Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

What’s Up?

I got up early on Tuesday, have been working on this blog post for well more than four hours, and am still not done. It is cloudy here at ILE and I plan on doing some outdoor Focus Fine-tuning with my Nikon gear as soon as I am done.

I was thrilled to learn that multiple IPT veteran Malcolm MacKenzie signed up to join Shonagh Adelman and me on the 2019 UK Puffins, Gannets, and Red Kites IPT. That done, I have committed to the trip. See below to join us. Write for IPT veteran and couple’s discount info.

This Just In

I walked out into my driveway to start setting up for a (now-abandoned for a while) micro-adjusting session despite the fact that it looked as if it was going to start pouring rain any second. I saw that the trees on my property were absolutely filled with small songbirds so I grabbed my Leica 8×32 Bins from the car. In short order I saw about 20 Cedar Waxwings, a male Northern Cardinal, several Tufted Titmice, a Chipping Sparrow, several Red-bellied and Downy woodpeckers, two White-eyed Vireos, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a few Blue-grey Gnatcatchers, and the following warbler species: Yellow-throated, Pine, and Northern Parula. Turkey Vultures and Tree Swallows flew overhead. It is now pouring as I type. A storm is coming and tomorrow morning will be more than 25 degrees colder than today.

Lakeland American White Pelican In-the-Field Morning Session

If you would like to join multiple IPT veteran Malcolm MacKenzie and me in Lakeland tomorrow morning, Wednesday, March 6, for an in-the-field session with the tame pelicans before they head north, please get in touch asap via e-mail or call my cell at 863-221-2372. Limit three photographers/session. I will be taking only my SONY gear tomorrow since I went exclusively with Nikon on my last visit Saturday past.

Morning Session — 7-10am: $250.00
Morning Session with a working lunch including image review and Photoshop: $350.00

This image was created on March 3 from Clemens Van der Werf’s small boat on Lake Kissimmee. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at 400mm) and the beyond remarkable Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 400: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:11am on a sunny day. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version. Boat-tailed Grackle, female braking to land

Songbirds in Flight???

I am not and have never been capable of focusing on songbirds in flight with my Nikon or old Canon gear — even large species. With the SONY gear and its amazingly fast initial focusing acquisition I have been trying and was thrilled to create today’s featured image as the bird was about to land on a channel marker. I have even created some sharp small-in-the-frame Tree Swallow images, or at least tried. 🙂

Capture One Screen Capture for today’s featured image.

SONY Image Workflow

First off, note that the grackle image held up nicely to a substantial crop …

I learned right off the bat that it is not possible to judge SONY image sharpness in my now-beloved Photo Mechanic. The beauty of Photo Mechanic is the blazing speed at which I do my editing. Unlike Canon and Nikon images, the SONY images embed only a small JPEG. You can actually see the full sized SONY images in Photo Mechanic if you go to Photo Mechanic > Preferences > RAW and, under For RAW only: choose the Render RAW for Preview if possible option. The problem with that is that the rendering takes forever and I simply cannot live with that.

So, I paid too much money for Capture One so that I could use the magnifier (as seen in the Capture One screen capture immediately above. Here is what I do: I edit a session folder in Photo Mechanic deleting the obvious unsharp, mis-framed, incorrectly exposed rejects — and yes, there are many of those every day. As always I tag the keepers and the View tagged images, hit Command A and then delete the rejects, empty the Trash, and the View all. Then I go into Capture One, open the same session folder — that now with only about 10% off the original images since I got rid of the garbage in Photo Mechanic. I view the images and can either use the Loupe (P) or hit Option/Command/0 (zero) to enlarge the image. You can easily adjust the size and the zoom of the Loupe and then simply place the Loupe on the bird’s eye and click to check the sharpness. Then I use my personalized keyboard shortcut A to mark the unsharp or unwanted images for deletion.

The best news is that I have begun processing all of my Nikon and SONY RAW files (NEF and ARW respectively) with Capture One and have noted that the converted TIFF files are better than the converted TIFFs from ACR (or from Lightroom). I will be sharing lots more on Capture One soon.

SONY A9 Getting Started Guide with Video

If you are just getting started with your SONY a9 body and would like to know how to set the menu items that are relevant to bird photography, please send a Paypal for $22.00 to e-mail with SONY Quick Start Guide in the Subject line or at least somewhere in the e-mail. The guide also includes the best Focus Areas to use for photographing birds both in flight and action and at rest. Along with my comments.

Get a Free Copy!

If you have used my B&H or Bedford affiliate link to purchase a SONY a9 or the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens please shoot me your receipt via e-mail along with a request for your free copy of the SONY Quick Start Guide. Once I confirm that you have used the link correctly you will receive your guide with a link to the video via e-mail.

My Latest Thinking on the SONY Gear

In the Clean, Tight, Graphic, and SONY blog post here, Byron Prinzmetal commented as below. (Note: his comments have been edited for readability.)

Artie,

It seems to me one cannot have everything. In the Sony A9 case as I understand it you (we) have a system:

1. With their 400mm lens and a 2x extender the rig is light and easy to handle. That is, one does not need to be a 20 year old to hand hold the camera and lens combination all day to capture sharp bif images. For mature people this might be a really big deal.

2. Sony’s AF for birds in flighty is great, and you say in some situations with birds flying straight toward you at full speed it is fantastic and perhaps as good as if not better than the competition.

3. The file detail, color, et. al. is ok for a 24k file. Both Nikon and Canon files might show better detail, but Sony’s is more than acceptable.

The above is “my” reading of your comments so far. From my perspective for birds in flight, my priorities would be:

First: Can I hold the camera all day? (I am part of the over the hill gang with a bad back)

Second: Does the AF work well?

And lastly: are the files workable?

I might be wrong about my interpretation of what you have been saying so if so please excuse me.

Bp

Good stuff Byron. I will address each issue one at a time.

Bp: It seems to me one cannot have everything.

am: Agree but only 100%. With regards to the amazing SONY a9: It seems that there is no way to assign exposure compensation to the big wheel in the back. That would make the camera 10 times more deadly on birds. In the same vein, it seems that these is no way to assign AE lock to the AF-On button. That would make the camera 10 times more deadly on birds. If those two could be fixed by a firmware update, that would make the already great camera 100 times better and easier to use. With Nikon lenses AF with TCs away from the center AF point is problematic at best and switching AF areas is almost impossible when hand holding a telephoto lens like the 500 PF. Canon was great but for the fact that AF accuracy with flying birds was totally inconsistent for me (and for many others).

Bp: With their 400mm lens and a 2x extender the rig is light and easy to handle. That is, one does not need to be a 20 year old to hand hold the camera and lens combination all day to capture sharp bif images. For mature people this might be a really big deal.

am: Ah, you are playing with a two-edged sword here as there are always prices to pay. Yes to light and easy to handle but working at 800mm presents many problems with framing and ISO, the latter as you are always working at f/11 … Even in decent late light with fast shutter speeds you will wind up with very high ISOs. I would not advise flight photography with the 2X TC but for experimenting as AF accuracy suffers a bit. Initial focusing acquisition is still very fast with the 2X but the necessary high ISOs will prove prohibitive to most folks. Much better to shoot flight with the prime lens alone or in good light with the 1.4X TC. That said for close work and head shots, the 100-400 OSS/2X TC/a9 is quite deadly.

Bp: For mature people this might be a really big deal.

Yes, us old guys and gals need all the help we can get. I do see the SONY 100-400 OSS/2X TC/a9 combo with both TCs as a great option for all folks — especially older folks — who are looking to reduce weight while enjoying very good results. Hand holding the SONY rig above at 800mm if fine for the close work but for more distant subjects I strongly advise that folks go with an Induro tripod and a Mongoose as framing at 800mm is a lot easier when on a tripod. 800mm is 16X magnification so any movement of the lens leads to lots of problems. Working hand held with the 1.4X TC at 560mm (and 11.2X magnification) should be relatively easy for most folks. At 400mm with 8X magnification nearly everyone will do well provided they are relatively stable and know how to set up their cameras …

Summing up: Hand holding at 800mm is simply not as easy as it might seem.

Bp: Sony’s AF for birds in flighty is great, and you say in some situations with birds flying straight toward you at full speed it is fantastic and perhaps as good as if not better than the competition.

am: Better than …

Bp: The file detail, color, et. al. is ok for a 24k file. Both Nikon and Canon files might show better detail, but Sony’s is more than acceptable.

am: Agree. You will of course lose some fine feather detail (FFD) at ISOs greater than 3200. As would be expected, the much larger files from the Nikon D850, the Canon 5D Mark IV, and the 5DS r are superior to the SONY files with regards to image quality and FFD.

Bp: First: Can I hold the Sony rig all day? (I am part of the over the hill gang with a bad back.)

am: Yes.

Bp:Does the AF work well?

am: The AF is amazing even with either TC all with AF coverage over 93% of the frame. In reality this works out to practically full frame AF coverage as the missing Af coverage consists of only a narrow strip around the frame edges. AF coverage kills both Nikon and Canon. Best of all, there is no need to micro-adjust your lenses with each camera body …

Bp: And lastly: are the files workable?

am: For all but the most demanding of standards, yes. I would ask those folks what they are doing with their images … There are very few uses around today that require huge image files.

Bp: I might be wrong about my interpretation of what you have been saying so if so please excuse me.

am: You were right on with most of your interpretation but for the ease of using the SONY rig at 800mm … See above. And thanks for your insightful comment and questions.

with love, artie

This image was created on the Spoonbill Boat IPT on February 16, 2019 at 5:47pm. Please get in the habit of clicking on all horizontal images to see a larger, inexplicably sharper version. Image #3: Brown Pelican banking

System/ISO/Focal Length Quiz Answer

I published the image above in the Ecstasy, SONY News, Answers, and a new system/focal length/ISO quiz … blog post here on February 23, 2019. I asked:

SONY or Nikon? What was the focal length? What ISO did I use? (Yes, it was Auto but don’t be a wise guy.)

The image was created from the boat on the February Spoonbill Boat IPT. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter and the beyond remarkable Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless digital camera. AUTO ISO 5000: 1/2000 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode. The correct exposure was fine-tuned using the Zebra feature and Highlight metering at a total of +1 1/3 stops. AWB at 5:47pm late on a sunny day in soft light.

I posted this image here on BPN and the image quality and fine feather detail was routinely trashed. I did not think that it was that bad for ISO 5000 and I wanted to show the amazing almost full frame AF coverage even with the 2X TC.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. All of the images on this card were created on the 2018 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT

The New, Expanded 2019 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. Thursday June 27 (from EDI) through Tuesday, July 9, 2019 (on the ground; fly home on Wednesday July 10.): $9,999. Limit 10 photographers. Co-leader: Peter Kes.

Join me in the UK in late June and early July 2019 to photograph Atlantic Puffin, Common Murre, Razorbill, Shag, and Northern Gannet, Red Kite, and more both in flight and at close range. We will also have great chances with Arctic and Sandwich Terns, both with chicks of all sizes; Black-headed, Lesser-Black-backed, and Herring Gulls, many of those chasing puffins with fish; Black-legged Kittiwake with chicks; plus Grey Seal. There will be tons of great flight photography. As on all IPTs, if you pay attention, you will learn a ton, especially about sky conditions and the relationship between light angle and wind direction and their effects on flight photography.

Why go all the way to Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine, endure a two-hour boat ride, and have to photograph Atlantic Puffins from a cramped blind usually in bright sun (and well off sun angle) when you can hop a red-eye flight from Newark, NJ and be in Edinburgh, Scotland early the next morning. First we drive down to Bridlington for easy access to Bempton Cliffs where our primary targets will be Northern Gannet in flight. We will also get to photograph Razorbill, Northern Fulmar, Herring Gull, and Black-legged Kittiwake. While in Bridlington we will spend one afternoon visiting a Red Kite feeding station that should provide lots of flight photography action.

While in Bridlington we will staying at the Lobster Pot by Marston’s Inn, just fifteen minutes from Bempton Cliffs. After 3 1/2 days of photography at there, we drive down to Seahouses in Northumberland to the two lodges that will be our home base for a week. After a short boat ride each day we will have hundreds of puffins posing at close range all day, every day — usually in ideal cloudy-bright conditions. While we are in Seahouses we will do six puffin/seabird trips, all weather permitting of course; last year we did not miss a single landing. In five years we have averaged losing less than one half day per year to bad weather. We land at Staple Island in the mornings and then sail over to Inner Farnes for our afternoon sessions. In addition, we may enjoy a session or two photographing nesting Black-legged Kittiwakes at eye level from a rocky beach in Seahouses.

In Seahouses, we stay 7 nights in gorgeous, modern, upscale lodges with Wi-fi. They are beyond lovely with large living areas and lots of open space for the informal image sharing and Photoshop sessions. The bedrooms are decent-sized. Each lodge has one double bedroom and two twin bedrooms. (See the single supplement info below.) At the lodges we cook our own breakfasts each morning and prepare our own lunches to be brought on the six puffin boat trips. For dinners we will alternate cooking in the lodges with fine dining at several excellent local restaurants. We stay two nights at the Marston’s Inn in Dunbar. We will enjoy a fine-dining Thank You dinner at the Dunbar Hotel on the Tuesday evening before we fly home.

On the morning of Monday, July 8, 2019, the plan is to sleep late, pack, and head up to Dunbar Harbor, Scotland for lunch and an afternoon gannet boat chumming trip: flight photography until you cannot lift your camera. The next morning, Tuesday July 9, we will enjoy our second gannet boat chumming trip (both weather permitting). On both trips we will enjoy great views of the huge gannetry at Bass Rock. Included will be two nights lodging at the Pine Martin by Marston’s Inn in Dunbar. Very early on the morning of Wednesday, July 10, we will drive up to Edinburgh Airport so that everyone can make their flights home. No moaning please. You will need a flight that leaves at 8:30am or later. Not too much later is generally best. Note: this trip needs a minimum of four photographers to run.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. All images were created on the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT

The Details

This IPT is all-inclusive except for your airfare and alcoholic beverages. All ground transportation, lodging costs, meals, your National Trust membership, and all boat, entry, and landing fees are included. Weather permitting, we will enjoy three and one-half days (at least six sessions in all) at Bempton Cliffs, an afternoon with the Red Kites, six full days on the puffin boats, one amazing afternoon gannet chumming trip, and one spectacular morning gannet chumming trip. The trip cannot be finalized until I have at least six deposits as we will be renting a lovely 15-passenger bus with our private professional driver who happens to be my web-master, Peter Kes, who is also a skilled photographer and my co-leader 🙂

IPT Details

If you are good to go sharing a room–couples of course are more than welcome, heck, we actually need two couples — please send your non-refundable $2,000/person deposit check now to save a spot. Please be sure to check your schedule carefully before committing to the trip and see the travel insurance info below. Your balance will be due on February 28, 2019. Please make your check out to “Arthur Morris” and send it to Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855.

Please shoot me an e-mail if you are good to go or if you have any questions.

Single Supplement Info

Single supplement rooms in Bridlington and Dunbar are available for those who register early. The cost of the single supplement for those six nights is $600.00. Single supplement rooms at the lodge may be available on a limited basis but only if the trip does not fill with ten photographers. The single supplement fee for those seven nights is $700. If you would like your own room in Bridlington and Dunbar, please request it when making your deposit and include payment in full for the single supplement with your deposit: $2,600.00. The single supplement deposits are non-refundable as I will need to make the reservations well in advance.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for big international trips is highly recommended as we never know what life has in store for us. I strongly recommend that you purchase quality insurance. Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options you can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. My family and I use and depend on the great policies offered by TIS whenever we travel. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check or running your credit card. Whenever purchasing travel insurance, be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

I truly hope that you can join me on this exciting venture.

Help Support the Blog

Please help support my efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie

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.

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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 :).

What’s Up?

Robert Matyas, visiting from Ottawa, and I had a fabulous morning in Lakeland with the tame White Pelicans being the stars of the show. We saw an adult Bald Eagle and a Caspian Tern — both diving for fish. We also had a tame pair of Green-winged Teal including a gorgeous drake, a tame Limpkin, and a zillion tame White Ibises including many coming into full breeding plumage with bright red bills and an enlarged gular sacks. I wound up with 137 keepers after the first edit … I worked all day with the Nikon 500 PF and my back-up D850 (now with the grip), often with the TC-E14. We had a great working lunch at Fred’s Market in Lakeland; after our 6:45am start I did not get on the road until 1pm!

Lakeland White Pelicans In-the-Field Morning Sessions

If you would like to join me in Lakeland Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday morning this week before the pelicans head north, please get in touch via e-mail or call my cell at 863-221-2372. Limit three photographers.

Morning Session — 7-10am: $250.00
Morning Session with working lunch including image review and Photoshop: $350.00

IPT Updates

I still need three folks for the Galapagos trip, and the UK Puffins and Gannets trip is wide open with only a single registrant. Please shoot me an e-mail to learn about the huge late registration discount on the Galapagos trip.

• The 2019 Fort DeSoto Spring IPT/THURS 18 APRIL through the morning session on SUNDAY APRIL 21, 2019: 3 1/2 DAYS: $1549. Limit 8/Openings: 2. Meet and greet at 7PM on the evening of WED 17 APRIL. Free morning session on WED 17 APRIL.
• The New, Expanded 2019 UK Puffins, Gannets, & Red Kites IPT. Thursday June 27 (from EDI) through Tuesday, July 9, 2019 (on the ground; fly home on Wednesday July 10.): $9,999. Limit 10 photographers/Openings: 9. This trip needs four to run. Co-leader: Peter Kes.
• The GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 23 to August 6, 2019 on the boat. 13 FULL and two half-days of photography: $14,499. Limit: 13 photographers/Openings: 3. Please e-mail to learn about the huge late registration discount for this trip.

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 old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D and 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.

Important Used Gear Note

All sales include insured ground shipping via major courier to lower 48 US addresses only.

Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM Lens

Don Busby is offering Canon 500mm f/4L IS II USM (USA) in near-mint condition for a very low $6799.00. Just cleaned & checked by Canon Professional Services. The sale include both of the original lens feet, the front lens cover, the rear cap, the lens strap, the lens trunk, the original Canon box, and insured ground shipping via FedEx to the 48 contiguous states only. Photos available upon request.
The lens will ship when your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Don via e-mail.

The 500 f/4 super telephoto lenses have long been the world’s most popular for birds,nature, wildlife, and sports for many decades. Canon’s Series II version is light, fast, super-sharp, and produces amazing images with both the 1.4X and 2X III TCs. The 500 II is relatively small, easily hand holdable for some folks, and is much easier travel with, focuses closer than, and costs a lot less than the 600 II. Lastly, and you might find this amazing, the magnification for the 500 II is the same as it is for the 600 II: .15X. How is that possible? Magnification is calculated at the minimum focusing distance of the lens — 12.14 feet (3.7 meters) for the 500 II and 14.77 feet (4.5 meters) for the 600 II. Simply put, the 500 II focuses more than two feet closer than the 600 II. The seller for the last one that sold here had five calls the first day; the first four folks quibbled on price. The fifth one jumped right on it … Please do not tarry if you are seriously interested in Don’s lens as it too should sell almost instantly. Or not 🙂 As the 500 II goes for $8999 new you will be getting a near-mint copy and saving $2200.00! I loved my 500 II 🙂 artie

Canon 100-400mm L IS II USM Zoom Lens & original 1.4X TC

Dick Bernard is offering a Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS II USM zoom lens (the new 1-4) in excellent condition and an original 1.4X TC (in excellent condition with the lens pouch) for a BAA record-low-by-far $1,198.00. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the front lens cap, the lens hood, the lens foot, the lens case, the original product box, 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 Dick via e-mail.

Y’all know how much I have missed this amazingly versatile lens and its great close focusing ability. With Dick throwing in the original 1.4X TC this is an incredible buy. artie

Canon EOS 5D Mark III Body with extras!

Dick Bernard is also offering a Canon Canon EOS 5D Mark III body in near-mint condition but for a small whitish scrape mark on the bottom rear of the camera for the great low price of $998.00. The sale includes the front body cap, the original product box, the strap, the cables, the Canon EOS digital software instruction manual, three (3) 64 GB UDMA7 1000x Compact flash cards, three (3) third party batteries, the charger, and 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 Dick via e-mail.

I owned and used this superb, full frame, 22mp digital body for several years. It was always my first choice for scenic, Urbex (urban exploration), and flower photography until I fell in love for a while with the 5DS R (for a lot more money!). Then I switched to the 5D IV body. In addition, I loved my 5D III body for birds with my big lenses and both TCs. I used mine to create many dozens of high quality images. Then I switched to Nikon. John’s body can be yours for a bargain price. artie

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/4D ED-IF Lens

Jamie Baker is offering a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/4D ED-IF lens in excellent condition for $2750.00). The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk, the leather front element cover, the lens strap, the original foot, a Really Right Stuff LCF-16 foot, a Real Tree LensCoat, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower 48 US addresses only. Note, this lens is the version before VR. It is extremely sharp; detailed photos are available upon request. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Jamie Baker e-mail or by phone at (502) 403-9845 (Eastern time).

The 500 f/4 super telephoto lenses have long been the world’s most popular for birds, nature, wildlife, and sports for many decades. artie

Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM Lens

Price Reduced $400.00 on March 1, 2019.

Brian Anderson is offering a Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for only $7299.00 (was $7,699.00). There is not a single mark on the lens, the glass, or the paint. The sale includes the accessories that came with the lens: the lens trunk with keys, the hood, both feet, the front lens cover, the rear lens cap, the lens strap, the product box, an Aquatech silicone front lens cover, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Brian via e-mail or by phone at 1-715-278-3223 (Central time zone).

The 500 f/4 super telephoto lenses have long been the world’s most popular for birds,nature, wildlife, and sports for many decades. Canon’s Series II version is light, fast, super-sharp, and produces amazing images with both the 1.4X and 2X III TCs. The 500 II is relatively small, easily hand holdable for some folks, and is much easier travel with, focuses closer than, and costs a lot less than the 600 II. Lastly, and you might find this amazing, the magnification for the 500 II is the same as it is for the 600 II: .15X. How is that possible? Magnification is calculated at the minimum focusing distance of the lens — 12.14 feet (3.7 meters) for the 500 II and 14.77 feet (4.5 meters) for the 600 II. Simply put, the 500 II focuses more than two feet closer than the 600 II. The seller for the last one that sold here had five calls the first day; the first four folks quibbled on price. The fifth one jumped right on it … Please do not tarry if you are seriously interested in Brian’s lens as it too should sell almost instantly. Or not 🙂 As the 500 II goes for $8999 new you will be getting a pretty much new lens while saving $1700.00. I loved my 500 II 🙂 artie

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.

This handheld image was created by yours truly on the Falklands Land-based IPT. Image #1: Black-browed Albatross nesting cliff, Rookery Cabin, Saunders Island, The Falklands

A Lesson I Will Not Soon Forget …

On our third morning at Volunteer Point on the Falklands Land-based IPT I was working a group of King Penguins at the bathing beach — theirs not ours. 🙂 It started to drizzle and moments later the sun came out. And guess what else came out? A huge double rainbow right over the birds. I was sick because my Nikon 24-120 was in my vest that was a in the shelter shack about 400 yards away. I did not even think about trying to get it. The rainbows at their brightest lasted about 5 full minutes before starting to fade. Big time bummer. It was not until I started the long walk home that I realized that I had the perfect rig in my pocket the whole time. My I-Phone 8+. It will be the last time that I make that mistake.

This handheld image was also created by yours truly on the Falklands Land-based IPT. Image #2: King Shags on rocky shelf, Sea Lion Island, The Falklands

The Answer to the Toughest Camera Body Quiz Ever

Yes Virginia, both images in the blog post here were created with my Apple iPhone 8+. Surprisingly, the 8+ handles high contrast scenes better than any camera body I have ever used. The shags on the shelf were in dark shade and the water was at least ten stops brighter yet the iPhone did a great job right out of camera … In the future I just need to remember that I always have it in my pocket. As I carry big lenses most of the time it is great to have a lightweight wide angle at hand.

Kudos to Phil Thatch the first to come up with iPhone 8+ as the answer!

Everything I know about using my iPhone I learned from my good friend, Dr. Cliff Oliver. You can learn more about the iPhone Photography guide below and more about the guide and Cliff in the blog post here.

The iPhone Photography e-Guide To order your copy of the The iPhone Photography e-Guide please click here. The PDF is sent link by e-mail for downloading: the file is relatively huge at 216 MB.

Hard to Believe

Yes, Cliff has a great eye and wonderfully creative vision. Yet it is still hard for me to believe that he can make so many great images with “just“ an i-phone. Almost more amazingly Cliff captures with his iPhone and does all of his post-processing on the phone! In this great new e-Guide written for BIRDS AS ART you will learn to use set up you iPhone quickly and efficiently and how to to use it. In addition, there are dozens and dozens of tips on Cliff’s favorite apps and his favorite gear. Scroll down to the bottom to see the Table of Contents.

The iPhone Photography e-Guide: $20.00.

To order your copy of the The iPhone Photography e-Guide please click here.

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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.

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Typos

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