What’s Up?
As you can see immediately below, the weather in Homer, AK has been wild, but the photography has been beyond amazing. On Friday, with my SONY gear still in limbo, Clemens kindly loaned me his Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS lens and an EOS-1D X Mark II. I did not forget how to use it; I have lots of comments below the images.
Clemens was thrilled that Steve Elkins of Bedfords was able to get him a Canon EOS-X Mark III in time for our Homer trip.
It is Sunday morning, 23 FEB. We are heading out at 8:30. The storm has passed and it will be a sunny day, probably the only one for the next two weeks. At 9am, the temperature will be about 14 degrees (feels like 5!)
I still have some single-day openings on the first IPT. Get in touch via e-mail if you are gonna be around.
I have dates set for two more Homer IPTs next year. If you are interested in joining me for one or both of these incredible trips, please get in touch via e-mail.
My and Your Favorite Images
Please leave a comment letting us know which of today’s five featured images is your favorite. And let us know why. In addition, which one do you think is my very favorite image? I do have a vrey clear choice.
The Weather Outside Was Frightening
Click on the play triangle to see the weather outside my room on Friday at 4pm. With winds with gusts to 35 …
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Image #1: My Think Tank Roller Comes Back From the Dead! |
Hooray!
So the lost bag was traced to Kodiak. They flew it back to Anchorage on Friday. But with the lovely weather in Homer — all flights to and from were canceled for the rest of the day — it did not make it to Homer till early Saturday. That in itself was a miracle as the early flight made it in pretty tough conditions and then the weather deteriorated and the airport was shut down again for the rest of the day.
Considering that the three-letter-code for Kodiak is ADK, it is pretty hard to understand how my HOM-labeled bag made it there …
All of my cameras and lenses were in perfect condition after the journey, a credit both to my watch-cap packing technique and the sturdiness of the ThinkTank Airport SecurityTM V2.0 rolling bag.
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.
Used to Create Images # 4 & 5
Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens (with extras!)
Barry McKenzie is offering a Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in excellent plus condition for a very low $3,399.00. The sale includes the hood, the rear cap, the lens trunk, a LensCoat, the CD, two front lens covers, the Canon PL-C52 polarizer, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Photos available on request. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Barry via e-mail.
The 300mm f/2.8 lenses have long been the favorites of the world’s best hawks-in-flight photographers. And since they perform superbly with both teleconverters, they make a great workhorse lens for bird photographers who wish to hand hold, especially those with crop factor bodies like the 7D Mark II or those with some of the newer Canon bodies likee the very popular Canon EOS 90D… 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-1D X Mark II
Brand-new-in-the box/Incredible Low Price!
Anthony Saka is offering a brand-new-in-the-box Canon EOS-1D X Mark II body for an incredibly low price of $3,699.00. The camera is still in the unopened box along with everything that comes with a new camera. Why? Because it is brand-new! The sale includes 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 Anthony via e-mail or by phone at at 1-516 902-6997) (Eastern 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 $1800.00 by grabbing Anthony’s new-in-the-box camera body. artie
Canon’s WMD
Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM Lens
Price dropped $600 on 6 FEB 2020!
Price dropped $400 moore on 23 FEB 2020!
Paul Mckenzie is offering a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM lens in mint condition (but for a very few minor blemishes on the lens hood) for the BAA record-low-by-far price of 9,999.00 (was $10,999.00). The sale includes the lens hood, the front lens cover, the rear cap, the original product box, the instruction manual, the warranty card, the strap, and insured shipping via FedEx. The sale does not include the LS600 soft case. Your item will ship upon receipt of your wire transfer. All sales are subject to the restrictions noted above.
Please contact Paul via e-mail.
The 600 III is the latest Canon version of my favorite weapon of mass destruction for bird photography. With its superb balance, light weight, incredible sharpness, and a five-stop Image Stabilization system, the 600 III is a technological marvel. The lens tips the scale at a relatively svelte 6.71 lb — about one ounce heavier than the SONY 600mm f/4GM OSS lens. It is a fraction under two pounds lighter than the Canon 600 II. Thus, it is eminently hand-holdable for many folks. As this lens sells new for $12,999.00, you can save a neat $2600.00 by being the one to grab Paul’s pretty much new lens. This lens is super-sharp with either TC, one of the great advantages of Canon over Nikon … artie
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
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This image was created near Homer, AK on 21 FEB 2020 by Clemens Van der Werf. He used the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens and his brand-new latest greatest Canon body, the 20 fps Canon EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR with CFexpress Card and Reader. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Two Bald Eagles, one taking flight. Image courtesy of and copyright 2020 Clemens Van der Werf. |
Two for the Price of One
Clemens worked the whole first day on Friday with his Canon 100-400 II and his new 1D X III. The files looked great when viewed in Capture One and Clemens seemed quite happy with his new purchase. On Saturday, after my SONY gear showed up, he used the 300 f/2.8 and the 70-200 f/2.8L IS with his new body.
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This image was created near Homer, AK on 21 FEB 2020 by Clemens Van der Werf. He used the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens and his brand-new latest greatest Canon body, the 20 fps Canon EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR with CFexpress Card and Reader. Image #3: artie. and friends. Image courtesy of and copyright 2020 Clemens Van der Werf. |
Fun in the Snow With Friends
Well, this is a rare shot these days — me with Canon gear in my hands. I am very grateful to Clemens for the gear loan as we had a spectacular day. The boat ride back was quite exciting, a real E ticket ride if there ever was one. Notice how Clemens carefully chose his perspective to eliminate any merges and at the same time, to frame me perfectly with. the eagles in the snow.
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This image was created near Homer, AK on 21 FEB 2020. I used the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens (now replaced by the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens with the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II dSLR. ISO 800. Exposure determined by histogram check. Evaluative metering at about +2 stops: 1/3200 sec. at f/3.2. AWB at 11:30am on a sunny/blowy day. Center Expand Continuous AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #4: Incoming Bald Eagle |
Working with the Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS and the 1D X I
It was a bit strange working with the Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS and the 1D X II. It took me a while to get in tune with making basic changes like setting the shutter and aperture and especially moving the AF point. That especially in wet blowing snow, strong winds, and heavy gloves on. I really, really missed Zone and Tracking Flexible Spot M as with those (and other SONY AF Areas as well) there is almost never a need to move the AF point; the camera does that automatically and nails the focus more than 99% of the time. Although the rig was quite heavy, it was great having a super-fast f/2./8 lens in the low light. By working at f/3.2, I was able to stay at ISO 800 or below while using shutter speeds ranging from 1/2000 to 1/3200 sec. At times the 300mm reach was a plus but more often I clipped both wingtips on incoming birds. The only f2.8 telephoto that SONY makes is the 70-200mm f/2.8. I used that lens with my a9 ii on Saturday — most with the 1.4X TC, and created more than 2350 images. Except for some made in total white-out conditions where the AF system grabbed the snowflakes, nearly all. were razor sharp. I did, however, experiment and found an AF area that performed superbly in heavy snow. That revelation will be shared in the new guide. Images from that epic session will be shared here in about a week.
Continue reading to learn my thoughts about the Canon AF system.
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This image was created near Homer, AK on 21 FEB 2020. I used the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens (now replaced by the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens with the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II dSLR. ISO 800. Exposure determined by histogram check. Evaluative metering at about +2 stops: 1/3200 sec. at f/3.2. AWB at 11:30am on a sunny/blowy day. Center Expand Continuous AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #5: Bald Eagle braking to land |
My Thoughts on Canon AF (with the original 300 f/2.8)
Most of my flight images with the 300 f/2.8 and the 1D X II were very sharp. Every once in a while, I would lose a killer image due to soft focus, but in general, I was quite pleased with the focus tracking accuracy. Remember that my first 1D X Mark II suffered from oil spots on the sensor so I rarely used it. With birds flying right at me at close range however, I did have lots that were sharp on the feet with the bird’s face totally out of focus. After about 3 1/2 hours the battery died and when I could not find a charged battery in Clemens bag that was back on the boat, I grabbed his 5D Mark IV, my old favorite Canon body. Of the 1165 images that I created that morning, probably 300 were made with the 5D IV. The bad news is that even though the camera was much lighter than the 1D X II, felt great in my hands, and seemed to be tracking accurately, most of the images simply were not in sharp focus. I did, however, make a few very good ones. The conclusion: AF tracking accuracy with the 1D X II is far superior to AF tracking accuracy with the 5D Mark IV.
If In Doubt …
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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 :).
Greetings Artie,
I would love to chOose the picture of you tethered to a Canon ball and chain. And love the wings in #5. But #2 speaks to me the most–I think that is a great shot. Congrats to Clemens.
P.S. Glad to see you brought a warm jacket!
And my favorite is image #3. Yours? I’d guess #5.
Glad you have your Gear… #1 Image is your favorite… with #4 being my favorite with those intense eyes from the Eagle focusing on his meal… great job… God’s Blessings… and enjoy your time…
Hey Arthur, I’m Digging image #5. Love the framing and the curled up wing tips. Nice view of the tail as well. Man you are close to those eagles. Im going with image #1 as your favorite. Have fun and stay warm up there.
Clearly #1 has to be your favorite shot, but #5 is my favorite. I REALLY like the curved primaries on the eagle as it’s presumably coming in for a landing.
I’m loving my 1DX3/600iii combo. I nearly sold the 600iii but would have had to reinvest another $3000 or so to get the SONY equivalent. For birds in flight, the tracking seems very much improved over the 1DX2. Compared to my A9/200-600 combo, I think they’re fairly similar, although it’s probably not a completely fair comparison yet as the 200-600 has more depth of field which may mask some of the slight variances in focus seen at 600 f/4.
Also, don’t forget the SONY 400/2.8 as another SONY f/2.8 telephoto!
Make that last line *as another SONY f/2.8 telephoto!
Fantastic!!!!!!!
Glad you got your gear back Artie!
The 1DxII/5DM4 focus comparison is kind of similar to the a9(ii)/a7r4, wouldn’t you say?
Vaguely. a9ii AF is so amazing that it is difficult to use the word Canon in the same sentence. But the EOS-1D X Mark III might be getting there in a much heavier package and without the Flexible Tracking Spots …
with love, artie
I would think that from an emotional (rather than an aesthetic) point of view, #1 must be your favorite. I like #3 a lot, because it’s how I like to think of you: camera in hand, surrounded by beautiful birds and interesting weather, clearly having a great time. I like the wingtip feathers in #5 and the legs down in #4 (where the wingtip feathers seem a little chaotic). But aesthetically, I like #2 the best because of the way the intensely dark birds are positioned in relation to the frame and each other and to the background, which is “unsaturated” by the falling snow. Splendid shot!
Artie: Glad you got your gear back. I’d love to know more about the 1DXIII. As for the weather, it’s looked like that more than once here in central New Mexico this year. We do have bald eagles, too, but not nearly as many or as tame.
There are a few very active posts at fredmiranda.com on this. Having upgraded from the 1DX2, I’d recommend upgrading if you do lots of birds in flight and/or have any interest in the live view improvements. I don’t do video so I can’t comment on that. IQ is perhaps a touch better than the 1DX2, but not a good enough reason to upgrade. I feel like files are slightly sharper straight out of camera, but that’s only with a few days of shooting. I sold my 1DX2, 5DSR and 5DIV to make the change and I’m glad I did. I was going to sell my 6000iii and 400DOii and just move over to SONY, but the lenses weren’t moving on another site, so I went through with the 1DX3. I own an A9/200-600 combo which I find to be very good for what it is, but I consistently can tell it’s not a 600/4, particularly in shooting birds with relatively close backgrounds. It does a tremendous job of tracking birds in flight, as expected. I’ve found the 1DX3 to be surprisingly similar and thus far I am not consistently getting shots if birds coming straight at me with sharp feet and blurry eyes as was the case with my previous Canon bodies. To be fair, I’ve only had a chance to photograph chummed gulls so we’re not talking about diving ducks or swallows. The camera has done a good job so far of tracking birds against low contrast backgrounds too.
Hopefully as time pans out, this will be the DSLR Canon could have announced a few years ago for BIF!
Great synopsis. Thanks.
Good thing you’ve shaved your head or you might have pulled out handfulls! I’m sure you still have fingernails!!!!!
Glad your gear came unharmed. What a mess. But, a Happy ending all the same! Whorah! I know your favorite picture is the one showing your bag back from the lost and found! 🙂 I like the 2nd to last shot, beautiful shot of the Eagle coming in with beautiful wing position. Startling good even if it was taken with Canon gear. (Nice to know gorgeous is still there with Canon). I do like your friends shot of the 2 eagles and the shot showing you Artie and your friends is cool too! I think your wife’s assistance here was evident as she probably whispered into God’s ear that you were in strait’s and needed His hand of Tender Mercies…. I may be wrong but I think God like’s your pictures documenting His Creation! Love and Blessings! Have a Ball!
Artie this looks to be a trip of a lifetime as your smile shows and what great captures!
I am very curious on how your new Sony gear will work and has been working in the cold in Alaska. Wish i was there.
When he captured your picture everything looks to be in great focus so where would one focus to achieve this.
Hi Bob, See the blog post on the 25th. Everything is sharp in the me-and-the-eagles photo because he was working at about 100mm…
You can be here with me next year. All you need to do is sign up for one of next year’s IPTs :). Details soon.
with love, artie