Analyzing Lens Choice for Hand Held Flight Photography « Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Analyzing Lens Choice for Hand Held Flight Photography

Your Fave?

Which of today’s two featured flight images do you like best? Why? Which background do you like best?

What’s Up?

I headed back to Santee on Saturday morning. Right outside of the park fence, adjacent to my new favorite morning spot, there was a large tree removal operation replete with three very loud wood chippers. The ducks stayed away in droves. I moved a bit to the north and had an OK morning. On Saturday afternoon I tidied up my AirBnB and watched the two NFL playoff games.

Last weekend all five of the teams I was rooting for won. When the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the favored Tennessee Titans with a last second field goal, I was six for six. I was rooting for the San Francisco 49ers to topple the Green Bay Packers who were favored by 5 1/2 points. After the first half, the 49ers chances looked to be somewhere between slim and none as their offense was non-existent. With the help of a blocked field goal, a blocked punt returned for a Niner’s touchdown, and a field goal by Robbie “Good as” Gould with zero time left on the clock, San Fran pulled off a miracle win. Now I am seven for seven thanks to the two underdogs winning.

I am torn between rooting for the Rams or for Tampa Bay in the first game. I will surely be pulling for the KC Chiefs to defeat the Buffalo Bills in the second game. I really like both teams a lot, but have been a huge Patrick Mahomes fan for forever.

I was glad to learn yesterday that John Flynn’s Canon 600mm f/4L IS II lens in excellent condition sold for a BAA record-low $4899.00 within hours of being listed.

Today is Sunday 23 January 2022. The forecast is for cool, clear, and sunny with a gentle breeze from the northeast. I will be heading to the cliffs for more pelicans and more. I have a special Sunday plan in mind. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about ninety minutes to prepare and makes 72 days in a row with a new one.

Please remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Please remember that 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.

Sony Alpha 1 Bodies in Stock at Bedfords/free card offer!

Steve Elkins of Bedfords let me know recently that he had several Sony a1 bodies in stock. If one of them has your name on it, please click here and be sure to enter the BIRDSASART coupon code check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. Right now, in lieu of the 3% credit refunded to the card you used for your purchase, you will receive a Sony 160GB CFexpress Type A TOUGH Memory Card, a $399.99 value!

Brand New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or to any prior purchases.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Important Note

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Please Remember Also

Please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will (still!) save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I lost about fifty thousand dollars in income due to COVID 19 — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.



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. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 17 January 2022 at La Jolla, CA. While seated, I used the hand held Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter (at 400mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with Exposure Compensation on the thumb dial. ISO 2000: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:55:26am on a cloudy morning.

Tracking: Zone AF/C with Bird/Face-Eye Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #1: Brown Pelican — low light flight

Sony 70-200 II for Flight Photography

With large birds like pelicans at relatively close range, I love the new 70-200 for flight photography — usually with either the 1.4X TC or the 2X TC. Much smaller and much lighter than the 200-600, it is a dream to hand hold. And it is faster as well. One and one-third stops faster with the 1.4X TC, and one-third stop faster with the 2X in place.

Image #1A: AF Point for the Brown Pelican — low light flight image

a1/70-200 f/2.8 AF Performance

AF performance with the 70-200 f/2.8GM lens and the a1 is other-worldly, even with the 2X TC in place. Initial focusing acquisition is lightning fast and the Bird/Face-Eye Detection is nothing short of amazing.

Image #1B: Topaz DeNoise AI on the Brown Pelican — low light flight image

How Good is Topaz DeNoise AI?

Be sure to click on the screen capture to see the great job done by DeNoise AI. Viewing at 400%, it is easy to see the complete elimination of the ISO 2000 noise in the dark tones on the pelican’s belly. As regular readers know, I run DeNoise on virtually every image that I process immediately after executing the crop with the Delete Cropped Pixels box checked. For images made in sunny conditions, I used Standard. For images made in low light, I use Low Light. You can check all four methods by using the Comparison View, but I rarely do that anymore as I am confident as noted above.

Great Topaz News!

Be sure to check out the Sharpen AI item below.

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plug-ins), will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. If the stuff is on sale (as it usually is), you save 15% off of the sale price! To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Those who purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or any other Topaz plug-ins using my link and then entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. Please include a copy of your Topaz receipt that shows the discount. Aside from the basics, the guide explains how to install the plug-ins so that they appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu.

This image was created on 20 January 2022 at La Jolla, CA. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 255mm), and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) ISO 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:34:04am on a barely sunny morning.

Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #2: Brown Pelican adult in flight on sunny morning

When the Sun Shines

When the sun comes out, I will often go to the 200-600 for birds in flight despite that fact that it is larger and heavier, and thus more difficult to hand hold. Not to mention that it is at least 1/3 stop slower than the 70-200 with either TC. So what not just stay with the 70-200?

Reach. Since the size of the bird in the frame is a factor of the square of the focal length, the 200-600 at the long end is the clear winner. And on sunny days, working with the slightly slower lens is not a problem for folks who can hand hold it successfully. Here is the math comparing the maximum focal lengths of the two rigs: the 70-200 with the 2X TC (i.e., 400mm) and the 200-600 alone (at 600mm). Four squared is 16. Six squared is 36. 36 divided by 16 is 2.25. Thus, the size of the bird in the frame at 600mm will be two and one-quarter times larger than the size of the bird in the frame at 400mm!

Please note that Image #2 was created from a horizontal original. Canvas was added above and below.

The Choice With Other Systems

As all major camera systems offer a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, and longer hand holdable lenses, the same considerations discussed above will come into play. One thorn in the side for folks on the dark side is the fact that the Nikon TCE 20, their 2X TC, is a real clunker.

Image #2A: Topaz Sharpen AI on the head and breast of the Brown Pelican adult in flight on sunny morning image

Topaz Sharpen AI

The truth is that I rarely use Topaz Sharpen AI. And I am even not sure why I tried it with Image #2. But was sure am glad that I did as the improvement was monumental. Be sure to click on the screen capture to see that improvement while viewing the high-res version. Note that I increased the magnification to 200%.

Actually, the sharpened selection looked a bit too sharp, so I simply reduced the opacity of the layer to 70%.

Great Topaz News!

Be sure to check out the DeNoise AI item above.

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plug-ins), will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. If the stuff is on sale (as it usually is), you save 15% off of the sale price! To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Those who purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or any other Topaz plug-ins using my link and then entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. Please include a copy of your Topaz receipt that shows the discount. Aside from the basics, the guide explains how to install the plug-ins so that they appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

8 comments to Analyzing Lens Choice for Hand Held Flight Photography

  • avatar Rick

    Artie have you moved on from the 100-400 as a hand held mobile option?

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Rick, It pays to read the blog everyday. In the blog post here, I answered this question in detail:

      Please let us know why the 70-200 is so much better than the original version and why it makes the Sony FE 100-400 GM lens obsolete?

      with love, artie

  • avatar Pat Fishburne

    #3 — the pelican fairly pops out of the frame. I don’t even bother taking pictures in low light situations because I’ll just end up deleting them.

  • avatar Gary

    Number 2 like the blue background of the ocean the head shows up better of course

  • avatar David Policansky

    Hi, Artie. I much prefer image #2 for all reasons: color, composition, background, and bird’s pose. I have taken many photos in low light and I never end up liking them as much as photos I have taken in good light. Except for blurs.

  • Artie
    Glad to read your having a great time!
    Image #2 i love the blue ocean background and the Pelican’s fanned tail in this photo.
    BUMMER on our Cheese heads here in Wisconsin they just didn’t show up to play!
    Always with love b

  • I like flight images 1 and 2 but I like background on 2 best.

  • avatar Adam

    #2 for the color/contrast though I prefer the pose and framing in #1. Unfortunately, the bird’s head is lost against the pale background in the first image.

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