The Time Has Never Been Better!
With the Sony 200-600 available for less than $2K (new) and the price of a-1 bodies falling, there has never been a better time to change your life. Use one of my affiliate links and I can have you set up making great images in a matter of minutes, just as I’ve done with Bob Eastman, the amazing Anita North, Pat Fishburne (at age 86!), Andrew Schonbek, Steve and Elizabeth Shore, Carolyn Johnson (at age 80), Geri Georg, and too many more to remember.
In today’s blog post, learn how Bob Eastman created so many great images with his “inferior” Sony 200-600/a-1 rig while I failed with my “obviously superior” gear, the Sony 600mm f/4 GM and an a-1 ii. The short story: lighter, versatile, and more maneuverable often wins the day. Bob Eastman: Mr. Ever-ready!
The above is fact not hype.
The Image Optimizations
After waking Bob up early for our drive to Lakeland, I grabbed about a dozen of his best raw files from our morning session last Sunday. I optimized four of them on the way over and the last two on the trip home. Then, I began working on this blog post. In the car. It has never been easier to learn my complete digital workflow. All you need are Digital Basics II and the Digital Basics III Video Series.
What’s Up?
On Thursday, Bob Eastman and I headed over to Circle B Bar Preserve in Lakeland. We walked nearly three miles. We enjoyed very few good chances. As we walked, I had my 600mm f/4 in one hand (6.7 pounds — $12,998.00) and my tripod in the other. As you might guess, it takes a minute for me to get set up. Bob had his trusty 200-600mm G lens (4.65 pounds — 1,898.00). He was always ready instantly. Energy expenditure — Advantage Bob. Ease of use in the field — Advantage Bob. Lens speed (f/4 vs. f 6.3) with accompanying faster shutter speeds/lower ISOs: Advantage artie. In addition, being on a tripod at 600mm allows for slower shutter speeds and thus, lower ISOs, than hand holding at 600mm. Bob was using a Sony a-1 with Firmware v2.01. I was using the brand new Sony a-1 ii.
Which rig would you rather have had in your hands on this cloudy morning? At more than six times the cost, is the 600mm f/4 always a better lens than the 200-600. Keep reading to find out. You might be very surprised.
After our walk, we headed over to Lakeland to see if the American White Pelicans were in. They were not. We did enjoy a few cooperative female Anhingas (one in breeding plumage!) and a silly tame Great Blue Heron.
Today is Friday 27 December 2024. We will be headed down to the lake early as usual. Whatever you are doing, we hope that you too choose to have fun and be happy. I will be sending out new, revised .DAT files, a matching Buttons and Dials guide, and a new, revised Info Sheet to the a9 iii and a-1 ii groups this weekend. Huge thanks to those who’ve used one of my two affiliate links to purchase their new camera bodies (and lenses).
Should You Upgrade to the a-1 ii?
Aside from the improved ergonomics as compared to the a-1, other nice features include the fact that the rear screen tilts both ways. Pre-capture will surely prove to be a plus while in my option, the Speed Boost feature is a total waste for bird photography. In addition, the resolution on the rear monitor has been improved dramatically. Not to mention that Bird Face-Eye tracking on the a-1 ii is significantly better than on the a-1 and that the 51MP file are to die for.
So, the big question is, is the a-1 ii “worth” a gear upgrade. Remembering that I can never know whether or not something is worth it to you, I can say that I was not floored when using my a-1 ii. The differences between the a-1 ii and the original a-1, are neither huge nor eye-opening. The huge difference between the new camera body and the a9 iii is, of course, the 51MP a-1 raw files (as compared to the 24MP files rendered by the a9 iii).
With the price of a new a-1 having recently dropped $1500.00 to $4,998.00, the decision for new Sony buyers is a very tough one. The a-1 II sells new for 6,498.00. And the price of used a-1 bodies will continue to drop (but not as much as I had thought before using the a-1 ii).
If you do purchase an a-1 ii, be sure to use one of my two affiliate links so that you will receive my a-1 ii settings (in the form of a CAMSETii.DAT file), the Buttons and Dials Guide, and an Info Sheet. Folks who do not purchase their new a-i using my B&H link or from Bedfords here and entering the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout will be able to purchase the a-1 ii guide for $227.43. If you are at all confused and do not want to screw up your order, please get in touch via e-mail.
You can see some of my very recent a-1 ii images in the blog post here.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
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This image was created on 22 December 2024 by my friend Bob Eastman down by the lake near my home at ILE, FL. Sitting behind me in my SUV, he used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 2000. 1/2500 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 7:44:26am on a sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be dead solid perfect. Tracking: Spot (S) AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Turkey Vulture on post with wings spread
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The Second Wild Boar Roadkill Cafe
After the first Wild Boar we put out was eaten the first night by an American Alligator — Bob came home with a 200+ pound boar a few days later. The vultures loved it. Bob had put up this lovely perch near the North Canal the week before while I was napping. I mentioned to him that there was a chance that a handsome Turkey Vulture might land on it and spread its wings. Dream come true. Bob got the perfect shot. I got nothing.
Note: after three days of vulture feeding, the second Wild Boar carcass was apparently dragged off into the canal by another ‘gator.
Why I Failed #1
I was eager to try my new Sony a1 II Mirrorless Camera on the 600 with the 1.4X TC while working off the BLUBB. At 840mm, I could not fit the bird in the frame. By the time I removed the TC, the bird had flown away 🙁 Score one for Bob.
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This image was also created on 22 December 2024 by my friend Bob Eastman down by the lake near my home at ILE, FL. Still sitting behind me in my SUV, he used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 2000. 1/3200 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 7:57:29am on a sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect. Tracking: Spot (S) AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Crested Caracara in gliding flight — dorsal view
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200-600 Hand Hold-ability
With its light weight and relatively small size, hand holding this lens is child’s play for most folks. Bob saw the caracara coming, adjusted the exposure, and began firing almost instantly. He nailed sharpness, exposure, and flight pose with this frame.
Why I Failed #2
While I had removed the 1.4X TC, I was still working off the BLUBB. With the window raised a bit, there was no room to follow the bird in flight. Not to mention that it is very difficult for me to hand hold the 600 because of its great size and weight. Score another one for Bob.
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This image was also created on 22 December 2024 by my friend Bob Eastman down by the lake near my home at ILE, FL. Still sitting behind me in my SUV, he used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 2000. 1/3200 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 7:57:53am on a sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect. Tracking: Spot (S) AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #3: Crested Caracara on road-killed Wild Boar — dominance display
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Bob’s AF #1 Choice
Bob absolutely loves Tracking: Spot S (with Bird Face-Eye Tracking enabled) and uses it for nearly all of his bird photography, including and especially for flight. That choice paid big dividends with Image #3 as he got the AF point on the eye of the caracara and tracking it as it walked atop of the boar and challenged the much larger Black Vultures. Bob kept three excellent frames. I got nothing. Are you seeing a pattern yet?
Why I Failed #3
After I missed the incoming caracara, it landed on the big pig and began displaying. At that moment, I was re-positioning the BLUBB. It was all over in 1 1/2 seconds. Bob: three, artie: zero.
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This image was also created on 22 December 2024 by my friend Bob Eastman down by the lake near my home at ILE, FL. Still sitting behind me in my SUV, he used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 415mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 2000. 1/3200 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 7:58:07am on a sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be dead solid perfect. Tracking: Spot (S) AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #4: Bald Eagle in flight — wings fully raised
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Zoom Lens Versatility
Bob loves the 200-600 because he can zoom out as needed when a bird in flight gets too large in the frame. Another advantage of zooming out a bit is that you gain some additional depth of field.
Why I Failed #4
Having removed the BLUBB from the door frame, I struggled to raise my 8+ pound rig and find the bird in the frame. When I finally got on the eagle, it was too large in the frame. I could not, of course, zoom out with a fixed focal length lens. Once again, I got nothing. Score four for Mr. Eastman, zero for Mr. Famous Bird Photographer.
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This image was also created on 22 December 2024 by my friend Bob Eastman down by the lake near my home at ILE, FL. Still sitting behind me in my SUV, he used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 2000. 1/3200 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual Mode. AWB at e: 8:01:29am on a sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect. Tracking: Spot (S) AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #5: Crested Caracara taking flight — wings fully down
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Ever-Ready Bob
When I am driving and we are using the SUV as a moving photo blind, Bob often creates some excellent images before I even bring the car to a stop. Though that was not the case here — we had already been parked, Bob, with his trusty 200-600 is always quicker on the draw than I am with my larger fast lens.
Why I Failed #5
When this bird took flight, I had no chance at all to get on it. My rig was too large and too heavy; in short, it was unmanageable. Bob five, artie zero.
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This image was also created on 22 December 2024 by my friend Bob Eastman down by the lake near my home at ILE, FL. Now seated in the driver’s seat of his Toyota truck, he used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800. 1/3200 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual Mode. AWB at e: 11:00:32am on a sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be dead solid perfect. Tracking: Spot (S) AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #6: Black Vulture parade with scrap of bloody Wild Boar
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Perseverance
After breakfast last Sunday, I downloaded and edited my images from the morning session. Then I took a nap. Bob, on the other hand, still feeling like the kid in the candy store after nearly two months in Florida, headed back down to the lake. Despite the allegedly “too harsh light” at 11:00am, he came back with some fine images.
Why I Failed #6
I was knackered and hit the sack.
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The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site GuideYou can purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store. |
The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide
126 pages, 87 photographs by (the late) Joe Przybyla and Arthur Morris.
The PDF for this e-Guide is an electronic download sent via e-mail.
Purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store.
I had thought about doing a guide to some of the great but little-known photo hotspots around central Florida for about a decade, but those plans never came to fruition. I met Joe online in the Avian Forum at BirdPhotographer’s.Net about two years ago. Joe’s photography has improved tremendously over the past few years; he credits the BAA blog, my books and PDFs, and his participation on BPN. The one thing that I learned right from the get-go about Joe is that he is a hard and tenacious worker, always striving to improve his skills and to grow his knowledge base. As he knew of more than a few good spots in central Florida, I broached the idea of us doing a photographic site guide that covered many of the little-known photographic hotspots from Brandon to Lakeland to Joe Overstreet Road to Indian Lake Estates (my Florida home for the past 20 years or so). After more than many, many dozens of hours of effort, The BIRDS AS ART Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide is now a reality. Thanks to Joe’s wife Dottie for her review of our writing. We all learned once again that writing is a process, a back-and-forth process. All thanks to the white pelicans of Lakeland. Below are the locations that are detailed in this e-Guide. Please note that last season, Gatorland did not offer a Photographer’s Pass.
- Indian Lake Estates: Sandhills Cranes with chicks and colts, lots of vultures, and Ospreys up the kazoo!
- Gatorland, Kissimmee: Learn to make great images of wading birds in a cluttered rookery. Please note that Gatorland no longer offers a photographer’s pass.
- The Brandon Rookery: Great for nesting Wood Storks, Great Egrets, and more.
- Circle Bar B Reserve, Lakeland: Here you will find a great variety of avian subjects in a great variety of habitats.
- Lake Morton, Lakeland: There are lots of silly tame birds here including and especially American White Pelican during the colder months.
- Lake Mirror, Lakeland: Tame Anhingas, Limpkins, and a zillion White Ibises at times.
- West Lake Parker, Lakeland: Here, if you are lucky, you will have a chance for two difficult birds: Snail Kite, and Purple Gallinule.
- Joe Overstreet Road, Kenansville: Crested Caracara, meadowlarks, Loggerhead Shrike, and more on the fenceposts and barbed wire.
Each location includes a map, a detailed description of the best spots, best season, light and time of day instructions, the expected species, and an educational and inspirational gallery that is designed to open your eyes as to the possibilities.
You can purchase a copy here in the BAA Online Store.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
Bob’s Birding Blog on the way soon to a website near you. Good stuff.
Hi, Artie. Very informative post! (Of course, they all are.) As you know. My choice was the Canon R7 and the Canon RF 100-400 f/5.6-8 STM lens. The overwhelming reason was because of how light the combo is. Also, with 32.5 MP on a crop sensor it’s more pixel-dense than any full frame camera I know. The feather-light lens is very sharp, albeit slow. The biggest downside is the erratic AF. I miss a lot of shots of flying birds. But when the AF nails the subject, which it does often enough to keep me going back out there, it’s very good. So I too, am a huge fan of light-weight, versatile rigs. Well done, Bob.
Thanks for your kind words, David, Your rig is a feather compared to the 200-600/a-1 combo!
with love, artie
Artie: After reading about Bob’s success with the Sony 200-600mm lens (and the incredibly low price of the lens) I’m wondering if I need to buy one before I go to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in April. As you know, I currently have a Sony 300mm and a Sony 70-200 lens.
Morning, Pat. I advised you to purchase the 300mm f/2.8 because it is smaller and lighter (at 3.2 lbs.) than the 200-600 at 4.65 lbs. The 2-6 is 1.45 lbs. heavier than than the 300 f/2.8, nearly 50% heavier. And with its smaller size, the 300 fixed lens is much easier to hand hold. As we saw in today’s post, however, the versatility of a zoom lens can often save the day.
If you purchase a 2-6, you would likely need a tripod.
with love, artie
ps: any questions: call me 🙂