It Started with a Nikon P950

I can't remember the exact moment I decided I wanted to start taking bird photos. I'm sure if I scroll through my facebook or instagram I can find out. I do remember visiting my local park last fall and seeing these birds of prey flying over a field in the distance. I think I wanted to find out what they were, but my eyes couldn't zoom in far enough. I thought I was seeing owls hunting at dusk. Later I would learn it was probably a harrier hawk.

During those first park visits I was only equipped with my samsung phone. It actually has a pretty decent camera, but definately not able to pull off low light zoom action. From there I decided the next trip I would take my old DSLR camera to the park to see if I could zoom in enough with a telephoto lens.

I hadn't used the old DSLR in YYYYYEEEEAAAARRRSSSSSS. I had an old Nikon D3100 with the kit lens and telephono lens that came with it when I bought it from Target. I brought the camera to the park the next time I had the opportunity. I quickly found that I needed more reach. This is where my journey begins.

I remember I started joining photography groups on facebook to see what others were doing. I saw pictures where the photographer captured birds in flight with great detail. I was envious. I wanted to do that.

I started searching for ways I could upgrade my gear. I came across articles for the Nikon point and shoot super telephoto cameras. This peaked my interest. I didn't know how to quickly achieve great results with manual settings. When I found out the Nikon made a camera with a bird setting I was very interested.

I spent the next month researching the Nikon P950 and P1000. I read reviews of what others thought about the cameras and how much they costed. I eventually decided I would buy the P950. I decided to pull the trigger on a Friday night. That's when B&H Photo is closed due to Shabbat. So I had to wait until Saturday evening to checkout online and start the waiting process.

Once the camera arrived I couldn't wait to take pictures with it. I was trying to find birds to photograph in the yard and went to the park most days after work. I was able to capture really sharp moon photos from the beginning with the moon mode. I thought that was so cool. The zoom was also pretty dang cool. The P950 has a 83x optical zoom and the focal-length range extends from 24mm to 2000mm. This was WAAAAAY better than my old camera with a telephoto lens that only extended to 300mm.

The possibilities were endless.