Buyers’ guide
Natural Britain Buyers’ guide
One of the most challenging genres is nature photography, demanding good camera skills, fieldcraft and suitable gear. Here’s our guide to some of the best kit money can buy – helping you get the most out of Britain’s photogenic creatures
KowaTSN-99 Prominar spotting scope › £2999 › kowaoptic.com
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DGOS HSMSports › £1429 › sigma-imaging-uk.com
NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY CAN be enjoyed with a wide range of camera kit – and you may already own everything you need, but there’s always room to embellish your outfit to fulfil its potential. Of course, which direction you choose to take depends on where your interest lies. For birds and mammals, you may want to expand your telephoto lens armoury, because you’re often working with very distant subjects. While using high-megapixel cameras means the image file can be enlarged for a good result, it always pays to get the biggest image possible in the first instance. Adding a teleconverter further increases the lens’ potential. However, if your nature interest lies with insects, a long lens can still be useful – although an extension tube or two may be required to enable closer focusing, otherwise you’re working a long way from your subject. The other lens to consider is a macro that focuses close enough to give 1:2 or 1:1 life-size magnification. Getting in this close to a subject to enjoy such magnifications demands patience, and depth-of-field in such instances is very limited, even with small lens apertures – but the potential for fascinating pictures is there. Tripods, LED lights and bags also feature in this guide, plus there’s guidance on spotting scopes, with the latest addition to Kowa’s range very much worth a look. It’s time to get geared up.
Sigma’s 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM belongs to its Sports series – but an optically different, slightly less robust lens is also available in Sigma’s Contemporary series. Sigma has also recently introduced a revamped 150- 600mm Sports series lens for Sony E-mount and L-Mount fittings, to make the most of mirrorless cameras using those mounts. See the cover story for more. Sigma’s 150-600mm f/5- 6.3 Sports lens has an optical construction of 24 elements in 16 groups, with two FLD (“F” low- dispersion) and three SLD (special low-dispersion) glass lenses. It’s ruggedly built, too, with a dust-
and splash-proof construction, so it’ll continue working perfectly in poor weather – and the front and rear lenses are protected with a water- and oil-repellent coating. Another technical highlight of this lens is its two-mode OS (optical stabiliser) – mode 1 is designed for general photography; mode 2 for motor sports, whether the camera is shooting horizontally or vertically. This lens is available in Canon EOS, Nikon F and Sigma bayonet fittings, and it is compatible with Sigma’s 1.4x and 2x teleconverters for even greater telephoto pulling power, with minimum sacrifice in optical performance.
Kowa Optics is a renowned brand, with spotting scopes, camera lenses and binoculars in its line-up. The newest arrival in Kowa’s impressive Prominar series is the TSN-99, available in both angled (TSN-99A) and straight (TSN-99S) versions, with sales from Kowa- authorised dealers starting 1 October. The scope on its own is £2999, while the zoom kit – that includes the TE-11WZ II 30-70x eyepiece – is priced at £3549. Kowa has also announced the TE-80XW 40x wide eyepiece, which gives a field of view of 80°, priced £649. The TSN-99 has a 99mm pure fluorite crystal objective, which is paired with a Kowa XD concave lens to deliver incredible sharpness and resolution, with minimal chromatic aberration. Its awesome optical performance also has a benefit when it comes to digiscoping, and the TSN-99 can be quickly transformed into a
super telephoto lens, with Kowa’s extensive range of digiscoping kit. Physically, the TSN-99 is built to last a lifetime, with its super-strong, yet lightweight magnesium-alloy body – and a unique KR lens coating that actively repels dirt, dust and water. Kowa has also applied its precision skills to make the TSN-99 great in use, featuring a dual-focus mechanism with quick focus to get the subject in view sharp, and a fine focus control for the ultimate in accuracy. Minute adjustments are possible, even when wearing gloves! All in all, the TSN-99 is one of the best scopes money can buy.
Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di IIIVCVXD › £1379 › tamron.eu
MindShift FirstLight 30L › £260 › snapperstuff.com
Tamron’s 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD is one of its latest offerings for the Sony E full-frame cameras. Used on Sony APS-C format cameras, the 35mm equivalent focal length range is 225-750mm. This top-rate super telezoom uses 25 elements, including several special glass lenses, in 16 groups, to minimise optical aberrations and maximise optical sharpness in a reasonably compact body form – the lens weighs 1.75kg.
Autofocusing is handled by Tamron’s VXD linear motor, giving fast, slick and precise focusing – even when used at 500mm – and it’s super quiet, too. A three-mode VC mechanism helps to achieve sharp pictures with slower shutter speeds. This lens also has potential for macro shooting, with a magnification of 1:3.1 at the 150mm focal length, where you have a minimum focusing distance of 60cm.
Get into photographing nature and you need kit that might be bulky or big – often both. Unless focusing on subjects in your garden, you will need to move equipment from location to location, so a quality bag is essential. Snapperstuff has Think Tank and MindShift products, ideal for nature photographers of all levels, and for camera outfits of all sizes. The MindShift FirstLight backpack family has three sizes on offer: the 20L, 30L and 40L, priced at £215, £260 and £300, respectively. They‘re specifically designed for the outdoor travel photographer. These are high-capacity bags (even the 20L will take a camera fitted with a 200-400mm lens) and comfortable to carry, even when fully laden, thanks to an adjustable torso feature. Other features include a tripod mounting system, rain cover that doubles as a ground cloth, and ballistic nylon bottom panel to help durability.
Issue 91 | Photography News 19
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