Koji Nakano's Telephoto Lens/Scope PROMINAR Report

Vol.08
PROMINAR 500mm x Nikon 1:
Using the Nikon 1 to Photograph Highly Desirable Blue Feathered Birds
PROMINAR 500mm F5.6 FL / TX10

The example photographs on this website were taken using the PROMINAR 500mm F5.6 FL. 

Capturing Images of Highly Attractive Kingfishers and Red-flanked Bluetails

Photo : PROMINAR 500mm+Nikon 1

In my previous report I discussed the excellent affinity between the highly talked-about Nikon 1 mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera and the PROMINAR 500mm. This time I will introduce how to effectively use the Nikon 1 while referring to example photographs of kingfishers and red-flanked bluetails taken with this camera. These two beautiful blue-colored birds are highly desirable subjects for every photographer. Capturing images of Kingfishers has surely been a reason why many people have become wild bird photographers.

Photo : A dusky thrush

Kingfishers and Red-flanked Bluetails are only slightly larger than sparrows so there are many photographic equipment hurdles to overcome in obtaining a high quality, large sized image. When using a full-sized camera with a 500mm lens, a sufficiently large image size can only be captured by photographing the birds from a close range of 10-15 meters. However, since the combination of the Nikon 1 with the PROMINAR 500mm F5.6 (TX10) gives a higher focal length of 1350mm (500mm x 2.7) F5.6 compared to a single reflex camera, it will be possible to take photographs from further away which reduces stress on the birds.

Equipment Used

Photo : PROMINAR 500mm+Nikon 1

Now let me introduce the equipment that captured the current photographs. I used the Nikon 1 V1 camera which incorporates an EVF, and the FT1 mount adapter with, of course, the PROMINAR 500mm F5.6 FL lens. Since I place great importance on the rigidity of the tripod and the pan head, I used the Gitzo 3 Series 4-leg-section carbon tripod (pipe diameter 32mm), and the Sachtler FSB-6 video fluid head. The PROMINAR 500mm tripod socket can be conveniently mounted without modification on Sachtler FSB Series, Manfrotto, and Gitzo video fluid heads.

Various Settings

Photo : Sample
Expansion display

Next I will mention the camera settings that I used. While the Nikon 1 is a very good camera, its compact size means that some of the buttons are small and difficult to operate, so it is advisable to adjust the various settings beforehand.
The settings that I made prior to shooting were:

  • - Exposure mode: "A" (Aperture-priority Mode).
  • - File format: "NEF (RAW) + JPEG (FINE)".
  • - Shutter release mode setting: "Continuous".
  • - White balance: "Direct Sunlight".
  • - ISO sensitivity: "200".

Based on these settings, I changed the ISO sensitivity to 400 and the Picture Control System to "Vivid" for darker locations such as when shooting in woodlands. At this time, I opened the aperture of the PROMINAR 500mm to the F5.6 fully open position.

I kept the ISO sensitivity low at around 200-400 to maximize image quality. I rarely encountered problems with exposure insufficiency when photographing Kingfishers since they live close to relatively bright waterside locations. However, since Red-flanked Bluetails live in the dark forest, low ISO sensitivities necessitated shooting at slow shutter speeds, which increased the risk of blurring. Although Kingfishers and Red-flanked Bluetails both move extremely quickly, they remain relatively still when perched on branches. Since I tried to take photographs of perched birds, I judged that using the Nikon 1 would result in little blurring even at slow shutter speeds providing that the subject did not actually move.

In an SLR incorporating a large size mirror, camera shake is caused by the shutter curtain opening and closing when the shutter is pressed. From my experience, the probability of camera blur occurrence becomes extremely high at shutter speeds slower than 1/60 second.

In contrast, since mirrorless cameras, as their name suggests, do not incorporate mirrors, they will not be affected by mirror shock. Therefore, cameras such as the Nikon 1 are capable of taking pictures using an electronic shutter which eliminates mechanical shock from the opening and closing of the shutter curtain., In fact, when photographing the Red-flanked Bluetails, I took pictures using both the Nikon 1 and a single-lens reflex camera, and found that I discarded fewer of the Nikon 1 photographs due to blurriness from camera shake compared to the SLR camera, and the captured images were extremely sharp.

Even though I took the example photographs of the Red-flanked Bluetails with the aperture fully open at a shutter speed of 1/30 second, every single feather of the subject was captured sharply with absolutely no blurring. Of course, this was assisted by the resolving power of the PROMINAR 500mm which assures sharp image formation when the aperture is fully open.