What should I get?
I need something with a max price of AUD$5000 .
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I got the OM-1 and the M.Zuiko II 100-400mm. It is a micro four thirds so its a 200-800mm full frame equivalent. The benefit of a micro four thirds for me is it is lighter which increases the places I will take it. I got the newest lens because the older one does not have sync image stabilization with the body. Including 3 year insurance that covers accidental damage it totaled about 3522 USD which according to the conversion is 5325.07 AUD. I feel like it is a nice camera. As in it feels like a good upgrade from cheaper cameras without shelling out a lot. If you go to the birding discussion forum some of the photos I have posted were taken with this combo if looking at my more recent posts. Other options are discussed in this forum as well. As you can see I went above my original price but the insurance added quite a bit. If you opt for a weaker insurance or none its probably closer to 4233.44 AUD (no insurance at all)
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Woah. That’s quite the camera budget. I think the taxes you’ll pay are about what I spent on my (used) system.
I have a friend who’s mostly like me, more modest means and such. But he does lovely work. Anyhow another friend him let him borrow an OM1 for a month and he was positively drooling over it by the end. Fantastic top performer from what he’s told me.
But I’m more into bug life anyhow. Which is why I still love my ol’ 950. Right conditions, some post tweaking, and it still delivers what I want. BIF? No, not a great choice. Too slow AF and tracking. But still… ‘stills’! AND… I can switch to a bug camera by slapping on the little Raynox-250 in my back pocket. Ideal, compact, light travel system – for myself. A pensioner… of modest means, I mean.
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Nikon p950, max zoom (2000mm - 35 equiv, handheld
Same zoom, handheld
Just for ref, about as good as I can get with this cam for a BIF
With the Raynox-250 clipped on, shot short, slow 4k focal scan video, extracted about a dozen frames and stacked them. Turned out to be the only observation worldwide of this rare midge.
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That is incredible! Much better photos then the OM setup I think.
Are you a photographer who is also a birder, or a birder who wants to be able to take photographs?
If you are not much of a photographer, the Nikon P950 is about as good as you can do for a point-and-shoot. There is some customization available, but the automatic modes are solid. However, it’s not nearly fast enough for great flight shots*, and it doesn’t do that well in lower-light conditions. You can get stunning photos if the conditions are right, and you can get decently identifiable photos the rest of the time, mostly.
If you are a photographer, then you can get much better photos with a camera that is faster and more customizable.
*…I’m not good enough with a DSLR to get great flight shots on that, either, of course. 
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Prioritize the lens, 400mm min, then slap on a camera with the leftover change.
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And maybe some reserved for the chiropractor fees. Another factor is age and stamina if you are going to be toting a very expensive ‘big gun’ and tripod around.
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Something to try for the 950 and BIF shots? Manual 4K video. Select at least 1/1000 shutter speed, manual zoom (pre-focus an area often helps!) and cross your fingers. It’s a bit like taking 24 shots a second so even a ten second clip might pay off. Works well for bugs too! Only thing is that it’s not a RAW option – a compressed video frame is what you get. Still, with good lighting and a little denoising post, you might be surprised.
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This is good advice. I would suggest getting a second-hand DLSR body and spending as much of your budget as possible on a lens, ideally around 500mm. I started with a 200-500mm and found that I shot almost exclusively at 500mm for birds, now I just have a 500mm (but I’m afraid a 500mm lens is pricey whatever you go with!).
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If youre on a budget the 7D Mark II and Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM will do wonders for their price points! Always remember that in 99% of cases, the lense is more important than the camera - so dont be shy when choosing one. This setup will cost you around 1200 AUD
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