SONY a9 Center Zone AF for Flight. And Two Questions … « Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

SONY a9 Center Zone AF for Flight. And Two Questions ...

What’s Up?

I will be aboard the Samba for two weeks beginning on Tuesday, July 23 photographing in nature photography heaven, the Galapagos archipelago. I will be offline from then until the late afternoon of Tuesday, August 6. You can reach Jim or Jen by phone weekdays at the office (863-692-0906) if you need help with mail order or IPT stuff. The blog will be published at least every other day while I am away.

B&H Event Space Program

I will be doing (another) B&H Event Space Program — Lessons From the Field BIRDS AS ART-Style — on Monday, August 12, 2019, 1:00 to 3:00 PM eastern time. You can register to attend in person or to view the event live online by clicking here. Here is the location: the second floor of B&H NYC SuperStore at 420 9th Avenue, New York NY 10001. Those planning on attending should register asap as spaces are limited.

FlexShooter Pro Update

We currently have FlexShooter Pro heads in stock here. We have all but one of the BigFeet in stock (phone orders only for now: 863-692-0906) but are sold out of the new FLN-60 BigFoot that was recently re-designed for the Nikon 600 VR. Click here to access the pretty much complete FlexShooter Pro story with videos.

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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 the 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.

As used gear sales have slowed a bit in recent months — especially with dSLR bodies, there are lots of great buys right now on the Used Gear 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.



Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on January 27, 2018 at La Jolla, CA with the handheld Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 560mm) and the blazingly fast AF king, the Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Digital Camera ISO: 400. Multi metering at about +1/3 stop as framed: 1/3200 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. AUTO WB at 9:34am on a sunny day.

Zone AF was active at the moment of exposure.

Image #1: Royal Tern — incoming adult with immature Western Gull looking on

Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

SONY a9 Center Zone AF for Flight

With the SONY a9, I go pretty much with Center Zone AF when photographing birds in flight. Initial focusing acquisition is lightning fast, faster then with any camera body I have ever used. Tracking accuracy is also superb, especially with birds flying right at the camera at high speed. A little-realized benefit of Center Zone is that it offers lots of compositional options. It is easy to place the bird off-center while maintaining sharp focus. With today’s featured image, it allowed me to place the bird in the upper right portion of the image and still wind up with a razor-sharp eye.

Note: Patrick Sparkman uses and recommends Wide for flight witht the SONY a9 for even more compositional latitude. I will be trying that in the future.

This is a second version of Image #1, created as above with the handheld Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 560mm) and the blazingly fast AF king, the Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Digital Camera ISO: 400. Multi metering at about +1/3 stop as framed: 1/3200 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. AUTO WB at 9:34am on a sunny day.

Zone AF was active at the moment of exposure.

Image #2: Royal Tern — incoming adult wtih immature Western Gull head removed

Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Two Questions

Note: Image #1 is exactly as it came out of the camera with adjustments to tonality made to the RAW file in Capture One. To create a second version, I eliminated the head of the young gull using Content-Aware Fill.

  • 1-I made one very minor change with the Spot Healing Brush on Image #2. What was it?
  • 2-Which of the two images do you like, the one with the gull’s head or the one without? Why?

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of California Brown Pelican. With annual visits spanning more than four decades, I have lots of photographic experience there … Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

The 2020 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) WED JAN 8, 2020 thru and including the morning session on SUN JAN 12: 4 1/2 days: $2099.(Limit: 8/Openings: 6)

Introductory Meet and Greet at 7:00pm on the evening before the IPT begins; WED JAN 7, 2020.

Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (nesting with eggs and possibly chicks) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heermann’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others are possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seals (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lions; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the IPT cards, there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Not to mention a ton of excellent flight photography opportunities and instruction.

Please note: where permitted and on occasion, ducks and gulls may be attracted (or re-located) with offerings of grains or healthy bread.

Learning Exposure, Whether You Like It Or Not

Whether you like it or not, we will be beating the subject of exposure like a dead horse. In every new situation, you will hear my thoughts on the exposure situation along with my thoughts on both Nikon and Canon histograms and the subject of blinkies. Whether you like it or not, you will learn to work in manual mode and to get the right exposure every time as long as a bird gives you ten seconds with the light constant. And you will learn what to do when the light is changing constantly. What you learn about exposure will be one of the great takeaways on every IPT.

Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT, there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

It Ain’t Just Pelicans

With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography as well. And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You will be guided as to how to make the best of all of those opportunities. And depending on the weather and local conditions and tides, there are a variety of fabulous photo chances available in and around San Diego.


san-diego-card-neesie

Did I mention that there are lots of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter? Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

The San Diego Details

This IPT will include five 3 1/2 hour morning photo sessions, four 2 1/2 hour afternoon photo sessions, four lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. And so that we can get some sleep, dinners will be on your own.

A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “Arthur Morris) to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 3385, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 10/11//2018. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

Travel Insurance

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


san-diego-card-b

Variety is surely the spice of life in San Diego. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Getting Up Early and Staying Out Late

On all BIRDS AS ART IPTS including and especially the San Diego IPT, we get into the field early to take advantage of unique and often spectacular lighting conditions and we stay out late to maximize the chances of killer light and glorious sunset silhouette situations. We often arrive at the cliffs a full hour before anyone else shows up to check out the landscape and seascape opportunities.

If In Doubt …

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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.

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Typos

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12 comments to SONY a9 Center Zone AF for Flight. And Two Questions …

  • I like both images. Not sure if f/98 is correct. Is there some Typo 🙂

  • avatar Neil Hickman

    Image 2 is much cleaner, and small white lens flare bottom left removed.

  • I believe you slightly lightened the tail feathers & legs of the bird.

  • avatar Walter Foreman

    I prefer #2, because #1 inevitably raises the question of the mature tern’s intention toward the young gull. It can be a good thing to raise unanswered questions in photographs, but to do that here, I (at least) think that the young gull’s head should be in focus.

  • avatar David Policansky

    Welcome back to connectivity, Artie. I agree with Paul Burdett, so I prefer image # 2. I probably would have cropped the gull’s head out, which would have left less room for the tern. I can see no other difference between the images, including the white spot that Joel Eade can see. Well, maybe the the leading edge of the tern’s left wing, about halfway between the body and the tip, looks slightly different, but I don’t know how that could have been done with a spot healing brush.

  • Am I missing something? How can the pictures be at f/98?

  • avatar Joel Eade

    I prefer the image with gull’s head removed …. it was a distracting element from the main story of the image. Just above and to the left of the gull’s head that was removed there is a white spot that was removed too. I suspect that is the minor change you are referring to.

  • avatar Ed Dahlin

    Please more info on shooting these flying birds in manual mode
    What’s the secret?

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Hi Ed,

      The secret for getting correct exposures for birds in flight is the same as always: get some data in the fifth histogram box … I usually go something like this: + one or two thirds off a blue sky and + about 2 stops off a white sky. Adjust for the tonality of the subject and then check the histogram.

      with love, artie

  • avatar Paul Burdett

    Hi Artie. Had the Gull in image #1 been looking at the Gull in flight, I would have chosen that one as the one I like best, as it would show a connection between the two birds. Therefore I like image #2 the best. I’m unable to see the change made in image#2. Is that a dust spot I see about 2 inches or so straight up from the Gull’s head in image #1 (and also in #2)?
    For me I feel that the wing on the right is a little too close to the edge of the frame. Cheers.

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