Looking for suggestions for an entry level camera my daughter can use for bird watching. She’s graduating high school this month and I thought it would be a good present.


Can anybody guide me? It is possible to do anything for under $1k?

I really don’t know much about photography. I do have an older Canon Rebel that could take a new lense.

Point and shoot cameras are currently dying a slow death because of the high quality imaging that phones can produce. However they are still being made and some now feature extremely wide ranges in focal lengths.

One that fits within your budget at 799.95 is the Nikon Coolpix 950 which features a zoom lens covering 35mm equivalent 24 - 2000mm. That is a LOT of reach and it's image stabilized so it can probably be hand held at that 2000mm setting.

https://www.nikonusa.com/p/coo...-p950/26532/overview

Basically it will work well for a bird lovers first camera. Later on I suggest that you have your daughter select and choose her next camera, because that will be a very big step upward in price. I suspect that the Pro's don't even blink about spending 30 or 40 thousand dollars on some new lenses and the latest super high resolution digital.

PS; I chose the Point and Shoot for a reason. That being the package and the body/lens integrated image stabilization. You can go with a body based system like your Rebel but a lens suitable for birding will likely be well over your budget.

Scooter beat me to it, but that Nikon 950 takes some pretty awesome pictures, I have enough cameras and lenses as is. I have seen some moon pictures with that camera that were awesome.

We've had the a6000 for years. It takes great pictures, has been completely reliable, and because it is mirrorless, it is smaller and easier to use.

https://www.digitalcameraworld...00-how-do-you-choose

I was a monthly bird watcher for forty years.


Traveling hither and yon from county to county ,sometimes to other states.

After carting two bino's, two bird book's ,a note pad and badic e.d.c. stuff ,

I thought "this is enough".


Then,
I bought a scope , tripod and three eye pieces.

I was set , had it all, wanted for nothing.

For the life of me , I was not! Getting a camera, lenses and more stuff.

Every bird I've ever seen I've found in my I.D. book ,
You name it,
Seven thousand people have photographed it ten times.

Yet I've seen that one guy , everywhere.
Two Cam's with four lenses , a tripod and pack full of all kinds of . . Stuff.

It never made sense to me,.

Most phones now days with a a few accessories can achieve very similar results.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/...ics-of-digiscoping/#

Good on you parent! We got our daughter a camera for HS graduation and 16 years later she is really enjoying photography!

National Geographic has some solid DVD based classes as well as books the might be of interest

Silent

I’m assuming she has a smart phone… in addition to the camera you could set her up with the “Merlin ID” app. Pretty cool.
Today I sent my father a screenshot of all of the birds it identified by song chorusing in my yard at the same time. Along with the sonograph. There were about 10…

Are you opposed to a good condition, recent model used camera?

I could write many paragraphs of why she may be disappointed or frustrated with small sensor point and shoot cameras for birding. If she wants birds on the wing instead of just on perches, those cameras are even less capable.


My recommendation for a non-interchangeable “do it all” super-zoom camera would be the Sony Rx-10 IV at “just” $1700. I don’t want to be the guy who suggest something twice you advertised price point though.

BH Photo currently has a used Rx-10 III, the previous model, for $969. It is pretty much the same as the newer version except for some AF system improvements, increased high speed shutter rates, and changes to video options.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c...x10_iii_digital.html

Shows as “Condition 9, minor surface marks”. I’ve bought used from BH Photo before, they are top notch and conservative with their conditions ratings. If they say “minor surface marks” you may be hard pressed to find it.


Both models have a fast Zeiss f/2.4-4 24-600mm (35mm equivalent) zoom lens, 1” sensor and the same processor. The RX series has outstanding reputation and would be my go to if I was looking for a “Bridge” camera.



I’ll also second the suggestion for the Merlin app which is a feee app 8 would actually pay for.

quote:

Originally posted by irreverent:
set her up with the “Merlin ID” app. Pretty cool.

I user the Merlin ID app all the time while sitting on the front porch reading. One feature that is really amazing is its sensitivity (at least on my iPhone). It picks up and identifies birds I did not recall hearing. Then, knowing that bird is out there at a distance, if I listen very carefully I can just make out its faint call. Excellent app, and well worth the money.

I have bought all my stuff used from KEH. Nikon D500, Nikon 70-200 2.8 lens and Nikon 2x teleconverter. The difference in what this can do vs my iPhone is night and day.

I get lots of birds in my backyard and I just take pics of them from my back door.

Now you’re just showing off with that bunting^^^^

Very cool. What kind of seed/food do you put in those feeders? Do you have a water source nearby?

I'm with 911Boss, look into the used market for a camera. And I'll second that B&H is excellent to deal with, I've bought used from them and have had no problems. I, also, use Merlin for IDing birds, haven't used the song feature, keep forgetting it's there.

quote:

Originally posted by irreverent:
Now you’re just showing off with that bunting^^^^

Very cool. What kind of seed/food do you put in those feeders? Do you have a water source nearby?

I had never seen a painted bunting in my life until last fall.

We moved into the house in April 2022. There is a 10'x10' pergola in the backyard just off the pool. And the pergola has a bougainvillea growing over the top of it. It's thick, like 6 feet, and hangs over the pergola by a couple feet on each side. There are multiple nests in the bougainvillea. In addition I have the 6' tall row of hedges that you can see in the background of some of the pics just behind that pergola providing extra privacy and a better look than the fence. All of this foliage provides lots of places for the birds to hide, grab a quick snack and go back to hiding.

When we moved in there were feeders but they would be depleted in a couple days due to squirrels. Then they would be empty for a week or more until I would get around to refilling them. I would see Cardinals, but that was about it. After asking on SigForum I bought the feeders in the pictures and they stay filled with feed 100% of the time. Then all of the birds showed up, included others I did not post.

The seed is nothing fancy, just from Ace Hardware. Songbird blend and Fruit and Nut blend.

While I do have a small running fountain just off the pergola I have never seen a bird drink or splash in it.

B&H is great and I have had excellent dealings with KEH for used equipment also. Both over deliver quality wise.
FWIW, I also suggest going with Nikon as almost all of their DSLR lenses are useable on almost all bodies until you get into the Z series and even then there are Nikon made adapters that work well. I am able to use my older Nikon lenses on my Z body but still retain a D series body which is very rugged. The 950 is likely good but I do not have one so don't want to venture an opinion.

I do enjoy bird photography as a hobby, because I like birds and I like challenges.

My (possibly bad) assumption is that the OP's daughter is not a camera buff. In that case, I second the idea, put forward in some of the above posts, that putting a point-n-shoot camera in the hands of a non-expert trying to learn to photograph birds would be a recipe for disappointment. IMO that $1K - put into a point-and-shoot - would gather dust quickly. You'd want the early images to generate smiles, and encouragement, and that would be difficult with a point-and-shoot in the hands of a non-expert trying for bird shots.

I think one might be able to pull together a bird-photography setup close to a $1K budget going the used route. While the current stuff is amazing, many of the newest features are, essentially, incremental, replacing features that were really, really good but just not with extra pixels, WiFi connectivity, fancier autofocus, etc.

That said, a lot of photographers trade up as new models come out, and they know that good maintenance helps with eventual trade in value. And since so much of the market is trade-ups, dealers know how to evaluate tradeins. So, used - from a reputable store - does not equal iffy.

But...to go used, you'd really want to know what you're doing. And it sounds like the OP is not a camera buff.

So my suggestion would be - again assuming neither father or daughter is an expert - for Dad to go chat with a local camera store, be honest about goals, skills and budget, and be open to what they say. It could be they have used equipment that could make up a starter set. Or something to match up with the OP's camera and get the daughter off on the right track. (I'm not familiar with Canon Rebels - maybe I'm off base?)

Future gifts can be done later, filling in pieces. Bag, extra lenses, spare batteries, extra memory cards, etc.

Or, maybe the camera store visit will suggest this may be a bridge too far, with respect to budget.

If so, maybe consider a phone with excellent photography features? My wife's current-vintage iPhone gets very good bird shots in some scenarios. Not the most challenging scenarios - low light, birds in flight, extreme distance, etc. - but out hiking, birdfeeders, and nearby calm birds, it does great. iPhones are close to the budget and of course have other uses, when not shooting birds.

Meanwhile, congrats to Dad and daughter on the upcoming graduation!

Not to pester, holdem, but what’s the brand of feeder?
My dad is also in Florida and I would love for him to have a bunting frequenting his yard, but he has the same issues with squirrels and other critters cleaning his feeders out, so mostly it’s just cardinals and doves and those damn Muscovy ducks. And the Carolina wren, but that’s just flitting around.

Joel, have you shopped for used equipment lately? Try poking around in your local area and you'll find that shops with a large stock of used gear are few and far between. In addition going mandate a higher quality DSLR and those can get a bit pricey and used DSLR lenses suitable for birding will probably blow the budget. The simple truth is that the Nikon 950 or that used Sony DSC-RX10 III are within your budget and amazingly capable. BTW, the new DSC-RX10 IV is 1698.00 new. I will also note that these are not compact cameras you can slip into a purse or pocket. They are close to the size of a DSLR with a moderate range zoom and weigh very close to the weight of a classic old 1911 pistol.

If you want to go new IMO the 950 will deliver the best bang for your buck and will leave enough of your budget to add in a new tripod.

https://bromebirdcare.com/

Feeder


https://www.amazon.com/NETVUE-...=%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-3

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bendable,

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
https://bromebirdcare.com/

Feeder

Thank you. My Father’s Day shopping is done.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
https://bromebirdcare.com/

Feeder

I have one of these. It is the best bird feeder I have used although full disclosure I not an expert here.