Hi, welcome to my RU-vid channel. As a wildlife and landscape photographer for over twenty years the aim of this channel is to bring you along on my photography adventures whatever they may be!
I shoot a lot of wildlife and landscape at the minute but know from experience that when you go through those periods where nothing seems to be going right it's great to be able to switch disciplines. As the saying goes, a change is as good as a rest! So you will occasionally find me shooting infrared and I've recently added 35mm film photography to my arsenal.
The aim of the channel is to help you with your photography while hopefully entertaining you as well. I love to read your questions and hopefully give you a useful answer. I read and answer them all, so never think you can't reach out to contact me.
Hit the Subscribe button and join me for the ride🤘 Don't forget I'm here to help you with your photography!
Thanks so much for the detailed, interesting video. I'm so glad I came across your channel. I've been lucky once to spot a badger at the side of a country rode near Manchester Airport at around 4.30 am when it was just getting light. It was just fascinating to see and there bigger than I first expected. Liked and Subbed
Thanks for watching! It's still a good time to try and catch badgers out while it's still light in the evenings. If you get the chance to sit near a sett It's fascinating to watch the interaction between individuals. All the best 👍 👌
Lovely images Scott. Always good to find wildlife locally. I was able to get some great shots of several shorties and a barnie just a mile from my house back in March. Hoping they will be there again next year.
Thanks Paul, it was great to be able to capture the same subjects in a slightly different environment for a change. I anticipated barn owls near me this year as we had them last year but unfortunately all the flooding put paid to that one! All the best mate!👌👍
Thanks Paul, really enjoying using them so far and I can't complain with the images I'm getting either. Must admit I was regretting carrying the 180-600 to the top until we bumped into the Ptarmigan!!!👌👍
Hi Scott ,just watched your video as i have the Sony 90mm macro on my A7iv but have not purchased a flash just yet as i am relatively new to more serious photography. Hopefully at some point i will be able to achieve those standard of images.
Fantastic! The Sony 90mm macro is a great lens and now's the time to get out with it and practice. Loads of subjects around at the minute as well. Hopefully some more macro content from me coming soon!👌👍
Hi Scott another great video, absolutely stunning location that 👍🏽 love the shot looking downwards to the lake/tarn superb 📸 nice to get the Ptarmigan on the way down to. The new kit is looking good Mate, I've just received my new camera body, the Sony a6700 looking forward to testing it tomorrow 📸 see you on the next one Mate
Thanks Lee, it's a fantastic location. Have to say when you are carrying all the wild camping gear to over 3000 feet a 100-400 would have been handy! Not sure the bank account will stretch to that at the minute. Would love to be able to get back here in the winter to go after the Ptarmigan again!!👍I'm sure you will be taking some stunning shots with the new camera👌
@@scotttilleyphotography Being a long standing Nikon user the transition from DLSR to mirrorless was pretty painless for me but ,Hudson Henry & Steve Perry ( RU-vidrs) were both very helpful with setup information. Ted.
Thanks Ted, I will take a look. I like to use the camera as is initially because I think as photographers we all work slightly differently so setting it up the same as someone else may not work for me. I have already identified a couple of things I want to do so should be more efficient shortly!! 🙏👌👍
I think we all want something slightly different and on this occasion for me Sony just couldn't provide it. I'm pretty sure that will change at some point!👍
I bought mine in May 2023 combined with a Tamron 150-500. This camera does not disappoint. It’s a very reliable, rugged and tough little camera more than capable to do all the stuff even on a professional basis if you want.
The zoom setting on the flash doesn't apply when you're using a diffuser, only with direct flash - the wider the better usually, depending on the diffuser, but with yours I would definitely experiment and see if you get less of a hotspot with 24mm setting!
Thanks for the tip! Something I hadn't considered and I will be checking out when I'm next doing macro. One of the best things about RU-vid is being able to share our tips! Will pin this one for everyone👌👍
Brilliant pictures Scott I’m going to have a go myself I love the ghostly effect, I own a full spectrum camera but not tried with a non converted camera with a filter
Thanks Mark, check out Simon Marsdens work for inspiration. Can't wait to get out again with a vintage lens on the camera and try some more, if we get some sun!!👌👍
I have shot with Canon and Sony at the same time. All of them would be ideal especially as I take people out on one to one's and having knowledge of each system is invaluable!! Tad expensive tho!😮👍
That is a big and much heavier camera compared to your Sony. Was size and weight not a consideration? Nikon lenses come in a bit lighter in the 800 than Sony's versions so I gues it will balance out. I can see from your video that you are excited by your new setup as we all are when we get a new "toy".😄 It will be interesting to hear how you get on with it and getting to grips with a new menu system. I've stuck with my A7RIV as I found the menu on my A6700 to be really confusing compared to the old menus. Jumping twixt the two was just too much for my old brain! Keep us posted. Good luck!
I looked at Nikon myself recently and although the lenses are affordable its a shame the bodies arent! It's also tough to move away from M43 when you are so used to its unique strengths (and weaknesses) Just to add it's a thankless task looking for a setup as I've found in general that Canon lacks reach and no worthwhile APSC option (for my needs) Nikon again have no decent APSC option and the bodies are all super pricey and the only advantage gained is sensor size, Sony seem great but yet again no decent APSC option for my needs and the FF bodies seem to be devoid of video and other features that I may want. Pricey bodies yet again. Really that just leave OM and Lumix and as I have 3 Lumix lenses it seems the obvious choice to replace my G9
Thanks for watching Joe, I must admit I was very impressed with the OM1 and I think if the 150-400 had been a bit more affordable my decision could have been different. Really is no right or wrong answer here just what works best for you!👌👍
Thanks for watching! I have taken some of my best (so far) images on the Sony A6400 and to be honest out of the two the A6400 is the one that I will miss the most. I rate it as one of the best affordable cameras out there even today!👍👍
Welcome to Nikon ! I've always been a Nikon fan boy going all the way back to film cameras . I have used other gear and own other gear but it's the nikon I mostly use .
Cheers Patrick, so far I am impressed. I'm starting out on simple settings at the minute and will develop more customization as I find out what I need to customize!! All the best mate!👌👍
Hi, A very very interesting issue that you face. I'm also in the same issue and many of my birding friends wanted to switch to Nikon as well. Here are my gripes with Sony (I've the A9II and A6700). 1. Third party lenses are cheaper but limit to 15 fps. 2. Lower end cams (other than A9II and A1) are limited to 10 fps and compressed raw. 3. Firmware update never existed and we are stuck with a cam with no new add-ons. Eg I used to have a A7iv but they refuse to give an update to add stack focus (which incidently is in the A7CII). 4. Cheaper cams like the A6700 is not so suitable for wildlife as its EVF is a range finder type can it is very difficult to center and find birds with the A6700 at 900mm since it is a little shifted compared with the A9II. Also dot sight cannot be added to A6000 series easily as it is too low. 5. And of course as u mentioned the OSS is lousy as compared to the Nikon. My friend using a Z9 + 800mm PF easily shot a fast moving bird running around without any jerkiness, while the sony users looked like they are drunk. 6. CFexpress A are exhorbitantly expensive and slow. Why Nikon? 1. Precapture that works. 2. Z8 is super value at a low price. 3. So many birding lens to choose. 4. Third party lenses now open without the 15fps limit. 5. Rumoured a good apsc is coming. 6. CFexpress B are much cheaper and super fast. I'm also unable to switch as I have too many Sony gears. I hope to hear from you soon from your experience. Thanks! Only possible disadvantage: 1. There might still be banding that cannot be resolved as Z8 has no mechanical shutter. This is something I gotta investigate.
Thanks for watching, you have definitely analysed it much more thoroughly than I have. Generally I was happy with Sony and when I think back to fifteen or twenty years ago the kit we have now is so much better whichever brand we use. I just had a few niggles that I hoped to solve within the brand. I had settled on the A1 as the used price for these briefly dropped to £3500 when the Sony A9III came out but within a couple of weeks they bounced up to £4500! For me it was the day and night difference between hand held footage with the Nikon that swung it. A very expensive decision I will admit! In the end you have to make the decision on what you need rather than want and what you can afford most importantly. I will certainly report back over my videos with the new Nikon setup👍👌
I'm in the same boat as you. Love my 7Riii and I'd really say unless you go to medium format you aren't really getting much better IQ with the latest and greatest. Like you, in starting to get into shooting smaller and faster birds in which the Riii isn't the greatest at. I really like what Nikon is doing and their range of telephoto glass but i just can't afford the z8. I keep asking around if anyone has experience of the z7ii compared to third gen sonys in terms of AF and I'm getting mixed responses. That would be the only way for me to get into Nikon in a financially responsible way.
I can't speak for any of the other Nikons apart from the new Nikon Z6III. This has many of the features of the Z8 and is even a step up in some areas. My reason for not looking at it because its a cheaper option was the sensor size 24.5 but full frame like the Sony A9 series. As I say in the video if the Sony A9 series had been a crop sensor it would have been more appealing giving the effect of pre-cropping the image. The other option is to hold fire until new models come out and grab wait for prices to fall. All the best and good luck!👌👍
Good point, the only lenses other than Nikon I will be using are all for landscape or infrared photography so FPS doesn't really matter. Thanks for watching👌👍
Glad it was helpful! I would always suggest being very clear in your mind what you want from the camera to suit your style of shooting. Its very easy especially with so many reviews on RU-vid to get swept away with what other people find important. Always make sure you tailor make your decision to you.👍
Really interesting, hearing your thought process around this. All makes a lot of sense. And then to find a curve ball at the last minute is great. I hope you enjoy the new system and the excitement that the "newness" brings. I'm about to switch from Android to iPhone after 10 years or more. There are pros and cons but it's really exciting just having something totally new to learn and get used to.
It will be a steep learning curve to set it up exactly as I want it but I'm hoping that I will delve into what it can do a little more than I did with the Sony. You tend to get set in your ways and only seek out a solution when a problem arises. I remember shooting for months in portrait when I shot canon and looking at the LCD sideways before wondering if I could get the view to automatically flip when I turned the camera. Obviously it was there in the menu!!!😂
Congrats on the new camera and lenses Scott. Good reasons for making the change. I received the 180-600 today and have been trying it out on my Z8 with birds in the garden. Very impressed with it so far. Very similar to the Sony 200-600 so I think you are going to like it. Will be interesting to see how you get on with hand holding while filming. I have also seen reviews where the results looked very impressive. For editing the NLOG footage you should take a look at DaVinci Resolve which is free for doing standard video editing. I think it is currently the only video editing software that handles the NLOG format. Lots of great youtube videos on getting started with DaVinci Resolve which has helped me get going with it.
Thanks Paul, it's weighty compared to my old setup but that isn't something that bothers me. It will be a major bonus if I can dispense with the tripod for filming at least some of the time. Interesting with regard to the video editing. I currently use Wondershare Filmora but will check out Davinci!👍👌
Nice one - enjoy the new kit! One advantage of a system change (not that I've ever done it) must be the ability to pick a set of lenses that work together rather than evolving a kit over time, and that set you've picked is rock solid. Pretty sure I've seen you with Nikon kit before in a video so I imagine the learning curve shouldn't be too steep (if it stops raining)..
Cheers Geoff, I did shoot with Nikon very briefly a good number of years ago. At the time I found the camera and lenses excellent but got really lost in the menus. Switched to Canon and eventually Sony! Go figure, especially as the Sony menu system was renowned for being difficult!!😂👍
Welcome to the dark side Scott 😂 Good choice but I guess Im biased. Can testify the 180-600mm is pretty good value for money. I was just out with it this week. 👍🙏
Thanks Adrian, it's a weighty combination to what I'm used too. Hate to think what the Z9 is like. Loving it so far although I have cursed the weather by getting new kit as it's more like April or October in the UK at the minute. Have a great weekend mate👌👍
Hi Scott, ifi was in a positions to upgrade, i would also go with the Z8 looks a great bit of kit with some good lenses available. Hope the weather picks up for you. Enjoy mate😉
Thanks Jon, it's all pretty subjective really. One thing it does help with is when taking people out on one-to-one's as most of the people I have taken recently seem to shoot Nikon!! I hope the weather picks up for us all!! All the best👌👍
Hi Scott, I enjoyed the video, the Z8 looks really good when I've seen it used in other RU-vid videos 👍🏽 lenses look spot on too. I'm looking forward to seeing how you get on with your new set up 📸 see you on the next one Mate 🍻
Thanks Lee, it will be interesting shooting with something else. I am sure I will find loads of things I love about it and things I don't! One thing I can say is that had I stayed with Sony or gone to another brand it wouldn't really have made much difference, they all make great cameras but this was the option that for me just edged it in the end. All the best mate👌👍
Great video Scott, I have been thinking about Nikon for the past year and whether or not it is worth switching just because Canon still do not provide affordable wildlife lenses, whereas Nikon have a good wildlife selection at a reasonable price such as the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S and the Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR I will be interested to see how you get on over the coming year and how you have found switching from Sony to Nikon. 👍
Cheers Ashley, it's not something i would recommend doing very often unless you have unlimited funds! I'm sure it will have advantages and disadvantages and no doubt you will see them all come out in upcoming videos!! All the best mate👌👍
You missed a Sony Camera the A9III, around £4.5 k secondhand, image stabilization equal to the Z8. Soon to be superseded/ replaced by the A1 mark 2 though . Still a brave choice switching systems . The lens and getting into position I would suggest more important than the camera though 🤔
A9III outside my budget and I'm not convinced by some of its advantages? Seems like a lot of people felt the same way as well as when it came out the second hand price of Sony A1's dropped off a cliff only to bounce back a month later to higher than before! If I can get away without a tripod for filming 50% of the time it will be a bonus and as they say a change is as good as a rest. In the end they are all great camera's with the photographer normally the weakest link!!😉👍
@@scotttilleyphotography Shame it is out of your price range the A9III is the technically better Camera but the A1 still has the better resolution in the Sony range. Sony A1 secondhand now around 4K because A1 2 coming . Still a great camera the Z8 best wishes and happy shooting 👍
Om-ii with the 300 f4 pro and teleconverters would be a great start until you can afford the 150 -400 at around £6000. Very light combo, great results. Thanks for sharing your hints and tips
Hi Scott I find photographing birds very frustrating at times so needed a break and have just started watching your channel again and I think that in the world of today we are fortunate that we are still able to get out and enjoy nature and that is what its all about just getting out and having fun. Don't take all this video stuff to seriously, it's nice of you to show your outings to others and if we learn something on the way from you than that"s great if not than so be it. I enjoy watching your outings and I am sure others do as well and seeing all the other wildlife that we do not have in our own country is a bonus. You see there must be others like myself that watch your channel due to not having anyone else to go out photographing with so just keep on marching on and don't be concerned about the good and the bad days while you are out as we all have them. Keep up the good work my friend. Cheers Glenn v from NZ
Hi Glenn, thank you so much for your kind words. I have to say I am really finding out how difficult it is when you can't get out and take images at the minute. I am in the midst of changing camera systems and have been without a camera for over a week now, according to the law of sod I am constantly seeing image opportunities 😂 Interestingly there is a fascinating story associated with the thumbnail of this video that lead to me helping the police with there enquiries!! Maybe a story for another video!! Surface to say I will be back out as soon as my new gear turns up! All the best 👍👌
Hi Scott and thanks for posting this video, I have just recently changed from my NEX6 to the a6400 so am still getting use to all the extras I have also purchased a Tamron 18-300mm and for the bird pics I use a Tamron 150 - 500mm. I noticed that you had your camera on 6MP is this what you normally would use as I took some bird pics the other day using 6MP and found them rather sharp once I seen them on the Desktop screen. Cheers Glenn v from NZ
Hi Glenn, I just had a look at the video to see where I refer to the 6mp. The only instance I can see is on the first menu where the Jpeg line is showing 6mp. To be honest this is not really relevant because I always shoot in RAW. Shooting in RAW format means you can make changes to the file and it will not lose quality. However, if you shoot JPEG these will lose detail every time you edit them. They also add in camera sharpening which is what you might be seeing. RAW files don't do this which is important because when editing sharpening should be the last thing you do to an image and it should be sharpened depending on its use (online, print etc) Hope this helps! 👍
@@scotttilleyphotography Hi Scott, I find that when I take photos on a cloudy day using my a6400 and Tamron 150-500mm I seem to end up with grainy pics could you tell me what settings I should be using as I have a feeling I have it wrong. Cheers Glenn
Being able to crop aggressively and still have usable images is a big advantage with this camera although in some situations the higher frames per second is useful on the A9 series. 👍
