New ILE Residents? Hope So!

The Best?

Please take a moment to let us know which of today’s two featured images is your favorite, and why you chose it. Comparative comments are also welcome.

What’s Up?

Yesterday was the second straight NPD (no photography day). I worked long and hard yesterday on the BAA EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide. I was privileged to spend 30 minutes on the phone with top Canon tech-rep and long-time friend, Rudy Winston. Before the call, thinking on my own, I improved the work that I had done yesterday on the VF/info/toggle settings. Getting that set correctly makes working with the R5 much easier. I will be pounding away on this e-Guide again today.

I did my swim yesterday with the pool three degrees colder than it was on Wednesday. And froze when I got out.

Today is Thursday 4 February 2021. It is clear, and for Florida, brutally cold this morning: 30 degrees at 6:00am. I do not think that it has ever been this cold since I moved here more than two decades ago. With gentle NE winds in the forecast for this morning, I will likely head down to the lake to do some photography. Sunset is finally looking decent with a south wind. That is good but not great; I will go down hoping for some color in the sky.

With today’s record-low overnight temps and this being the third day in a row with a cold evening, I will likely skip my swim today.

If you think that I am exaggerating on the cold, I just checked the pool temperature. It is down to 74 degrees. Twelve days ago it was 88 degrees!

This blog past makes forty-six days in a row with a new blog post. This one took about two 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.

Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro News

We now have two dozen (make that 23) Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro heads in stock. The ballhead that acts like (but is much lighter than) a gimbal-head, and that serves all purposes, has — as I predicted when I first used a FlexShooter Pro head — taken the world of nature photography by storm. And it’s all on the level too!

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 year or more at the bottom of the page.

Biggest and Best SONY Bargains

Sony Alpha a7r IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

Price Reduced $200 on 2 FEB 2021

BAA-friend Craig Elson is offering a Sony a7r IV Mirrorless Digital camera body in like-new condition for the very low price of $2198.00 (was $2398.00). The body had a glass LCD protector on it from the moment it was taken out of the box. The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it and insured UPS ground shipping to lower-48 US addresses. Your new camera will not ship until payment clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Craig via e-mail or by phone at 1-704.904.7953 (Pacific 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 $1100.00 by grabbing Craig’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

Price Reduced $200 on 28 JAN 2021
Price Reduced $100 on 2 FEB 2021

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 $3298.00 (was $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

134 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.

Folks who have used my B&H affiliate links or purchased their SONY gear are invited to e-mail for discount information.

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 created on 25 January 2021 down by the lake at ILE. Working from my SUV, I used the Induro GIT 204/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 1600. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this as a huge over-exposure. But that was just what I wanted. See Image 2A to learn why. AWB on a very cloudy day at 9:03am. Tracking Expand Flexible Spot AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Bald Eagle standing on nest

New ILE Residents?

As regular readers know, a pair of Bald Eagles has been hanging around the lakefront for the past few months. I have seen them at two different Osprey nests from previous years. I did see them copulating at this nest a few weeks ago. They have not laid any eggs. Yet, I hope.

I took a walk up and back on the North Field (and then the pier) yesterday. I walked by the nest a good distance away and saw that both birds were perched near the nest. As you might imagine looking closely at the nest, it will be lit unevenly on sunny mornings. But on cloudy days, photography from the car is possible. It was a no-brainer going with the 600 f/4 GM lens rather than the 200-600 f/6.3 G lens to save four clicks of ISO.

For this image I went vertical and stayed well back from the nest so as to emphasize the trunk of the pine tree, the nest, and the hanging moss.

Image #2A: Topaz DeNoise AI Comparison View screen capture for the Bald Eagle standing on nest image

Topaz Stuff

As we have seen here before and often, using the Comparison View allows us to choose the best DeNoise AI option. With the most recent update, Low Light seems to have been improved considerably. With this image, results with DeNoise and Low Light are hard to distinguish. Curiously, the settings on both for this image were identical. Note that with this image AI Clear made a mess of the dark feathers in the lower left corner. The lesson is that it pays to compare.

This image was also created on 25 January 2021 down by the lake at ILE. Still working from my SUV, I used the Induro GIT 204/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 640. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/500 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode. RawDigger (again) showed this as a huge over-exposure. But it was just what I wanted. Learn why below. AWB on a very cloudy day at 9:14am. Tracking Expand Flexible Spot AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Image #2: Bald Eagle near nest

Image Design Thoughts

One of the eagles likes to perch on this branch to our left of the nest. Getting closer and adding a teleconverter to try for a bigger-in-the-frame portrait does not work because of the downward-facing branch just to our left of the big raptor’s right foot. It is just plain ugly. So I came up with the idea of staying well back and including the lovely curve of that very same branch as a main element of the composition.

I am, of course, hoping that this pair continues to set up housekeeping, lays eggs, and fledges an eaglet or two.

Image #2A: RawDigger Screen Capture for the Bald Eagle near nest/em> image

The RawDigger Adapted “pink” Histogram

Ok, so we have 8,000,000 over-exposed pixels. But for me, this is a perfect exposure. Why? First of all, I needed to properly expose for the dark feathers of the eagle while guiding against over-exposing the white feathers of the head. Note that there are no rosy pink OvExp warnings on the eagle’s head. And I am never at all worried about getting detail in a white sky on a cloudy day.

Over-exposing a light-toned background to the best exposure for a dark subject or subjects is a fairly common occurrence that is detailed in the RawDigger e-Guide. Note: Patrick Sparkman, the junior author, prefers not push this type of image as far to the right as I do.

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.