One of the reasons I got the Nikon is because of the vibration reduction (available on the 200mm also). Holly has a tremor and was somewhat frustrated by the old Kodak w/ digital zoom. Using the Nikon in full auto mode gives her good pics w/o a tripod. She really enjoys going out in the AM to take pics of her new blooms. She can also enlarge her bird pics for a better ID, and often crops them for better content. It's a point and shoot with SLR functions.

Loving all the birdie photos!

Dave: You are getting some great shots with your new camera! I especially loved those Blue Jays up-thread, looks like they were posing! Love those evening/night shots too ... I wish I understood the camera settings more, or rather had the patience to learn them I have trouble getting decent photos late in the day.

Claudia: Thanks for sharing those great photos of the juveniles! I haven't seen the juvenile Red-bellieds here in a few days ... or maybe they have just grown so fast that they are looking more like the adults. Love the Bluebird in the bath!

J: Oh my goodness, that is the cutest shot of the baby birds in the Ipomoea basket! I sure hope the owners don't sell that plant before those babies fledge the nest!

Rose: That is the cutest picture of that baby in the nest and yes, it does look to be a baby Barn Swallow!

I've been busy and haven't taken any photos in a few days but hopefully I'll get some later in the week.

Natalie, it seems my Coolpix has an optical zoom, thank goodness.

I don't hate digital zoom, because it is handy for some things, but the quality isn't all that great. If you use a high enough resolution with optical zoom, it's easy to crop the subject with whatever software you use, and I think I like the results from that better. Birds are sometimes never close enough to get a decent picture, so it helps to have a good zoom, whether it is digital or optical.

I don't understand digital/optical zoom ... or much else about cameras. I just keep it on automatic and zoom in as far as the camera will allow and click.

The only shot I've gotten today was late this afternoon when a Blue Heron flew into the yard ... unfortunately the picture was through a tree on my deck so I only managed a head shot. I quietly walked down the step to the yard but he spotted me and flew off.

Ric, I can empathize with Holly. I have vertigo and some days I feel the sway really bad and just can not hold my camera still enough. Very frustrating for me. Some days I used to would take over a 100 photos easily of birds year round. Now there are days I don't pick it up.

A very bad shot of a Cedar Waxwing just as I came out the back door.


Gray Catbird


Juvie Oriole


Very frustrating that the adult Red-bellied Woodpeckers bring the juvies to the food to feed them and then once the juvies are coming on their own the adults try to chase them off. I guess that is how Mother Nature does it and it works out but makes me feel bad! We had 2 adults trying to prevent 2 juvies from getting to the jelly last night.

Juvie Red-bellied Woodpecker


American Robin


Adult Red-bellied - female and she did not want to share!

@plantladylin Your camera has a 50X optic zoom. You can double that with a 2x digital zoom if you set the camera to that. Your photos are gorgeous just the way they are so I wouldn't mess with them. Full auto and zooming in is working great for you as you seem to have a really good eye for composition. I am lousy at composition. Wishing I were 15 years younger. I would take some photography courses.

I have the Canon Powershot 20X....so it is almost out of date now! But I learned one trick if I was in a pinch and really wanting a very far shot for an ID. I can put mine on Video and then it will zoom even more and the I can take a still shot while in Video mode. It is not always great shot but has mad it possible to ID some birds/or get a shot that I would have missed otherwise. I bet you can do it with the 50X too.

Yes you can Claudia.

Claudia, I loved seeing the Cedar Waxwing! I've seen one here, about 10 miles or less from our house, and it is the only one I've ever seen. I love them! They look like army birds for some reason.

Claudia, those are some great shots! I love Cedar Waxwings but we only see them here on rare occasions for a very short period during the winter. They sure are beautiful birds! Your photo of that Gray Catbird is really gorgeous ... especially love that one! The Robin has a curious look on his face. Regarding the Red-bellied WP's; I haven't seen the adults chase off any of the young around here. I wonder if the female in your photo might be a juvenile/not quite adult which may be why she's chasing off the younger ones? They usually aren't territorial about food when it's in abundance. I have two suet feeders (on either side of the yard) and three seed feeders where I put out regular bird seed and raisins and peanuts and at times there are three or four Red-bellieds at the different feeders but never at the same one together.
I forgot to ask too ... what is that pretty shrub/tree that the Gray Catbird is perched in?

plantladylin said:I don't understand digital/optical zoom ... or much else about cameras. I just keep it on automatic and zoom in as far as the camera will allow and click.

The only shot I've gotten today was late this afternoon when a Blue Heron flew into the yard ... unfortunately the picture was through a tree on my deck so I only managed a head shot. I quietly walked down the step to the yard but he spotted me and flew off.

This is an exceptional photo Lin! The play of shadow & light is superb. Good job!

There was a whole bunch of them but when ever I tried to get closer they would fly up into the trees! I had seen photos of them and thought what beautiful exotic looking birds. I was so shocked when I found out we had them here in Indiana. I was even more shocked when I saw them in my own neighborhood when I really got into birding about 7 years ago after moving out here!!

That photo is beautiful Lin!!

@TennesseeDave

TennesseeDave said:plantladylin Full auto and zooming in is working great for you as you seem to have a really good eye for composition. I am lousy at composition. Wishing I were 15 years younger. I would take some photography courses.

I don't really try to compose ... I just point and shoot and shoot and shoot (sometimes 50, 60, 70 photo's ... then I download them and delete all but a dozen or less most of the time. I only keep the ones that I think look halfway decent but I have come across a few of my photo's from a couple of years ago and wonder to myself why I kept such a lousy shots.

Lin, your photo makes me glad I am not a fish.

Glen, LOL ... those Herons do like fish and I've watched them stab fish with those sharp bills!

Claudia, My tremor is very slight so far, barely noticeable to the eye most of the time. I expect it to worsen as my Fathers did. But it was really showing up in my pictures and when I look thru binoculars. Some times when I am doing intricate painting. The new camera has really helped a lot.
So sorry about the vertigo, I've had that a few times and it isn't a fun thing to go thru.

Don't mention vertigo.

This is an Australian Swiftlet. Very fast. I was laying on a picnic table trying to get a close up as they shot through hawking insects.

Much like our kites, swallows & swifts Glen. Pretty hard to get photos of them. Zoom, zoom!