Blue-gray Gnatcatcher captured by Z 9 / 180-400VR
When it comes to bird photography, the old school of thought was 400mm was the minimum needed to get a decent image size. I think that’s still true but the caveat needs to be added to that, MFD. Minimum Focusing Distance makes the 400mm even more powerful, case in point. The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is a panic attack wrapped in feathers. Cute as can be, they simply don’t hold still. And they are tiny, about index finger size. Getting them in the viewfinder with the Z 9 / 180-400VR is a ton of fun but making the photograph required the MFD, in this case, about six feet with the 180-400VR. Being able to focus that close in a forest means you can not only get a nice image size but have no branches between you and the subject. I’m just saying, reach is good, MFD makes it great!