What’s Up?
On the mostly cloudy final morning of the JAX IPT, I was looking to do something different so I headed down the beach to work on the nesting Brown Pelicans. It is a very difficult situation as the nests are somewhat cluttered and too many Laughing Gulls kept getting in the way. I did get a few nice images of the large chicks by working at 1200mm. Next I continued down the beach and found two groups of large tern chicks in the low dunes and worked those for an hour. We headed back to our AirBnB just after 9:30am and Clemens and I were on our way south to ILE right after eleven. After two pit stops, we arrived at my home just before three. Clemens and I lit up our laptops and Air Dropped photos that we had taken of each other in the field. Then Clemens headed home to Fort Lauderdale.
Huge thanks and kudos to Clemens for his beyond-the-call-of-duty help on this IPT. He drove up and back to Jacksonville, and to and from the beach twice a day, helped others in the field, and did most of the barbecuing!
Today is Friday 2 July 2021. After I slept eleven hours, the day dawned foggy but the sun was in and out after nine. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.
Bedfords currently has nobody on the a1 list, and is expecting two more Sony Alpha 1 bodies in the next few days. Click here to order yours and be sure to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout to save 3%, enjoy free 2nd-day air Fed-Ex, and earn free entry into the SONY Alpha a1 Info and Updates group.
This blog post took more than two hours to prepare and makes 187 consecutive days with a new one. 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 and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great if you opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.
JAX IPT #2
Photography, especially of birds in flight, was so amazing at the Jacksonville Royal Tern/Sandwich Tern/Laughing Gull/Brown Pelican rookery that I plan on returning fairly soon if possible. The only time I have experienced such non-stop flight action was on the gannet boat in Scotland. Right now I am looking at a 4-DAY IPT starting with the afternoon session on WED 14 July and ending with the morning session on SUN 18 July (The dates are tentative; we could start plus or minus one day). It will be worth flying for this one. Couples welcome! I will commit to going with just one photographer. Limit: 5 photographers.
Please e-mail immediately or call my cell if you would like to join me or learn the details; Arranging for a great AirBnB will be one of the keys to success so the sooner the better. Or call my cell at 863-221-2372.
The BAA Used Gear Page
The BAA Used Gear Page is the is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 20 to 60% or more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Recent Sales list for the past year or so at the bottom of the page. Please
Price Drops!
Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Price reduced $100.00 2 JULY 2021
IPT veteran Sandra Calderbank is offering a Canon EOS 7D Mark II in-near mint condition with 21,069 actuations for $549 (was $649.00). The sale includes the strap, the original product box, one battery, the front cap, the software, manual, & cables, a Really Right Stuff plate, 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 Sandra via e-mail or by phone at 1-828 412 1047 Eastern time zone.
Both Patrick Sparkman and I used and loved the 7D Mark II until about four years ago when we both committed — at the time — to using full-frame Canon bodies. We both made some truly great images with it. Two of my three 2016 Nature’s Best honored entries were created with the 7D II, one still, and one video. One thing is for sure: the 7D Mark II is the greatest value ever in a digital camera body. artie
Canon Extender EF 1.4x III
Price reduced $100.00 2 JULY 2021
BAA-friend, botanist “Bug” Bob Allen, is offering a Canon Extender EF 1.4x III in excellent condition for $249.00 (was $349.00). The sale includes the front and rear lens caps 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 Bob via e-mail. Please use the Subject Line: “BAA sale” and include the name of the item.
As regular readers know, I use and depend on teleconverters more than any other photographer: on big trips with Canon, I traveled with three 1.4X TCs and two 2X TCs! artie
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens
Price reduced $300.00 2 JULY 2021
BAA-friend, botanist “Bug” Bob Allen, is offering a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens in very good condition for $249.00 (was $549.00). The sale includes the front and rear lens caps 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 Bob via e-mail. Please use the Subject Line: “BAA sale” and include the name of the item.
Short zooms lenses in the class can be used to create a great variety of B-roll images: bird-scapes, scenics, Urbex, detailed mini-landscapes, people and photographers, and quasi-macros. Whenever I leave my 24-105 in the car, I rarely walk 100 yards without wishing that I had opted to put it in my vest. Best advice? Don’t leave home without them! Heck, today’s featured image was created with my SONY 24-105m. Bob’s Canon lens, the original version, currently sells new for $999.00 at B&H; you can save a handsome $450.00 by getting in touch with Bob. artie
Please Remember
With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.
New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!
You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.
Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.
Money Saving Reminder
Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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
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This image was created on 30 June 2021 on a beach near Jacksonville, FL. I used the Induro GIT 304L/ Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly (as shown in the screen capture below). Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Royal Tern with cutlassfish (scabbardfish, silvery hairtail –family Trichiuridae) for young |
Cutlassfish!
Thanks as always to friend and blog regular, Dr. Fish, aka David Policansky, for identifying today’s featured fish. We were amazed that there were so many birds carrying so many different kinds of fish for the chick at the JAX Rookery. On the ride back to ILE, Clemens and I marveled at the great photography that we had enjoyed for four days and at the amazing technology now at hand with the Canon R5 and the Sony Alpha a1.
The white and dark grey clouds in the western sky on a sunny day were a big plus on Wednesday morning.
Why a Tripod-mounted 600mm f/4 Lenses for Flight Photography?
On Wednesday morning both Clemens and I opted to stay well back from the dune and do flight photography with our tripod-mounted 600mm f/4 lenses rather than with our hand-holdable zoom lenses — the Canon RF 100-500 for Clemens or the SONY 200-600 G for me.
Why?
- 1- In the lower light levels of early morning, f/4 is greatly preferable to f/7.1 or to f/6.3 respectively.
- 2- The farther you are from the subject, the slower the bird’s speed relative to your position; in short, it is easier to get on and stay on the subject.
- 3- If you are standing right at the colony ropes and working with short focal lengths in the 200-300mm range, your are more restricted as far as sun angle than when you are standing well back with a longer lens.
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Image #1A: Active AF point for the Royal Tern with cutlassfish (scabbardfish, silvery hairtail –family Trichiuridae) for young image_A1B7483 Jacksonville, FL |
The World’s Best Camera Body for Birds in Flight Gets Even Better!
It seems that the V1.10 firmware update has eliminated the EVF blackout problems that have plagued some a1 shooters on clear sunny mornings and afternoons. That via improved eye sensor detection performance with strong light sources, such as sunlight. In addition, among others:
Improves overall AF performance and stability.
Improves operational stability when using the SEL100400GM, SEL200600G, or SEL600F40GM lens
Improves the overall stability of the camera
Though it is impossible to objectively judge AF performance, after two days of working with the V1.10 firmware update, my gut feeling is that eye and face detection AF has improved significantly both with birds in flight (as above), and when working birds perched or on the ground as well …
As the AF screen capture shows the original, you can note the relatively large crop by comparing #1 with #1A.
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Image #1B: Tight vertical crop of the Royal Tern with cutlassfish (scabbardfish, silvery hairtail –family Trichiuridae) for young image_A1B7483 Jacksonville, FL |
Alpha 1 Image Quality
The incredible sharpness and fine detail seen in the huge crop above are a result of pinpoint AF tracking and accuracy and the superb a1 Image Quality.
From Barbara White via e-Mail
Wow, I just gotta say – I learn so much from the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info group! My camera is on my desk, and I’m always picking it up and changing something that I’ve read about in the e-mails.
Thanks, Barbara
From Janet Horton via e-Mail
Hi Artie, Mystery solved. Yes, I was able to replicate what you did. I forgot that you have to set self-timer using the upper dial. I am used to that being just a selection in Menu.
Thanks much, Janet
SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group
The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as more and more folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. As the a1 is becoming more readily available, more and more folks are getting their hands on this amazing body. With two folks joining yesterday, we are now up to an astounding 64 lucky and blessed photographers! Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem.
All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link will receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.) This same service may be purchased by anyone with an a1 body via a $150.00 PayPal sent to birdsasart@verizon.net indicating payment for Alpha a1 Info Updates. Alternatively, folks can call Jim weekdays at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
I’ll be interested in seeing what happens when a bird is carrying a fish and the eye of both species is visible. What will the camera do?
On our drive back down to my house, Clemens and I were marveling at the fact that 99 times out of 100, the systems will track the bird’s eye …
with love, artie
Artie: Those are amazing photos. Even on your Long Island IPT, there wasn’t anything like the variety of fish you’re seeing carried by terns in FL, and here on Nantucket the birds are carrying nothing but sandeels. I’ve seen many adult cutlassfish but never small ones, although even the one in your photo must be 8 inches long or so. It’s a new and interesting way to sample fish populations!
Thanks for your kind words, David. And thanks for your continuing help with the fish IDs! You are right, at Nickerson, it is pretty much sandeels and Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia) …
with love, artie