Slideshow: The winners of the 2019 Audubon Photography Awards

yes, that Nikon D500 with the 200-500 lens makes for a great combo and a good kit for someone who wants to shoot birds and wildlife without breaking the bank.

Aegon - Some would even say that it's easier to compose an image on the large screen of a phone, rather than via an EVF or OVF.

I feel much more comfortable and competent using a DSLR than anything else. The a7Riv certainly has some features that I find attractive and useful, but whether I would actualy *enjoy* using one is another matter......

"Do you need high end gear to make a award winning image no you don’t but if you have it you will have greater opportunity."
That's always been the point. I once tried to shoot a (casual) track&field event with trap focusing, I trust most photographers half a century ago did the same.

@entoman:
Welcome back. Hope you had a great trip!

For me, there are all kinds of features that attract me to ML. But like you, current ML ergos/haptics make for a poor user experience. Worse still is that that means missed shots. No doubt there's a lot to like in the 7RM4. And it's nice to see its grip getting a little bigger. The ergos don't seen much different though. And I'll have to feel what those dial and button clicks are like. That characteristic mushy Sony click definitely has to go. And a lock on the EC dial!? *FACEPALM* 🙄

The ubiquity of phone cameras enables capture when the most important photographic condition is met: being in the right place at the right time. More and more, news coverage is becoming dominated not by $50,000+ network field video cameras, but by phone video. Of course, if everyone was carrying around a good camera, or at least knew video basics, all that news video wouldn't be shot on the vertical perspective, lol.

Aegon - Thanks, but I'm only back for a couple of days and then I'll be in Amazonia without internet until mid-August!

I welcome all the advances and improvements in the a7Riv, particularly the larger grip, new AF joystick, and increased dynamic range.

But for me the big problem with MILCs has always been the user experience - I just don't like EVFs and I don't like little bright green AF points dancing all over the screen when I'm trying to concentrate on the subject and on composition.

Surely it's within the realms of reality to expect manufacturers to let users choose the colour and intensity of the AF points, instead of just giving us the option of turning them off entirely?

Also of course cost is a consideration, because changing to a MILC means getting 2 new bodies, a whole set of lenses, flashguns, converters, extension tubes and more, and although I can afford it, I'm not about to spend that sort of money unless there are very significant benefit to doing so.

Cheers buddy.

@entoman:
You jetsetter, you! And always to internet-void areas. Sounds awesome, actually!

You sure you can't change thr color/size/thickness of the AF points? That just seems like something Sony actually would factor. Hmmm...

For me, I'm actually pretty cool with EVFs most of the time, and prefer them sometimes. No doubt it's an adjustment, and one i doubt everyone will be willing to make. It's hard to discount analog TTL viewing and i hope Nikon and Canon never abandon DSLRs for ML because of that. I have a feeling they'll keep top-end landscape DSLRs in production for just that reason. Expect to pay an exorbitant sum for them after the general transition to ML has completed though...

I still think you should hold out for Canon to make their next ML. They obviously weren't serious in this first round, but the next will likely be worth serious consideration.

Have a(nother) great trip! 🙂📸

@entoman:
Hmmm, well, i scoured my 7RM2's menu and i could not find a way to change anything about the AF marker. Odd, as i can change Focus Peaking level and/or color. Perhaps 2 generations later in the 7RM4 this will be possible? Does seem odd for an EVF camera at this price point to not be able to make such adjustments. Now i wonder if other MILCs have this ability. Does seem to be a no-brainer to be able to make such adjustments...

Aegon - haha, yes it's nice to be out in a rainforest or out in the mountains, and away from the internet for a while!

I get on fine with the unobtrusive grey-black AF points on DSLRs, but I find the bright green indicators commonly found on MILCs much too distracting, and enough to take the enjoyment out of the picture-taking process. I'm the first to admit however that MILCs and EVFs have many advantages, so it's a pity that (as far as I'm aware) no current MILC allows the user to change the colour or intensity of the AF points.

That a7Riv sure is tempting, but as you suggest, I'm holding out a while to see what Canon pull out of the hat. I'm not really in a position to switch systems yet anyways, as I currently have very little time between trips to relearn muscle-memory and properly acquaint myself with new gear. I've got a month at home in December though, so that might be when I switch or upgrade.

BTW, the Sony A7R IV does offer the option to change the color of the AF points...I believe it is the first Sony to do so.

@Thoughts:
Ah, finally. Hopefully you can make the marker skinny. I don't mind bright AF Points. In fact, I prefer them. But when they're thick, they just eat up too much space. I mean, ya can't see exactly what it is you're trying to focus on... Come on, cameramakers! That goes for DSLRs too. I'd love to make my AF Points stay illuminated all the time, not just on half-presses, but skinnier so I can see my subject better.

@entoman:
Woo, moving to Sony from Canon may take awhile to get used to! Granted, I don't use it very often but after having it for 2 or 3 (however many) years, I still can't make sense of where anything is in my 7RM2's Menus/Submenus. The Shooting (camera icon) Menu, Settings (gear icon) Menu, and Setup (toolbox icon) Menu (24 Submenus combined) all seem like they were arbitrarily categorized. I never spent the time to rote remember it all so this just adds to my frustration every time I use it. The other 3 Menus (5 Submenus combined) are intuitive. Though 3 Menus for only 5 Submenus really should be consolidated into other better-categorized Menus.

The size/fit problem of the bodies (prior to 7RM4 at least, dunno about the 4 yet) goes without saying. But though I really don't like the layout, quantity, or size of buttons and dials (in other words; ergos) on Sony cameras, it's the absence of tactile feel that is the biggest problem for me (haptics) with their bodies.

Continued...

I very often have to pull my eye away from the finder, and the button presses and dial turns aren't positive-feeling. The 4 FINALLY addressed the "guard" on top of the rear dial, and instead moved the rear dial to the top plate and gave it nice knurls. I'd rather they left it sticking out of the back, but just sticking out more with no top guard, and big rubber nubs instead of hard knurls. The AF-ON and AEL buttons appear to have good size and stick out of the camera enough to be easily found by feel. Very nice AF Joystick though! Hopefully its feel will lead to intuitive precise AF Point placement. I'm not real happy with the D500's joystick to be honest. The D500 battery grip's joystick is a lot better for some reason.

Continued...

Even if I judge them based only on composition I see nothing special there. For a contest of this magnitude I would expect the winners to have a wow factor and it is just not there.

No, I was not blown away by that shot of the eagle, fox, and rabbit. The first issue is that the eagle is flying away from the photographer, the second issue is that I cannot see the eye of either the rabbit or the fox. And finally, the eye of the eagle is not critically sharp. So the photographer was lucky enough to witness this great nature story and managed to get what I believe is an amateurish photo, that does not make it a great photo.

@Bmark. “See the eye of the rabbit”? I think that you are sarcastic.

I agree that you can see somewhat of a closed eye if you look at the 100% view, but to someone looking at that photo at a normal viewing distance the eye is not that visible. The number one rule in wildlife photography is that you need to be able to see a sharp eye. Thom discusses that in a article that he just posted.

You can see the eye of the eagle that turns the head towards the photographer. To be fair it's not a painting. It's two animals fighting for a prey, you cannot control anything. I think that the picture captures well the ongoing struggle.

Well you are entitled to your opinion just as I'm entitled to mine. The ease or difficulty of obtaining a photo has nothing to do with whether or not its a good or a great photo.

I get what Bmark is saying and i can't necessarily disagree wholeheartedly. I agree "Stolen Dinner" would have been even better shot at 1/1000 or faster. But not necessary to be considered excellent as is.

Respectfully, Bmark's critique is like saying Eddie Adams' Vietnam photo of General Nguyen Ngoc Loan shooting Nguyen Van Lem in the head was okay, but not great, because Van Lem's head was not quite focused and was slightly motion-blurred and you can't really see Loan's face much, and it's also out-of-focus, as he's pulling the trigger. Yet it is arguably the most iconic Vietnam war photo.

Photos are great for different reasons, the Eddie Adam's photo you mention is great because of what is portrays and the message it sends. I don't see the same impact from the Eagle vs. the Fox photo and I've seen this done before.

I took a seminar with a professional nature photographer years ago and he described a situation where there was a bird eating a snake and there were many photographers taking photos, but the shot was into the sun. He said he never even pulled out his camera because he knew it would not make a good photo. Same thing here, the situation presented does not make the best photo and frankly the photographer could have done more with it with a faster shutter speed.

I will also point out that my critique was not of this single photograph but of the group in general and I stand by that. I have dozens of bird photos on my web page and many as good as these winners, and I am not of the opinion that too many if any of my photos are contest worthy.

I agree with @Aegon. If it was just the rabbit and eagle it would be "ordinary". The fox changes the dynamic pretty much. The photographer won't have such an occasion a second time.

Well, in my opinion being lucky enough to be in the right spot at the right time does not necessarily make a great photo. Yes it was actually bad luck that the eagle did not attack from the opposite direction, then I'd agree that it was a great shot.

Just because award winning photogs don't use mirrorless (yet), that doesn't mean DSLRs are inherently better. Or otherwise. It could be that they still have a working DSLR and have no motivation to buy new gear. But it does show DSLR is still popular. Maybe that's a good thing for some? I still think mirrorless is the future because they have less mechanical parts and manufacturers love that. Even Canokon has joined the band wagon.

@new boyz:
I agree that mirrorless is the future. And frankly, I look forward to the day ML cameras sacrifice nothing to DSLRs. Though, there's no way around an analog OVF vs. an EVF, no matter how good the EVF. Some people simply will never like EVFs and that's understandable. No DSLR shooter cares about keeping their mirror, but a LOT care about keeping an analog TTL OVF. And that's not possible unless you go with a Sony-SLT-type mirror. And you know, with current sensors' high-ISO performance so good, losing the 1-stop or so to a translucent mirror may actually be a viable alternative to true ML. Food for another discussion. ;)

Back on topic though, I believe that still today DSLRs are better for action for 2 main reasons:

1) DSLRs have better Single Point AF performance. Lots of experts/pros don't use tracking because ALL tracking will experience AF Point "wander". Single Point + action-shooting experience beats auto-tracking.

2) Ergonomics/haptics. DSLRs simply still win here.

ahem... these are NOT photos taken for clients, so why would anyone need a second card slot desperately? It is not a wedding or so.

ahem...Google "sarcasm."

Oh really? Thanks, great hint !! ;)

Ignorance is strong in this thread.

They may be just disposable photos for you in the event of card failure, but these shots represent real money spent by photographers. Many have spent money on travel/plane tickets, hotels, etc. in order to put themselves in an area to take these photographs. They are in that "real" group of photographers that truly love what they do and having that 2nd slot and redundancy is a necessity.

Stick with your smartphones and selfie shots kiddos.

Gmon750 took the words right out of my mouth. I will never apologize for being unforgiving to cameramakers that go with 1 card slot. It is insulting for a company to make a product designed to capture precious/priceless images, but not offer the incredibly cheap "insurance" of a 2nd slot. That's about an additional $5 in manufacturing cost, and $50 for a card. That's still my biggest gripe about the otherwise very capable D7500. But it also needs a battery grip and more tactile grip rubber too. Somebody at Nikon needs to get slapped for those egregious errors.

@Aegon: I am pretty sure that the reason for not including a 2nd card slot in a model is not because of costs, but because of brand/model policy. There must be good arguments for a more expensive model. So it is not "errors" at all.

@scokill - can you recommend a good photography site that isn't so gear orientated such as DPR?

@Ellis Veneer - it seems that most of these images were taken with Tamron and other 3rd party zooms, no?

“So the recent introduction by Sony of superteles has limited relevance.”

Maybe or maybe not.
Let’s not forget that it’s only a self-selecting group who chose to who enter this one contest. Not only that but I don’t know what the time frame for the contest was.

Are you saying that bald eagles are the hams of the animal kingdom?

I thought it was the fox...

Just because you see a good photo taken with a 6D, it does not mean it is good for action shots. I have a 6D and hate the AF. It is crap, at least for my kind of photos. That said, I love the picture quality of it.