Merritt Island NWR In-the-Vehicle Instruction. The Answers to the Osprey Optical Collusion and Other Recent Questions.

Merritt Island NWR In-the-Vehicle Instruction

I will be heading over to Merritt Island NWR on Friday and staying the weekend. Black Point Drive has had lots of Roseate Spoonbills and feeding sprees near the road recently. When I lived in Deltona ,I visited often, so I know the place well. I have a great little-known sunrise location there.

If you would like to meet me for a day or two or three of In-the-Vehicle Instruction, please e-mail immediately so that we can discuss the rates (inexpensive) and a schedule. 500 or 600mm lenses are preferred. Most of our photography will be from my vehicle. The weather for the weekend is looking good. I need to know in advance so that I can set up my car so that you can photograph from the back seat. I can only take one. Shared lodging (with your own bedroom) in my AirBnB home (FRI, SAT, and SUN nights) is available. If a private IPT sounds as if it might be something that you would enjoy, do get in touch quickly. Or call my cell at 863-221-2372. I will sign up the first to get in touch for a single session or two. Mornings will begin very early.

What’s Up?

I have another few hours work on the RawDigger Guide. I should have it complete and in the BAA Online Store by Thursday. I did make it out at sunset on Wednesday and took a few not-too-good images. After seeing yesterday’s exciting blog post, many folks ordered their Sony Alpha a1 bodies from B&H or Bedfords using the BAA affiliate links or discount code. Huge thanks to all of those folks, each of whom who will be enjoying a free copy of the BAA Sony Alpha a1 Camera User’s Guide before we know it.

Today is Thursday 28 January 2021. A cold front is coming through tonight; this morning is supposed to be sunny with NW winds. Knowing that that is a very bad forecast for morning bird photography, I will go down to the lake for a bit. I began setting up my Canon R5 this afternoon so that I can do some flight photography along Black Point Drive this weekend. 🙂

I was pleased to learn of the sale of Tom Mast’s Canon EF 300mm f2.8L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for a very low $3399.00 the first day it was listed earlier this month. If you have been wanting to get into SONY mirrorless but cannot afford the new Alpha a1, there are three great low-priced options for you below.

This blog past makes thirty-nine days in a row with a new blog post. This one took about 2 1/2 hours to prepare. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes can always help out by clicking here if they see fit.

The BAA Used Gear Page

The Used Gear page continues to be very active. The BAA Used Gear Page is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 20 to 60% or more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Recent Sales list for the past eleven months at the bottom of the page.

New Listings

Sony Alpha a7r IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

Sold in one hour!

BAA-friend and multiple IPT veteran William Schneider is offering a Sony a7r IV Mirrorless Digital camera body in like-new condition for the very low price of $2598.00. The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it and insured UPS ground shipping to lower-48 US addresses. As a favor to Bill, I will throw in a copy of The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide and One Camera Set-up Video (a $100.00 value). Your new camera will not ship until payment clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Bill via e-mail or by phone (or text) at 1-262-269-8628 (Eastern time zone).

For the past two years you have seen the incredible detail in my a7r IV images made with a variety of SONY lenses and both teleconverters. I’ve typically used my 7r IV for about 50% of my bird photography and my a9 II in pure flight situations. As the 7r IV sells new right now for $3498.00, you can save a cool $900.00 by grabbing Bill’s pretty much new a7r iv. Though this 61-MP body is especially attractive to landscape and macro photographers, it is great for birds as well as you can pretty much crop to your heart’s content. artie

Sony Alpha a9 ii Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

BAA-friend and multiple IPT veteran William Schneider is offering a Sony a9 ii Mirrorless Digital camera body in like-new condition for the very low price of $3498.00. The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it and insured UPS ground shipping to lower-48 US addresses. As a favor to Bill, I will throw in a copy of The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide and One Camera Set-up Video (a $100.00 value). Your new camera will not ship until payment clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Bill via e-mail or by phone (or text) at 1-262-269-8628 (Eastern time zone).

From the moment I tracked that first incoming Brandt’s Cormorant, I knew that SONY a9 series bodies featured the world’ best AF. I upgraded to the a9 ii as soon as it was released for the slightly larger body size. I currently own two of them. A new a9 ii sells for $4,498.00. You can save a very nice $1000 by grabbing Bill’s pretty much new a9 ii. Not to mention that the new Sony A1 sells for $6498.00 … artie

Sony Alpha a7r IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

BAA Record-Low Price — Reduced $100 28 JAN 2021

Arthur Morris is offering a Sony a7r IV Mirrorless Digital camera body in excellent-plus condition for the BAA record-low price of $2398.00 (was $2498.00). Many might call this one near mint, but I like to be conservative when selling my own gear. The body has only 38,497 shutter actuations on it. The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it and insured UPS ground shipping to lower-48 US addresses. In addition, I will throw in a copy of The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide and One Camera Set-up Video (a $100.00 value). Your new camera will not ship until payment clears unless other arrangements are made. PayPal +4% will guarantee same day shipping.

Please contact artie via e-mail or by phone (or text) at 1-863-221-2372 (Eastern time zone).

For the past two years you have seen the incredible detail in my a7r IV images made with a variety of SONY lenses and both teleconverters. I’ve typically used my 7r IV for about 50% of my bird photography and my a9 II in pure flight situations. As the 7r IV sells new right now for $3498.00, you can save a very cool $1100.00 by grabbing my slightly used a7r iv. Though this 61-MP body is especially attractive to landscape and macro photographers, it is great for birds as well as you can pretty much crop to your heart’s content. artie

The Status of My Canon Gear

With the RawDigger e-Guide nearly complete, I am looking forward to setting up my very own R5 today and getting back to using it with the RF 100-500 (and on occasion, with the RF 1.4X teleconverter). That will enable me to get back to work on the BAA Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s Guide. It will be the most-expensive-ever Camera User’s Guide. Except for those who have used my affiliate links to purchase their Canon mirrorless gear.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plugins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Topaz Stuff

As I said just a while back and have said often many times before, I should have listened sooner. If you, like me, are new to the Topaz party, please use this link to purchase. Right now I can wholeheartedly recommend both Topaz Sharpen AI and Topaz DeNoise AI. Though I have not yet worked with JPEGtoRAW AI or Gigapixel AI, I have installed both of these plug-ins and look forward to trying them on some I-Phone 11 images fairly soon. If you are thinking like me, consider the Utility Bundle that includes all four plug-ins mentioned above at a money-saving price.

Again, those who purchase Sharpen AI or DeNoise AI using my link and then entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. Please include a copy of your Topaz receipt that shows the discount. I had a bit of trouble getting the two plug-ins installed and having them appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu. In addition, I will explain how to best learn about the two plug-ins by applying them on a Layer (in Photoshop).

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free overnight shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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.

This image was also created on 20 JAN 2021 down by the lake at ILE. Again, I used the Induro GIT 404L/Induro GIT 404L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body). AUTO ISO set 1000. Multi-metering +1.7 stops: 1/1600 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Shutter Priority (Tv or S) mode. AWB at 6:47pm right at sunset with some haze on the southwestern horizon. Bottom Center Zone AF-C got very lucky, in part by design … Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1: Cattle Egret landing above reeds at evening roost

In the Two Sunset Family Jewels. Was Luck the Residue of Design? blog post here, I love both images equally. If I had to enter one of the two in a contest it would be a hard choice only if expanding canvas was permitted …

Like me, BAA-friend Bryan Holliday had good things to say about the image with the bird on the “wrong side” of the frame:

Hey Artie! I like the bird on the wrong side in the second image. I think it works because the open space behind the bird shows where it came from and we see it is flying down into the lower left reeds. It tells a story.

The reason I like the image above is that the bird on the left (“wrong”) side of the frame is that the composition is balanced nicely by the red streaks in the water on the right side of the frame.

This image was created on 22 JAN 2021 down by the lake at ILE. I used the Induro GIT 404L/Induro GIT 404L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body). AUTO ISO set 100. Multi-metering -3 stops: 1/6400 sec. at f/22 (stopped down 3 stops) in Shutter Priority (Tv or S) mode. AWB at 6:44pm. Flexible Spot (S) One-Shot AF! Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #2: Osprey in setting sun

Nobody Took a Stab at This One

In the same blog post, I wrote:

AF Question

Why did I go to One-Shot AF here???

As noted here recently, when you are pointing your lens at super-bright highlights, most AF systems are blinded by the contrast. I tried my own advice by trying to focus manually and rely on Focus Peaking. But there were so many Zebras that I could not see a thing. So I turned the Zebras off but the sun behind the Osprey was so bright that I still could not see the Focus Peaking. Thinking fast, I reached up and switched from AF-C to One-Shot. Then I focused on the spot where the perch intersected the bottom of the sun. Bingo!

I love the problem solving that is often required in bird, wildlife, and nature photography. If you do not know everything, it almost feels better to work out a solution right on the spot in the field.

This image was created on 22 January 2021 while working away from my SUV at the Vulture Tree in the South Field at Indian Lake Estates. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 1250: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:22am on a sunny morning. Center Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and sharp focus was achieved. Click the image to see a larger version. Image #3: Black Vulture braking to land

Another Unanswered Question

In another recent blog post, I wrote:

Wind Direction Question

Why would a southeast wind have been better for this image than the south wind?

Answer: if the wind had been from the southeast (rather than from the south), the bird would have been angling more toward me. There would have been a good chance that the shadow on the far wing would have been eliminated.

This image was also created on 22 JAN 2021 down by the lake at ILE. Again, I used the Induro GIT 404L/Induro GIT 404L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body). AUTO ISO set 2000. Multi-metering +2 stops: 1/2000 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Shutter Priority (Tv or S) mode. AWB at 6:48pm. Tracking Expand Flexible Spot AF-C performed perfectly (even though the active AF point was on the sky). Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #4: Osprey taking flight just after sunset

The Optical Collusion …

In a recent blog post, I wrote:

A Coming-or-Going? Optical Illusion

I stayed on the Osprey after the sun set and upped my EC to +2 stops. (See more on that below …) IAC, this is the question of the day: is the Osprey flying away from us or toward us? Be careful as these can be very tricky.

The comments were very interesting. The folks who thought that the bird was flying toward us, gave all sorts of definitive reasons. Those in the other camp just said, “The bird is flying away.” The results were about 4 to 4.

Image #4A: The lighted TIF for Osprey flying away

Whaddaya Think Now?

I’d say that the bird was flying away. And I was there. The wind was from the west. Optical illusions like this are fairly common when you are creating silhouettes. I posted a similar one of a crane a few years back. It too was headed away, but it looked as if it were flying right at us.