Digital Prosumer Cameras for Birders or Bird Photographers

1. Digital Prosumer Cameras for Birders or Bird Photographers Digital prosumer cameras are very convenient and rather small and compact cameras that have a great potential as part of the basic birding equipment. Normally we think of cameras for birders like with big telephoto lenses on digital single lens reflex cameras. These are still the optimal camera equipment for real bird photographers. But for the many birders who are keener on observing the birds without breaking the back - or breaking the bank - the modern prosumer cameras come in very handy. In the following article I will offer you my own experience from using a number of rather small digital super zoom cameras and highlight the qualities you should look for when deciding what kind of camera to buy for your birding activities. But first let us see the camera as a part of the birders total equipment. If bird photography is your main passion when going birding then the bulk of your camera gear would probably be the most heavy to carry and handle of your total equipment. But for the birder - man or woman alike - the convenience of being able to

2. move around fast and silent without fatigue might be more important. So let us see what the birder needs from a suitable camera to carry on for every birding trip. What is a prosumer camera? Among camera producers the different segments of potential camera buyers are divided into the professional photographer segment and the consumer segment. We are all to be regarded as common consumers for areas that are not our occupation area. With the wording prosumer camera the understanding is cameras of rather professional quality but expected to be bought by consumers who are more serious with their photography than the mainstream consumer. Essential this means that prosumer cameras are very capable cameras with plenty of options and very good picture quality. To be accessible for the not-professional kinds of comsumers the pricing needs to be rather low compared to full-fledged big camera systems. The capacity of prosumer cameras As a bird watcher who is also doing professional stock photography I know these distinctions rather well. As an author of a number of published printed books I have with full satisfaction made use of digital pictures from prosumer cameras and even from less sophisticated cameras. This tells me that these kinds of digital cameras - if treated well - are very capable of producing pictures for quality printing; at least when the printing is for normal book size pictures.