Finding Solace in Friendly Black-faced Buntings and Daurian Redstarts While Birding Under Cloudy Skies (OM SYSTEM OM-1 II / M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO)
*This article is an AI-generated transcript of a YouTube video. I would be happy if you could also watch the video (^o^)/.
Enjoying bird photography under the cloudy winter sky
On January 5th, as the New Year holidays were coming to an end, I went out for some bird photography in the afternoon. The weather was mostly cloudy, with the sun only peeking out for short periods, limiting the available time for shooting. Nevertheless, encountering charming wild birds in such conditions is the real thrill of field photography.
My equipment for this session was the OM SYSTEM OM-1 Mark II and the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO. Having carried a full-frame camera the previous day, I was tired of the weight, so I chose the agile Micro Four Thirds system today. This setup offers high mobility and excellent weather resistance, allowing me to shoot with confidence in any environment.
An encounter with a friendly Black-faced Bunting
Shortly after I started shooting, a small Black-faced Bunting appeared in front of me. Usually, wild birds are wary and fly away as soon as they sense a human presence, but this individual stayed surprisingly close and stared right at me. Looking around, I noticed several other Black-faced Buntings foraging in the grass.
Taking advantage of the characteristics of the Micro Four Thirds sensor, I captured the entire bunting clearly with a deep depth of field.
With a full-frame sensor, shooting at a wide-open aperture results in a narrow focus range, but with Micro Four Thirds, I can keep the entire bird in sharp focus. This is a major advantage for capturing fine feather details and the bird's expressions.
Encounter with a Daurian Redstart
While walking through the field, a female Daurian Redstart suddenly flew in front of me. While many individuals are wary, this Daurian Redstart was relatively accustomed to humans and stood still for me. After I snapped a few shots, it fluttered up and moved to a branch.
Daurian Redstarts are often solitary and territorial. The females have soft, brownish feathers and very adorable, round eyes. They sometimes approach people, and when I have my camera ready, they occasionally stare back at me as if they are curious.
Cloudy skies and the power of the OM-1 Mark II's image stabilization
During this shoot, the light was insufficient due to the cloudy sky, but the powerful image stabilization of the OM-1 Mark II compensated for that. Even while shooting at an ultra-telephoto equivalent of 1000mm, I was able to suppress camera shake at a shutter speed of around 1/250th of a second. This allows me to maintain a low ISO sensitivity while obtaining high-quality photos.
It is sometimes said that "Micro Four Thirds is weak in low light," but that is only the case if you don't use the right settings. In fact, by leveraging high-performance image stabilization, there are many situations where you can shoot at a lower ISO than with a full-frame camera.
Summary: The charm of winter bird photography
In about two hours of shooting that day, I encountered Black-faced Buntings, Daurian Redstarts, Bull-headed Shrikes, and Common Kingfishers. Even on days with poor weather, you can take wonderful photos depending on your choice of equipment and shooting techniques.
In particular, the Micro Four Thirds sensor is well-suited for capturing sharp bird photos with clear details because it can keep the entire subject in focus. Additionally, the dustproof and splashproof performance and powerful image stabilization of the OM SYSTEM OM-1 Mark II allow for stable shooting even in harsh environments.
Even on cloudy days, the time spent facing wild birds in nature is invaluable. I hope you will go out into the field and experience the charm of the birds around you.