About my camera
All pictures taken before March 2018 were taken with a Nikon D3100, mouse over a image to see the date it was taken. I ‘m now using a Nikon Coolpix B700, and here is my review.
Review of Nikon B700
Some of the Nikon B700’s stand-out features for wildlife photography are, its 60x optical zoom, which is the equivalent to a 1440mm telephoto lens, its very good vibration reduction and auto focus, that make it great when tacking hand held shots.
The Nikon B700 is a bridge camera, which means it’s a small, light-weight, point and shoot camera with DSLR controls and a non detachable zoom lens.
How does it feel and work?
In the hand the camera is fairly small and compact compared to the Panasonic FZ80. On the Nikon B700 the grip controls are easy to reach even for someone with fairly small or medium sized hands. The swivel screen makes it easy to use when at a difficult angle such as when photographing birds flying over head.
Image quality
I have noticed, that because of their small sensor, bridge cameras do not perform as well in low light conditions as a DSLR cameras do. The Nikon B700’s ISO settings can go up to ISO 3200 but the photos start to get a quite grainy when shooting above ISO 800, so I obviously stay below that mark whenever possible. I still think the camera easily makes up for this with its incredible zooming capability. The Nikon B700 also has a high-resolution (20 megapixsel) sensor, whereas the previous model (the Nikon P610) only had 16 mp.
Auto focus and lens
This camera is great for almost any photography. When zoomed out it can focus on a subject 1cm away! It also takes amazing landscape photos, and the zoom makes it ideal for birdwatching and wildlife photography.
Compared to full-frame DSLR
| Camera type | Camera model | Approximate cost | Focal length (35mm equivalent) | Magnification | Sensor size | Weight | MP |
| Bridge compact | Nikon B700 | R6500 | 24-1440mm | 60x | ½.3-inch | 610g | 20 |
| Full-frame camera 600mm lens | Nikon D4 | R200 000 | 600mm | 12x | Full frame (35mm) | 5kg | 24 |
References to
Africa Bird-life, September – October 2017 issue, in Graham Barrs Article “Is Bigger Always Better”
About me & this website
A South African
I was born in 2003, in Cape Town, South Africa. I have grown up in and around Durbanville all my life. Since I was 13 years old I have been interested in wildlife photography and birdwatching. As a boy, I would wonder through farms and game reserves looking for birds and other wildlife. And I was and always will be, amazed at how beautiful God’s creation is.
This Website
I built this website on WordPress using Elementor as my editing platform. By watching Youtube videos and with a bit of help from Dad, it slowly took shape into this.
The main reason I wanted to create this site, was to shear my photos and encounters with family and friends in an easy and enjoyable way. I hope you enjoy viewing my website as much as I enjoyed making it.
If you have any comments or feedback, I would really appreciate your input, thanks.
My Best Sightings
Black Eagle
It was April 2017 and my dad and I where on a weekend away at the beautiful Tweede Tol campsite in Bains Kloof. My we were hicking up the trail to the waterfall, when we heard the strange cry of an adult eagle. As we looked up to scan the cliffs, this incredible bird came gliding down from the cliff tops, towards us. It came to rest on a big rock, just across the river from us, which was about two hundred meters away from where we stood. We knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so with growing excitement and curiosity we maid our way closer and closer to where this majestic eagle was perched , until eventually we where only a stones through away. We then watched and waited, with cameras ready, for the this mighty bird to take to the air. After preening itself for about 5 minutes, it looked around, as if it was scanning the landscape and the two humans in front of it. Then with a mighty lunge and a magnificent stroke of it’s powerful wings, it lunched itself into the air. It was then that I snapped this beautiful shot.
Later, I found out that this bird had been tagged as a chick, a few years ago, about 90kms from the cliff where I saw her, on a farm between Stanford and Caledon.
If you would like to find out more about this eagle and where it came from, feel free to follow the link below. https://verreaux.wordpress.com/2017/04/30/wind-tagged-black-eagle-spotted-in-bains-kloof/
Lesser Spotted Genet
I spotted this curious creature while braaing some lekker stakes on the flames of a lively camp fire. He was definitely attracted by the smell of the roasting meat, but it was a delight to catch a glimpse of this magnificent Spotted Genet. This encounter happened at the Twede Toll campsite in Bainskloof.
Firey Necked Nightjar
Nerina Trogon
