
Even in the mid-range; Nikon 70-200/2.8 vs Panasonic 35-100/2.8, you have a large size and weight savings.