Same Old Same Old
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What’s Up?
I woke at 4:00am on Thursday morning to pack for my trip to Little Rock, AR. Because of very bad weather at Dallas’s Love Field, we sat on the plane in Orlando for an hour. We landed safely at about noon. The flight to Little Rock was delayed several times by a few minutes, but then we sat on the plane at the gate of an hour and then and then on the runway for another hour. The total delay was more than 2 hours. The plane, however, landed right side up in Arkansas at 4:41pm. I was seriously in of standing up, getting a nice dinner, and hitting the sack.
Had I gotten in at 2:30 as scheduled, the plan was to photograph a minor league baseball game across the river from the event hotel. Instead, I had dinner and slept ten hours!
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This image was created on Wednesday 8 May 2024 on the Spring 2024 Fort DeSoto IPT. Seated on damp 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 ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1000: 1/2500 sec. at f/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead solid perfect. AWB at 9:41:53am on a variably sunny morning. Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Sandwich Tern adult breeding plumage in flight |
Not Recommended. But Do-able
Easy Handheld 840mm Flight
I was sitting on the beach waiting for the shorebirds to come closer. There were some Royal and Sandwich Terns flying by and occasionally landing a good distance away. Working at 840mm, I figured “What the heck” and tried for some f/9 — 840mm flight shots. I was surprised at how quickly AF acquired at f/9 and was even more surprised when I found a few sharp flight shots.
This is excellent news for folks for whom the 200-600 G lens is their workhorse super-telephoto lens. The 200-600 with the a9 iii is superb for flight. Being able to gain more reach by adding the 1.4X TC is a big plus. Image quality and sharpness will be somewhat reduced when the images are compared to the bare 200-600 G lens.
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a9 iii E-mail Set-up and Info Guide |
a9 iii E-mail Set-up and Info Guide
For those who think that my comments on the a9 iii are pure hype, know that I sold the second of my three a1 bodies this morning. Lots more on the switch coming soon.
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Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
Why is that pretty bird called a Sandwich Tern?
I’ve always wondered…..
Because it has mayonnaise on the tip of its bill.
Actually, it was named after the town of Sandwich in County Kent, England, where this tern was first discovered.
with love, artie
Very nice image, love the really white whites. The 2-6 with a 1.4 give you 840mm. My standard setup for beach walks without a tripod is the EF 100-400 with a 1.4x and a APS-C sensor (1.6x) R7 for the equivalent of 896mm. The R7 doesn’t eye-focus as well as the R5, but good enough. The 100-400 is a great lens, as you’ve written, and unlike the RF 100-500, it works with a teleconverter throughout its range. Still don’t own an RF lens.
Thanks as always, Cliff. Even worse than the RF 100-500 not accepting a TC is the RF 70-200mm f/2.8 that also does not accept any TC. When I heard that, I was aghast.
with love, artie
ps: My favorite walk around (and more) rig is the Sony 300mm f/2.8 with the 1.4X TC and an a9 iii. With the 2X in my pocket.
Sleep is a treasured commodity! Achieving sharp flight shots with a 2-6 + TC is equally nice and challenging.
Agree on sleep. And thank God for its rejuvenative powers.
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