On the recent Bird of Prey workshop, I had a really scary moment when the shutter on my D4S locked. Thankfully it was short lived, remembering the immortal words uttered by every technical support operative in every situation, I turned the camera off, and back on again and it resolved the problem. But it did make me realise how devasted I would be if my camera failed in the middle of a workshop and I missed all those glorious, opportune moments that nature provides. So I resolved to invest in a back up. The thought process then evolved to upgrading to a mirrorless camera. Even the most sceptical photogrpahers that I respect and trust, have now become converts to the mirrorless revolution. So I dipped into the savings and treated myself to Nikon Z9 and FTZ II convertor.
My first opportunity to try it out was on a visit to Bawdsey Hall Wildlife Hides. I was a bit concerned that I wouldn't find my way around all the settings so had my trusty D4S at the ready, but I needn't have worried, the Z9 performed beautifully. It coped really well with the low light and even though these were not the fastest moving subjects, gave me a chance to try out the eye recognition and tracking.
Although the pool is the main focal area from the hide, I found, on the advice of David, the hide owner, that you could get some really pleasing backlit shots at the edges either side of the pool. On a couple of occasions, a Badger and a Muntjac Deer would be in the same shot. I am looking forward to returning to Bawdsey Hall later in the year, hopefully when the Tawny Owls have fledged and to see the Polecat. Even though they were absent on this visit, I enjoyed it, and David was an excellent host.
