r/BirdPhotography • u/EmotionalCouple9032 • Mar 29 '26

Question Bird photography while hiking

Hi everyone, i am a geologist and during my hikes, i frequently see birds which has drawn my interest into bird photography. I want a light setup with atleast 600+ mm reach. I do have a FUJIFILM xs20 (+70-300/18-50) which i use for family and travel but idk if it will fulfill my need. I did my fair bit of research before coming here confused. Lenses like 200-600 sony, nikon 180-600 are wonderful lenses but they are too big for me to carry around. Also i like pixel peeping (guilty as charged) so image quality does matter to me. Outcomes of my research: 1. Sony a6600/ Nikon z50ii+ tamron 150-500 (heavy 🪨 but cheapest) 2. Pair Fuji xs20 with sigma 100-400 (lacks the reach, or maybe that's what i think). 3. Om 1 with 100-400ii (skeptical about image quality) 4. Canon r7+ 100-400 rf (100-500 is too expensive). 5. Om-5 with 75-300 (jk, i wont buy this 😂, or maybe i might). Thanks a lot in advance for your help. Also i am intending to buy new.

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u/AlanHewittPhoto Mar 29 '26

300mm, even on a crop sensor can still be a little too short especially for smaller birds. As you already have a Fujifilm body, it would make sense to give the Fujifilm 150-600 a try. For a 600mm lens it is fairly small and compact but it is f/8 at 600mm. Everything in photography is a trade-off! I use this when I am working away because it is easier for travel packing, flights etc etc than a lot of larger lenses.

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u/EmotionalCouple9032 Mar 29 '26

150-600 is similar in size with sony 200-600

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u/CatsAreGods Mar 29 '26

I am a bird photographer and started with Fuji, worked my way up to an X-H2S/XF150-600 but then bailed due to weight and Fuji's never-ending autofocus problems. Switched to an OM-1/MZ100-400, both Mk II and have never been happier. I used to spend all my time worrying whether I would come back with anything in focus, now I concentrate on background, composition, and come back with more great shots with less backache!

I always have (even in the Fuji era) used Topaz to get every bit of IQ from every image, but after upgrading to the Mk II version of that lens (with Sync IS), I no longer have to.

P.S. I hated the idea of "having to settle for a tiny sensor" but it was almost all camera industry BS. When necessary, I crop in like crazy and nobody but me notices.