February 4th, 2019 What’s Up
What’s up? Patrick Sparkman will be returning the borrowed SONY gear to B&H on Monday. Huge thanks to them for the loan. Both Patrick and I ordered our SONY stuff yesterday and should have it fairly soon. IPT veteran Mike Gotthelf ordered himself a SONY rig using my B&H link thank you very much. Do consider this: Patrick recently forked out a huge amount of money for his Nikon 600mm f/4 VR and decided to switch to SONY after two days of trying it out …
On Saturday and Sunday I enjoyed both morning walks and afternoon swims. I am back to eating well after more than three months of orgiastic eating on the Emperor Penguin trip, the Falklands Land-based IPT, and the San Diego IPT …
Your Favorite?
As you scroll down to view and learn from today’s two featured images, please do consider these questions and leave a comment: which images is your favorite? Why did you make your choice? The blog is designed to be interactive; the more folks who participate the more everyone learns. Including me.
IPT Updates
Unsolicited via e-mail from multiple IPT veteran Donna Bourdon
Thank you Artie for another amazing trip! The setting and the access to such spectacular wildlife was more than we could have hoped for. And you, yourself are remarkable. I am always touched by your selflessness in sharing your professional talent and knowledge. Not many working pros would be willing to share their intellectual property as you do. And the group experience was such fun. It was good to make new friends and enjoy food, fun and fellowship together! I hope to meet up with everyone again soon for another “over the top” adventure. with love, Donna
Unsolicited via e-mail from IPT veteran Eugen Dolan
Arthur, Thank you very much for your overwhelming infectious enthusiasm that helped get me up on some mornings. Also, your ability to express yourself- and explain in great detail why you like or may not like an image – was very helpful in allowing me to better analyze my images. Eugen
I have room for two folks on the spoonbill boat and still need three or four folks for the Galapagos trip. If you would like to explore the possibilities, please get in touch via e-mail; no reasonable offer will be refused.
- The 2019 Hooptie Deux/Roseate Spoonbill Boat 3 1/2 DAY IPT — FEB 16 thru 19, 2019: $2599.00. Limit: 5 photographers/Openings: 2.
- 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: 12 photographers/Openings: 4.
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.
Recent Sales
John Wright sold a Canon 500mm f/4 IS USM and a Canon EF Extender 1.4X II, both in very good plus condition for $3399.00 in mid-January.
IPT veteran Mark Overgaard sold hisCanon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM lens in near-mint condition for $1,299.00 in mid-January.
John M Wright sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens in excellent to near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $6,950.00, his Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens in near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of 1,299.00, a Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L lens in excellent condition for the BAA record-low price of $599.00, his Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS lens in near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $499.00,
and a Canon Extender (teleconverter) EF 2X III in near-mint condition for $265.00, all within days of their being listed.
Ramona Boone sold her Canon 600mm IS II in like-new condition for $7,699.00 (was $8,699.00) while I was in the Falklands
Brooke Miller sold her Canon 5D Mark IV for $2,249.00, her Canon Extender EF 1.4X III and Extender EF 2X III for $299.00 each, her Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro lens in near-mint condition for $599.00, and her Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM in excellent plus condition for $7398.00.
Nikon D5 DSLR camera body with Dual XQD Slots
Arthur Morris is offering a barely used Nikon D5 in excellent to near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $5,496.95. The sale includes the original box and everything in it including the front lens cap, and insured ground shipping via United Parcel Service.
Please contact artie via e-mail or on his cell at 863-221-2372 (please leave a message if no answer).
You can save a cool $1000 by grabbing Nikon’s blazingly fast, top of the line professional digital camera body right now. It was the D5 autofocus that switched me from Canon to Nikon in point three seconds … artie
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens
Yours truly is offering a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens in excellent plus condition for only $1799.00. The sale includes the original product box and everything that came it including the front and rear caps along with insured ground shipping via United Parcel Service.
Please contact me via e-mail or on my cell at 863-221-2372.
The 80-400mm VR lens served as my main lens on both the Emperor Penguin and Falklands trip. Focus fine-tuned with both of my D850 bodies it produced some of the sharpest images I have eve seen. artie
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Lens (with a great and necessary extra)
Price Reduced $100 on January 18, 2019.
Price Reduced another $100 on January 30, 2019.
Still loving and keeping my much more expensive Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens, I am offering my Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 lens in pretty close to near-mint condition for only $1199.00 (was $1399.00). The sale includes the original product box and everything that came in it, the crappy original tripod collar, the RRS Collar Foot Package for Nikon AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Lens (a $250 plus the shipping value), and insured ground shipping via UPS.
Please contact me via e-mail or on my cell at 863-221-2372.
This is the lens that hooked me on Nikon and its great AF system. It is sharp and versatile and though AF is a bit sluggish away from the center AF point with a teleconverter, I made some great images with the TC-E14. This lens sells new right now for $1,396.95 with only the crappy original tripod collar … artie
Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-17E II
Arthur Morris is offering a rarely used Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-17E II in near-mint condition for a BAA record low price of $299.00. The sale includes the original product box and everything that came in it including the front and rear caps, and insured ground shipping via United Parcel Service.
Please contact artie via e-mail or on his cell at 863-221-2372 (please leave a message if no answer).
I successfully used this 1.7X TC with both my 500 PF and with the 600 VR. It sells new for $ 396.95 artie
Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III
Arthur Morris is offering a rarely used Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E II in near-mint condition for a money saving of $349.00. The sale includes the original product box and everything that came in it including the front and rear caps, and insured ground shipping via United Parcel Service.
Please contact artie via e-mail or on his cell at 863-221-2372 (please leave a message if no answer).
I successfully used this 2X TC with the 600 VR. It sells new for $ $ 496.95 artie
Orlando Camera Club Program Sponsored By Bedford Camera
On February 25, 2019, I will be presenting “Lessons from the Field – BIRDS AS ART Style” for the Orlando Camera Club. They told me that they did not want to see beautiful images as they would rather learn. I told them that I would need to show them lots of beautiful images during the course of the lessons. 🙂 I will be working hard on this brand new program for the next three weeks. The program is scheduled for 6:15 – 8:00pm at the Marks Senior Center, 99 E Marks Street, Orlando, FL 32803. The meeting is free and open to the public. If you learned about the program through the blog be sure to come up for a hug.
Huge thanks to Steve Elkins at Bedford Camera for sponsoring my appearance and to Holly Manus for the invitation. Click on the logo-link above or check out the Money Saving Reminder feature immediately below to get acquainted with Bedford.
From the OCC website here:
Arthur Morris will present “Lessons from the Field – BIRDS AS ART Style”. This slide-illustrated lecture will feature hundred’s of Artie’s spectacular photographs. As he shares images from his favorite locations around the globe he will be telling us about the birds and other creatures that he photographs and about the equipment and techniques that he uses to create his images. Topics to be covered include getting close to free and wild birds, flight photography, getting the right exposure, and image design. A selection of books and CDs will be available.
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.
SONY A9 On Sale!
The SONY A9 went on sale at both B&H and Bedford yesterday with a $500 instant rebate. Please consider purchasing your A9 from a BAA affiliate.
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.
One Huge Advantage of 93% AF Coverage …
What a luxury it is to have AF available for 93% of the frame. Actually, it seems like a lot more than that … To make this image (presented full frame) with either Canon or Nikon dSLRs you would need to focus and re-compose using either rear button focus or focus lock. With the A9 you can simply choose an AF point and put it right on the eye of a stationary subject. As I did here.
Best of all — as I have noted here previously — is that AF with either teleconverter is fast and accurate anywhere in the frame. Canon consistently out-performed Nikon in this area but both feature AF array coverage that is very limiting as compared to the A9.
First-winter & Second-winter Plumage
Some young shorebirds, terns, and gulls begin to molt into first-winter plumage a few months after they fledge. When this molt is complete the birds often feature a grey saddle of feathers; with California Gull, the gray saddle is not evident until the bird molts into second winter plumage. Keep your eyes open when you get to the beach and you will soon find that picking out birds in first- and second-winter plumage is a snap.
Field Guide Portraits
Why did I call Image #1 a “near-classic field guide portrait” rather than a “classic field guide portrait.” There are two reasons in the perfect answer.
Winging It!
Several of us were on this bird hoping and praying for a head throw when the bird suddenly turned and took flight. I had my AF set up for the head throw and without thinking I followed my own advice: when un-expected action happens just fire the shutter button; you just might get lucky. If you try to change any settings, you will miss the action. In this case, I was thrilled with the result.
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.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 2nd, 2019 What’s Up?
My flight home on Thursday was a breeze. I love Southwest’s Orlando/San Diego nonstops! Thanks as always to Jim Litzenberg for the airport pickup. We were home at 7:30pm. Friday was spent creating this blog post and catching up on e-mails and business. I ordered my Sony gear and should have it some time next week.
The comments, questions, and replies on the last few SONY blogs posts have been excellent, revealing, and packed with solid information. If you are at all interested in the SONY gear, you might wish to re-visit. As always, if you decide to purchase the SONY rig that I am unequivocally recommending based on what you have read here on the blog, please consider using my B&H links or getting in touch with Steve Elkins at Bedford Camera.
Your Favorite?
As you scroll down to view and learn from the images as many folks do, please do consider these questions and leave a comment: which of the five featured images is your favorite? Why did you make your choice? The blog is designed to be interactive; the more folks who participate the more everyone learns. Including me.
IPT Updates
Unsolicited via e-mail from multiple IPT veteran Donna Bourdon
Thank you Artie for another amazing trip! The setting and the access to such spectacular wildlife was more than we could have hoped for. And you, yourself are remarkable. I am always touched by your selflessness in sharing your professional talent and knowledge. Not many working pros would be willing to share their intellectual property as you do. And the group experience was such fun. It was good to make new friends and enjoy food, fun and fellowship together! I hope to meet up with everyone again soon for another “over the top” adventure. with love, Donna
Unsolicited via e-mail from IPT veteran Eugen Dolan
Arthur, Thank you very much for your overwhelming infectious enthusiasm that helped get me up on some mornings. Also, your ability to express yourself- and explain in great detail why you like or may not like an image – was very helpful in allowing me to better analyze my images. Eugen
I have room for two folks on the spoonbill boat and still need three or four folks for the Galapagos trip. If you would like to explore the possibilities, please get in touch via e-mail; no reasonable offer will be refused.
- The 2019 Hooptie Deux/Roseate Spoonbill Boat 3 1/2 DAY IPT — FEB 16 thru 19, 2019: $2599.00. Limit: 5 photographers/Openings: 2.
- 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: 12 photographers/Openings: 4.
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.
Recent Sales
John Wright sold a Canon 500mm f/4 IS USM and a Canon EF Extender 1.4X II, both in very good plus condition for $3399.00 in mid-January.
IPT veteran Mark Overgaard sold hisCanon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM lens in near-mint condition for $1,299.00 in mid-January.
John M Wright sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens in excellent to near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $6,950.00, his Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens in near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of 1,299.00, a Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L lens in excellent condition for the BAA record-low price of $599.00, his Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS lens in near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $499.00,
and a Canon Extender (teleconverter) EF 2X III in near-mint condition for $265.00, all within days of their being listed.
Ramona Boone sold her Canon 600mm IS II in like-new condition for $7,699.00 (was $8,699.00) while I was in the Falklands
Brooke Miller sold her Canon 5D Mark IV for $2,249.00, her Canon Extender EF 1.4X III and Extender EF 2X III for $299.00 each, her Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro lens in near-mint condition for $599.00, and her Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM in excellent plus condition for $7398.00.
New Listing
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8 G VRII N-ED Lens
Errol Bellon is offering a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8 G VRII N-ED Lens lens in new condition for a very fair $1296.95. The sale includes the front & rear lens caps, the lens hood, a Kirk lens plate foot LF-44, the soft lens pouch, and insured ground shipping via United Parcel Service. The lens will not ship until your check has cleared.
Please contact Errol via e-mail or by phone at 216-272-9031 (Eastern time zone).
I owned and used the Canon version of this incredibly versatile lens for birds and wildlife and landscapes and Urbex for many years with both teleconverters. It was great indoors for events like granddaughter Maya’s dance recitals. And Anita North used the Nikon version of this lens often with the TC-E14 to make a slew of great bird photographs in San Diego. This is not the latest version; a copy of the newer version sells for $2,796.95. You can save an amazing $1500.00 by grabbing Errol’s lens ASAP. 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.
Bedford’s Special
Purchase a NIKKOR 180-400 super-telephoto zoom lens and choose either a GITZO GT2542LS SYSTEMATIC TRIPOD (a $930 value) or the WIMBERLEY GIMBAL/WH-200 w/ custom plate (a $694 value) at no charge when you purchase the 180-400!
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.
The Amazing and Versatile Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens
A quick glance at the images featured in this blog post will give you a good idea of the versatility of the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens. Fast, accurate AF with both TCs covering an unprecedented 93% of the image area. And the close focus matches that of the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens.
I had been doing the gulls and Royal Terns in flight with the 1.4X TC in place and had been more than happy with the results. But on the last day I tried flight photography in that same situation with the lens alone and was totally blown away by both the lighting fast speed of initial focusing acquisition, the lightning fast frame rate, the seamless and accurate tracking, and the sharpness of the resulting images.
With the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter!
With image #2 (and with #3 below), I used the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter. AF performance with the 2X TC — the A9 focuses to f/11! — is fast and accurate and thus totally amazing. Imagine walking around with a 200-800mm zoom lens that offers great AF over 93% of the frame and weighs only five pounds. Though I have done great with the SONY 100-400/1.4X TC/A9 for flight photography, the jury, however, is still out on flight photography with the SONY 100-400/2X TC/A9 combination.
Important Note: while I could have gotten closer and switched to the 100-400/1.4X TC/A9 combination the reach of the SONY 100-400/2X TC/A9 combo allowed me to stay well back, to get the pacific background that I wanted, and to work with a narrower angle of view.
What About Image Quality and Sharpness with the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter?
In a word, excellent. See the 100% crop below.
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Image #3A: An Unsharpened 100% crop of Heerman’s Gull, tight head portrait
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The Unsharpened 100% Crop of Image #3
Again, as with the incoming Brandt’s 100% crop, this looks more than fine to me and the optimized TIFF file takes my breath away.
SONY is Garbage!
I just found an e-mail from good friend BPN Avian moderator Arash Hazeghi in the Apple Mail Bulk mail folder. He wrote, and I quote:
Ha Ha! Sony is Garbage.
I have always respected Arash’s incredible technical knowledge and in addition, I’ve been amazed by his skill at hand holding 600mm f/4 lenses for photographing birds in flight. I replied asking him for clarification and inquiring as to whether he had ever use an A9. More on his thoughts soon.
I wanted to let folks know that there are two sides to every story. Patrick Sparkman and I humbly disagree.
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This image was also created on January 30, day 5 with the SONY gear. Again I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at 192mm) and the beyond remarkable Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Digital Camera. ISO 400: 1/5000 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. The exposure was determined using the Zebra feature. AWB at 9:53am on a sunny day.
Image #4: Bird-scape: Heerman’s Gull on seaweed-covered rock
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Going Wide
Intermediate telephoto zoom lenses give you the ability to go wide and to create smaller in the frame images of birds that feature lots of habitat. Creating this image with a long super-telephoto lens would have been pretty much impossible unless I moved back to Arizona … I like this one for a variety of reasons including the diagonal placement of the rock, the green of the seaweed, and the breaking wave that frames the bird. In the original The Art of Bird Photography I wrote something to this effect: add green whenever possible.
Close Focus with the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS
Why publish an image of bird poop? To illustrate the great close focusing ability of the SONY 100-400. The minimum focusing distance of the SONY lens (.98 meters or 3.2 feet) matches the MFD of the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens. While standing erect you can focus on your own toes (if you are tall enough …) The close focusing allows you to use your 100-400 as a quasi-macro lens. It is the feature that I missed the most when I switched from Canon to Nikon.
Why the SONY 100-400 (with the A9) kills the Canon 100-400 II and the Nikon 80-400 VR
The SONY 100-400 as compared to the Canon 100-400 II
Obviously the focal length range and the MFD are a tie, but with the SONY 100-400 you have fast, accurate AF across 93% of the frame with the 2X TC.
The SONY 100-400 as compared to the Nikon 8-400 VR
Here the focal length range advantage is with the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm but that is trumped by the huge close focusing advantage of the SONY lens, .98 meters (3.2 feet) as as compared to 1.75 meters (5.7 feet), the AF at f/11 with the 2X TC advantage, and the huge AF performance advantage with the SONY FE 1.4x teleconverter. In other words, game over, no contest.
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From left to to right clockwise back to the center: Brown Pelican, Roseate Spoonbill downstroke, Brown Pelican sunrise silhouette, Double-crested Cormorant pre-dawn blur, Roseate Spoonbill flapping after bath, Brown Pelican taking flight, Roseate Spoonbill taking flight, Reddish Egret white morph breeding plumage in flight, and Reddish Egret dark morph breeding plumage in flight.
All images on this card were created by me on the Hooptie Deux at Alafia Banks on the February 2018 trip.
You can click on each card to enjoy a larger version.
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2019 Hooptie Deux/Roseate Spoonbill Boat 3 1/2 DAY IPT — FEB 16 thru 19, 2019: $2599.00. Limit: 5 photographers/Openings: 1.
3 1/2 days on the boat including four morning photo sessions and three afternoon sessions via customized pontoon boat.
Price per day Reduced from the 2018 rates! Please e-mail for details on IPT veteran and couples’ discounts. Pro-rated options may be available …
We will be leaving the dock very early for the morning sessions (weather permitting) in hopes of photographing the pre-dawn American Crow and White Ibis blast-offs. All sessions are planned for the Alafia Banks Roseate Spoonbill Rookery. We might consider other options in the unlikely event of horrific weather. There will be lots of opportunities for flight photography of several species including and especially Roseate Spoonbill. Also likely for flight photography are nesting Brown Pelican, both morphs of Reddish Egret, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, White and Glossy Ibises, and Double Crested Cormorant. We should have some good chances with birds carrying nesting material. This IPT includes all boat and guide fees, in the field instruction, chest waders (feel free to bring your own of course to assure a perfect fit), and three working lunches on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. For the most part we will be standing in mid-calf to knee high water behind our tripods. We help you get in and out of the boat with your gear. This is likely not the best trip for folks with mobility or balance problems. Note however that some folks opt to stay on the boat to photograph. They usually have lots of chances for flight photography of spoonbills and other species but are almost always pretty far away from the spoonbills that land.
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All images on this card were created by me on the Hooptie Deux at Alafia Banks
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The Timing and Tides are Perfect!
I recently saw a similar trip advertised two months too late for breeding plumage spoonbills … The 2019 Hooptie Deux/Roseate Spoonbill Boat 3 1/2 DAY IPT represents an incredible opportunity to photograph Florida’s most wanted species. I do hope that you can join us. There will be a meet and greet at 7:00pm sharp on the evening of Friday February 15, 2019. All of the images on the card were made on the Hooptie Duex during the last two weeks of February, prime time for the spoonies in mega-breeding plumage. Many folks have written expressing interest so please do not tarry.
Please e-mail to hold your spot. Then you may either secure your spot by calling Jim or Jennifer at the office at 863-692-0906 and leaving the $500 deposit on credit card or sending your check for payment in full to us as follows with the check made out to:
BIRDS AS ART and sent here via US mail:
BIRDS AS ART
PO BOX 7245
Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855
If you call to leave your deposit you will be asked to mail your check for the balance asap.
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Images courtesy of our guide; copyright 2017 Captain James Shadle (aka Froggie). All of the images here were created at Alafia Banks. Card creation and design by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART.
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Everybody Loves Spoonbills!
Roseate Spoonbill is one of if not the most sought after avian photographic subjects in Florida. They are generally hard to find and somewhat difficult to approach. They are relatively easy to find at Alafia Banks—heck, you can’t miss seeing them, but even there they can on some days be somewhat difficult to approach. On some days we may be able to get ridiculously close to them. The huge incentive to get out to Alafia Banks in mid-February is the chance to photograph this species at the height of its spectacular breeding plumage…. with long telephoto lenses. A 500 or 600 with a 1.4X TC is perfect for this trip.
Mornings to Alafia Banks for spoonbills and Brown Pelicans (with lots of flight photography often with the birds likely carrying nesting material), Double-crested Cormorants, ibises (both Glossy and White) in breeding plumage. Some of the White Ibises may be sporting their spectacular, distended, red, naked (un-feathered) throat pouches—typically larger in the females. In addition we may get to photograph egrets including Great and Reddish, both in full breeding plumage, shorebirds, and more. There will be lots of flight photography opportunities. Afternoon trips will most likely be back to Alafia Banks for the spoonbills with an option to visit a more sheltered inland rookery location for a variety of nesting birds. In the event of horrific weather artie will either take the group to Fort DeSoto or will conduct an extensive image review/Photoshop session. This IPT includes lunches on the full days with small group image sharing and review and some over-the-shoulder Photoshop instruction.
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.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
January 31st, 2019 What’s Up?
It is 6:45am and we are in the car headed to the San Diego Airport. Wednesday morning was great for pelicans and also for gulls in flight. I stayed in that afternoon to pack. The Sony gear continues to amaze.
IPT Updates
Unsolicited via e-mail from multiple IPT veteran Donna Bourdon
Thank you Artie for another amazing trip! The setting and the access to such spectacular wildlife was more than we could have hoped for. And you, yourself are remarkable. I am always touched by your selflessness in sharing your professional talent and knowledge. Not many working pros would be willing to share their intellectual property as you do. And the group experience was such fun. It was good to make new friends and enjoy food, fun and fellowship together! I hope to meet up with everyone again soon for another “over the top” adventure. with love, Donna
Unsolicited via e-mail from IPT veteran Eugen Dolan
Arthur, Thank you very much for your overwhelming infectious enthusiasm that helped get me up on some mornings. Also, your ability to express yourself- and explain in great detail why you like or may not like an image – was very helpful in allowing me to better analyze my images. Eugen
I have room for two folks on the spoonbill boat and still need three or four folks for the Galapagos trip. If you would like to explore the possibilities, please get in touch via e-mail; no reasonable offer will be refused.
- The 2019 Hooptie Deux/Roseate Spoonbill Boat 3 1/2 DAY IPT — FEB 16 thru 19, 2019: $2599.00. Limit: 5 photographers/Openings: 2.
- 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: 12 photographers/Openings: 4.
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.
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.
Bedford’s Special
Purchase a NIKKOR 180-400 super-telephoto zoom lens and choose either a GITZO GT2542LS SYSTEMATIC TRIPOD (a $930 value) or the WIMBERLEY GIMBAL/WH-200 w/ custom plate (a $694 value) at no charge when you purchase the 180-400!
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.
Photographing Incoming Brandt’s Cormorants: As Tough As It Gets …
Photographing incoming Brandt’s Cormorants as they return to their nests is as tough as it gets. Try as I might, I had maybe one semi-sharp image in this situation over many years with various Canon bodies and lenses, that in many hundreds of attempts. I did however, have many that were razor sharp on the feet. With both the D5 and the D850, I would usually get two or three fairly sharp images out of ten. Anita North did a bit better than that with her Nikon Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR lens and the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III but again, her best results were somewhere between fairly sharp and acceptably sharp.
With the SONY gear …
With the SONY gear …
With the SONY gear, the results were mind-boggling. Once you got the tracking going, eight out of every ten images were razor sharp. You could see the veins in the distended blue gular sac and the individual white crest feathers were sharp as well. You will see more of the same in coming blog posts: the sharpness of images made with the SONY A9 approaches science fiction-like levels. And remarkably, two A9 firmware updates scheduled for late spring and early summer at the latest, should actually improve AF performance with birds in flight …
Frame Rate
When using AF-C, tracking AF, Continuous with Nikon and AI Servo AF with Canon, your digital camera body will never match the quoted frame rate. With the A9, that is 20 frames per second. With tracking AF that drops to about 15 fps when creating compressed RAW (ARW with SONY) files (as I did for the first two days) and down to about 13 fps when creating uncompressed RAW files as I did on days 3-5. Today’s featured images are all from compressed AWR files.
Note that all four of today’s featured images were creating in the same second at 8:15:56am. In any case, the frame rate of the A9 is breath-taking. And I forgot to mention how quiet the A9 is.
SONY A9 ISO, Dynamic Range, and Exposure Latitude
Note that the AWR files for all four of today’s featured images were about 1 1/2 stops under-exposed.
Your Favorite?
Each of today’s four featured images is presented un-cropped. Please leave a comment letting us know which is your favorite pose and why.
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Unsharpened 100% crop of Image #4: Incoming Brandt’s Cormorant
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The Unsharpened 100% Crop as a JPEG
This look quite good to me. I love the feathers on the shoulders.
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Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, many in full breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
Clockwise from upper left around to center: Laughing Gull landing on head of Brown Pelican, Laughing Gull in flight, Reddish Egret sunrise silhouette, Great Blue Heron with needlefish, Yellow-crowned Night Heron with ghost crab, Roseate Spoonbill, Sanderling in breeding plumage, and white morph Reddish Egret in glorious breeding plumage.
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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: 5. Meet and greet at 7PM on the evening of WED 17 APRIL.
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for a great variety of migrant shorebirds, gulls, terns, and passerines in Spring. Many of the gulls and terns will be courting and copulating. There the migrants join hundreds of Florida resident egrets, herons, night-herons, and pelicans on the T-shaped peninsula. We should get to photograph one of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and many of those will be in their spectacular breeding plumages. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron is a strong possibility. We may get to see and photograph the amazing heron/egret hybrid that has been present for three years. And we should enjoy some great Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two. Yikes, I almost forgot to mention that nearly all of the birds are ridiculously tame!
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Yes, Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
Clockwise from upper left around to center: breeding plumage Dunlin, dark morph Reddish Egret displaying, Laughing Gull vertical front-end portrait, Laughing Gull with prey item, landing on head of Brown Pelican, breeding plumage Royal Tern displaying, Royal Terns — pre-copulatory stance, Laughing Gulls copulating, Laughing Gull head portrait, breeding plumage Sandwich Tern with fish, and a rare treat, a breeding plumage White-rumped Sandpiper.
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Just some of the stuff you will learn …
On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. Most importantly you will surely learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
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Again, Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
Clockwise from upper left around to center: Laughing Gull in flight, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Sandwich Terns copulating, Roseate Spoonbill, Great Egret with reflection, breeding plumage Short-billed Dowitcher, American Oystercatcher, Royal Tern, white morph Reddish Egret, and Snowy Egret in marsh.
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What we do
There will be seven shooting sessions in all: four 3+ hours morning session and three 2 1/2 hour afternoon sessions. There will be a Photoshop/image review session during or after lunch (lunch is included) on each of the three full days. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with the hotel/lodging information.
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You got it, Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
Clockwise from upper left around to center: Roseate Spoonbill, immature Brown Pelican in flight, the heron/egret hybrid, American Oystercatcher feeding, immature Royal Tern on railing, Great Egret morning silhouette, Black Skimmer in surf, and underside head portrait of Great Blue Heron.
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Signing Up
A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with eight folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please remember that the meet and greet will take place on the evening of WED 17 APRIL. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.
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Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur.
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Early and Late
Getting up early and staying out late is pretty much a staple on all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours; on this particular trip we will get lots of sleep as the days are short. Being in the field well before the sun comes up and staying out until sunset will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers arrive.
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.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
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