Bosque del Apache- how big a lens?

All-

 

I am looking at a first-timer trip out to Bosque del Apache this

winter. Either the first week of November or mid-December.

 

Normally I am just a landscape shooter and as such am pretty stocked

on wide angle lenses. My telephoto options are a 100/2 prime and top

out with a 300/4 manual focus lens (I know most birders opt for

something bigger). Will 300mm be painfully short at Bosque or will

it be long enough to get the occasional tight shot?

 

My 35mm gear is old Olympus OM so picking up a bigger used lens is

rather limited.

 

I know a 600/4 or 400/2.8 would be great lenses, but aint in my

budget.

 

How much lens do you need at Bosque?

 

Thanks for any info!

Note Mike Reichman's BdA post, but he was using a Canon D30 with the 1.6x magnification:

 

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/locations/bosque.shtml

Dane- I am quite sure anyone with a bigger lens will tell you that

you need at least a 500 or 600. I have been there a number of

times and never found any need for a lens bigger than a Pentax

300F4 on a Bushman shoulder stock (great for flight photos).

You will use your wide-angle lenses for scenics, especially in

the evening at or after sunset. Keep in mind that with NO camera

at all, it's a great place to visit. One can find many photo

opportunities even at the visitor center with smaller birds. By the

time you arrive, the "big bird" season will be in full swing.

 

Happy shooting,

 

Dave Evans

Hi Dane, My best individual images or small groups were taken with a 300mm AF f4.0 Nikon while panning. I used my 500mm f4.0 for portrait shots sometimes with a 1.4tc. For group lift off shots I used a 35mm or 24mm. I also used my 70-210 zoom. Some of the Canon guys were using a 400 f 5.6 lens. I used my 300mm lens the most at the ponds on the right side of the road as you are driving towards the NWR. They are before you get to the main entrance and are great for shots from about 8:00am to 9:00am. Joe Smith

I was there last December for the first time. I was usually zoomed out to 400mm, but occsionally pulled back to get bird scapes. Occasionally, a single bird would be close enough to fill the frame. For the ponds someone mentioned, the longer the better.

 

For an OM system, if it's in your budget, you may want to consider a Tamron 300mm/2.8 lens with matched 1.4x and 2x teleconverters. KEH.com usually has a selection of 3 - 4. Get a bargain grade, then sell it on eBay for as much as you bought it for if you want after your trip.

 

BTW - If you get a shot of the roadrunner that hangs out on the main connector road, please send me a copy for my daughter as payment for my advice. ;-)

I believe that they are no longer manufactured!

There is no doubt you will miss a lot without long glass, however you still will be able to take fair number of shots, including group stills with your 300mm and perhaps teleconverters. How you are going to take any flight shots without AF, if you intend to, is beyond me.

 

To extend your range, have you ever considered getting for example Canon 10D (crop factor 1.6) and one of smaller lenses in 300-400mm range?

 

Also you'd better come right at Thanksgiving or immediatelly afterwards. One of the better places for crane and geese photography at Bosque is "farm" where rangers start cutting stripes of corn every other day or so to provide food for birds, and as time goes on birds in this particular location move further and further away from people, so you want to come right on Thanksgiving or as early afterwards as possible. Week will make quite a difference -- not for the whole Bosque, but for this prime location.

 

* * *

 

In case you like shooting landscapes, you might want to visit White Sands. It's about 3 hours drive from Soccoro. If you go, call them in advance and arrange you to be admitted (for a fee) an hour or two before sunrise. It might be worth spending there around 3 days. Having GPS would help to find shooting location next day before sunrise.

 

* * *

 

Couple of practical warnings:

 

- police in this area seems to enforce speed limits quite fiercely. You can get fined for going just few miles over speed limit. They fine unaware photographers all the time.

 

- in NM, one cannot drive on two-lane road in the left lane; it is reserved for passing only.

When you photograph birds, you'll need focal length and 300mm will be painfully short. When I was at Bosque, I could easily add a 2x to my 500mm/f4.

 

But you'll go anyway, right?

If you would like to obtain tight shots of birds, 300mm may not be enough focal length except on a few occasions. Sometimes the cranes take off and/or land with a flight path close to the observation area, and 300mm might be okay. A few times I have seen the geese land and/or take off in groups right next to the road, and 300mm would be fine. These would be flight shots with a manual lens. Morning blast offs could be done with a 300mm, too.

 

However, these are only a fraction of the opportunities at the refuge. I don't think Roadrunners, Kestrels, Harriers, Northern Pintails, etc. would be so easy with a maximum of 300mm in focal length. But I do think that the habitat at Bosque is so beautiful that you could probably create some images that aren't necessarily of birds tight in the frame, but have some of that surrounding habitat included.

 

Not sure if this helps. I do hope you get to visit, it is an amazing place.

A good source of photo info is www.wildlifewatcher.com.

 

Also see Don Baccus' article here on Photo.net.

 

I have been to the Bosque at several times of the year. There should large flocks while you are there, so you won't need long lenses to capture those. However, I think that a 1.4X TC will come in handy on your 300 f/4 when you can't get quite close enough to the cranes and coyotes.

Maybe to rent a long lens(with a faster camera)could be within your budget?

Dane - The difference between first week in November and mid-December is very significant. The large migration of light geese and sandhill cranes usually do not arrive until mid-November. If you are interested in photographing the spectacular morning fly-outs and evening fly-ins, wait until mid-December for your visit.

 

How much lens do you need at the Bosque? Everyone will see something in the distance that they're convinced would make a great photo if only they had a little for focal length - even those who have a 600mm, lens, 2x-extender, and a 1.6 factor with a digital camera. Human nature seems to dictate that we always want something which isn't quite attainable. My recommendation to a first-time visitor is to take the lenses you have, make the best use of your equipment that you can, and enjoy the sights and sounds of the moment.

 

There have been some changes over the last couple of years at the Refuge which impact the winter photo opportunities. The Refuge established several shallow ponds on the west side of the north entrance road. These ponds are attracting a lot of cranes, along with some light geese, for overnight roosting areas. The ponds are close to the road and you have the opportunity in early morning of photography cranes taking off and flying directly over you if the breeze is at your back.

 

Last winter a shortage of water and changing water usage patterns resulted in very little water in the main pond northeast of the tour loop entrance. Therefore the light goose fly-out wasn't concentrated in that pond as in the past and wasn't so spectacular. At the moment the water situation at the Refuge is much better that last year but shortages are still anticipated this fall. I hope there will be enough water that the main pond can be re-established as the principal overnight roosting area for the light geese this winter.

 

I'm a member of the Friends of the Bosque del Apache organization and maintain their web site at www.friendsofthebosque.org. Email me if you have questions or need more information.

Dane, <br>

I've been to Bosque twice and 95% of my shots were shot with 600mm + 1.4x.

Even for flight shots I used my 600 mm. <br>If you are after frame filling bird portraits, then IMHO 500mm + is a must. But 300 mm + Extenders may be enough for flight shots and some portraits. Of course birdscapes can be done with wideangle lenses or a panoramic camera.<br>

The picture on the home page of my website was shot with 600mm + 1.4x. www.naturearoundus.com. <p>

Good luck!<br>

Balaji

Dane, many of my best and most effective images from Bosque were taken with a 70-200mm lens. Work within the confines of the equipment you have and you will see more here than most. I often prefer the less compressed images taken with the shorter focal lengths. Less focal length can be a positive, as many, myself included tend to develop tunnel vision when carrying a big lens. Regardless of focal length you choose - Bosque is a magical place not to be missed.

 

Best,

 

Chas

www.shootthelight.com