Stunned by Sony a1 Autofocus. Lens, TC, and focal length?

Galapagos 2023 Opening

Due to a cancellation, I have an opening for a single male photographer on the Galapagos 2023 Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT, the world’s finest photographic cruise of the famed archipelago. I am offering it with a substantial discount. If you are interested in joining a great group, or have questions, please get in touch via e-mail ASAP.

What’s Up?

As is usual, please remember that the blog is designed to be interactive. The more you consider the questions, the more your photography will improve. Leaving a comment is the icing on the cake. Please do share any and all blog posts with photography friends.

There was a strong west wind on a sunny Saturday morning at ILE. Things clouded over as I headed home early. I found all three baby cranes easily, but my best images were head shots of a preening Great Egret on the edge of the lake. I did see one of the adult eagles fly into the nest with a small prey item for the two eaglets.

In yesterday’s post, I ranked the images 2, 1, 3, just because. I left the dried grass stem in #3 just to see what folks would say. Today is Sunday 12 March 2023. If I do not oversleep, I will be heading early to Stick Marsh to check things out and meet up with old friend Clemens Van der Werf who is visiting from his new home in Holland with wife Adri. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes three hundred forty-seven days in a row with a new educational post written just for you. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

My plan is to continue to post every day until the streak reaches one year and one day and then begin 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.

B&H

Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.

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, prior purchases.

Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.

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 25 February 2023 on the second Bald Eagle Instructional Photo-Tour at Kachemak Bay, Homer, AK with the Sony a1. What lens, TC, and focal length? The exposure was determined via Zebras. ISO 400: 1/4000 sec. at f/? in Manual mode. AWB at 3:25:03pm on a sunny afternoon. Tracking: Expand Spot AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Bald Eagle tight head in flight!

Stunned!

When I was reviewing my 25 FEB raw files in Photo Mechanic, I was stunned when I came across a sequence of tight heads shots of an adult Bald Eagle in flight. Who ever heard of point blank head shots of a bird in flight? I keep six of the eleven frames from the burst, all created in the same second. When I reviewed the AF points in A7INFO, Tracking: Expand Spot with AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection enabled nailed either the eye or the head in five of the six keepers. In the first image in the series, not included here, the AF point was on blue sky directly above the bird’s eye yet the image was critically sharp. To judge critical sharpness on my MacBook Pro, I check out the black feathers right behind the eye.

Five of the keepers, however, were critically sharp on the eye and the face. In Image #3 below, the AF point nailed the edge of the eye yet the black feathers behind the eye were not quite up to snuff. A round of Topaz Sharpen AI applied using a painted mask rectified that problem very nicely. All of the discarded images were critically sharp but rejected because of framing issues, i.e., operator error.

My theory on how the a1 can yield critically sharp images when the AF point is not in the perfect spot, or on the sky rather than on the bird’s face, is that the system that records the location of the AF point is unable to keep up with the accuracy of the AF system itself. I am working on a birds in flight guide with Arash Hazeghi, one of the world premier flight photographers. In the guide, Arash explains the science behind the supremacy of the Sony a1 autofocus system.

In any case, when I saw the series, I was flabbergasted.

This image was created on 25 February 2023 on the second Bald Eagle Instructional Photo-Tour at Kachemak Bay, Homer, AK with the Sony a1. What lens, TC, and focal length? The exposure was determined via Zebras. ISO 400: 1/4000 sec. at f/? in Manual mode. AWB at 3:25:03pm on a sunny afternoon. Tracking: Expand Spot AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Bald Eagle tight head in flight!

The Bird was Really Flying!

If you viewed only Image #1, you might think that the bird was perched but leaning forward. I included this pose to show that the bird was actually in flight. Take my word on the fact that it was in full flight; it had not just taken off.

And yes, I wish that the bird’s head were lower in the frame so that we could have seen the primary tips of the far wing.

Note that all three images are presented un-cropped as full frame original captures.

This image was created on 25 February 2023 on the second Bald Eagle Instructional Photo-Tour at Kachemak Bay, Homer, AK with the Sony a1. What lens, TC, and focal length? The exposure was determined via Zebras. ISO 400: 1/4000 sec. at f/? in Manual mode. AWB at 3:25:03pm on a sunny afternoon. Tracking: Expand Spot AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #3: Bald Eagle tight head in flight!

Your Call?

Please take a guess at the lens/TC (if any) that I used to create today’s featured images. What would you guess the focal length to be?

After clicking on all three images to enlarge them, how would you judge the sharpness of the three images?

Which of today’s three featured images is your favorite? Why did you make your choice?

All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK

2024 Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle IPTs

IPT #1: WED 21 FEB 2024 through the full day on SUN 25 FEB 2024. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers.

IPT #2: MON 26 FEB 2024 through the full day on FRI 1 MAR 2024. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers. Limit 5 photographers.

Register for both trips to maximize your travel dollars and enjoy a $1000 discount while you are at it.

This trip features non-stop flight photography as well as many opportunities to create both environmental and point-blank portraits of one of North America’s most sought-after avian subjects: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Other reliable subjects will include Sea Otter, Glaucous-winged and Short-billed (formerly Mew) Gulls.

In addition, we should see Common Murre, Black Guillemot, Pelagic Cormorant, two or three species of loons, and a smattering of ducks including two species of merganser, all three scoters, Common and Barrow’s Goldeneyes, Bufflehead, Harlequin, and Long-tailed Ducks. Close-range photographic chances for these species will require some good luck. Some of these species, especially when in flocks, can, however, often be used effectively when pleasing creating bird-scapes.

If we need to be out early, we will be the first boat out. If the conditions are great, we will stay out. And when there is a chance for sunset silhouettes, we will be in the right spot.

We will be traveling through gorgeous wilderness country; landscape and scenic opportunities abound.

Also featured is a professional leader, often referred to as the world’s most knowledgeable bird photography trip leader and instructor. He is conversant in Canon, Nikon, and Sony. You will learn practical and creative solutions to everyday photographic problems. You will learn to see the shot, to create dynamic images by fine-tuning your compositions, to best utilize your camera’s AF system, and how to analyze the wind, the sky conditions, and the direction and quality of the light. This is one of the very few trips Homer trips available where you will not be simply put on the birds and told to have fun. You will learn to be a better photographer. But only if that is what you want.

You will learn to get the right exposure when it is sunny, when it cloudy-bright, when it is cloudy, when it is cloudy-dark, or when it is foggy. Not to mention getting the right exposure when creating silhouettes.

You will learn to make pleasing blurs working in manual mode and to create silhouettes working in Shutter Priority mode.

Most importantly you will learn to pick your best flight photographs from tens of thousands of images.
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You will enjoy working with the best and most creative boat captain on his sturdy, photography-spacious, seaworthy, open-deck watercraft.

Only five photographers (not the usual six), plus the leader.

Small group Photoshop, Image Review, and Image Critiquing sessions.

All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK

What’s Included

One four hour or two two-hour boat trips every day (weather permitting), all boat fees and boat-related expenses (excluding tips), ground transportation to and from the dock and back to the hotel each day, in-the-field instruction and guidance, pre-trip gear advice, small group post-processing and image review sessions, and a thank you dinner for all well-behaved participants.

What’s Not Included

Your airfare to and from Homer, AK (via Anchorage), the cost of your room at Land’s End Resort, all personal items, all meals and beverages, and tips for the boat captain and/or the first mate.

Please Note

On great days, the group may wish to photograph for more than four hours. If the total time on the boat exceeds 20 hours for the five-day trips the group will share the additional expense at a rate of $225/hour. The leader will pay for the bait.

Some folks may wish to rent their own vehicle to take advantage of local photographic opportunities around Homer. In 2023 those included Moose, Great Grey, and Short-eared Owls.

Deposit Information

A $3000 non-refundable deposit/trip is required. You may pay your deposit with credit card or by personal check (the latter made out to BIRDS AS ART) and sent via US mail only to Arthur Morris. PO Box 7245. Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Your balance, due 90 days before the date of departure, is payable only by check (as above).

In Closing

I have been going to Homer off and on for close to two decades. Every trip has been nothing short of fantastic. Many folks go in mid-March. The earlier you go, the better the chances for snow. The only way to assure that you are on the best of these two trips is to sign up for all of them. Can you keep up with me? If you have any questions, or are good to go for one, or two of these great trips, please let me know via e-mail or give me a call on my cell phone at 863-221-2372.

Typos

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