How do I pick a good camera lens for taking pictures of birds?

For backyard birds, you want enough reach to fill the frame while keeping your setup light. I would go with Canon 75 300mm lens. On a Canon APS-C body it gives you nice pull for birds at feeders or perches without weighing you down.

It reaches 300mm and weighs about 1 pound, so it stays easy to carry around the yard and handhold. The tradeoff is no image stabilization, so shoot in good light, keep your shutter speed up, and brace on a fence or use a simple monopod. If you can position a feeder or perch a bit closer, this lens will deliver pleasing backyard shots without the bulk.

Backyard birds do not need extreme reach, choose a 300 to 400 mm zoom with stabilization, quick autofocus, and a short minimum focus distance, f5.6 to f6.3 works in daylight. Keep it near one kilogram and well balanced and use fast shutter and a touch more ISO and move perches closer, and pick zoom flexibility over a long prime.

I walk the yard a lot and found that reach is only half the story. A lens that lands in the 300 mm neighborhood and stays genuinely compact is the sweet spot for birds that visit feeders and low branches. Anything much longer gets tiring unless you are posting up for a while and and in a small space you will miss shots because you cannot zoom back. Big difference.

Quiet and confident autofocus matters more than headline sharpness for quick yard birds, and good stabilization helps with perching shots when the light slips in the evening. Check weight and balance in your hands and make sure it focuses close enough for those surprise visits at the birdbath. If you feel tempted by a huge telephoto, try moving your setup closer to the action first and see if that solves it. Your shoulders will thank you.

I've been photographing birds in my backyard for years and and finding the right lens boils down to balancing reach with portability.

You need something with a long focal length to get those close-up shots without scaring the birds away, but it shouldn't feel like lugging around a brick.

Aim for a lens that extends to at least 200mm or more; that way you can zoom in from a distance.

Weight is key too – keep it under a couple of pounds so you can wander the yard easily.

Works great for handheld shots.

In good light, you can get sharp images without extra support, but if it's shady, consider steadying yourself against something stable.

And positioning yourself closer to natural perches helps fill the frame nicely, even with moderate zoom.