It's Fryin' Time Again... How I saltwater fried a Canon EOS-1D X: It's a Must to Avoid...

Stuff

I began working on a new eBook that I am doing with Denise Ippolito, finished the day off with a cold ice bath–59 degree water when I got out after my 44 minutes, and promptly fell asleep on the couch for three hours.

Bosque #1 is filling nicely. We have tons of room on Bosque #2. See the complete details below. This blog post, the 132nd in a row, took about 2 hours to prepare. It should be published automatically at 1:00am on Wednesday. Tomorrow I start the real work on my 2014 taxes.

Used Photography Gear for Sale News

Two lenses sold during the past week: Carl Zanoni’s 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II and Owen Peller’s “old” EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L. If you would like to learn about selling your used photo gear through BAA, please shoot me an e-mail with the words “Items for Sale Info Request” cut and pasted into the Subject line. You can check out all of the current listings here.

New Price Drops

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM

Price reduced an amazing $150 on 5/19/2015!

Barbara Garmon is offering a used Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens in like-new condition for $749.00. The lens is cosmetically and operationally perfect. The sale includes the original box, the front and rear lens caps, the original box, the ET-83C lens hood, the LZ1324 lens case, and insured shipping to US addresses. You can call Barbara on her cell at 641-777-2578 (eastern time zone) or reach her via e-mail.

I owned and used this great lens for well more than a decade and created hundreds of published images with it. Denise Ippolito owned and loved hers for many years.

Used Canon EF 100-400 f 4.5-5.6 L IS Lens

Price reduced a total of $200 on 5/19/2015!

Multiple IPT veteran Jack Panzeca is offering a used Canon EF 100-400 f 4.5-5.6 L IS lens in very good + condition for $799 including insured shipping via UPS Ground to US addresses only. The tripod collar has one small scratch. The sale includes the original tough fabric case, the original box, the front and rear caps, the lens hood, and the strap. Your gear will be shipped only after your check clears.

Please contact Jack via e-mail or by phone at 817 819 1756. Central Time Zone.

The 100-400 is a versatile intermediate telephoto zoom lens with 1,000+ uses. It makes a great starter lens especially for folks who do general nature and wildlife in addition to birds. I’ve sold 100s of images made with a 1-4 and denise loved hers for many years forsaking it only recently for the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. Jack’s 100-400 is priced to sell. artie

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This image was created on the Fort DeSoto Spring IPT by Dwayne Marrott with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III (at 140mm), and the Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/800 sec. at f/6.3. Center AF point (Manual selection)/AI Servo AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: artie in shorebird heaven. Image courtesy of and copyright 2015: Dwayne Marrott

Artie in shorebird heaven…

As mentioned here previously, I love sitting in a foot or more of water behind a long lens with a TC in place picking off shorebirds on still early mornings. I had hoped that someone in the IPT group had made an image of me doing what I love. The easy going very nice Dwayne Marrott who was with me on both the Canon Morro Bay Destination Workshop and the DeSoto Spring IPT turned out to be the man! Thanks a stack Dwayne.

How I saltwater fried a Canon EOS-1D X

I sat for more than 90 minutes without a problem; kneeling is impossible for me as it wrecks my left knee and induces lower back spasms. When I was about ready to get up I glanced to my left and saw Chris Billman who had also been with me on the Canon workshop. I grabbed my lowered tripod and walked over to chat with Chris. I put the lowered tripod down for a handshake. In retrospect, either lengthening the tripod legs or tightening the vertical pan on the Mongoose M3.6 would have saved the camera. In reality the rig tilted back just a bit and as Chris had been working in water a bit deeper than I had been, the bottom third of the camera body got dunked.

I took out the battery and air-dried it a bit, re-inserted it, and pressed the shutter button. The camera began rapid firing and did not stop until I removed the battery… Salt water and photo gear are not a good mix. I sent it to the Canon Jamesburg and quickly learned that it was “beyond economic repair.” I am in the process of filing my first-ever insurance claim.

Lesson learned: be careful out there….

Image Question

What is the single most important reason that Dwayne should have removed the 1.4X teleconverter? (Hint: I expanded canvas right…)

This image was created on the second morning of the Fort DeSoto IPT while sitting in the water as above with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop in Manual mode: 1/400 sec. at f/9. Center AF point (by necessity)/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF and release. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Marbled Godwit ruffling

279 Keepers!

After the first edit, I kept 279 images from that great morning session. You can see more images from that am session here.

Do understand that most IPTs are carefully planned with a tide table in hand. Or at least on the laptop in Chrome: SaltwaterTides.com :). I will surely be doing a Spring DeSoto IPT next year; dates and cost TBA. If you are interested in being put on the interested list, please shoot me an e-mail. Same for the January 2016 San Diego IPT.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Many of them are downright cheap. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. With us you will have two full time pros there for you every minute we are in the field. Together they have more than 28 seasons of experience at the refuge. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time every day, do join us.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 3-FULL DAY IPT: NOV 22-24, 2015. $1149. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet and introductory slide program after dinner on your own at 7:00pm on SAT NOV 21.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 3 morning and 3 afternoon photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/21, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $449 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. 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.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time, do join us.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 4-DAY IPT: (three full and two 1/2 DAYS) NOV 28-DEC 2, 2015. $1499. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet at 3pm on SAT NOV 28 followed by an afternoon photo session at the crane pools and the introductory slide program after dinner on your own.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 4 afternoon (11/28through 12/1), 4 morning (11/29 to 12/2) photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/28, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. 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.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

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