What’s Up?
Steve Zarate sold all of his Canon items, including the near mint RF 600mm f/4L IS lens, within two days of their being listed in the last blog post.
Yesterday I sent the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Notes e-Mail J (23 OCT 2014) Firmware Update Update item to the entire group; it began like this:
Dear a1 Gang,
I hope that all of you are well, having fun, and making some great images. Big time thanks and congrats to the twenty folks in the group who have gotten my v2.02 settings onto their a-1 bodies. Many of them helped by letting me know of typos and other errors in the two instructional e-mails. After ten full days or working every morning with my v2.02 Firmware a-1, the 600mm f/4, and the 300mm f/2.8 (each with either TC), I can wholeheartedly recommend that most everyone with an a-1 would be best to update to Firmware v2.02.
If you are a member of the a-1 group and did not receive an e-Mail yesterday, please e-mail me with your current and correct e-mail address 🙂
If you are not a member of my a-1 group and would like to update your camera body and get all of my current setting on it, you will need to either send a PayPal for $125.00 (with the words a-1 v2.021/v2.02 Firmware updates in the Subject line) to birdsasart@verizon.net or call Jim at 863-692-0906 with a credit card to pay the $125.00.
Today is Thursday 24 October 2024. It is another gorgeous early fall day here at ILE. I just got back from the lake and there was not much going on so I headed home early. I have not seen the eagles for two days. I am pretty sure that they are out fishing. I hope that you too choose to have a wonderful day.
Please remember to use the B&H 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!
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.
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.
Save 15%!
If you’d like to try out a new lens or if you need a lens for a specific trip or project (or for an IPT), LensRentals.com is the only way to go. To save 15%, simply click on the logo link above, arrange for your rental, and type in BIRDSASART15. If you type the gear you are looking for in the search box, it will pop right up. LensRentals.com offers affordable insurance. You can decline it, opt for LensCap: Damage Only, or select LensCap: Damage & Theft. Then hit PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. After you enter all of your info but before completing your order, be sure to scroll down to Promo Code box and enter the BIRDSASART15 code to save 15%.
I checked on renting a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens for a week. The cost is only $122.00. LensCap: Damage Only coverage can be added for a very low $18.00. Going with LensCap: Damage & Theft would be $27.00. The shipping charge varies. They offer an interesting program called Lensrentals HD. By signing up for this shipping discount program ($99.00/year), you’ll get free Standard Shipping on all the orders you place.
Renting a Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens for a week will cost you $536.00. The two coverage options come in at $76.00 or $114.00. Less your 15% discount when you enter the BIRDSASART15 code into the Promo Code box at checkout and enter the BIRDSASART15 code in the Promo Code box at checkout to save 15%.
Remember, to save the 15% on your rental you must start your search by clicking on the logo above, or on this link: LensRentals.com
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This image was created on 23 September 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used my iPhone 15+. Image #1: The 2024 Bald Eagle nest before either hurricane |
Before Either of the 2024 Hurricanes
In this image, made before the hurricanes, one of the adult Bald Eagles sits in the 2024 nest, just hanging out on a beautiful early fall morning. Note the sun angle and the two healthy pine trees just to the south (our left) of the nest tree. Compare this with Image #4 and note that the large branch on the upper was brought down by Hurricane Milton, along, of course, with the entire nest. In Image #3, the flight shot, the bird was below the spot that this branch had occupied. With a nice blue sky background.
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This image was also created on 26 September 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from the driver’s setoff my SUV I used the BLUBB supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/500 sec. at f/4 (wide open). AWB at 8:26:09am on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Face-eye enabled was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version. Image #2: Bald Eagle pair on nest |
Pre-Helene
This is the nest that the pair used in early 2024 to fledge two healthy chicks. Hurricane Helene would pass by well to the northwest about 18 hours after this image was created. Just as most of Polk County was unscathed by Helene, this nest survived the first hurricane intact.
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This image was created on 21 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the handheld Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/4000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect (ho hum). AWB at 8:39:59am on sunny morning. Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #3: Bald Eagle flying in with sticks for new nest |
Quickly to the Task
Hurricane Milton blew through Polk County in the early morning of 27 September. In the recent Hurricane Milton BIRDS AS ART blog post here, I shared photos of both the huge old nest and the large newer nest that had blown down in the South Field during the storm. Not a branch of the old 2024 nest remained. Within days, the pair began to rebuild a nest in the same spot.
Sky Conditions, Wind Direction, and Bird Photography
After their fast start, the birds continued adding sticks to the crotch of the previous year’s nest tree. There are two live pines just to the left (south) of the then pretty bare tree. With the wind from the NE, I positioned my SUV so that I could catch the eagle in the clear to the right of the live pine on the right and to the left of the nest after it had flown past the nest and then turned northeast to fly up to the nest. All that while being fairly close to sun angle.
The best way to learn to figure out stuff like this, the relationship of sky conditions and the wind direction to bird photography is to join me on an IPT.
I can’t wait until they start flying in with the big lumber. Somewhat surprisingly, I have not seen the eagles grab sticks from the previous year’s nest, now on the ground right below the nest tree. Nor have they been grabbing nests from the huge old nest, on the ground about 200 yards to the north.
High Level Question
Can you see anything in image #3 to indicate that there was a live pine tree just out of frame on our left?
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This image was created on 21 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the handheld Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/4000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect (ho hum). AWB at 8:38:59am on sunny morning. Upper Center)( Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #4: Bald Eagle at new nest |
20 Seconds Later
Twenty seconds later, the bird sat on the new (somewhat scrawny) nest for a moment before taking flight. With only three AF methods checked on my a-1 bodies I switch between them by hitting the Thumb Dial. Thus, getting from Zone to Tracking Expand Spot took less than one second. Moving the AF point up in the vertical frame took another two seconds. Bingo — I was able to create a sharp story telling image in not much time.
As I said to my accountant Chip on the phone last night, you need to act very quickly when doing bird photography. One or two seconds lost while fumbling with the camera controls can cost you a once in a lifetime image. BTW, though Chip’s home in Clearwater Beach was spared by Milton, the damage from Helene wound up being devastating. He had one foot of saltwater in his house; all the flooring and much of the drywall needs to be replaced. And lots of the furniture was ruined.
The Sony a-1 (v2.02)/2X TC/300mm f/2.8 Rig
For more than a year, I have shied away from using the 2X TC with the handheld 300mm f/2.8 lens. Recently, I have been working with that combo both from the car and on my pier sun walks. With my increased confidence have come a slew of fantastically sharp images. Imagine having a lightweight, easy to work with 600mm f/5.6 lens that can be handheld for hours. Goodbye to tripods!
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Those who did not use my link to purchase their Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM lens, can order their a copy here for $209.93. Click on the image to enlarge and to be able to read the fine print. |
The BAA Sony 300mm f/2.8 Lens Guide
Impressed by my Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) images? Use either my Bedfords or B&H affiliate link to purchase your Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM lens and shoot me your receipt via e-mail and request a copy of the first-ever BAA Lens Guide. I thought that it would take only minutes to create this guide, but I was dead wrong. In the process of creating it, I learned a ton about the lens. And even better, I discovered a simple yet potentially fatal flaw that was resulting in sporadically unsharp flight images. The set-up fix is simple. Just be sure to use one of my affiliate links and get the guide for free.
If not, you can purchase a copy here for $209.93. Yes, it never hurts to use my links and it never costs you one penny more. And if you contact me via e-mail before you make a major purchase, I can often save you some money.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
Spectacular image with the nesting material, and looks as if you’ll have good opportunities all season. Same here, as our nearest nest tree lost branches around and above the nest but none of the nest itself. Still a foot of water on the trail below, but that should dry up quickly as long as we don’t get a November hurricane.
Good luck to both of us and to the eagles as well!
with love, a
Delighted to see that the eagles are already busy building a new nest! Although our area survived Hurricane Milton without the devastation left by Hurricane Ian two years ago, many of our trees and shrubs are dead — or soon will be.
Hi Pat,
From the saltwater???
Still, a low price considering $50 billion in damages and 17 dead just from Milton in Florida alone…
with love, a
Saltwater or salt in the air. After Ian, I don’t think there was a green leaf on Sanibel, and you could see homes you never knew were there. But two years later, prior to Helene and Milton, vegetation was back to normal. Some deciduous trees have lost their leaves now, and shrubs look bad, but most of the trees should recover–strangler figs are already re-leafing. Plenty of monetary damage, though well away from the eye and with no more than 22 inches of water, including four totaled cars just in the seven homes (three still unoccupied after Ian) on our end of the street. Much worse further north, of course.