Grey Day Bird Photography | Lumix FZ80/FZ82

Grey Day Bird Photography | Lumix FZ80/FZ82
The lumix FZ80 or FZ82 with it's small sensor doesn't have the best reputation for low light performance so how will it cope with moving birds whilst trying to balance a reasonable ISO (so low noise in the images), a variable aperture lens and trying to optimise shutter speeds.
I headed out to Hetton Lyons Country Park on a grey winter's afternoon to see what photographs I could take with this camera in such conditions.
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[@elizabethsmart3705]

Hi, good morning...big like 42...That was so much fun to see all the different birds ...You got some really pretty shots...

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

Thanks Elizabeth. It wasn't too bad given the light wasn't fantastic.

[@GENerationXplorers]

Great shots Andy, they never sit still for us. Chirp, chirp the entire walk,need a shot? They scarper. You nailed them. Great tips too ❤

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

Thanks for watching. It's easier to practice with ducks and swans as they don't move so fast.

[@GENerationXplorers]

@@AndrewWaltonPhotography very good point! 🦢 🦆

[@theoldunsshot1005]

Some corker shots of the birds and fungi there, Andrew. I prefer shooting swans on a dull day because on a sunny day the film cameras don't have the high exposure values required to get details of the plumage, but I don't shoot a lot of wildlife because it makes me swear too much.

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

Thanks, Keith, the 'I don't shoot a lot of wildlife photography because it makes me swear too much' made me laugh, they can be awkward when they want to be.

[@Robert-Bishop]

That location looks really similar to one of my local spots. Some nice shots - my fave was the swan at about 3:18. Nice detail with the little water droplets. I think you can get free trials of DxO and Topaz etc, so worth giving it a try. 👍

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

Thanks for watching Robert. I always seem to get a swan with water droplets - it does look better in good light as the droplets stand out more but on a grey day beggars can't be choosers. Will give those apps a look.

[@LetsClickPhotography]

I have a couple of Robins and in particular a Blackbird that frequent my back garden. I can get almost within touching distance of them and they barely bother.....the blackbird is well known on our street as it swoops to attack cats - birds from the block are Robins and Blackbirds haha. Good vid mate, especially timely as I'm sat here debating whether to swing the long lens down to my local lake for my lunchtime walk.....yeah you've inspired me :)

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

Happy clicking on your lunch break Dave, those local birds sound a bit hard, especially the blackbird.....

[@theoldcameraguy]

Excellent bird portraiture - I particularly liked the swan images.

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

Thanks for watching Dave.

[@CJGaP]

That camera is defo a good buy bud, but I'd never go back from my z7ii lol, great images even with a dull day

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

The zoom is what makes it. Both the FZ1000 and the Nikon d3300 both have better image quality, but the lenses fall way too short. It's nice to photograph Swans close up without being bitten 😀

[@phillipandrew87]

I'll echo what you said in the video about investing in some denoise software. The AI denoising software has been a game changer for me with this camera. I don't worry about high iso anymore. It makes it look like you're shooting on a more expensive camera than you actually are; it's that good. I'd post some examples here but KZbin always removes links (I found it literally will delete the comment eventually if you leave links in your comment so I shall not). But I shot some really beautiful blooms on a tree the other day with the fz-80, and even at a lower ISO of 200 there was noise present. When I zoomed in 100% on the photo, I realized there was no way I could crop it there and use it for anything (lots of ISO noise and just general bluriness). After running it through the AI denoise software and adding a bit of sharpening (I personally use topaz's photo AI), I could have used that 100% crop: it looked like a high quality photo that came from a much better camera. I find it doesn't always work like that (for reducing noise it pretty much does but sharpening is sometimes iffy), but when it works, which it does more often than not, I'm honestly blown away by the results.

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

Thanks for commenting Phillip. As Adobe have just added a denoise filter to Lightroom/Camera Raw/Photoshop I'm currently playing with that. I've noticed so far that it works sometimes and not so good other times (or rather the image can't be improved by much). It is a very intensive process however and my poor low spec PC is feeling the strain!

[@cheapshotphotography5828]

Great shots Andy, the swan close ups are beautiful and the last Robin shot 👌The Lumix once again does not disappoint what a cracking all rounder !! It was really nice to see a shot of a Bullfinch, the last time I saw one must have been a couple of years back Top notch matey 😊👍

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

Cheers for watching Tim. We have quite a population of bullfinch and goldfinches here. Chaffinches, too. Greenfinch used to be popular but seen to have declined. I got quite excited to see one on the bird feeder at Christmas time, which kind of says how much their numbers seem to have dropped.

[@paulcookphotography]

Great video Andrew! Some excellent shots in this one. I especially liked the swans, such a beautiful bird - a bit grumpy though I've found them to be. Also the mallards always photograph nicely! Looks like a lovely spot for this type of photography.

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

Thanks, Paul. I've featured these lakes a few times now. It's very local and keeps getting better every year as it matures. The area was a former colliery spoil heap and was landscaped into the park in the late 80s, opening in 1990. We're getting more diverse species appearing like the goosander and the tufted ducks. You often see Herons and cormorants there, too.

[@tonymckeage1028]

Thanks Andrew: those sawn images are amazing at 2:55, 3:46 looks a lot like a duck we have in NZ love the plane Helicopter and swans flying: we certainly have the mallards in season and out! thanks for sharing

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

Thanks for watching Tony. The tufted ducks are tufted pochard (Aythya fuligula) and are fairly common in the UK and Europe, but they have only started to appear at this lake in the past couple of years. We get the Mallards all year round too.

[@peterviragphoto]

Great bird photography vlog mate! Grey days can be better sometimes, but keeping the iso under control can be a challenge for sure. Loved those robin shots & the swan & duck portrait!🦆🦢 Cheers

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

Thanks Peter, the limiting factor with this camera is not only it's tiny 1/2.3" sensor but the variable aperture so at full zoom it really wants to be at f8, compounding the issue of the low light. But hey, it's a great camera for £300 new and the 1200mm equivalent lens is really fun to zoom right in on your subject.

[@peterviragphoto]

@@AndrewWaltonPhotography yes, the tiny sensor can be difficult to work with but fun nonetheless. I used to shoot with a bridge too and that extra reach compensates somewhat for sure!

[@ballaedit3233]

Thank you.... I have a question. Can this webcam be used to record live broadcasts on a computer?

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

No I don't think it can.

[@ballaedit3233]

@@AndrewWaltonPhotography thank you

[@AndrewHamiltonPhotography]

Some cracking shots Andrew altho I wasn’t expecting to see one of those birds in particular! 🚁 🤣 You mentioned breeding time - we have a resident pair of mallards who breed in our back garden and have been here for about ten years now - lovely to see their offspring waddling around the garden 🦆 All the best .

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

Having ducklings in the back garden must be a delight. As for the big birds in the video, it was a surprise to see both the police 'plane and helicopter within a minute of each other. Thanks again for watching.