Do you want me to let you in on a little secret? You can take great photographs of birds without having to buy a DSLR! You also don’t need to carry a heavy telephoto lens around with you. The best part? It won’t cost you more than $500!
SUPERZOOM CAMERA FOR BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY
The camera I’m talking about is a superzoom or a bridge camera like the Canon SX50. These cameras are not quite DSLRs, but they are a cut above a regular point and shoot. They also definitely have some advantages that are worth considering.
For anyone getting started with bird photography, I think a superzoom camera is the way to go. They’re also a good option for people on a budget and for times you don’t want to carry the weight of a DSLR and telephoto lens.
I also think superzooms take great pictures. My Canon SX50 performs particularly well in full sunlight and I think some of my shots are comparable with those taken by DSLRs. The zoom is amazing! I take the majority of my pictures at full zoom, which is 50X or the equivalent of 1200mm (most DSLR users shoot bird photos with 400-600mm lenses!).