The Pink Skinny on 30 fps with Science-fiction like AF

What’s Up?

Walking in pretty much complete stillness, I enjoyed another wonderful afternoon at my new favorite trail at Circle B Bar Preserve in Lakeland. And there were lots of birds to photograph along with a few gators. If you own a copy of the BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide that I did with Joe Przybyla and would like information on this newly discovered trail, shoot me proof of purchase via e-mail with the word’s “Latest Info on Circle B Bar” in the Subject line.

Not a single person took a crack at this in yesterday’s blog post:

#2: Which basic compositional rule did I break when I created the second and the fourth images?

Today is Saturday 13 November. It is foggy but clear above here in ILE right at sunrise (6:40am). I would love to take a quick ride-around, but I have too much work to do and too many e-mails to answer… So I will keep on working and perhaps get out again this afternoon. This blog post took about one hour to prepare. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

This Just In

At 6:50am, intrigued by the sky conditions, I succumbed. I wound up staying out for well more than an hour. It was variably cloudy, sunny, and foggy. And there was not much of a breeze. I did a few videos of the cranes and wound up sitting on the edge of the building-in-progress lot right across from my home photographing some beautiful yellow flowers that I had been eyeing for about two weeks. That accomplished, I headed back down toward the lake to pick up a smelly dead opossum that I had seen on my way home. That now resides in my freezer …

What can I say? I love photography.

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

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 on items priced at $1,000 or more. 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%. The minimum item price is $1000 (or less for a $50 flat-fee). If you are interested, please scroll down here to read the terms. Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice only to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past years, we have sold many hundreds of items. Do know that prices for used gear only go in one direction. Down. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

If you would like to learn about selling your used gear on the BAA Used Gear Page, click here.

New Bedfords BAA Discount Info

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy free Overnight Fed-Ex Air shipping for orders over $1,000.00 and free Second Day Fed-Ex Air shipping for orders under $1,000.00.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy free Fed-Ex Air shipping as above, 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 qualify for the free Fed-Ex 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 a 1, 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.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the links on the blog (including the logo-link immediately above). My link works with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

Please Remember Also

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.

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.

I created this image on 25 March at Stick Marsh in Fellsmere, FL. While seated on a stool, I used hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 318mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that this raw file was almost 1/2 stop too dark. That knowledge guides me in setting the Exposure slider when converting the raw file in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). AWB at 8:53:00am on a sunny morning. Wide AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and worked very well. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the hi-res version. Image #1: Roseate Spoonbill braking to land — 1 of 3

The Remarkable 30 fps Sony a1 at the Remarkable Stick Marsh

My system switches, from Canon to Nikon and finally to Sony, were all made with the goal of becoming a better flight photographer in mind. Today’s three frames were made with the hand held a1/200-600 combo all in the same second. The file numbers are consecutive: 9054, 9055, and 9056. The craziest part is the I have now come up with even a better, more accurate AF method for birds in flight. With the a1, flight photography is almost unfair to the birds … I am getting closer to be a decent flight photographer!

Dates and details for the two (at least) Stick Marsh IPT will be announced here in Monday’s blog post. If you would like advance info, please shoot me an e-mail with the word’s Stick Marsh IPT Advance Info in the Subject line.

I created this image on 25 March at Stick Marsh in Fellsmere, FL. While seated on a stool, I used hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 318mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that this raw file was about 1/3 stop too dark. That knowledge guides me in setting the Exposure slider when converting the raw file in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). AWB at 8:53:00am on a sunny morning. Wide AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and worked very well. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the hi-res version. Image #2: Roseate Spoonbill braking to land — 2 of 3

How Slow is 30 fps?

If you divide one second into 10,000 individual poses, and capture 30 of those individual poses, you are still missing 9970 of those poses. In other words even with the blazing fast a1 (at 30fps), you are missing 99.7% of the individual poses. That explains how the three consecutive frames that I share with you today feature such different wing positions.

I created this image on 25 March at Stick Marsh in Fellsmere, FL. While seated on a stool, I used hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 318mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that this raw file was about 1/6 stop too dark. That knowledge guides me in setting the Exposure slider when converting the raw file in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). AWB at 8:53:00am on a sunny morning. Wide AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and worked very well. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the hi-res version. Image #3: Roseate Spoonbill braking to land — 3 of 3

Speaking of Which …

Of today’s three featured images, which is your favorite? All are invited to leave a comment and let us know why they made their choice.

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as more and more folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. As the a1 is becoming more readily available, more and more folks are getting their hands on this amazing body. With two folks joining yesterday, we are now up to an astounding 87 lucky and blessed photographers! 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, folks can call Jim weekdays at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

Typos

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