What’s Up?
Jim and I had a great dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse near the airport on Wednesday even. I loved my ribeye with crusted parmesan and the creamed spinach.
I was asleep by 8pm and woke at 4am, 30 minutes before the alarm was gonna go off. As I was not comfortable waiting for the 5am shuttle, I had them call me a cab. My flight from Orlando was a 4 1/2 hour piece of cake. As long as I get up every twenty minutes for a short stand oor walk I am fine. We got into Seattle early and my 3-hour 11-minute flight to Anchorage was easy peasy as well. I am now in Anchorage on a four-hour layover waiting for my flight to Homer.
I will be on the boat tomorrow photographing eagles.
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Bald Eagles in Snow on Wednesday 19 FEB. I-phone photo couretsy of and copyright 2010: Gabe the boat driver |
Last Chance
If anyone out there want to join me at the last minute for all or part of the first Homer IPT please shoot me an e-mail or call my cell at 863-221-2372. No reasonable offer will be refused. Best of all? Snow is in the forecast most every day for the next two weeks!
Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART
Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. Please understand that e-Bay prices are bogus. And the same is true of the prices of used gear including my dear friends at B&H and the other mega-outfits. They offer you pennies and then try to sell the stuff to ignorant folks for ridiculously high prices. With their huge international exposure, they occasionally find someone …
The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the 5Ds and 5Ds R, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, the Canon 200-400 with internal extender, and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. Most recently the price of used Canon 600mm f/L IS II lenses have been dropping like a rock with the introduction of the 600 III. The prices garnered for used Canon gear has tanked completely as demand has dropped tremendously. It is ironic that for decades Canon gear had very strong resale value …
Note: all BAA Used Gear sales include insured ground shipping via UPS to lower 48 US addresses only. Others who live elsewhere are invited to e-mail the seller for shipping surcharge info. Sellers should charge you only the difference between shipping to the farthest US location from their home and the charge to a non-lower-48 address.
Very Recent Sales
Bob Lester sold his Sony A7r iii Mirrorless camera body in Very Good Plus condition (shutter count < 14,000) for only $1698.00 in mid-FEB 2020. Jim Lewis sold his Fujifilm X-T2 Mirrorless Digital camera body in-near mint condition for an incredibly low $449.00 (was $699.00) in early FEB 2020. I learned in FEB 2020 that Joe Randle sold his EF 85mm f/1.8 USM lens in excellent condition for $149.00 in mid-JAN 2020. Multiple IPT participant Sheldon Goldstein sold his Sigma Contemporary 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Lens for Canon in like-new condition for $675.00 (was $725.00) in early FEB 2020. IPT veteran Richard Russ sold his Nikkor 105mm Micro f/2.8G AF-VR lens in near-mint condition for the very low price of $496.95 and a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Special Edition Lens lens in near-mint condition for the silly low price of $106.95. Barry McKenzie sold his Canon 2X III TC in excellent plus condition for a very low $219.00 and a Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens for Canon EF in like-new condition for a very low $449.00, both in early FEB, 2020. Paul Mckenzie sold his Canon EOS 5DS R dSLR in very good condition for only $799.00 (was $999.00), a Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM lens in good plus condition for an amazingly low $1,099.00 (was $1,499.00), and a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II dSLR in very good condition with 95,000 actuations for the very low price of $2499.00 (was $2,899.00), all on 9 FEB 2020. Barry McKenzie sold a Canon 1.4X III TC in very good condition with a single “ding” for a very low $160.00 in early February 2020. Paul Mckenzie sold his Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM lens in good plus condition for an amazingly low $1,099.00 and his Canon EF Extenders (teleconverters) 1.4X III and 2X III in excellent condition for $200 each on 6 FEB 2020. Paul Mckenzie sold his Canon EF 100-400mm L IS II USM Zoom lens in very good plus condition for $999.00 on 5 FEB 2020. And the sale of one Canon 600 III and one Canon 600 II are pending.
Canon 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4X Extender
Multiple IPT veteran Larry Master is offering a Canon 200-400 f/4L IS USM lens with internal 1.4X Extender in excellent condition for $5999.00. The lens has minor nicks and other blemishes on the finish and the lens foot. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the front lens cover, an Aquatech SoftCap, a Realtree Max4 LensCoat, an Arca-Swiss lens plate, the lens strap, the lens trunk, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Photos are available upon request. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Larry via e-mail or by phone at 1-518-645-1545 (Eastern time zone).
This is the world’s best lens for a trip to Africa. It kills also in the Galapagos and in South Georgia, the Falklands, and Antarctica. And I used mine a lot at Bosque and other dusty places where the built-in TC helps to keep your sensor clean. And I love it in the Palouse for its versatility. At one point, I found myself wishing that I had taken the 200-400 rather than my 500 II on the Bear Boat Cubs IPT. Many nature photographers use this lens as their workhorse telephoto as it offers 784mm at f/8 with an external 1.4X TC added. The lens sells new at B&H right now for $10,999; can save $5000.00 by grabbing Larry’s excellent lens along with all the great extras right now. artie
Canon EF Extender 1.4X III (teleconverter)
Multiple IPT veteran Larry Master is also offering a Canon EF Extender 1.4X III (teleconverter) in excellent condition for $229.00. The sale includes the front and rear lens caps, the lens pouch, a LensCoat, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Larry via e-mail or by phone at 1-518-645-1545 (Eastern time zone).
As regular readers know, I depended so much on TCs when I shot Canon that I always traveled with two spare 1.4X-s and one spare 2X TC. artie
Canon EF Extender 2X III (teleconverter)
Multiple IPT veteran Larry Master is also offering a Canon EF Extender 2X III (teleconverter) in excellent condition for $229.00. The sale includes the front and rear lens caps, the lens pouch, a LensCoat, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Larry via e-mail or by phone at 1-518-645-1545 (Eastern time zone).
As regular readers know, I depended so much on TCs when I shot Canon that I always traveled with two spare 1.4X-s and one spare 2X TC. artie
Canon 600mm f/4L IS II USM Lens
Craig Elson is offering a Canon 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens in near-mint condition for $5,996.00. Other than a few very small paint blemishes, it is in perfect condition cosmetically. The optics are mint. The lens was recently cleaned and checked by CPS. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk and keys, the original tough front lens cover, the lens hood, the lens strap, the original lens foot, a 4th Generation replacement lens foot, a RealTree Lenscoat, the original product box,the manual and the warranty card, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Craig via e-mail or by phone at 1-704-904-7953 (Pacific time zone).
The 600 II has been the state of the art super-telephoto for birds, nature, wildlife, and sports for many years. When I was using Canon and could get it to my location, it was always my go-to weapon. It is fast and sharp and deadly alone or with either TC. With a new one going for $$9,499.00, you can save a cool $3503.00 by grabbing Steve’s Craig’s lens today. artie
Canon 500mm f/4L IS II USM Lens
Craig Elson is offering a Canon 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens in excellent plus condition for $5,299.00. There are a handful of paint blemishes, but the glass is in mint condition and the lens was recently cleaned and checked by CPS. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk and keys, the original tough front lens cover, the lens hood, the lens strap, both original lens feet, a 4th Generation replacement lens foot, a Realtree LensCoat, the original product box, the manual and warranty card, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Craig via e-mail or by phone at 1-704-904-7953 (Pacific time zone).
The 500 f/4 super-telephoto lenses have long been the world’s most popular for birds, nature, wildlife, and sports for many decades. Canon’s Series II version is light, fast, super-sharp, and produces amazing images with both the 1.4X and 2X III TCs. The 500 II is relatively small, easily hand-holdable for some folks, and is much easier to travel with, focuses closer than, and costs a lot less than the 600 II. Lastly, and you might find this amazing, the magnification for the 500 II is the same as it is for the 600 II: .15X. How is that possible? Magnification is calculated at the minimum focusing distance of the lens — 12.14 feet (3.7 meters) for the 500 II and 14.77 feet (4.5 meters) for the 600 II. Simply put, the 500 II focuses more than two feet closer than the 600 II. The seller for the last one that sold here had five calls the first day; the first four folks quibbled on price. The fifth one jumped right on it … Please do not tarry if you are seriously interested in Brian’s lens as it too should sell almost instantly. Or not 🙂 As the 500 II goes for $8999 new you will be getting a great lens while saving a very sweet $3700.00. I loved my 500 II 🙂 artie
Canon 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4X Extender
Craig Elson is offering a Canon 200-400 f/4L IS USM lens in very good condition for a BAA record-low-by-far price of $5,699.00. Other than some paint blemishes, the lens is in great condition. The glass is in mint condition and it has been cleaned and checked by CPS. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk, the original tough front lens cover, the lens hood, the lens strap, the original lens foot, a 4th Generation replacement foot, RealTree Lenscoat covering, the original product box, manual and warranty card, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Craig via e-mail or by phone at 1-704-904-7953 (Pacific time zone).
This is the world’s best lens for a trip to Africa. It kills also in the Galapagos and in South Georgia, the Falklands, and Antarctica. And I used mine a lot at Bosque and other dusty places where the built-in TC helps to keep your sensor clean. And I love it in the Palouse for its versatility. At one point, I found myself wishing that I had taken the 200-400 rather than my 500 II on the Bear Boat Cubs IPT. Many nature photographers use this lens as their workhorse telephoto as it offers 784mm at f/8 with an external 1.4X TC added. The lens sells new at B&H right now for $10,999 so you save a substantial $5300.00 by grabbing Craig’s lens today. artie
Canon 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM Lens
Craig Elson is offering a Canon 400 f/4 DO IS II USM lens in excellent plus condition for $3,599.00. Only a few very small paint wear spots knock this down from mint. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk and keys, the original tough front lens cover, the lens hood, the lens strap, the original lens foot, a RRS replacement foot, a RealTree LensCoat, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Craig via e-mail or by phone at 1-704-904-7953 (Pacific time zone).
I owned and used and loved the 400 DO II when I shot with Canon and found a way to take it on most trips. I took it to Scotland and Nickerson Beach and San Diego. It served me well as my (lighter!) big gun several Galapagos and Southern Ocean (the Falklands and South Georgia) trips. It is a killer for flight photography with or without the 1.4X III TC. It is razor-sharp with the 2X on static subjects and skilled folks have had amazing success hand holding it with the 2X III TC for flight and for action. artie
Canon 300mm f/4L IS USM Lens
Craig Elson is offering a Canon 300 f/4L IS USM lens in near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $499.00. This lens was used only once on a trip to Africa in 2016. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the original front lens cap, the zippered lens pouch, the lens foot, a Wimberley P-20 plate, a RealTree LensCoat, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses onlyYour item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Craig via e-mail or by phone at 1-704-904-7953 (Pacific time zone).
I owned and used this great lens for several years. It is a great flight lens and I always loved its close-focusing abilities that made it great for flowers, frogs, and dragonflies. I firmly believe that it is a far better bird photography starter lens than my beloved old “toy lens,” the 400mm f/5.6L lens. Why? It is image stabilized and it does great with all AF points with a 1.4X TC. Grab this one while you can as the price is beyond right. artie
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II dSLR
Craig Elson is offering a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II with 14,004 actuations in excellent plus condition for $3,299.00. But for two small paint wear spots, it would be near-mint. The sale includes the front body cap, an AquaTech padded eyepiece, the camera strap, the charger, 2 extra batteries, the connector cable, a Wimberley P-5 plate, 3 Lexar 64GB CFast cards, a Lexar 128 GB CFast 2.0 525 MB/s card, a Lexar CFast card reader, a RealTree LensCoat, Expert Shield protectors for all the LCD screens, the manual, the original product box, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Craig via e-mail or by phone at 1-704-904-7953 (Pacific time zone).
The EOS-1DX Mark II is Canon’s flagship professional camera body. I made many fine images with mine. It is rugged and fast and features Canon’s best AF system. The 1DX II sells new for $5499.00 so you can save a very cool $2,200.00 by grabbing Craig’s body asap. artie
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV dSLR
Craig Elson is offering a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with 13,140 actuations in excellent to near-mint condition for $1,698.00. The sale includes the BG E-20 Canon vertical grip and its original product box, the body cap, an AquaTech padded eyepiece, the camera strap, the charger, one extra battery, the connector cable, two Lexar 64GB cards, Expert Shield protectors for all the LCD screens, the manual, the original product box, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Craig via e-mail or by phone at 1-704-904-7953 (Pacific time zone).
The high-megapixel 5D Mark IV was my favorite Canon camera body. The AF system was superb and the files large, detailed, and luscious. I used mine with all of my favorite Canon lenses including the 100-400 II, the 500 f/4L IS II, and the 600 f/4L IS II. With the two super-telephotos, I consistently made sharp images with both the 1.4X III and the 2X III TCs. artie
Canon EOS 7D Mark II dSLR
Craig Elson is offering a Canon 7D Mark II with only 7,169 actuations in near-mint condition for $649.00. The sale includes the body cap, an AquaTech padded eyepiece, the charger, oone extra battery, the connector cable, two Lexar 64GB cards, Expert Shield protectors for all the LCD screens, the manual, the original product box, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Craig via e-mail or by phone at 1-704-904-7953 (Pacific time zone).
Both Patrick Sparkman and I used and loved the 7D Mark II until about four years ago when we both committed to using full-frame Canon bodies. We both made some truly great images with it. Two of my three 2016 Nature’s Best honored entries were created with the 7D II, one still, and one video. One thing is for sure: the 7D Mark II is the greatest value ever in a digital camera body. artie
Canon EF Extender 1.4X III (teleconverter)
Craig Elson is offering a Canon 1.4x Extender EF III in mint condition for $249.00. The sale includes the front and rear lens caps, a RealTree LensCoat covering, the lens pouch, the original product box, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Craig via e-mail or by phone at 1-704-904-7953 (Pacific time zone).
As regular readers know, I depended so much on TCs when I shot Canon that I always traveled with two spare 1.4X-s and one spare 2X TC. artie
Canon EF Extender 2X III (teleconverter)
Craig Elson is offering a Canon 2.0x Extender EF III in Mint condition for $249. The sale includes the front and rear lens caps, a RealTree LensCoat, the lens pouch, the original product box, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Craig via e-mail or by phone at 1-704-904-7953 (Pacific time zone).
As regular readers know, I depended so much on TCs when I shot Canon that I always traveled with two spare 1.4X-s and one spare 2X TC. artie
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