Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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June 14th, 2019

New Sony Telephotos: the FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS and the FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS. My thoughts ...

3 comments

What’s Up

We had a great Thursday afternoon with loads of Walleye including some fairly large ones and tons of flying and diving eagle images with 37 keepers for me on a sunny, windy afternoon.

Thanks to those who commented on the Red Knot Three Ways blog post here.

Coming Soon

I will be announcing the Fort DeSoto Fall Sandbar Secrets IPT and one or two Bosque IPTs soon.

Important SONY Stuff

Since the two new SONY lenses were announced several days ago, many folks have written asking a variety of questions. I am hoping to answer them all below and shed additional light on the two new OSS lenses.

If you decide to purchase, please use either my B&H links or get in touch with Steve Elkins at Bedford’s (as below) to save a few bucks.

Questions and comments are of course welcome.

FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS Lens

Longtime followers know for sure that I have never been a huge fan of the 400mm. f/2.8 lenses for bird photography as you do not get enough focal length bang for your bucks even with the 2X TC. I have used and loved my 600mm f/4 lenses ever since I abandoned my much-beloved Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS many years ago. With Canon, I was comfortable with both the 1.4X III and the 2X III teleconverters. With my Nikon 600 VR I use only the TC-E14. I sold my TC-E17 ii and have not been able to unload the TC-E20 iii which in my opinion is a real clunker. Do note however, I did make some sharp images with each of those; it is the consistency that was lacking …

If you are a serious bird photographer who is in love with and committed to SONY, and is physically able to travel with 600mm f/4 and use it comfortably in the field, then I consider the FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens a necessity. Patrick Sparkman meets all of the above conditions: he is #1 on the Bedford’s list. Steve Elkins is expecting Bedford’s first delivery in early August. If you fit the bill you should pre-order yours right now either through Steve or using my B&H link:

FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens

The sooner you order the less you will have to wait.

Several folks asked if the SONY 600 f/4 is a game changer for me. It is not. I am neither in love with nor committed to the SONY system. Learn why I am not yet committed to SONY in the revelatory SONY and Me blog post coming soon.

The new FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens weighs 6.7 pounds. The current Nikon 600 VR weighs a relative ton at 8.4 pounds. The Canon 600 II weighs in at 8.65. pounds while the brand new Canon 600 III tips the scales at 6.71 pounds, virtually the same as the new SONY 600. All of these lenses are more than capable of producing sharp images with their respective 1.4 teleconverters. I am, however, positive that the new SONY 600 will produce sharp images with the 2X TC at least on a par with the results I got at 1200mm with my Canon gear. I could never get confident with my Nikon six with either the 1.7X II or the 2X III TCs.

So, considering that the SONY 600 is a hefty 1.4 pounds lighter than my Nikon 600 VR and would allow me to get back to working successfully at 1200mm, many folks would ask “Why doesn’t artie make the complete switch to SONY? With regards only to the lens, understand that I am not capable of hand holding either the Nikon 600 or the SONY 600 so the weight difference is not a huge issue to me right now. I still need to be on a tripod. As for my not being completely sold on SONY, see the aforementioned revelatory SONY and Me blog post coming soon.

Please, please pretty please, if you do pre-order, please remember to use either my B&H link or to get in touch with Steve Elkins at Bedford’s. Those who do either will qualify for a free copy of Patrick Sparkman’s SONY a7R iii/a9 Video Guide. It will likely sell for $50.00.

Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens

Sony also announced/released info on the new Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens.

First some facts. Despite that white finish, this lens is not part of Sony’s high-end G Master (GM) series of lenses. It is on the heavy side at 4.67 pounds it still compares favorably with the Nikon 200-500 VR at 5.1 pounds while offering an additional 100mm of reach. Compare this new SONY lens to similar stuff from Sigma and Tamron. Though I have seen sharp images with both the Nikon-mount and Canon-mount versions of the off-brand lenses on various IPTs, I have never been a big fan of lenses like the Sigma 150-600mm Sports or the Tamron 150-600mm G2 as they are large and clunky and on the borderline of not being hand holdable for some folks. Worst of all is each of these lenses changes length when you zoom in or out. To its credit, the SONY 200-600mm’s zoom is internal — the lens stays the same length when you zoom to different focal lengths. In addition, I have never been a fan of variable aperture lenses like the new SONY — f/5.6-6.3 … The minimum focusing distance of 7.9 feet is impressive at 600mm.

Sony claims that when the a9 is paired with the new lens it is capable of focusing and tracking subjects at 20fps. I am not buying that as my understanding is that when you are in C (Continuous) AF mode (as opposed to One-Shot), the maximum fps will drop to 15fps. That is still quite impressive but not the full 20fps. Might I be wrong? Very much so. Don’t forget that this is a relatively slow lens (again at f/5.6-6.3) and that. That this is an economical and versatile lens that might be perfect for some SONY folks, I do not see myself ever owning it. Especially if I wind up eventually owning the FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens. Why? Because I believe that the SONY 100-400 GM OSS is a much better fit with less overlap than the new Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens.

As with most things SONY, this lens just might be perfect for you and for other SONY folks who neither have the funds to purchase the new SONY 600mm f/4 nor the strength to manage it in the field. I did love my Nikon 2-5 until I got my 500 PF.

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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, 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 currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.


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.

If In Doubt …

If 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 for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the 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 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 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 :).

June 14th, 2019 | Category: 2019 | 3 comments
June 12th, 2019

Red Knot Three Ways

11 comments

What’s Up

We had the perfect morning on Wednesday. It began with a dead battery in the boat. While Anita went back to get the charger, I cast from the dock and hooked a nice pike on a lure — my favorite way to fish for them, and lost it at the boat. In the meantime, it was about 3 degrees C (37.5 degrees F) with a brisk NW wind! I was freezing. As Anita had to attend a Moose conservation meeting in Dryden, we only fished until 8:30am. We did not catch a Walleye and we did not catch a Northern Pike. On the way home, Anita was backing the boat away from the shore when she suddenly said, “We are sinking; we will never get home.” As it turned out, the bilge pump handled the momentary flooding in less than a minute. As I said, a perfect morning. Seriously, you gotta love days like those once in a while.

We did kill on Bald Eagle flight and diving photography on Tuesday afternoon and Anita and right-hand man Lorne caught their limits of Walleye. I caught one small one.

An Abundance of Riches

Multiple IPT veteran David Hollander and his wife Krista will be joining us in the UK as will newbie Carsten, a Nikon-shooter from Denmark.


BIRDS AS ART

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

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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, 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 currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.


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.

Red-Knot-flock-feeding-in-surf-_BUP4587--Fort-DeSoto-Park,-Tierra-Verde-FL-2

This image was created on May 19, 2019 on the DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and my souped-up Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering as framed at about +1 1/3 stops: 1/1600 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AUTO1 WB at 6:16pm on a then very hazy afternoon.

I focused on the closest bird with center Group (grp) Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) AF and then locked focus by pressing and hodling the AF-On button, recomposed, and made the image.

Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +4. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here.

Image #1: Red Knot — small flock feeding in the surf

Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Why Did I Have to Lock Focus?

Why did I have to lock focus? When you are pohtographing a group of birds, it is almost always best to focus on the closest bird. With this image, that is the bird in the front right. So what was the problem? I wanted that bird in the lower right corner of the frame, but none of the AF points could be placed on on that particular bird — the AF coverage was not wide enough. So I set up my D850 to lock focus with the AF-On button so that I can succeed in situations where I need to tuck the main subject into a corner of the frame. Then as noted above, you focus, press and hold the AF-On button to lock focus, recompose, and press the shutter button.

I just love the rather musical arrangement of the birds in this one. I did eliminate three knots that either merged with another bird or otherwise broke up the pattern and the rhythm.

Red-Knots-different-plumages-foraging--_BUP4695--Fort-DeSoto-Park,-Tierra-Verde-FL-1

This image was also created on May 19, 2019 on the DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT. For this one I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens with the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and and my souped-up Nikon D850. ISO 1250. Matrix metering as framed at about +1 1/3 stops: 1/1000 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. AUTO1 WB at 6:38pm as a faint sun brokie through the haze.

Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +1. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here.

Center Group (grp) AF/Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered just behind the right-hand bird’s neck (as originally framed).

Image #2: Red Knots foraging

Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Red Knot Plumages

The knot on our right has pretty much finished molting into its handsome alternate (breeding) plumage. As the feather edgings wear a bit, the pattern on the upperparts will become even more dramatic. After breeding above the arctic circle in June, these same feathers will be worn and ratty and the bird begins to molt into basic (non-breeding or winter) plumage. By fall, they will sport a coat of feathers that features on plain grey upperpart. They will wear those until the next spring when they begin the molt to alternate plumage. The bird on our left is a bird-of-the-year — note the retained median coverts that still have remnants of the whitish fringing characteristic of juvenile plumage. It is just beginning to grow some adult breeding plumage feathers. Most first-year birds will not complete this molt until at least their second year.

Red-Knot-flock-flight-blur-_BUP5854-Fort-DeSoto-Park-Tierra-Verde-FL-1

This image was created on the 2019 DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT on the morning of May 8. Standing at full height behind my tripod in a foot of water, I used the Induro GIT 304L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR. ISO 500. Matrix metering at about +1 2/3 stops: 1/50 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode was perfect with the histogram pushed all the way to the right. AUTO1 WB at 7:15am on a cloudy morning.

Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +3. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here.

One below center Group (grp) Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure as originally framed.

Image #3: Red Knot flock/flight blur

Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Pleasing Knot Flock Blur

I am not sure how I wound up at 1/50 second as I would usually make images like these at 1/15 or 1/30 second. After converting the image in Capture One Pro 12 and bringing it into Photoshop, I was wishing that the foreground seaweed splotches were more blurred. So I selected only the foreground, went Filter > Blur > Motion Blur, played around with the slider, and was very happy with the result.

Your Favorite?

Please leave a comment and let us know which of today’s three images is your favorite. Be sure to let us know why you made your choice.

If In Doubt …

If 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 New 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 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 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 :).

June 12th, 2019 | Category: 2019 | 11 comments
June 12th, 2019

Two Canon 600mm f/4L IS III Lenses in Stock Right Now!

2 comments

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Two Canon 600mm f/4L IS III Lenses in Stock Right Now!

Bedford’s has two almost-impossible-to-get-your-hands on Canon EF 600mm F/4L IS USM III lenses in stock right now. If you have been trying to get one, you can have it tomorrow. You will enjoy both the BIRDSASART discount and free overnight shipping (to all US addresses). Best would be to contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or by calling him or messaging him on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time). Be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it at checkout.

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, 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.

June 12th, 2019 | Category: 2019 | 2 comments
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