Keep or Delete? Used Gear Price Drops. I liked the blue ...

What’s Up?

Photography at ILE becomes more difficult each day as the heat of summer intensifies. Few flowers are blooming and there are not many birds around. On a more positive note, The Perch has been becoming more active lately.

The forecast for today — Thursday 2 July (can you believe that it is July?), is for sunny to partly cloudy with a high of only 92 degrees along with afternoon thunderstorms. The pool is up to 91 degrees … I will be heading down to the lake before 7am to see what I can find.

Spatterdock-Flower-BLUER-_7R45304-Indian-Lake-Estates-FL-1

This image was created at Indian Lake Estates, FL on 18 JUNE 2020. I used the Induro GIT 404L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter (at 560mm) and the 61-mega-pixel monster, the Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless digital camera body. ISO 400. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial (and then bracketed): 1/6 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode with 2-second timer. AWB at 7:33am on a partly-cloudy morning.

Plamped in place. Manual focus using the Focus Magnifier (page 37) and Manual Focus Toggle (page 35) tips and techniques detailed in the SONY e-Guide and Videos.

Image #2: Spatterdock bud/BLUER version — I liked this one best

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BLACKER OR BLUER?

In the Aquatic Jewels! Which version do you prefer? And More on RawDigger and Exposing to the Right blog post here, I asked if folks preferred the blacker version or the bluer version.

The first folks who commented liked the blacker version. Then Gary Axten wrote this:

I’m going to buck the trend; I prefer the blue version. The blue bleeding into the oof highlight on the blue version looks more natural than the blue into black. Plus I prefer the water colour.

Have you considered focus stacking for images like this?

And then, Adam agreed:

I share Gary’s observations and find the blue version a bit more natural and realistic. The background glow provides balance against the iridescent blue on the edges.

I agree; the bluer version is my favorite by far for the reasons above.

Focus Stacking?

In his comment, Gary Axten asked:

Have you considered focus stacking for images like this?

I have thought about focus stacking for some of my flower photography, but rejected the idea for several reasons:

1- SONY does not offer automatic focus stacking.

2- Doing it manually is too much work for me.

3- With the Sigma 150/Vello adapter combo I am bracketing the exposures like a maniac because Zebras only work (to some degree, at least), when I am wide open. That would mean creating far too many images.

With the (floating) spatterdock image made at a shutter speed of 1/6 second, it is likely that the flower would move at least a bit during the creation of five or ten or 15 images …

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Via e-Mail from Chris Latham

I bought the e-guide and videos for my A9 and A7r4 cameras and whilst I initially thought the price was a little steep at $125, I soon realized the amount of work that went into testing the vast array of menu settings that you promote. I made a couple of tweaks to the custom key layout but the instruction on the use of zebras (with both ISO and Exposure Comp) is worth the price of admission alone.

Perhaps we could meet up for a beer in Seahouses next time you’re over for a UK Puffins and Gannets IPT so I could thank you in person for the effort you and Patrick have put into this great guide and the videos. Chris

Via e-Mail from Phillip Bird

As a new user of the Sony A7RIII I ordered your Sony e-Guide as soon as I unpacked the camera. Buying the guide is one of the best camera-related investments I have ever made. I am learning so much and I’m sure that the guide is saving me a great deal of time and frustration in dealing with all of the options available on this amazing camera. Thanks to you and Patrick for putting this guide together. Phill

SONY e-Guide Discount Program

Purchase a (new) qualifying SONY camera body (a7r iii, a7r iv, a9, a9 ii) from Bedfords or using a BIRDS AS ART B&H affiliate link, and you will receive a $40 discount on the SONY e-guide. Purchase a (new) SONY 200-600mm G lens from Bedfords or using a BIRDS AS ART B&H affiliate link, and you will receive a $25 discount on the SONY e-guide. Purchase a (new) SONY 600mm f/4 GM lens from Bedfords or using a BIRDS AS ART B&H affiliate link, and you will receive a free SONY e-guide with one or two videos.

Please send your Bedford’s or B&H receipts to me via e-mail to receive your discount and your ordering instructions. Folks purchasing from Bedfords and using the BIRDSASART code will save $50. Folks sending their B&H receipts may need to wait a few days to have their purchases confirmed. Folks using Bedfords will have their purchases confirmed immediately.

100 sold to rave reviews.

The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris

The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide (and Videos)

Click here to purchase the guide with one Camera Set-up Video. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your camera body so that we can send you a link for the correct video.

Click here to purchase the guide with two Camera Set-up Videos. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your two camera bodies so that we can send you links for the correct videos.

Click here to learn more about the SONY e-Guide.

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 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. With the pandemic and the down economy, the market had been somewhat depressed, but sales have been brisk for the past few weeks. And over the past year, we have sold many many hundreds of items. Do know that prices the used prices of many items have been dropping steadily. 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 … That said, the prices on used Nikon gear are dropping as well. You can see all the current bargains here on the Used Gear Page.

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.

Recent Sales

Patrick Hogue sold his Nikon D500 DSLR Kit in excellent condition and a 16mm-80mm F2.8-4.0 VR Nikkor zoom lens in near-mint condition for a BAA record-low $985.00 and a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens in near-mint condition for a very low $3195.00 (was $3450.00), both in mid-JUNE 2020.
Anita North sold her Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens in excellent plus condition for a BAA record-low $3045.95 (was $3095.95) in early JUNE 2020.
Arthur Morris sold his Nikon D850 DSLR Camera (Body Only) in excellent plus to like-new condition for a BAA record-low $1,795.95 (was $1995.95) in early JUNE 2020.
Patrick Hogue sold his Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens in excellent plus condition for $850.00 (was $896.95) and a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV Digital Camera in near-mint condition for a BAA record-low $998.00, both soon after being listed in late-MAY 2020.
Carol Anderson, wife of the late Walt Anderson — inventor of the Better Beamer, sold a Canon 200-400 f/4L IS USM lens with internal 1.4X Extender in excellent plus condition for $4998.00 and a Canon EOS-1DX Mark II camera body in like-new condition for $2798.00, both soon after they were listed in early June 2020.
Anita North sold her Nikon D500 DSLR in excellent plus to near-mint condition for a BAA record-low price of $895.95 in mid-June 2020.

Price Drops

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV dSLR

Price Reduced $100.00 on 2 JULY 2020

John Bowden is offering a Canon EOS 5D Mark 4 in near-mint condition for $1599.00 (was $1,699.00) — the shutter count is only 16,172. The sale includes a ProMediaGear universal L-bracket (model PLX3 — an $89.95 value), the original product box, the manuals, the EOS Digital Solution Disk, the EOS Digital Software Instruction Manual, the camera strap, the single battery (with the protective cover), the charger, the front cap, the interface cable, the cable protector, 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 John Bowden via e-mail or by phone at 1-919-358-5717 (Eastern time zone).

What can I say? The 5D IV was my favorite-ever Canon digital dSLR. I owned and used three of them while my 1DX II sat on the shelf in my garage for the most part. If you have been dreaming of a 5D IV, grab John’s camera body right now and save a cool $400.00. artie

Anita North’s D-850s

Anita North is a skilled photographer. Over the years, you have seen some of her great images here on the blog. When it comes to pressing the shutter button, she is the most aggressive photographer I have ever run into. Her basic rule is If it’s in the viewfinder, press the shutter button and hold it down! As you might expect, she often gets far behind with picking her keepers.

Anita shoots a ton of frames but her style works well for her. On occasion, she comes up with something magical that most folks — including and especially me — would miss. If you are considering purchasing either of the well-used camera bodies below, do know that the D850 shutters are rated to “200,000 cycles.” As both of Anita’s D850s exceed that (one by miles), that statement is obviously just an estimate. Though I do not shoot nearly as much as Anita, I have never — in my 36 years of photographing birds — had a shutter fail. Neither has Anita. I would not bet against the shutters on either of the camera bodies below might very well outlast the photographer who purchases one of them …

Nikon D850 dSLR #1

Silly Low Price!
Price Reduced $100.00 on 2 JULY 2020

Anita North is offering a Nikon D850 dSLR in excellent plus condition for the silly low price of $1298.95 (was $1398.95) — shutter count 222,223. The rubber eye-cup is missing so there is a bit of wear showing on the metal of the eye-cup. The camera is, however, in perfect working condition. The sale includes the original box, the battery charger, one extra (brand new) Nikon battery, the front body cover, the strap, and insured ground shipping via major courier (to lower-48 US addresses only). Your item will not ship until your check has cleared the bank unless other arrangements are made. (PayPal +4% is fine with same-day shipping).