How Low Do You Go? A Used Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS Lens!

What’s Up?

The DeSoto IPT got off to an incredible start on Monday. The morning session was filled with pairs of copulating Royal Terns, a dancing Reddish Egret, two wonderfully cooperative Laughing Gulls in a perfect setting, and a nice variety of shorebirds, including and especially some fairly bright Sanderlings molting into breeding plumage. The sweet light and the east wind made bird photography a pleasure.

Jake Levin and Jim Miller arrived with brand new SONY Alpha a1 bodies that they had not set up. I suggested that I copy all of my settings to their bodies using the Save/Load Settings feature so that we would be on the exact same page. Both agreed. The process took less than a minute. Both were utterly astounded by the AF performance of the a1 as the AF system locked onto the bird’s eyes and never let it go. And with ISO on the rear wheel, getting the right exposure is a snap (as long as you have the correct Zebra settings as detailed in the Sony Camera User’s e-Guide). Note: everyone in the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group receives a free copy of the Sony Camera User’s e-Guide if they do not already have a copy.

Though the east wind persisted in the afternoon, we enjoyed a second great session on Monday afternoon with lots of shorebirds including Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Semipalmated and Black-bellied Plovers, Least Sandpiper, Sanderling, and Willet. And one of the Willets was quite proficient at catching and eating small crabs.

I created 4023 images yesterday. I have not finished my first edit. I did make many fine images.

Thanks to the many who commented on yesterdays four Osprey images. I will be chiming in on that topic and catching up with some previous blog questions in tomorrows post.

Today is Tuesday 27 April 2021. The forecast for St. Pete this morning is again perfect: clear skies with a nice east wind. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.

This blog post took about one hour to prepare and makes 125 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head, for example, is available from B&H and/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great if you opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save money at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Canon EF 800mm f/5.6 L USM Lens

IPT veteran Sandra Calderbank is offering a Canon EF 800mm f/5.6 L USM lens in excellent condition for $6798.00. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk, the original tough front lens cover, the lens strap, the original Canon tripod foot, a Really Right Stuff replacement foot, a LensCoat cover and a Hoodie 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 Sandra via e-mail or by phone at 1-828 412 1047 Eastern time zone.

I used this lens, often with a 1.4X TC, as my main super-telephoto lens for close to five years. It is a superb lens that offers lots of reach for those working with birds that are skittish. It is great from the car. I was astounded that about 15 of the 67 images in the San Diego exhibit (and in the 100 Best CD as well) were created with my 800. I missed it terribly for years. As the lens sells new at B&H for $12,999, Sandra’s lens — that will kill with an R5 — is a superb buy; grab it now and save a very sweet $6201.00! artie

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

IPT veteran Sandra Calderbank is offering a Canon EOS 7D Mark II in-near mint condition with 21,069 actuations for $649.00. The sale includes the strap, the original product box, one battery, the front cap, the software, manual, & cables, a Really Right Stuff plate, 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 Sandra via e-mail or by phone at 1-828 412 1047 Eastern time zone.

Both Patrick Sparkman and I used and loved the 7D Mark II until about four years ago when we both committed — at the time — 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

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, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

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 second-day air 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 26 April 2021, first morning of the second DeSoto IPT. Lying flat on my belly in the wet sand, I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 840mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/10 (stopped down 1/3 stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:15:50am on a clear, sunny morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Dunlin ruffling

How Low Do You Go?

One of the main topics that we covered during both sessions dealt with how low to go and how to get there. We had folks lying or sitting on the wet sand and hand holding. Some used the tilted rear screen while sitting. Some sat behind their lowered tripods and some lay on the ground with the tripod legs splayed flat. During the afternoon session, I tried the Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro atop a Skimmer II.

Being too high reveals shells and pebbles on the beach. Being too low loses the birds feet or the lower half of the female of a copulating pair. Note: some of the latter images worked surprisingly well! Other considerations when getting low are the effect of the breaking waves on an image as well as the placement of the horizon line.

As today’s two featured images were created on the edge of a pool, waves were not an issue. For me, the perspective is perfect with a fuzzy peek at the top of the bird’s feet, a killer background, and an intimate look at the life of a shorebird.

This image was created on 26 April 2021, first morning of the second DeSoto IPT. Lying flat on my belly in the wet sand, I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 840mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/10 (stopped down 1/3 stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:15:50am on a clear, sunny morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Dunlin ruffling

Best?

The a1’s thirty frames/second (only with the fast card while shooting compressed raw) gives you lots of poses to choose from. With this single ruffle, I had about 45 poses to choose from. These two images were chosen from my nine favorites. Your job is even harder: choose the better of these two images and leave a comment letting us know why you made your choice.

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based advice. We are now up to an astounding 35 folks. Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem.

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link will receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.) This same service may be purchased by anyone with an a1 body via a $150.00 PayPal sent to birdsasart@verizon.net indicating payment for Alpha a1 Info Updates. Alternatively, they can call Jim weekday afternoons at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

Typos

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