Technical Information: Birds of New York City by David A. Goldfarb

Technical Information: Birds of New York City

The author at Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Reserve

Most of the bird photographs in this gallery were made using a manual focus 35mm camera--the Canon F-1N or EF with the FD 600mm/f:4.5, FD 400mm/f:4.5 S.S.C., FD 300mm/f:4.0L, or FD 200mm/2.8 lenses in some cases using extension tubes or FD Extenders 1.4X-A, 2X-A, or 2X-B. Films used include Kodachrome 64, Fuji Provia 100F (usually pushed one stop), and Fuji Provia 400F. Few of these photographs use flash, but those that do use a Norman 200B or 200C pack with an LH-2 head and telephoto reflector. 35mm scans made with the Minolta Dimage Scan Dual (I).

While a 35mm or digital SLR is an excellent tool for bird photography, being quick and easy to handle, not requiring frequent film changes, and providing access to long lenses that make it possible to photograph birds that are difficult to approach, the ideal tool for landscape and macro photographs that may present themselves along the trail is the large format view camera. A 4x5" transparency not only has about twelve times the area of a 35mm slide, but the view camera allows manipulation of the plane of focus and of the shape of objects in the frame, so that fine details can be recorded, a flat landscape can be in focus from near to far, and trees that are straight will not appear to converge or to lean backward.

It might seem impractical to carry a large format camera at the same time as a big 600mm/f:4.5 lens, but modern ultralight monorail cameras such as those made by Gowland or Toho Shimo or the traditional Ikeda Anba flatbed camera, together with compact normal to wide lenses, and 4x5" sheet film available in Readyload or Quickload formats make it possible to add a 4x5" kit to a birding outfit while only adding another five pounds or so, and perhaps removing a few pounds in the process (say an extra 35mm body with two lenses). I usually bring a Gowland Front Moves PocketView with a Graflex folding viewing hood (instead of a traditional darkcloth), a Caltar II-N 135mm/f:5.6 made by Rodenstock and a Schneider 90mm/f:6.8 Angulon that both can use a Linhof 42mm clamp on shade and filters, one or two Graflex Grafmatic filmholders that hold 6 sheets each, and a focusing loupe. I can use the same tripod as I use for my 35mm camera, as well as the meter in my 35mm camera to determine exposure. All this fits easily in my ScopePack along with the Canon F1-N with 600mm lens, and other 35mm film and equipment. 4x5" scans made with the Nikon LS-4500AF.

This note describes only what I use for bird photographs. Most of the other photographs on this site were made with other equipment, including the Bronica S2A 6x6 SLR, various Voigtlander cameras including the Superb TLR, Bessa II, Perkeo II, and Vitessa-L, a Linhof 4x5" Technika V, the 8x10" Gowland PocketView, 8x10" Sinar P, and an 11x14" American Optical flatbed camera, as well as a few other odd items I've picked up along the way.