Get Back To Nature With MPB

Grey squirrels are common, and while they don’t enjoy the popularity of their red cousins, they are still worth photographing. This one was a garden visitor, but they are common in parks and woodland. Taken with an OM System OM1 with a 100-400mm zoom using an exposure of 1/800sec at f/11 and ISO 800. Image credit: Will Cheung

Nature is a huge topic so whatever your taste there’s a subject for you. There’s also the advantage that there’s plenty of potential without having to travel far, and your garden, park, wood, or local nature reserve can be your studio. 

If exploring the tiny world of insects and spiders appeals, you will need to think about how you’re going to get a decent image size, and while this often means macro lenses, there are other solutions. 

The first thing to check is how close you can focus with your existing kit. Many lenses focus pretty close, but you can get even closer by adding an extension tube to make the subject appear larger in the frame. Extension tubes are optic-free devices that fit between the camera and the lens, and by moving the lens further away from the focal plane, you can focus much closer.

A bigger subject size is also possible with a teleconverter. These optical accessories are more expensive than extension tubes and have a different purpose to give a longer effective focal length with the attached lens. For close-ups, the lens/teleconverter combination maintains the lens’ minimum focusing distance, so you get a bigger subject in the frame. 

Fitting a 1.4x converter to a 70-200mm zoom means the lens becomes a 98-280mm lens, meaning a small subject will appear significantly larger. Most camera systems and a few independent brands make converters, so check out your options. From MPB, a used ‘like new’ Sony 1.4x E-mount teleconverter is available for £349 which compares with £479 for a new version.

This kingfisher was captured on an OM System OM-1 fitted with a 100-400mm f/5-6.3 zoom at 400mm. Exposure was 1/1600sec at f/6.3 and ISO 640. Image credit: Will Cheung

Fill the frame

The beauty of using a telephoto lens with a good close focusing capability (however it is achieved) is a comfortable working distance. You might not be able to get close enough to the subject because of brambles, nettles, or physical barriers, so the longer focal length gets round that problem. There is also the issue that many subjects are understandably spooked by the sight of something many times their size approaching them and fly off. A longer working distance is a great help in both respects.

If you’re looking for a close-focusing telezoom lens, here are some options from MPB to consider.

• Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM:  88cm minimum focus, £594-654
• OM Systems 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro: 70cm minimum focus, £874-889
• Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 S (shown above): 50-100cm minimum focus, £1599
• Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master OSS II: 40cm minimum focus, £2029-2179

Move in even closer

Macro lenses are designed to focus very close and many give a 1:1 or lifesize magnification; some stop at 1:2 or half lifesize and there are specialist lenses that can get you much greater magnifications. 

Having such magnifying power at your fingertips is awesome, but it needs using carefully because there are technical challenges. 

Depth-of-field, the amount of front-to-back sharpness in a photo, is reduced the closer you get to a subject. Shoot a scenic at f/11 and the image will be sharp from a metre in front of you to the far distance, so the depth-of-field is huge. Use the same lens and identical f/stop at its minimum focusing distance and the depth-of-field might extend to a few centimetres or less. This means there’s simply no room for error and focusing must be critically accurate, and factors such as shutter speed selection and subject movement come into the equation too. So, several factors have to drop into place for successful macro images, but when they do the results can be brilliant, so it is a matter of practice and honing your camera skills.

Macro lenses are widely available, so there is no shortage of options. Generally, a telephoto macro lens such as a 90mm or 100mm on the 35mm format will give a decent working distance from the subject and will double as an excellent portrait lens too. 

Here’s a selection of used macro lenses available from MPB.

• Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 L IS USM (shown above) £1069-1129
• Fujifilm XF 80mm f/2.8 £539-649
• Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 G OSS £579-594
• OM ED 60mm f/2.8 £329-354

This parakeet was captured on an OM System OM-1 Mark II fitted with a 150-600mm f/5-6.3 zoom at 600mm, the equivalent of 1200mm on the 35mm format. The exposure was 1/640sec at f/7.1 and ISO 800. Image credit: Will Cheung

The longer the better

From the very small, let’s turn our attention to the distant. To make the most of birds and native wildlife such as deer, foxes, and hares, you will need a powerful telephoto lens for frame-filling photos.

If you own a 70-200mm or 70-300mm telezoom for the 35mm format, that is a good start, but a 400mm or even longer will give a bigger subject in the frame.

Venture into the world of longer telephoto lenses and it comes hand in hand with expense, so taking the used option with MPB makes perfect sense, and you’ll get more bang for your buck.

Long telephoto lenses need using with care to get the best out of them. Focusing has to be spot on and you need to keep shutter speed high to minimise camera shake and stop any subject movement. If the camera and/or lens is equipped with an image stabiliser make sure it is active and consider using a monopod or tripod to steady the camera. MPB sells camera supports and gimbal heads, so check its website for current stock.

Here is a selection of telephoto lenses from MPB to look at.

• Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM £1879-1929
• Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S £1959-2079
• OM System 100-400mm f/5-6/3 IS £844-909
• Sigma 100-400mm f//5-6.3 DG DN OS C (shown above) £639-729
• Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS £1159-1279

Get shooting

As we said right at the beginning, nature is a big subject and there’s something for everybody, and it’s challenging, whether you’re shooting in the garden or the rainforests of Costa Rica. Get it right, though, and the results will be immensely rewarding, so get geared up with the help of MPB and take a trip on the wild side.

The latest news from MPB

With the new football season just kicking off, MPB has announced its exclusive content partnership with Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club to promote the club’s highlights for the full 2024/2025 season. Each week, highlight video posts for both the men’s and women’s first teams will be shared across all of Brighton & Hove Albion’s social channels. 

In addition to exclusive, behind-the-scenes content, MPB has also supported the Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation with £2000 worth of camera equipment. This kit will be used to capture and showcase moments from the Foundation’s programme, aimed at helping young and vulnerable people, to inspire more people to join BHAFC’s community. MPB has also provided bespoke photography tips and guidance for BHAFC fans in collaboration with BHAFC’s Official Photographer, Paul Hazlewood.

To keep up to date with MPB news, click here.

MPB Explained

You need kit to take photographs and produce videos, and taking the used route is a cost-effective way of making the most of your budget and keeping up with the latest developments in imaging technology.

MPB is one of the biggest used retailers with bases in the UK, Germany and the USA.

Trading with MPB the process is fair, safe, painless and incredibly easy.

Whether you have kit to sell, want to make a purchase or part exchange, start by going to the MPB website which is intuitive and straightforward to use.

If you have kit to trade, just start typing the name in and a list of suggestions from MPB’s huge database will appear. If a name on that list matches your product click on it and add its condition; if not, continue typing in the whole name and condition.

It’s worth bearing in mind that MPB’s database covers much more than cameras and lenses so if you have, for example, a photo backpack, tripod or filters to sell these can be shown as you type in their name too.

With all your kit listed, add contact details and a quote will appear in your inbox soon afterwards, although manually entered items will take one working day.

If you are happy with the quote, accept it and follow the instructions to get the kit ready for courier collection on a day to suit you. For higher-value deals, an MPB account manager will also be in touch, so you have a personal point of contact if you have any queries.

Once received by MPB, you will get a notification and after checking by its product specialists you will receive a final quote. This can vary from the original quote if there is a missing item —like a battery not being supplied—or your assessed condition differs from the actual condition.

A quote can go down, but it can also increase if the kit’s condition is better than your assessment.

The whole process doesn’t take long and MPB are in touch by e-mail at every step so you’re never in the dark, and only when you are totally happy with the deal, pass on your payment details or pay the balance in the case of part-exchange. Either way, the money or your new kit will be with you soon after.

Get A Quote From MPB Today

About MPB

• MPB is the largest global platform to buy, sell and trade used photo and video kit.
• MPB is the simple, safe and circular way to trade, upgrade and get paid.
• MPB is not a marketplace, instead buying directly from visual storytellers and evaluating all items before reselling MPB-approved kit.
• MPB’s dynamic pricing engine provides the right price upfront for all items.
• Circularity is at the centre of MPB, promoting sustainability, diversity and inclusion in everything they do.
• MPB prioritises inclusive recruitment and supports employees with extensive training and development. They promote inclusive visual storytelling and an inclusive circular economy.
• MPB’s business model is 100% circular. All packaging is 100% plastic-free. Their cloud-based platform uses 100% renewable electricity.
• MPB recirculates more than 570,000 products annually
• MPB provides first-class customer service. Customers can receive support through their Help Centre or by speaking directly with a kit expert.
• MPB’s product specialists are trusted by thousands of visual storytellers in the UK.
• MPB is rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot with over 37,000 reviews.

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