Lens Envy
When I first was dragged started going out in the field birding with my husband I carried a Kodak point-and-shoot camera. Steve would point out a bird to me and “click!” I’d take the picture just like I’d do while on vacation, say to London, a national park, or the beach. It was easy peasy to use and I loved it.
Well, until I got home and loaded the photos onto my computer and realized that my little spec of a bird barely showed up. Even cropping in didn’t help a whole lot. You could see the bird and tell what it was, but it wasn’t very stunning.
- Hummingbird in Costa Rica – taken with the Kodak point-and-shoot
So I decided to invest in a new Nikon DSLR. It’s been so great that the recent onslaught of DSLRs have made it so much more affordable for the amateur photographer and enthusiast. I love my Nikon. I’m not a great photographer, but it certainly keeps me busy and interested in birding. While my husband can look through binoculars and his scope for what seems like an eternity, I’ve found the photography a great challenge for me. I’m actually quite happy about my pictures that I get. And it keeps my interest in the field while birding.
- Canada Geese at Bosque del Apache in New Mexico. Shot with Nikon D5000.
One Christmas we decided to do a road trip starting in Santa Fe, New Mexico, then south to Bosque del Apache and then to Las Cruces, New Mexico and finishing up in Tucson, Arizona. I loved Bosque del Apache. Well, that is until I saw this:
- Birder with big ass lens.
Crap. I felt my first pangs of lens envy.
Part of the problem with taking photographs at Bosque del Apache with a standard camera sans telephoto lens is that most of the birds are waders. It’s not like you’re going to have the opportunity to get up close to them. I grew frustrated and impatient with myself and my camera. But Socorro (the little town just outside of Bosque del Apache) didn’t have any camera equipment or lenses. They did have a feed store that everyone seemed to congregate at. Oh, and this lovely family restaurant with it’s retro sign that I adored:
- Pretty much the only restaurant in Socorro, New Mexico.
Once we arrived in Las Cruces, New Mexico we located a store that sold Nikor lenses. I grabbed up the last 300mm lens and since then I’ve been a happy photographer again.
- Cactus wren in Tucson, Arizona. Shot with Nikon D5000 with 300mm lens.
But I still get lens envy out in the field. Look at these guys:
- Yet another big ass lens.
- I’ll never be able to keep up. (This was shot at Point Pelee in Ontario Canada.)
Your post made me smile. 🙂 I think every photographer, pro or enthusiast, has lens envy at some point. Right now I have lens envy about a wide angle L lens that I’d like (Canon user here). I also have camera body envy as well. I want a Canon 7D and/or a Canon 5D MK II soooo badly. I guess this is the curse of being interested in photography. There are always newer/better lenses and bodies!
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Ahhh, I’m glad it made you smile. Cameras are just like (are) computers. As soon as you buy one they introduce a more advanced model a few weeks later. It’s crazy addicting!
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Hey Lisa,
Your posts are very visual and enjoyable to read. I can definitely sympathize with the lens envy. I just recently got into the 300mm club, and sometimes I’m forced to look away in jealousy as the 500mm crowd with their 1.4x or 2x teleconverters and tripods set up shop at a birding patch.
Of course, the 300mm is still a great lens, it just requires one to be much closer for a good picture.
At one point I’ve even had some 500mm people disparage my 300mm: “Ha! You won’t get any good shots with that…”
Well, I went broke on something way better (an engagement ring for my wife), so it’s fine by me!
It’s pretty frustrating when you see a beautiful duck or shorebird and it’s out of range. I’m often glad for a small lens though. The light weight allows for much more maneuverability, and I like that the smaller lens makes me get much closer up into the environment (provided the bird doesn’t flush). Of course, no one wants to be invasive, but sometimes those big lenses keep you so far away from the subject, that you don’t even feel like you’re really participating in nature. I like to be out in the ruff a little bit, and you can’t do that so well with a big lens.
Bird photography is still so much fun. It makes one a more attentive and detail-oriented birder. I particularly appreciate how the camera reinvigorated my interest in common birds and birds that I’d already seen and added to the Life List. Photography presents infinite challenges and opportunities, and I’ve never found it to be time poorly spent.
Thanks so much for sharing; I’m looking forward to following your blog.
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Aw shucks. Thanks for the compliments! And by the way, you made the right decision with the engagement ring. 🙂
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I have never had lens envy, only camera envy. I’m pretty satisfied with my Canon 550D (known in America as an EOS Rebel T2i). If I can’t get close to something with my 28-300 lens, it’s off to Photoshop. With all those megapixels, I’ve learned that the camera sees things that my poor eyes don’t, so I snap away and check it out in Photoshop.
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One day I’ll actually figure out Photoshop. Right now I just toy with iPhoto.
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Keep birding, it’s absolutely fun. Regardless of the size of lens. It’s the opportunity to capture that makes the photo.
Hmmm, I guess it’s a bad time to mention that I just purchased a 600/4. Oops…sorry.
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Haha! So jealous!
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