Best Mirrorless Camera For Birds In Flight

a must for birds in flight

I bought this to keep my camera level while following birds in flight. It worked flawlessly.

I've just used it twice, but have already taken amazing birds in flight with it.

This works so well for shooting in-flight birds. Don't know how I got along without it.

I tried the lens on birds on the ground and in flight and it performed as expected.

I LOVE this little camera! I also have a Sony A9ii mainly for Birds in Flight photography, but I wanted a smaller, lighter, camera with a decent sensor and a single, all-in-one lens. Without having to change lenses, the RX10iv gives me 20 MP and the equivalent of 24mm-600mm (the A9 has a much faster and slightly larger 25 MP sensor but I need three separate, big, heavy lenses to cover 24 to 600.) I love that all the major controls on the RX10 are laid out much like the A9. I also LOVE having the three Custom Buttons, the ability to customize most of the other buttons, and the 12 Function slots – this has allowed me to set up this camera nearly the same as my A9 (this is really helpful for my old brain!) This is an excellent all-purpose everyday camera!!

I like this camera. I find it much easier to see and capture birds in flight. The AF is much improved. I shoot in short bursts and have not filled the buffer.

I had this in A7R5 camera first time shooting birds in Flight. First time ever I did not have to wait for buffer to clear. Kept on shooting non-stop.

I bought the Sony RX10 IV Digital Camera principally as a travel camera.  My current Canon gear is much heavier and is a bit of a hassle for air travel.  I previously owned a Canon Powershot SX60 which I took on trips but I had issues focusing that camera at times and it was incapable of taking birds in flight.  I also was often dissatisfied with image quality with that camera.  I read the reviews on the Sony RX10 IV and they were pretty good.  I also have a friend who owns one and he let me take a look at it.   Based on the reviews, I bought it.  Ive had it for about two weeks and have taken it out into the field just about every day.  I am pretty much of a wildlife photographer and thats about it.  This camera has a pretty fast autofocus, seems quite good in the continuous mode and Im pleased with being able to easily capture birds in flight.  The image quality is more than adequate.  No, its not as good as my Canon gear but its still just what I wanted in a travel and grab and go camera.   The menus seem complicated at first but I purchased a book on this camera written by Alexander White which has been very helpful.  The camera is nice and light (2.5 pounds) compared to my regular gear (~7 pounds).  It feels good in my hands.  I like the viewfinder and I like a number of features that Sony offers on this camera such as manual focus assistance and lock-on focus which I use for birds in flight.   Overall, I love the camera.  No, Im not replacing my Canon gear with this camera.  However, I plan to get plenty of use with this camera.  I am so glad I bought it.

The EOS-1D X Mark II is a very capable camera meeting the expectations for Canon's flagship model. I mostly photograph birds and wildlife and the autofocus system really aids in nailing shots of birds in flight. The high frame rate of 14 fps results in a greater chance of catching the best action moments. All of this on a full-frame camera which provides outstanding image quality. I have used ISO 1600 for birds in flight and the resulting images are fantastic. This camera body represented a significant financial investment for an advanced amateur such as myself but it has proven to be well worth it.