Sony 200-600mm G Lens at 840mm on the Cliffs at La Jolla

Your Call?

Which of today’s four featured images is your favorite? Why?

Homer Late Registration Discounts

If you are interested in traveling to Homer, AK with me in FEB/MAR 2023 to photograph Bald Eagles, shoot me an e-mail for late registration discount info. Several folks are in the process of registering so do not tarry. The first IPT is looking sold out as I await the last deposit check.

What’s Up?

With clear skies and a nice wind from the east, Friday morning on Day 2 of the 3rd San Diego Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) was a fabulous one for flight photography. It began with non-stop action on Royal Terns returning time after time to land after being put up by a big wave. A bit later in the morning we had one gorgeous pelican after another flying back after a morning fishing trip. We went over getting the right exposure for the terns and for the pelicans. The latter needed 1/3- to 2/3-stop more light as the whites on the terns are much brighter than the whites on the adult and juvenile pelicans. We enjoyed a lengthy working brunch at Shorehouse Kitchen where everybody loves the food. We worked so long and so hard that we decided to call off the afternoon session to give everyone a chance to recover.

With the sunny weather of the past few days, the 200-600 has been taken out of moth balls and proven its worth every day. Though much slower than both the 400mm f/2.8 and the 600mm f/4, it is much easier to handhold than either of the big guns. After the first edit, I wound up keeping 181 images out of the 3746 that I created on Friday morning, most of them of birds in flight. It was a very good day.

Today is Saturday 21 January 2023. The forecast for the morning is for clear and very cold. It will be 36° at Santee Lakes in the morning. If you know where to be at sunrise, fire-in-the-mist conditions on cold, clear mornings are pretty much guaranteed. We will be there.

This blog post took more than two hours to prepare (including the time spent on the four image optimizations) and makes two hundred ninety-eight days in a row with a new, educational post. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

I fly back to Florida this coming Tuesday. Please remember to use my B&H or Bedford’s affiliate programs for your new gear purchases.

There are just two spots left on the 2023 Spoonbill Boat 1-1/2 DAY MINI-IPT. Scroll down for details.

The plan is to continue to post every day until the streak reaches one year and one day and then go back to posting every other day.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

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 earn 3% cash back 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.

Induro GIT 304L Tripod

Out of production for more than two years, BAA just sold its last one. The good news? We have located two more new-in-the-box tripods. They will be available for shipping at the end of January. Best to order yours now to be sure that you get one. We will not run your card until your item ships. The 304L was my go-to tripod for more than a decade. Best to grab order yours right now to avoid being disappointed.

Bedfords Amazing 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. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. 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, or to 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 waitlists 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 Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 19 January 2023 on Day 1 of the 3rd San Diego Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 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) with The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel: RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect: 1/1000 sec. at f/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:11:05am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Image #1: Brown Pelican Pacific-race with bill pouch distended image

Bill Pouch Distended Images

As not here previously, the pelicans often distend their bill pouches revealing the gorgeous colors and patterns that are usually hidden. Thy may do this when greeting a landing pelican or when squabbling with another pelican. At times, combined with a jab of the bill, it is an aggressive move designed to displace another bird. And sometimes, the bill pouch may be distended for no reason at all (as I believe was the case when I created Image #1).

In any case, the 200-600 with the 1.4X TC gives me 840mm of reach when needed. This allows me to easily isolate birds and action. The relatively light weight of this handholdable-for-most-folks rig allows me to move easily and quickly on the cliff to get on sun angle. The 600 f/4 on a tripod also gives me 840mm of reach but my movements are greatly restricted by the weight and bulk of the lens and having to deal with the tripod. Oftentimes the slower lens is the perfect tool for the job leaving the much faster 600mm f/4 in the proverbial dust. And that is especially true on sunny day when the f/6.3 aperture (f/9 with the TC added) is much less of a hindrance than it would be on a cloudy day or when working in the shade.

This image was also created on 19 January 2023 on Day 1 of the 3rd San Diego Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). Again, I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 587mm) with The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera ISO 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel: RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect: 1/2000 sec. at f/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:23:34am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Image #2: Brown Pelican Pacific-race (bald orange variant) ruffling. image

Framing Flexibility

The 2-6 with the 1.4X TC gives you a 280 to 840mm zoom lens. I had been creating vertical head and bill portraits of the bird in Image #2 at about 625mm when the bird began to vigorously ruffle its feathers. I was able to zoom out almost instantly while checking to see that the AF system held on the bird’s eye. It did! The ability to zoom in and out as needed over the relatively huge focal length range of 280 to 840mm is a godsend on the cliffs at La Jolla.

Bald Pelicans

I am not sure if the pelicans that look bald are molting out of or into breeding plumage. I will try to find out when I get home. In any can, they make for different and attractive (if somewhat ungainly) subjects. As with my beloved shorebirds, I love studying, learning about, and trying to understand the various plumages and molt sequences.

This image was also created on 19 January 2023 on Day 1 of the 3rd San Diego Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). Again, I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 280mm) with The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera ISO 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel: RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect: 1/2000 sec. at f/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:51:52am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Image #3: Brown Pelican Pacific-race head throw image

Sharpness and Image Quality

Contrary to popular opinion, the word on the street, and statements made by a large array of internet experts, images created with the 200-600/1.4X/a1 rig are incredibly sharp and the image quality is excellent. When I saw the bird in Image #3 begin a head throw, I zoomed out to the max, acquired focus, and made a short series of images. I cut off the bird’s legs and feet, and as I was working horizontally included part of three other birds in the frame. By cropping away about 70% of the original frame, a handsome head throw/torso shot was possible.

If you doubt me, please be sure to check out the 100% crop of the optimized .TIF file below.

Image #3A: The original frame which the Brown Pelican Pacific-race head throw image was created

Th Original

The original image is above to give you an idea of the huge crop that was executed.

Be sure to click on the image to see the high-res version. You will be astounded. Image #3B: An unsharpened 100% crop of the optimized TIF file for the Brown Pelican Pacific-race head throw image

An Unsharpened 100% Crop

Considering that Image #3 consisted of only about 30% of the original pixels, the sharpness and image quality of the 100% crop is astounding. Please remember that this image was created with the 1.4X TC.

This image was also created on 19 January 2023 on Day 1 of the 3rd San Diego Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). Again, I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 587mm) with The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel: RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect: 1/1000 sec. at f/11 (stopped down 2/3-stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:48:19 am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Image #4: Brown Pelican Pacific-race resting image

Dealing With “Harsh” Light

Image #4 was created at 9:48am, rather late on a sunny morning, Many photographers leave the cliffs by 8:30 stating that the light is too harsh. For me, working clean, tight, and precisely on sun angle (with the sun coming right over the top of my head) can yield some very sweet images in what are generally seen as poor conditions. Try it; you just might like the results.

Interestingly enough, images of a single handsome pelican resting on the edge of the cliff are difficult to come by.

Typos

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