What’s Up?

I put the finishing touches on my Tuesday evening slide program for the Camera Club of Brevard. And enjoyed a balmy swim with the pool at 76 degrees and the air temp in the mid-70s. I did my knee, shoulder, and core exercises, and enjoyed a relaxing but cold ice bath: the water had warmed up to 59 degrees when I got out.

Both Palouse IPTs have been filling up. Scroll down for the complete details.

This Just In!

Don Mullaney sold his Canon 600mm f/4L IS II lens in mint condition for $9499, the full asking price, on February 1, 2016.

The Streak

Today’s blog post marks 90 days in a row with a new educational blog post. Again, please remember to use our B&H links for your major gear purchases. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. 🙂

Thanks to Dan Neri, Len Musmeci, and the Canon Explorers of Light program for their support of the Camera Club of Brevard speaking gig.

Melbourne EoL Speaking Event

On Tuesday, February 2, 2016 I will be presenting “A Bird Photographer’s Story” for the Camera Club of Brevard. The meeting begins at 6:30pm and is free and open to the public. This program is sponsored by Canon USA/Explorers of Light. A small selection of books and CDs will be available for sale. You can find complete details including the location here.

B&H

B&H contributed generously as the primary SDNHM exhibition sponsor. Thank them (and me for the blog) by clicking on the logo link above to shop.

This image was created (hand held) on the January 2010 San Diego IPT with the old 100-400 (at 185mm) and the original 7D. As most of you know, the old 1-4 is now replaced by the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens and the old 7D by the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6. AWB. It looks as if a bit of fill flash was used. In soft light, I tried to limit my use of the old 7D to ISO 500 and below. As you can clearly see here, this camera is perfectly capable of making some nice images. The 7D II, however, is a huge improvement. Brown Pelican with bill pouch distended with the old 7D and the old 100-400.

If You Don’t Believe Me, Believe Denise Ippolito…

The question of the day, if owned a 7D and the old 100-400, and you could only upgrade one item, which should it be, and why?

As I mentioned yesterday, what seemed like a fairly difficult question was actually an easy one.

I advised Jim Hoover to purchase the Canon EOS 7D Mark II. He did.

Th early returns here on the blog were for him to upgrade to the new Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens. But by mid-morning, lots of folks began to chime in for keeping the old 1-4 and going for the 7D II. The question got lots of play on Facebook as well, with sort of the opposite situation; most early commenters were all in favor of the 7D II, and then there was a slew of folks proclaiming, “Always get the best lens.”

While I agree with that in principle as good advice, the 7D Mark II is so many light-years better than the old 7D that for me–and for many others who had previously upgraded from the 7D to the 7D II–the choice was an easy one. Why? Better image quality, that by a mile. Better control of high ISO noise. A much faster frame rate. And a vastly improved autofocus system. Interestingly enough, nearly every person on the blog and on Facebook who upgraded from the old 7D to the new 7D II thought that Jim should upgrade the camera and not the lens…

It comes as no surprise to regulars here that I love, cherish, and adore my 100-400II; it may just be my all-time favorite lens. But for Jim, it made no sense to stick with the 7D and upgrade to the 1-4 II. The much-maligned original 100-400 is a great lens. It is sharp throughout its focal length range and is very versatile. The advantages of the new lens are the improved 4-stop IS system and its amazing close focus of .98 meters (3.2fet). But the advantages of the 7D II over the original 7D far outweigh the advantages of the new 1-4 over the old 1-4.

So What Does Denise Ippolito Have to Do With This?

Denise Ippolito always loved her original 100-400. She sold it on the Used Gear Page about a year ago and has used the 70-200 f/2.8L IS II with the 2X III TC and usually the 7D II since then, with amazing results I might add. Though she has spoken often about getting the new 1-4, I am pretty sure that she has not done so yet. If you ask her about the original 7D and she will tell you that she did not like that camera one bit. Why? Poor quality image files, even at ISO 400. She could not stand the look of those tiny pixels. And she felt that anything above ISO 400 was horrible. She loves her 7D II for birds and most wildlife. So for her, and for me as well, it is an open and shut case for upgrading the camera body. Note: her go-to body for flowers and urbex is the 5D Mark III.

Selling Your Used Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog or via a BAA Online Bulletin is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charges a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly–I offer free pricing advice, usually sells in no time flat. In the past few months, we have sold just about everything in sight. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the original 400mm IS DO lens have been dropping steadily. Even the prices on the new 600 II and the 200-400 with Internal Extender have been plummeting. You can see all current listings by clicking here or by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the right side of the yellow-orange menu bar above.

To say that sales during the last two weeks of January have been brisk, would be a big understatement:

• Gregg Hunt sold his 7D Mark II sold for $999, the full asking price, on January 31, 2016.
• Mark Hodgson sold his Canon 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens in mint condition $7499 within days of listing at the end of January, 2016.
• Mark Hodgson also sold his Canon 5D Mark III the Canon BG-E11 battery grip and two Canon batteries for $1899 in very January, 2016.
• And his mint Series III TC set to me for $558 before it was even listed.
• Sash Dias sold his Nikon D4 body in excellent condition for $2399 the day after it was listed in late January, 2016.
• Bill Fraser sold his 1D Mark IV body in excellent condition for $1299 at the end of January, 2016.
• Multiple IPT veteran Brent Bridges sold his used Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in excellent condition for $4599 in late January, 2016.
• Saul Pleeter sold his Sony Alpha a7R Mirrorless Digital Camera in near-new condition for $799 on the first day it was listed in late January 2016.
• Mark Hodgson sold his Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens in very good plus condition for $599 within a day of listing in late January 2016.
• Bill Condon sold his Canon 500mm f/4L IS USM lens in near-mint condition for $4199 on the first day it was listed in late January 2016.
• Walt Thomas sold his used Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro lens in mint condition for $749 in late January.
• Roberta Olenick sold her Canon EOS-1D Mark IV camera body in excellent condition for $1279 USD in mid-January.

There are still lots of great items listed currently… Again, you can see all of these great buys by clicking here.

New Listings

Patrick Sparkman and wife Robin have traveled all over the world with us. Unlike me, Patrick is a photographer who takes really, really good care of his gear.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Multiple IPT veteran Patrick Sparkman is offering a used Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR Camera in excellent condition for $1799. The body is in excellent condition with just a few minor scuff marks on the top of the body and top lcd. The sale includes the body, two batteries, battery charger, Vello BG-C9 Battery Grip, box, front cover, and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Patrick by e-mail.

I have used the 5D III for birds on occasion with excellent results, even with the 2X III TC and the 600 II. It has long been my go-to dSLR for flowers, landscapes, and Urbex photography. In my experience, the quality of the image files is second only to those from the 5DS R. artie

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens

Multiple IPT veteran Patrick Sparkman is offering a used Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens in excellent condition for $849. There there are only minor signs of wear on the lens hood; the glass is perfect. The sale includes the lens hood, box, soft case that came with the lens, the front cover, the rear lens cap and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Patrick by e-mail.

I used this lightweight intermediate telephoto lens in Norway for birds and for B-roll stuff. It is superbly sharp and extremely versatile. It would be a great buy either for a travel photographer or a beginning to intermediate bird photographer (who cannot at present afford the 100-400 II). artie

Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM Lens

Multiple IPT veteran Patrick Sparkman is offering a used Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM Lens in excellent condition for $525. The lens is in excellent condition, but does have a couple of dust flakes inside the lens (that have zero effect on the images). The glass, however, is perfect. The sale includes the lens hood, box, soft case that came with the lens, the front cover, the rear lens cap and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Patrick by e-mail.

The old 24-70 was long a favorite of serious landscape photographers until it was replaced by the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II; the price tag on that is $1799. artie

Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR

IPT veteran Patrick Sparkman is offering a used Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR Camera with the Canon BG-E16 Battery Grip in like new condition for $1149. The sale includes the body, two batteries, battery charger, box, front cover, and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Patrick by e-mail.

Simply put, the 7D II with its fine image quality, fast frame rate, and superb AF system is the greatest value ever in a dSLR. artie

Subject and focal lengths clockwise from upper left around to center. Palouse Falls: 11mm; homemade kiddie race car: 105mm; barn siding pan blur: 798mm; Rolling fields diorama: 110mm; Crayola drums: 343 mm; Hay barn interior: 19mm; vintage gas station: 40mm; Dilapidated farm building: 13mm; Denise’s tree Infrared: 20mm. Images and card design by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART.

The Palouse ~ A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT)/Eastern Washington State. June 3-7, 2016/5 Full Days: $1699/Limit 12/Openings: 6

The Palouse ~ A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT)/Eastern Washington State. June 10-14, 2016/5 Full Days: $1699/Limit 12/Openings: 2

Double Header!

Maximize both your travel dollars and your learning experience by signing up for both IPTs.

Images and card design by Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure.

The Palouse IPTs

Rolling farmlands provide a magical patchwork of textures and colors, especially when viewed from the top of Steptoe Butte where we will likely enjoy spectacular sunrises and possibly a nice sunset. We will photograph grand landscapes and mini-scenics of the rolling hills and farm fields. We will take you to some really neat old abandoned barns and farmhouses in idyllic settings. There is no better way to improve your compositional and image design skills and to develop your creativity than to join us for this trip. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Photoshop and image sharing sessions when we have the time and energy…. We get up early and stay out late and the days are long.

After 6 days of back-breaking scouting work in early June 2014 we found all of the iconic locations and, in addition, lots of spectacular new old barns and breath-taking landforms and views. On three additional scouting days in 2015 we discovered several more truly amazing locations. We will teach you what makes one situation prime and another seemingly similar one a waste of your time.

What’s included: In-the-field instruction, guidance, lessons, and inspiration, our newfound but very extensive knowledge of the area, all lunches, motel lobby grab and go breakfasts, and Photoshop and image sharing sessions when possible. There will be a meet and greet at 7:30pm on the evening before each workshop begins.

You will learn and hone both basic and advanced compositional and image design skills. You will learn to get the right exposure every time. You will learn to develop your creative eye. You will learn the basics of HDR (high dynamic range) photography. You will learn a variety of in-camera creative techniques. Most importantly you will learn to see the situation and to create a variety of top-notch images. Do see both of our blogs for lots more on that in the coming weeks. You will learn how the quality and direction of light combine to determine the success of your images. And–please don’t gasp–we will be working quite a bit with sidelight when creating landscapes. Lastly, we will be doing some infrared photography.

To Sign Up

A non-refundable $699 deposit is due now. The balance will be due on February 15, 2016. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

With the spectacular success that we enjoyed in 2015 it seems quite likely that this one will fill up very quickly. Please let me know via e-mail that you will be joining us. Then you can either call Jim or Jennifer at 863-692-0906 during business hours or send us a check to leave a deposit; the latter is preferred. If by check, please make out to “Arthur Morris” and mail it to: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via e-mail: artie or denise.

Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options. You can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check. Whenever purchasing travel insurance be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. We sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. I just learned that my account was suspended during my absence; it should be up and running by Monday at the latest.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and visiting the BAA Online store as well.

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Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right 🙂