Bosque in Dire Need of an Air Traffic Control System ... Great Buys on Used SONY Stuff

What’s Up?

Bosque continues to be excellent. I have been having so much fun that I am staying two extra days. I fly home on Wednesday, 4 DEC.

It looks as if the great bad weather is over; the forecast is for Boosque morning death: clear skies and NW winds …

IPT Updates

• The 2020 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) WED JAN 8, 2020 thru and including the morning session on SUN JAN 12: 4 1/2 days: $2099.(Limit: 8/Openings: 5)

Click here for complete IPT info and details.

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

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. 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 here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the EOS-1DX, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. Most recently the price of used Canon 600mm f/L IS II lenses have been dropping like a rock with the introduction of the 600 III. 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.

The Used Gear page has been hot for the past two months with the continuing price drops on Canon and Nikon gear. There are still lots of great buys right now on the Used Gear Page. In addition to the recent sales below, there are many pending sales.

New Listing

Sony Alpha a7r IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

Josh Anon (son of noted photographer Photoshop expert Ellen Anon) is offering a Sony a7r IV Mirrorless Digital camera body in like-new condition for only $2998.00. The sale includes the original box and all accessories, an extra 3rd-party battery, a screen protector for the LCD, and insured UPS ground shipping to lower-48 US addresses. Photos are available upon request. The buyer will cover any payment fees. Your item will not ship until payment clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Josh e-mail e-mail.

You’ve seen the incredible detail in my a7r IV images made with a vareity of SONY lenses and both teleconverters. I use my 7r IV for 80% of my bird photography and my a9 II in pure flight situations. As the 7r IV sells new right now for $3498.00 you can save an even $500.00 by being the first to grab Josh’s great SONY mirrorless body. artie

Fabulous SONY Re-run

FE Sony 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens

BIRDS AS ART Record Low Price

William Schneider is offering an FE Sony 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens in mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $10,697.00. This immaculate lens has seen little use. The sale includes the lens hood, the lens trunk, the front lens cover, the rear lens cap, the lens strap, and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Bill via e-mail e-mail or by phone at 1-(262) 269-8628 (Eastern time zone).

This super-fast lens is amazingly light at 6.4 lbs, the same weight as the Nikon 300mm f/2.8. Patrick made lots of great images at St. Paul in the Pribilof Islands last July with the lens alone and with either the 1.4x and 2x teleconverters. He really enjoys the 8.86 ft close-focusing capability and the beautiful bokeh that the lens produces. Now that he owns the new SONY 600mm f/4GM OSS lens, he cannot justify owning both. As this lens sells new right now for $$12,998.00, you can save a cool $2,301.00 by grabbing his virtually new lens asap. artie

ps: at the time of publication this lens is very hard to get; it is not in stock at B&H or at Bedfords.

Sony Alpha a9 (ILCE 9) Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

Price Reduced on 11-21-19

Ken Siegel is offering a Sony A9 Mirrorless Digital Camera Body in mint condition for $2598.00 (was $2698.00). Photos are available upon request. The sale includes the original product box and everything that came in it, a SONY A9 Modular Plate (L-bracket — a $200 value), 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 Ken via e-mail e-mail or by phone at 1-(864) 680-5921 (Eastern time zone).

Simply put, the SONY a9 has the best AF system of any camera that I have ever used. And Patrick Sparkman agrees 100%. SONY is getting hotter every day. The a9 sells for $3,498.00 and the new a9 II sells for $4498.00. Either way, you can do the math as far as how much you will be saving. artie

Sony Alpha a7r III Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

Price Reduced on 11-21-19

Ken Siegel is also offering a Sony a7r III in mint condition for only $1949.00 (was $2049.00). Photos are available upon request. The sale includes the original product box and everything that came in it, a SONY A7r III Modular Plate (L-bracket — a $200 value), 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 Ken via e-mail e-mail or by phone at 1-(864) 680-5921 (Eastern time zone).

You’ve seen my great Galapagos images … I made tons of great stuff with the 7r III and the SONY 100-400 with and without the 1.4X TC. Simply put, the a7r iii is a great camera body. It is selling new right now at B&H for $2498.0 and the new a7r iv is going for $3,498.00! You can save a very cool $500.00 by grabbing Ken’s a7r III right now. artie

Please contact Ken via e-mail e-mail or by phone at 1-(864) 680-5921 (Eastern time zone).

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.

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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on November 28, 2019 on the 2019 Bosque IPT. I used the Induro GIT 404/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera body. ISO 640. Exposure determined by Zebras: 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:33:)@am on a cloudy morning. AF Area Mode Setting: WIDE. Image #1: Sandhill Cranes in flight/near collison Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

In-flight Avian Collisions

On rare ocassion, birds collide in flight. Collisions are most likely when a predator sends a large flock of birds into a panic, or perhaps more frequently, with large birds when the winds are calm. Why the latter? It is very difficult for a bird to change direction quickly on still days. That was the case with the near-collision.

I witnessed one horrific collision on Midway Island in 2011; two Layson Albatrosses crashed into each other on take-off on a windless morning. On bird continued on out to sea, the other fell to the ground stunned. It stumbled around dazed for about ten minutes before it was able to take flight after a long run.

How About You?

If you have ever seen two large birds collide in flight, please leave a comment and share your experience.

This image was created on November 28, 2019 on the 2019 Bosque IPT. I used the Induro GIT 404/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera body. ISO 640. Exposure determined by Zebras: 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:33:02am on a cloudy morning. AF Area Mode Setting: WIDE. Image #2: Sandhill Cranes in flight/near collison Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

The Stronger Image?

Which of today’s images do you feel is the stronger of the two? Please let us know why you made your choice.

If In Doubt …

If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog or Bedfords, for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right.

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).