A Stingy Guy with a Big Lens Dream
All my life, I’ve had the impression that somewhere, deep down, there’s a little artist hiding in my soul. He lacks both talent and an eye for aesthetics—but he tries. He really tries.
One evening, I stumbled upon a Canadian guy on YouTube who had bought several hectares of forest and turned them into a bird sanctuary. The man spends his days taking photos of birds and other wildlife. It was captivating. I’ll link one of his videos at the end.
I think that’s when something clicked for me. That very moment triggered something inside, and soon after, I bought a used Canon DSLR. Being the thrifty person I am, I went for something budget-friendly—proof that you get what you pay for. Still, for $150, I don’t think I could’ve done better than the Canon 600D.
Even back then, I was dreaming of 300–400 mm lenses—maybe even more. But with a limited budget, you typically find DSLRs bundled with an 18–55 mm kit lens, and if you’re lucky, maybe a 50 mm prime thrown in. But that wasn’t my goal—I wanted something with reach. I was dreaming of photographing a bear’s eye from a safe distance.
So, after fiddling with what I had, I decided it was time to take a small step closer to my dream. I bought, also second-hand, one of Canon’s most criticized long zoom lenses: the Canon EF 75-300 mm f/4-5.6 III. Some call it sloppy. Others say it’s a beginner’s bargain. Either way, for just a few dozen dollars, you really can’t find anything else in that range.
And today—I put it to work.
Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
I managed to capture my first wildlife photo that genuinely excites me: a shot of a Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes). Also known locally as the “ox-eye,” it’s a tiny bird, even smaller than a sparrow. That’s exactly why I’m so thrilled—I managed to get a clear picture of this little creature.
The Eurasian wren is one of Europe’s smallest birds, usually only 9–10 cm long, with a stubby tail often held upright. Despite its size, it’s famous for its surprisingly loud and complex song, especially during spring. Wrens are shy and fast, darting through undergrowth and often hard to spot, let alone photograph. They prefer dense vegetation, old woodlands, or bushy areas near streams—basically, places that make photography a challenge. So yeah, catching one on camera felt like a small personal victory.
Back to the lens—it’s true, the lack of image stabilization makes things a bit tricky. At maximum zoom, the image tends to wobble like crazy. But I think with a few tricks and a bit of practice, I’ll start to get the hang of it. It might not be perfect, but I’m starting to like this lens.
For post-processing, I only adjusted the white balance a bit using GIMP—nothing fancy.
And as promised, here’s the link to the video that started it all. If it inspires you to try wildlife photography too… well, don’t blame me. I warned you.
And so it began. I have my first photo of a species of bird…. Because I would also like to keep a record of the places where I took the photos, a kind of map with the different species of birds that I managed to photograph, this photo was taken in Bucharest.