45-200 good for nature??

[Chow Monkey]

Today I took this shot of a boa constrictor in the garden of my brother in law.. Only had the 14-42 on my Pen so couldn't get closer than this. Is the 45-200 a lens which is good enough for this kind of photography?

View attachment 142782

 

[hodad66]

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YEP

 

[Chow Monkey]

Is 200mm enough for most occasions?? Which is 400mm on a fullframe..

 

[BBW]

Pretty darn nice Chow Monkey for the 14-42! I've been wondering about this 45-200mm myself for birds and more. Thanks for replying hodad. We'll be staying tuned.

 

[hodad66]

I'm the wrong person to ask... as I never have enough
reach. BUTT, for most normal occasions.... yes. It's light, has
image stabilization and focuses accurately most of the time.

That said, as you can see from my sig, I have a 300 and a 600
but then you are talking tripods and really heavy gear. When
Pany comes out with their 100 - 300 I will probably get one, As
I said... I can NEVER get enough reach.......

 

[BBW]

Thanks hodad!

 

[Chow Monkey]

I can come up to these snakes really close.. But I like to make close ups unlike I did now.. Prolly the 45-200 will help with that..
I met lots of nice birds also but they are like at least 10 meters away from me.. Not sure if the 200mm is enough than for nice closeup shots..

 

[Boyzo]

Hi monkey

The 45-200 is a great lens .. its compact smooth and easy to use

Tasmania Lauceston park
The G1 was used .... all jpeg ooc + pp 100ISO

Fur is notoriously hard to render with detail everything needs to right .. bright light / resolution / a steady camera / top lens / ...

1/320 f6.3 200mm (400mm) Macaque monkey .. they are in their own large enclosure/arena and hail from japan and live in Lauceston full time (They love the cold) so are .
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1/400 f6.3 200mm (400)

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[cambuff82]

Re - 45-200 good for nature?

This was taken with the 45-200 at 200mm and f5.6 at about 12metres. It represents about a 50% crop from the original image.

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[Iansky]

The 45-200 is a great lens and the combination of this lens on the GF1+EVF are small and light enough to carry for a long time easily.

These are some images taken to day with this combination:

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[JoeG]

Love the spiders. What was it, a convention?

 

[Iansky]

No it was a "Birthday" party!!

 

[Muntjack]

Remotes??

I tried to take some pics of the little birds that come to our garden feeder with my 45-200 Panny lens the other day.
Set up on a tripod about 15 feet away and waited a few minutes. The local blue tits had just fledged and the tiny things were ravenous so pretty much ignored me. I soon had about 12 birds on the go.
I got some quite nice pics though they were in a darkish place and it wasn't easy to get high shutter speeds to freeze their constant movements. By firing bursts I did get quite a few good sharp shots though and generally felt it was quite successful.
However, I'd like to get more interesting birds like nuthatch, woodpecker etc that are more nervous.
I occurred to me that the answer would be a wireless remote.
Has anyone tried the Hahnel OL80? Any comments or advice on best way to do what I have in mind? Should I pre-focus for instance?.... I see myself with a glass of malt and a pair of bins relaxing on the patio and, just waiting??
M

 

[BBW]

Muntjack, I've moved your post into this thread in hopes that you'll get some good advice as to how to handle photographing these little beauties that come to your garden feeder!

We've got quite a few members who are really well versed at photographing birds and more with this lens.

 

[Glenn S]

I think so too

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[Chuck Pike]

If your shooting with this lens and using a tripod, can you turn off IS? I don't believe I would use this lens all that much, but every so often my wife points out a subject off in the distance, and I will tell her, I don't have a lens that can reach that subject. Right now shooting with the 20mm, 14-45 and the GF1.

photosbypike

 

[photoSmart42]

If your shooting with this lens and using a tripod, can you turn off IS? I don't believe I would use this lens all that much, but every so often my wife points out a subject off in the distance, and I will tell her, I don't have a lens that can reach that subject. Right now shooting with the 20mm, 14-45 and the GF1.

photosbypike

You're actually recommended to always turn off IS when using a tripod. The 45-200 is definitely a nice lens, but if you're using a tripod anyway for it you can always get a less expensive legacy zoom like the Vivitar 70-210 (although with the GF1 it would be heavy and bulky). That's what I use currently with my GH1 since I don't have the 45-200, and I'm waiting for the 100-300 to come out in a few months.

As an aside, the 45-200 makes for a nice walk-around lens. With my 14-140 I find myself more often than not using it beyond 45. Like others have said, the 45-200 is small and light, has AF, and while it doesn't have amazing IQ it's taken great photos.

 

[Boyzo]

I tried to take some pics of the little birds that come to our garden feeder with my 45-200 Panny lens the other day.
Set up on a tripod about 15 feet away and waited a few minutes. The local blue tits had just fledged and the tiny things were ravenous so pretty much ignored me. I soon had about 12 birds on the go.
I got some quite nice pics though they were in a darkish place and it wasn't easy to get high shutter speeds to freeze their constant movements. By firing bursts I did get quite a few good sharp shots though and generally felt it was quite successful.
However, I'd like to get more interesting birds like nuthatch, woodpecker etc that are more nervous.
I occurred to me that the answer would be a wireless remote.
Has anyone tried the Hahnel OL80? Any comments or advice on best way to do what I have in mind? Should I pre-focus for instance?.... I see myself with a glass of malt and a pair of bins relaxing on the patio and, just waiting??
M

Hi jack
Small birds are going to be challenging, I admit to being no expert
The wireless remote is a good idea (I have not used one)if it works on your camera and is not expensive.

I place my Bird feeders in a good place to capture good light and also provide a good pleasant background.

A friend in Aus (Queensland) built a hide enclosure and postions it near a tree stump onto which he places feed ... he is so close he gets closeups with a short Tele Lens.

He also uses a remote fill flash (canon) to help illuminate native birds.

The hide can be just a light frame enclosure with camouflage even just a front, but you do need patience and long waits .. something I dont have.

Cheers

HAppy bird hunting

 

[panafan]

I like my 45 - 200, but really wish Panasonic would make an even longer focal length lens. Zoom or fixed focal. I miss the 600mm (equivalent) capability I had previously, especially for taking pictures of wind surfing. A longer focal length would be very nice for wildlife. I'm considering going with an adapter and a manual focus lens, but that eliminates much of the benefits of the smaller format, especially weight.

 

[everythingsablur]

I like my 45 - 200, but really wish Panasonic would make an even longer focal length lens. Zoom or fixed focal. I miss the 600mm (equivalent) capability I had previously, especially for taking pictures of wind surfing. A longer focal length would be very nice for wildlife. I'm considering going with an adapter and a manual focus lens, but that eliminates much of the benefits of the smaller format, especially weight.

Panasonic's lens roadmap lists that they should be releasing a 100-300mm f/4-5.6 OIS lens at some point this year. That should solve your listed desire above. 200-600mm equivalent length, OIS, native lens with AF.

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Source 2: Panasonic/Leica Micro Four Thirds lens roadmap (Four Thirds User)