Sony a7R IV/600 GM at La Jolla/Part II: Amazing Detail!

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s featured images is your favorite? All are invited to leave a comment and to let us know why they made their choice. Yesterday, I agreed with BAA-friend Bob Eastman with regards to leaving or evicting the bit of wing in the upper right corner. You can see his comment by scrolling down here.

Sweet Home, Alabama!

If you like music at all — Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Wilson Pickett, Alicia Keys, Etta James, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Clarence Carter, The Allman Brothers Band, and many more — this YouTube movie is a must-see. It started playing automatically in the background yesterday after a short Youtube video that I had been watching ended; completely captivated by the sound, and then by the story, I watched the whole thing straight through.

Located alongside the Tennessee River, Muscle Shoals, Alabama has helped create some of the most important and resonant songs of all time. Overcoming crushing poverty and staggering tragedies, Rick Hall brought black and white together to create music for the generations. He is responsible for creating the “Muscle Shoals sound” and The Swampers, the house band at FAME Studios that eventually left to start its own successful studio known as Muscle Shoals Sound. Gregg Allman and others bear witness to Muscle Shoals’ magnetism, mystery and why it remains influential today.

What’s Up?

On Thursday, while sitting in my SUV in a light drizzle near the most recent version of my road-kill cafe, more than 50 vultures visited. The problem was that just as the birds began to fly in, the wind switched from East to North by slightly west. Bummer.

Today is Friday 19 November 2021. The forecast for this morning is for cloudy with a nice northeast breeze. I’d be down at the lake again, but for the fact that my SUV is in the shop for the 30,000 mile service. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post, again starring the Sony a7r IV, took about 90 minutes to prepare.

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.

Brand New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, and any prior purchases.

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 getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex 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 check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. 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.

Wanted to Buy

If you have any of the following items that you would like to sell, please get in touch via e-mail. If you are not familiar with the Items for Sale terms, please click here before responding.

Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens (in excellent or better condition)
Canon or Sigma 15-75mm lens (in excellent or better condition)
Canon EF Extender 2X (in excellent or better condition)

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.

This image was created 6 January 2020 while scouting for the 2020 San Diego IPT. I used the tripod-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the 61-MP Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 400. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/8 (stopped down one stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 10:02am on sunny morning. Center Zone Continuous/tracking AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see the spectacular hi res version. Image #1: Unsharpened tight crop of Image #3 showing the amazing detail in a sharp a7r IV file: Pacific Race Brown Pelican — pre-breeding plumage

New Listings

SONY a7r IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body (with the great extras!)

BIRDS AS ART Record Low Price

Used Gear Page regular and BAA-friend Mansoor Assadi is offering a SONY a7r IV Mirrorless digital camera body in excellent plus condition for the BAA record low price (with the extras) of $2298.00. The sale includes a Sony VG-C4EM Vertical Grip (a $398.00 value), a Really Right Stuff L-Plate Set with Grip for Sony a7R IV (a $205 value), the original box, one battery — the original, the front body cap, the strap, 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 Mansoor via e-mail or by phone at 415-559-8027 (Pacific time).

For the past several years you have seen the incredible detail in my a7r IV images made with a variety of SONY lenses and both teleconverters. Before the a1, I typically used my 7r IV for about 50% of my bird photography and my a9 II in pure flight situations. As the 7r IV with the extras sells new right now for $4101.00, you can save a cool $1803.00 by grabbing Mansoor’s a7r IV ASAP. 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

Canon EOS 5DSR with Canon BG-E11 Battery Grip

BIRDS AS ART Record Low Price
Sale Pending first day of listing

Used Gear Page regular and BAA-friend Mansoor Assadi is offering a Canon EOS 5DSR in excellent condition for a BAA record low (with the grip) $798.00. The sale includes the Canon BG-E11 Battery Grip (a $269.00 value), the original box, the front body cap, 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 Mansoor via e-mail or by phone at 415-559-8027 (Pacific time).

Though it is well-noted as a superb camera for landscapes and macro, I used this fine, 50.3 MP body to make lots of great bird photographs when I shot Canon. The 5DS R currently sells new for $1499.00 and is back-ordered in many places. Grab Mansoor’s 5DS R with the grip and save a bundle. artie

Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II Tilt-Shift Lens

Used Gear Page regular and BAA-friend Mansoor Assadi is offering a Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II Tilt-Shift Lens in like-new condition for a very low $899.00. The sale includes the original box, the lens cap, the rear cap, the lens pouch, 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 Mansoor via e-mail or by phone at 415-559-8027 (Pacific time).

Balancing a versatile wide-angle field of view with advanced perspective and focus control, the TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II is a Canon L-series tilt-shift lens well-suited to architecture, interior, and landscape photography. Up to +/- 8.5° of tilt is possible, for focus control, and +/- 12mm of shift, to adjust perspective and composition. The tilt-shift mechanism can be rotated +/- 90° for applying movements in any direction, and a tilt-locking mechanism can be used while shooting for greater stability.
Complementing the operation of the lens, this L-series prime is also distinguished by its optical design that features four of Ultra-Low Dispersion elements to significantly reduce color fringing and chromatic aberrations as well as one aspherical element to minimize spherical aberrations and distortion. Individual elements also feature a Subwavelength Coating to suppress flare and ghosting for greater contrast and color neutrality. Canon & B&H

I used this lens a few times for photographing large fields of flowers with everything in focus. As it sells now for $1,899.00 you can save a cool one grand! artie

Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8L IS II USM Zoom Lens

BIRDS AS ART Record Low Price

Used Gear Page regular and BAA-friend Mansoor Assadi is offering a Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8L IS II USM Zoom Lens in excellent condition for a BAA record-low $747.00. The sale includes the original box, the tripod ring, the front lens cap, the rear cap, the lens case, 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 Mansoor via e-mail or by phone at 415-559-8027 (Pacific time).

The versatile 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses have long been big favorites of many nature photographers. They are great for landscapes especially with fall color peaking in many areas. I have used this lens with Canon and Nikon and SONY. I used my Canon version to photograph granddaughter Maya’s dance recitals and to create bird-scapes and pre-dawn blast-off blurs at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico. They are fast and sharp and have 1000 uses. The 70-200 f/2.8 lenses are a specialty lens for bird photographers. Like the bad little child, when they are good, they are really, really good! I’ve used mine mostly for flight photography at point blank range where their performance is unmatched, especially in low light. I’ve killed with these lenses on the gannet boat in the UK, in Homer for eagles, for pre-dawn and blizzard blast-offs at Bosque, and at Merritt Island on feeding sprees right next to the road. They are easily hand holdable by just about everyone. artie

ps: To see what the 70-200 zoom lenses can do, see the blog post here.

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens

BIRDS AS ART Record Low Price
Sale Pending first day of listing

Used Gear Page regular and BAA-friend Mansoor Assadi is offering a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens in excellent condition for a BAA record-low $1397.00. The sale includes the original box, the tripod ring, the front lens cap, the rear cap, the lens case, 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 Mansoor via e-mail or by phone at 415-559-8027 (Pacific time).

This incredibly versatile zoom lens — with its amazing .98 meter close focus — was my favorite Canon telephoto zoom lens ever. By far. It is easy to hand hold, great for tight portraits, for birds in flight, for quasi-macro stuff, and lots more. For flight, it is fabulous with an R5! The lens sells new for $2399.00 so you can save a very nice $1102.00 by grabbing Mansoor’s copy now. artie

Canon Speedlight 600EX-RT

Used Gear Page regular and BAA-friend Mansoor Assadi is offering four Canon Speedlight 600EX-RT units in mint condition for $169.00 each; buy one or all. The sale includes the protective case 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 Mansoor via e-mail or by phone at 415-559-8027 (Pacific time).

Complete with built-in radio transmission wireless functionality, the Speedlite 600EX-RT sits at the top of Canon’s on-camera E-TTL/ E-TTL II compatible flash lineup with a powerful guide number of 197′ at ISO 100 and 200mm. This two-way 2.4 GHz radio system provides added reliability and a range up to 98.4′ among up to 5 groups with a total of 15 individual Speedlites. This system also does not need direct line-of-site like traditional optical-based transmission and will work through obstacles. Canon & B&H

These sells new for $449.00 each. If you are looking for a Canon hummingbird flash set-up grab all four of these great flashes and the transmitter below and you will be good to go. artie

Canon Speedlight transmitter ST-E3-RT

Used Gear Page regular and BAA-friend Mansoor Assadi is offering a Canon Speedlight Transmitter ST-E3-RT for a very low $269.00. The sale includes the protective case 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 Mansoor via e-mail or by phone at 415-559-8027 (Pacific time).

This unit has an operating range of 98.4 feet, a dot matrix LCD panel, and backlit controls for easy visibility in low light. The transmitter can control up to 15 individual flashes or five groups, simplifying management of complex lighting setups. Support is provided for E-TTL II Flash, Manual Flash, Stroboscopic, and Auto External Flash metering. Eight custom functions and three personal functions further expand the customization options available. Canon & B&H

This image was created 6 January 2020 while scouting for the 2020 San Diego IPT. I used the tripod-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the 61-MP Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 400. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/8 (stopped down one stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 10:01am on sunny morning. Upper Center Zone Continuous/tracking AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see the spectacular hi res version. Image #2: Pacific Race Brown Pelican — pre-breeding plumage, “carpet neck”

Morning Light and Distant Pacific-BLUE Backgrounds

Images like this are a dime a dozen at La Jolla. With lots of tame pelicans, the sun coming over the hills to the east, and the backgrounds of distant Pacific-BLUE, it is an ideal photographic situation. With the typical morning breeze from the southeast, there are often lots of great flight photography situations with short to intermediate telephoto zoom lenses.

This image was created 6 January 2020 while scouting for the 2020 San Diego IPT. I used the tripod-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the 61-MP Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 400. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/8 (stopped down one stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 10:02am on sunny morning. Center Zone Continuous/tracking AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see the spectacular hi res version. Image #3: Pacific Race Brown Pelican — pre-breeding plumage — carpet neck & bill detail”

Brown Pelican Ages and Plumages

I am always fascinated by the variety of Brown Pelican plumages in Southern California. The breeding plumage birds with their bright fire-engine red and olive-green bill pouches and their rich chocolate-brown hind necks are probably the most glamourous. But the pre-breeding birds that exhibit their carpet-like hind necks are quite handsome on their own. Some non-breeding adults have white crowns and brown hind-necks while others have white heads and white hind-necks. That many of the birds are in various stages of molt adds interest. The color of the upper part of the bill pouch can vary from fire-engine red to orange to yellow with every shade in between. If you own any super-telephoto lens you owe it to yourself to visit this location at least once.

San Diego, California: A Bird Photographer’s Paradise!

I’ve been visiting San Diego, California for more than 50 years, and photographing there for almost four decades. It truly is one of my favorite bird photography locations on the planet. The Pacific race Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches, are indeed the stars of the show, but there are lots of other great birds there that are relatively easy to photograph. Check out this five minute video to see the potential.

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking here.

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of California Brown Pelican. With annual visits spanning more than four decades, I have lots of photographic experience there … Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

The 2022 San Diego Brown Pelicans (and more!) IPT. Monday 17 January thru the morning session on Friday 21 January 2022. Four full and one-half day: $2999.00. Deposit: $899.00. Limit: 8 photographers/Openings: 6

Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (nesting with eggs and possibly chicks) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Northern Shoveler and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heermann’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others are possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seals (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lions. And as you can see by studying the IPT cards, there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Not to mention a ton of excellent flight photography opportunities and instruction.

Please note: where permitted and on occasion, ducks and gulls may be attracted (or re-located) with offerings of grains or healthy bread.

Learning Exposure, Whether You Like It Or Not

Whether you like it or not, we will be beating the subject of exposure like a dead horse. In every new situation, you will hear my thoughts on the exposure situation along with my thoughts on both Nikon and Canon histograms and SONY Zebras. Whether you like it or not, you will learn to work in manual mode and to get the right exposure every time as long as a bird gives you ten seconds with the light constant. (Or two seconds with SONY zebras…) And you will learn what to do when the light is changing constantly. What you learn about exposure is one of the great takeaways on every IPT.

Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT, there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

It Ain’t Just Pelicans

With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography as well, often with 70-200mm lenses! And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You will be guided as to how to make the best of all of those opportunities. And depending on the weather and local conditions and tides, there are a variety of other fabulous photo chances available in and around San Diego.

Did I mention that there are lots of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter? Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

The San Diego Details

This IPT will include five three hour morning photo sessions, four one and one-half afternoon photo sessions, four working brunches that will include image review and Photoshop sessions. On rare cloudy day occasions, we may — at my discretion, stay out in the morning for a long session and skip that afternoon. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. And so that we can get some sleep, dinners will be on your own as well. In the extremely unlikely event that Goldfish Point is closed due to local ordinance (or whimsy) — that has never happened in the past fifty years, I will of course do my very best to maximize our photographic opportunities.

An $899 deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART”) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 3385, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due right after you sign up.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for both big international trips and US-based IPTs is highly recommended as we never know what life has in store for us. I strongly recommend that you purchase quality travel insurance. Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options you can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. My family and I use and depend on the great policies offered by TIS whenever we travel. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check or running your credit card. Whenever purchasing travel insurance, be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

Variety is surely the spice of life in San Diego. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Getting Up Early and Staying Out Late

On all BIRDS AS ART IPTS including and especially the San Diego IPT, we get into the field early to take advantage of unique and often spectacular lighting conditions and we stay out late to maximize the chances of killer light and glorious sunset silhouette situations. We often arrive at the cliffs a full hour before anyone else shows up to check out the landscape and seascape opportunities.

Typos

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