January 29th, 2025 Homer IPT Openings
Due to a registrant’s family illness, I have had a cancellation on both Homer IPTs. If you’ve been dreaming of eagles and are interested in joining me for one or for both IPTs, please get in touch via cell phone or text to 863-221-2372 immediately. Time is very short.
What’s Up?
Incredibly, Brown Pelicans have been relatively scarce for the past few days. On Monday morning, using mostly the 300mm f/28 GM lens with the 2X TC and my newly beloved a-1 ii, I made some lovely Western Gull images that are featured in today’s blog post. On Monday afternoon, I experimented with the tripod mounted 600mm f/4GM/2X TC/a-1 ii and had some good chances on flying pelicans. My findings will be detailed in the next post. Tuesday morning was the toughest (i.e., worst) morning of the trip. There were no pelicans at the point and not much flying at the Bridge Club. My goal was to make some nice flight shots of the newly arrived Heermann’s Gulls. I got one very nice one, a nice top shot or two of Royal Tern, and a decent image of a fly-by pair of Black Oystercatchers. On Tuesday afternoon Bob Eastman and I headed to Santee Lakes Regional Park. The ducks were in a flying mood and the wind was right. Even so, it is a very challenging situation: widely varying subject tonalities, varying lighting conditions, ducks in flight at varying distances, and at times, too many ducks in the air at once.
Today is Wednesday 29 January 2025. Bob and I will be headed back to La Jolla for what looks to be another cloudy morning. Whatever you opt to do, we hope that you too choose to have a great day.
If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
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Wild Alaska Salmon and Seafood Company
Ever since my two daughters sent me a big box of salmon filets and sea scallops from Wild Alaska Salmon and Seafood Company for my birthday a few years ago, I have been ordering salmon and scallops from them. Now that Junior’s Fish Market in Lake Wales is closing, I will be depending on Wild Alaska every month. I always order Sockeye filets and the Sea Scallops. The stuff comes frozen solid, is easy to prepare, and tastes pretty much as good as the fresh stuff would.
You can save $20 on your first order by clicking here. Eating wild caught seafood is about as healthy as you can go. The scallops are a real treat. When you sear them, be sure to cook them in the liquid that comes in the bag and be sure not to overcook them. I bake or broil the lightly seasoned salmon filets skin side down in olive or coconut oil.
Buy Direct from the Fisherman
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The stuff tastes great and is good for you. Internet orders to the continental United States are shipped from their fulfillment center in the Midwest allowing their seafood products to reach US customers in perfect condition. The flavor and texture of their salmon and other products remain fresher than fresh is because the stuff is frozen the same day it is caught.
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This image was also created on 27 January 2025 at La Jolla, CA. Standing at full height, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation on the thumb dial. Multi Metering +1.0 stop in Shutter Priority mode. AUTO ISO set ISO 200: 1/125 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open). AWB at 7:12:53am on a then cloudy morning. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect:
Tracking Zone/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly.
Image #1: Western Gull on poop covered rock
Image copyright 2025 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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The White-washed Rocks
The white-washed sandstone rocks often catch my eye. The patterns can be beautiful. For this one, I placed the bird in the upper right corner to create a poop-streaked vertical bird-scape with the patterns of the whitewash dominating the image. The gull is probably in its third year.
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iPhone 15+. JPEG from the raw file. Time: 7:10:44 AM; Model: iPhone 15 Pro Max; Focal Length: 6.8mm; ISO: 80; Aperture: 1.8; Shutter: 1/120 sec. Exp Comp +1.1 stops.
Image #2: Western Gull on poop covered ridge image
Image copyright 2025 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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Your Ever-present Wide Angle Lens
As I approach age 79, one of my main goals is to go lighter and lighter. I cannot remember the last time I headed out with two rigs. Nor can I remember carrying an extra lens. I have become something of a one-trick pony. I enjoy the challenge of walking around with a single lens and seeing what I can do, knowing full well that what I have in my hand will not always be the best or most appropriate focal length. Anyhoo, I never have a wide angle lens with me in the field. But I almost always have my iPhone. The result: another small-in-the-frame poop-scape.
Just as I was putting the cell phone back into my pocket, the bird executed and held a perfect wing-stretch pose. It did not, however, hold it long enough for me to get any shots with the 300mm f/2.8. Another negative: though I made sure to capture in raw, the image quality of the optimized image is quite suspect. At best.
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This image was also created on 27 January 2025 at La Jolla, CA. Standing at full height, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. ISO 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel; 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect: AWB at 7:34:53am on a then sunny morning.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly.
Image #3: Western Gull — head, neck, and upper breast portrait
Image copyright 2025 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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Storm Clouds on the Horizon
The morning forecast on Monday called for clouds and drizzle. By 7:20am, however, the sun broke through. There was a big storm cloud to the west so the Pacific Ocean became a stunning indigo blue black, a perfect backdrop for the breeding plumage adult Western Gulls. Pelicans would have been nice, but there weren’t any. Needless to say, I made lots of images that included a few good ones. It is hard to beat the color scheme.
Note that when you properly expose for the bright whites, the ocean is rendered at least one stop underexposed. That makes the water bluer and blacker and pleasingly increases the contrast to the dramatic levels seen in this and the following image.
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This image was also created on 27 January 2025 at La Jolla, CA. Again, standing at full height, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel; 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 (stopped down 1/3 stop — gasp!) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect: AWB at 7:56:59am on a then sunny morning.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly.
Image #4: Western Gull — beginning yawn
Image copyright 2025 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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Almost Left Too Soon. Again.
Bob and I had decided to move the car down the hill and then head over to the Bridge Club. On our way to the steps, we saw a nice adult Western Gull resting on a rock. I knew that I had the exposure set correctly for the situation so I instinctively raised my lens and framed the shot. Within a second, the bird began a tremendous yawn. I simply pushed the shutter button and continued firing until the yawn quit. I was happy. Bob, who had not raised his lens, was pissed.
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This image was also created on 27 January 2025 at La Jolla, CA. Again, standing at full height, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel; 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 (stopped down 1/3 stop — gasp!) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect: AWB at 7:57:01am on a then sunny morning.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly.
Image #5: Western Gull — wide yawn
Image copyright 2025 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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Open Wide Please!
What began as a simple yawn quickly became cavernous. I was shocked to see that the a-1 ii lost focus for three frames mid-sequence. But was thrilled to see that the beginning and the end of the run were tack sharp on the bird’s eye, even in Image #5 where we can barely get a glimpse of the eye with the bird looking right down the lens barrel.
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Image #5A: 100% crop of the Western Gull — wide yawn image
Image copyright 2025 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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The 100% Crop
The huge crop here yielded a spectacular, perfectly illuminated look at the inside of the gull’s mouth. I remember making a shot very much like this at La Jolla, on film, I think. That was probably close to three decades ago. The photo might be in The Art of Bird Photography.
With their stunning 51MP raw files, sharp Sony a-1 and the a-1 ii images can stand up to immense crops. The creation of Image #5A involved discarding a shade under 95% of the original pixels. In short, the crop-ability of sharp a-1 and a-1 ii images is astounding.
Flight Photography Off the Tripod
If you cannot easily hand hold a given lens for flight photography, the only solution is to put the lens on a tripod. Though I tried a monopod for a while, and found the Wimberley Mono-Gimbal Head to be great for those who use a monopod, I have given up on them. Why? If you are going to carry something in the field to stabilize your (heavy) lens you might as well go for the most stable solution. With one-point contact, all monopods move around far too much for my taste. With a Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro atop my Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod, flight photography off a tripod is an absolute pleasure. With three points of contact, stability is ensured and fatigue is eliminated. And as with most skills, the more you practice, the better the results. That goes double for flight photography.
Pre-Capture
Pre-Capture on the Sony a-1 ii was 100% responsible for the creation of this image. I keep mine set to 0.3 seconds. Always shooting at 30fps, that means that each and every time I press the shutter button to begin a new sequence that ten previously recorded raw files will be saved to the card. Interestingly enough, I have never hit the buffer with my a-1 ii. That is due in part to the fact that when doing flight photography, I cannot keep the bird in the center of the frame long enough to slow down the camera. I can, however, do that when shooting a fight or action sequence. Though such opps are rare, I have yet to hit the buffer.
Vasili Chernishoff uses his remarkable Canon EOS R1 Mirrorless Camera for bird photography. As I do, he leaves Pre-Capture on at all times. I believe that at present, the only option for him is for 0.5 seconds. Working at 40 fps, that means that 20 pre-capture images will be saved every time he presses the shutter button. In no way is that the major factor for the obscene number of images that he created last week, in excess of 80,000. He needs to learn to stop shooting specks (tiny-in-the-frame birds and quit shooting when the background becomes distracting. In short, he needs to learn to be more selective by separating the good situations from the bad situations.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
January 27th, 2025 Homer IPT Openings
Due to a family illness, I have had a cancellation on both Homer IPTs. If you are interested in joining us for one or for both, please get in touch via cell phone or text to 863-221-2372 immediately.
My Call
The Brown Pelican flight image in the last blog post is my very favorite pelican image. Ever. In addition, it is easily one of my top ten all time best photos. Ever Several folks pretty much agreed. Elle summed up my feelings perfectly when she left this comment:
January 25, 2025 at 3:16pm
I am enamored of this one because it is unusual and artistic. I love the curve of the wing leading the viewer’s eye to the beak and the bird’s eye. I love all the orange details in the head against the complementary deep blue background. The texture of the feathers contrasts beautifully with the smoothness of the background.
Thanks, Elle!
What’s Up?
After a cloudy morning session on Sunday morning, Vasili Chernishoff headed back to LA a happy man. When we got back to the AirBnB, I finished cherry picking his best images from the more than 80,000 he created during a week of shooting. I had picked nearly 300 pretty good ones. We sat together at my laptop and got that file down to below 200 after a second edit.
On Saturday morning, Bob Eastman and Vasili headed down to the Brandt’s Cormorants while I hung out with the pelicans for a bit. I grabbed my 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II lens and headed down the hill. I did not make it far when I spotted a gorgeous male Allen’s Hummingbird. I quickly headed back to our SUV and grabbed the 600mm f/4 GM, both teleconverters, and my now beloved a-1 ii. The bird flew away but returned quickly. I called Bob to let him know. I kept shooting and the bird kept flying away and returning. I called Bob a second time and told him to come quickly and to bring Vasili. We all got in on the action. After less than 50 minutes, I created 6048 raw files. I kept 40 and processed four of those for today’s blog post.
I could not help but think of Jim Brandenburg’s amazing Zen/quasi-religious self assignment, Chased by the Light. Having “lost his passion for photography,” Jim gave himself a challenge: for ninety days between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice, he would make only one photograph a day. The result? Immense personal growth, an exquisite book and a National Geographic article that featured all 90 images. I have a signed copy of the fancy version of that book that is inscribed, “To the master, in the name of shared passion.” It is beyond a prized possession.
Things are quite a bit different today with mirrorless cameras that capture at 30, 40, and even 120 frames per second, and can even save as many as 120 frames recorded before you even press the shutter button. I guess the question is, “In retrospect, do I feel at all guilty? The short answer is “No, not at all.” I love what I do and I love being alive to be able to enjoy today’s amazing mirrorless technology.
Learn more about Chased by the Light in the wonderful blog post by Jim Doty here.
Today’s post features six very special male Allen’s Hummingbird images, four by yours truly and one each by Bob and Vasili. Oh, and by the way, Go Chiefs! Go Patrick (Mahomes)! Condolences to Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Again
Today is Monday 27 January 2025. Bob and I will be headed back to La Jolla for what promises to be another cloudy, drizzly morning. Whatever you opt to do, we hope that you too choose to have a great day.
If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
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This image was created on 25 January 2025 at La Jolla, CA on an In-the-Field session with good friend Vasili Chernishoff. Standing at full height, I used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. ISO 2500. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 second at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 9:09:48am on partly cloudy morning.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #1: Allen’s Hummingbird male — wing raised display
Image copyright 2025: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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Getting the White Sky Exposure Right
With the relatively dark hummingbird set against a near white sky when the clouds covered the sun, I knew that I needed to add a ton of light to the exposure to avoid under-exposing the subject. I raised the ISO until the sky was completely Zebra-ed and then hit a convenient button to turn them off so that I could compose the image.
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This image was also created on 25 January 2025 at La Jolla, CA on an In-the-Field session with good friend Vasili Chernishoff. Again, standing at full height, I used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. ISO 2500. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 second at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 9:11:16am on partly cloudy morning.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #2: Allen’s Hummingbird perched male side view
Image copyright 2025: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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Changing Perches
The bird switched perches often, fly off, and then return to one of about four favorite perches. Note that though the background for Image #2 was the distant cliff wall, the exposure remained exactly the same as it was in Image #1. Why? The amount of light falling on the subject had not changed.
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This image was also created on 25 January 2025 at La Jolla, CA on an In-the-Field session with good friend Vasili Chernishoff. Again, standing at full height, I used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. ISO 2500. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 second at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 9:15:57am on partly cloudy morning.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #3: Allen’s Hummingbird male scratching
Image copyright 2025: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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Why 6048 Images?
Not really sure. I can only say that photographing a tiny, feisty bird at 1200mm is a difficult challenge. I stuck with 1/500 second at ISO 2500 rather than going to a faster shutter speed and a much higher ISO. At 1/500th, I knew that I would lose some images to motion blur. Even perched hummingbirds rarely sit still. They are constantly looking around. As the position of their head changes, the reflectance of the gorget, the richly colored feathers about the neck, changes almost constantly. So, to capture the brilliant iridescence of the gorget feathers, making lots of images never hurts. And when they display or scratch or spread their wings, the best policy is to keep the hammer down.
Iridescence is the optical phenomenon where a surface appears to change color depending on the angle of illumination or viewing. The word “iridescent” comes from the Greek word iris, which means “rainbow”. (Google AI Overview).
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This image was created on 25 January 2025 at La Jolla, CA during an In-the-Field session by my good friend Bob Eastman. Standing at full height, he used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 6400. 1/2500 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 9:23:05am on a partly cloudy morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be within 1/6 stop of dead solid perfect.
Tracking: Spot (S) AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #4: Allen’s Hummingbird male — raised wings display
Image courtesy of and copyright 2025: Bob Eastman
Image Optimization by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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Bob’s Eastman’s Trusty Sony 200-600 G Lens
It became a standing joke. As Vasili and I were deciding on which lens to use for a session, Bob would opine, “I think I’ll take my two to six.” It is his only long telephoto lens and as you have seen here, he consistently created some fabulous images. As the hummers at this spot are ridiculously tame, Bob was able to get closer than Vasili and I as his Minimum Focusing Distance (MFD) is roughly half that of the 600mm f/4 primes, 7 feet as compared to about 13. None-the-less, Bob’s optimized image utilized slight more than 25% of the original pixels, a further testament as to the quality of sharp Sony a-1 raw files. Kudos to Bob for raising the ISO enough to create a perfect exposure in difficult conditions.
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Image #4A: The Photo Mechanic Screen Capture depicting the full frame original for Image #4, Allen’s Hummingbird male — raised wings display.
Image courtesy of and copyright 2025: Bob Eastman
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Large High ISO Sony a-1 Crops
As noted above, sharp a-1 files can stand up to relatively large crops. In this case, 75% of the original pixels were discarded. Note also the cleanup job that I did on the leaves.
Sony Alpha 1 (a-1) Mirrorless Camera Body (with Extras!)
Price reduced $200.00 on 27 January 2025
Used Gear Page regular, IPT Veteran, and BAA friend Dane Johnson is offering his rarely used backup Sony a-1 (ILCE-1) mirrorless camera body in like-new condition for a ridiculously low $3,598.00 (was $3,798.00). This body has been updated to Firmware 3.00 that reportedly improves Bird Face-Eye tracking to levels attained by the a1-ii. The sale includes a like-new Really Right Stuff Modular L-plate set (a $215.00 value), a Sony 160GB CFexpress Type A TOUGH Memory Card (a $268.00 value), the original product boxes, the owner’s manual, the USA warranty card, the body cap, the camera strap, one battery and the charger, the cords, 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 Dane via e-mail or by phone at 559-593-0989 (Pacific time zone).
I have used Sony a-1 bodies as my workhorse cameras for three years. They produce stunning 51MP files with vivid natural colors. The AF system is science-fiction-like. They are rugged and dependable and 30 frames per second is nothing to sneeze at. With a brand new A-1 ii going for $6498.00, you can save $3100.00 (plus the two great extras) by grabbing Dane’s pretty much as good as new copy ASAP Right now, B&H is offering a used a-1 in like-new condition for $4,397.00. That makes Dane’s body package an absolute steal. artie
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This image was created on 25 January 2025 at La Jolla, CA during an In-the-Field session by my good friend Vasili Chernishoff. Standing at full height, he used the Gitzo tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Canon RF 600mm f/4 L IS USM lens with the Canon Extender RF 2x and the remarkable Canon EOS R1 Mirrorless Camera. ISO 8000. The exposure via the in-viewfinder histogram and JPEG review: 1/1000 second at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 9:29:44am on partly cloudy morning.
Bird-Eye/Face AF-C performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #5: Allen’s Hummingbird male — raised wings display
Image courtesy of and copyright 2025: Vasili Chernishoff
Image Optimization by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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Well Done Vasili!
Though Vasili needs to continue to work on being more selective, he created some outstanding images. As I cherry picked his 80,000 photos (sorry, Jim Brandenburg), I was incredibly impressed by the Bird Face-Eye tracking accuracy and the high ISO performance with regards to the noise levels. I loved Vasili’s choice of perspective and the angled line of the perch. You will be seeing more of Vasili’s excellent images here soon.
Huge Thanks to Anita North!
Huge thanks to Anita North who helped me with the optimization of Vasili’s fine image. The sky to the left of the subject was bright. Anita explained to me by phone how to apply a Linear Gradient in Camera Raw while subtract the subject. This is a technique that I have been trying — without success, to learn for about 20 years. I think that I’ve got it now!
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This image was also created on 25 January 2025 at La Jolla, CA on an In-the-Field session with good friend Vasili Chernishoff. Again, standing at full height, I used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. ISO 2500. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 second at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 9:36:02am on partly cloudy morning.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #6: Allen’s Hummingbird male — raised wings display
Image copyright 2025: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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A Tiny Bit of Sun
As the sun peeked out just a bit, I was able to eke out a bit of blue in the sky.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
January 25th, 2025 What’s Up?
Multiple IPT veteran Vasili Chernishof is learning a ton. And he is also shooting a ton. Yesterday I cherry picked 211 of his very best images from three flash cards (two 1TB and one 2TB) that held more than 40,000 images. Yes, 40 thousand. He surely needs to learn to be more selective. Right now — “I’m learning my new camera” — he shoots long sequences of anything that moves regardless of the often mega-distracting backgrounds. And he needs to learn to make consistently good exposures. I continue to be impressed by the AF system of his Canon EOS R1 Mirrorless Camera. With “only” 24MP he is shooting at 40 fps with 0.5 second pre-capture. Except for the rare instance where he completely misses focus, probably more than 99% of his images are sharp on the bird’s eye. Most impressive is the AF performance with birds in flight at 1200mm with the RF 600m f/4 and the RF 2X teleconverter. My gut feeling that AF accuracy is better at 1200mm than the Sony a-1 ii with the 600mm f/4 GM and the 2X TC. And that, my friends, is saying a lot. The difference however might be operator error (on my part), but I do not think so.
Every session has been wonderful and productive. We’ve been doing great at Santee with Wood Ducks and ducks in flight in general. There is a gorgeous leucistic Wood Duck hen that has been very productive. Pelican flight was fabulous on Friday morning. On Friday night we left Santee early after a great session and headed to La Jolla for sunset. The sunset was spectacular but zero birds flew in the color.
Today is 25 January 2025. With some cloudy weather and a bit of drizzle in the forecast, we are headed out early to La Jolla. Whatever you opt to do, we hope that you too choose to have a great day.
If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
Should You Upgrade to or Purchase a Sony a-1 ii?
I ordered my second a-1 ii five days ago. Every day that I use it, the more I am amazed by speed and accuracy of the Bird Face-Eye tracking in AF-C.
Aside from the improved ergonomics as compared to the a-1, other nice features include the fact that the rear screen tilts both ways. Pre-capture will surely prove to be a plus while in my option, the Speed Boost feature is a total waste for bird photography. In addition, the resolution on the rear monitor has been improved dramatically. Not to mention at Bird Face-Eye tracking on the a-1 ii is vastly improved as compared to both the a-1 and the a9 iii and that the 51MP files are to die for. And don’t forget the Pre-Capture feature!
So, the big question is, is the a-1 ii “worth” a gear upgrade. Remembering that I can never know whether or not something is worth it to you, I can say that I was not floored when using my a-1 ii. The differences between the a-1 ii and the original a-1, are neither huge nor eye-opening. The huge difference between the new camera body and the a9 iii is, of course, the 51MP a-1 raw files (as compared to the 24MP files rendered by the a9 iii).
With the price of a new a-1 having recently dropped $1500.00 to $4,998.00, the decision for new Sony buyers is a very tough one. The a-1 ii sells new for $6,498.00. And the price of used a-1 bodies will continue to drop (but surely not as much as I had thought before using the a-1 ii).
If you do purchase an a-1 ii, be sure to use one of my two affiliate links so that you will receive my a-1 ii settings (in the form of a CAMSEa1ii.DAT file), the Buttons and Dials Guide, and an Info Sheet. Folks who do not purchase their new a-i using my B&H link or from Bedfords here and entering the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout will be able to purchase the a-1 ii guide for $227.43. If you are at all confused and do not want to screw up your order, please get in touch via e-mail.
How Good is This One?
Your honest opinion is valued. Be sure to click on the image and then let us know your overall impression. What do you like? What don’t you like? I will share my thoughts on this image in the next blog post.
You’ve Heard it Here Before
Autofocus with the top-of-the-line mirrorless bodies is so good that when you can no longer fit the whole bird in the frame, the best course of action is to keep firing. Why? Bird photography is like the proverbial box of chocolates.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
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