Lumix GX80 camera

The rabbit waits.

My quest to photograph Buzzards with a Lumix Panasonic GX80 camera continued today. At the caravan hide I placed a fresh rabbit on the log and even as I prepared the camera I could hear a Buzzard and I watched it circling around about 200 yards away. It is obvious that the bird would have been aware of me, their eyesight is 20 times better than a human after all! I hurried to get inside in the hope that it would see the carcass, not be fearful and then come down to it. I am also hoping that they may begin to associate me with the supply of food rather than be scared away and then actually be attracted once they had reasoned that it was safe. After 2 hours there was still no buzzard but surely one would come while I was there today. Boredom begins to set in after a couple of hours but the idea that you may get an incredible photograph overcomes this, it seems that these buzzards are extremely wary and if they catch any sight of you they are very reluctant to come down for hours afterwards. Ravens were in the vicinity and it is a mystery why they have never been down to feed while I have been tucked away in the caravan hide, they can’t possibly know I am there. The camera is sending images to my iPad via a wifi connection, the camera is camouflaged so surely it’s just a matter of time. In the past, at another site the ravens were much less wary than the buzzards and I managed some great photographs of them on a carcass. After nearly 4 hours there was still no sign of a buzzard and I packed up and left for home leaving some day old chicks on a stump in front of the trail camera. I decided not to waste the time that I had spent earlier in the day, I hoped that if the buzzards hadn’t fed earlier then another hour waiting later on may give me a result. This time I arrived at around 6, the hour and a half before dusk had always been fruitful in previous years….so my fingers were well and truly crossed. Frustratingly, again a big blank was drawn. When I finally get the shot I am after, it’s definitely going to be a eureka moment! That was on the 5th and yesterday I carried on but I had a new lens to couple with the Panasonic Lumix camera, a piece of equipment that I am massively impressed with. I have been using "third party" Pentax fit lenses connected with a converter but not all the features of the camera are available if you are not using compatable micro 4thirds lenses. If you know what I am talking about you will understand but if not you could goggle micro 4thirds cameras. In my opinion it's the way forward and a massive advance in photographic technology with their small lightweight design and mirrorless silent operation. As soon as I attached the lens, a used Lumix G Vario 45 – 200mm F4 – 5.6 ASPH Mega O.I.S, quite an old lens in the Panasonic range which cost less than £200, a whole new world of features were opened up to me. manual Focus from the iPad for example as well as being able to set everything from there. shutter speed, white balance, sensitivity, image quality etc. Obviously I can, in addition fire the shutter in absolute silent mode which is a great bonus if you are trying to photograph skittish wildlife that will run a mile at the first unusual sound. One of the really good things about this set up is the ability to catch images in the new 4K format. If you haven't seen proper 4K video before you are missing a trick. It is phenomenal. Another plus – for me, but it may not be for you – is the image sensor which means that a 200 lens would be equivalent to 400mm on a full frame DSLR. As it is important to get up close and intimate with any wildlife subject, this is a massive bonus for the wildlife photographer. I have a Pentax K3 and use it with a Pentax 300mm prime lens, this set up is good and cost in excess of £2000, the Lumix 4thirds way as described gives just as good results with more features available and is a third of the price. What more can I say. However, still no success with Buzzards yesterday!