Photos and videos of wild birds found in the Philippines. We travel all over the Philippines to document and take pictures of birds. Our goal is to make this site a resource of information and images about wild birds of the Philippines.

Photography Gear

In this section we will show some of the gear we use to photograph birds. We use a lot big heavy gear to photograph these small birds. Wild bird photography in the Philippines is quite challenging. Even the process of building a rig is not easy. We found it very difficult trying to decide which pieces of kit to purchase from the many choices available. There is always a trade-off, weight, portability, price, quality, and performance. With new items always entering the market its not an easy task filtering all the information.

In this page we will talk about the gear we use, our favorite bits of kit, what we like and what we don't like. Hopefully this will be helpful for those who are thinking about similar gear and are looking for some field reviews. Our experience is based on our trips in the Philippines which has its own unique challenges to the wild bird photographer. We have a nation of 7,107 islands, rainforests, mountains, rivers and dirt trails, sun, rain, moisture, extreme heat and some cold weather. Its not easy to prepare for every situation, so its nice to have gear can handle the varied outdoor conditions.

Unique to the Philippines is the challenge of taking pictures of birds that are very wary of humans. We have visited a few other countries and bird photography is usually easier in other countries because the birds are friendlier. The habitat destruction, the hunting by humans and the general lack of infrastructure make Philippine Bird photography more difficult. I think these challenges are sometimes reflected in the kind of gear we choose.

We will keep updating entries to keep track of the performance, reliability, and durability of these products.

Feisol 3471 Carbon Fibre Tripod<br />
<br />
We have had 5 tripods before these Feisol model. We had a lot of experience about what we wanted and what we did not want. <br />
<br />
High on the list of wants is stability. This model has huge legs, 37mm diameter. It is rated for 12 kilos. The 500mm lens, 1.4x tc and camera body is around 5 kilos. The Feisol can easily handle the payload. <br />
<br />
I also wanted the lightest possible tripod. It is very light at 2.3kilos. My previous tripod a Manfrotto 975B was 4.3 kilos. The Feisol has the same capacity but almost half the weight. 2 kilos weight savings may not sound like much but it is quite noticeable because of the length of the tripod. It is also very nice to carry less weight on your shoulders the whole day. My back certainly notices the difference. <br />
<br />
The light weight helps both in the field and when checking into an airplane. Tripods are not allowed to be carried as hand luggage on planes now, so they have to be checked in. Domestic flights usually have a 15 kilo baggage allowance, the Batanes flights have a 10 kilo allowance. My old tripod took up 1/3 of my total baggage allowed. We got the 4 leg section so the tripod can fit inside our luggage. <br />
<br />
Another great feature is that the tripod can be spread out flat. It has no center column so it goes very low to the ground. Perfect for waders. <br />
<br />
The best feature is the price. Its much cheaper than a Gitzo so I am not thinking about it when I am setting it down on some rugged terrain. <br />
<br />
Its a simple light tripod. <br />
<br />
What can be improved? In my opinion the unlocking mechanism could have been better. I would sometimes tighten it too much when I first got the tripod making it hard to open. But now I know the proper pressure. I think the new mechanism is supposed to be faster. Its a small quibble, it does not bother me anymore since I know the proper tightening pressure now.<br />
<br />
We bought the optional stainless steel spikes as well. But the weight penalty is high for the spikes so we don't use them. The rubber caps provide enough traction even on wet surfaces.

8 / 13

Feisol 3471 Carbon Fibre Tripod

We have had 5 tripods before these Feisol model. We had a lot of experience about what we wanted and what we did not want.

High on the list of wants is stability. This model has huge legs, 37mm diameter. It is rated for 12 kilos. The 500mm lens, 1.4x tc and camera body is around 5 kilos. The Feisol can easily handle the payload.

I also wanted the lightest possible tripod. It is very light at 2.3kilos. My previous tripod a Manfrotto 975B was 4.3 kilos. The Feisol has the same capacity but almost half the weight. 2 kilos weight savings may not sound like much but it is quite noticeable because of the length of the tripod. It is also very nice to carry less weight on your shoulders the whole day. My back certainly notices the difference.

The light weight helps both in the field and when checking into an airplane. Tripods are not allowed to be carried as hand luggage on planes now, so they have to be checked in. Domestic flights usually have a 15 kilo baggage allowance, the Batanes flights have a 10 kilo allowance. My old tripod took up 1/3 of my total baggage allowed. We got the 4 leg section so the tripod can fit inside our luggage.

Another great feature is that the tripod can be spread out flat. It has no center column so it goes very low to the ground. Perfect for waders.

The best feature is the price. Its much cheaper than a Gitzo so I am not thinking about it when I am setting it down on some rugged terrain.

Its a simple light tripod.

What can be improved? In my opinion the unlocking mechanism could have been better. I would sometimes tighten it too much when I first got the tripod making it hard to open. But now I know the proper pressure. I think the new mechanism is supposed to be faster. Its a small quibble, it does not bother me anymore since I know the proper tightening pressure now.

We bought the optional stainless steel spikes as well. But the weight penalty is high for the spikes so we don't use them. The rubber caps provide enough traction even on wet surfaces.