What’s Up?
If you like the inside scoop on a Canon 600mm f/4L IS II lens that I will be listing here soon, please get in touch via e-mail.
I’ve been enjoying some fine morning bird photography here at ILE with the vultures, Red-Shouldered Hawks, a new Sandhill Crane family, and with Cattle Egrets. The three perches that Bob Eastman put up during his visit at the end of last year continue to pay big dividends. Thanks again Bob!
This morning was much tougher as my best image was of a displaying Boat-tailed Grackle (at 1200mm). Today is Monday 3 March 2025. As soon as this post is published, I need to get back to work on my 2025 taxes. Whatever you plan on doing, I hope that you too opt to have a wonderful day. Do remember that happiness is a choice — Byron Katie, The Work.Com.
In today’s post learn why artie disagrees with the brilliant Arash Hazeghi who states in his video review that the new Sony a-1 ii is only “somewhat better” than the original a-1.
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Gear and EXIF unknown at the time of publication. Image #1: Snowy Owl in flight |
Better Than Most …
Simply put, Arash Hazeghi has been one of (if not the) world’s best flight photographer(s) for more than a decade. Like me, he has used Canon, Nikon, and now Sony gear. You can see lots more of his amazing work here.
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This image was created by Arash Hazeghi. He used the hand held Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 5000. 1/3200 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Northern Shoveler drake in flight |
Are You Kidding Me?
Who photographs erratic and speedy ducks hand held at 1200mm? Arash Hazeghi, that’s who.
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This image was created by Arash Hazeghi. He used the hand held Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. ISO 800: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, sharper high-res version. Image #3: Northern Harrier, juvenile male in flight |
Arash and Northern Harriers
Arash’s portfolio of Northern Harriers in flight is unequaled. And the same might be said about his collection of White-tailed Kite photographs.
Arash Hazeghi, Scientist and Artist
Arash Hazeghi, Ph.D., is a principal electron device engineer. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, Stanford, California in 2011. His pioneering Carbon Nanotube research has been cited many times. In the past decade, he has been a major contributor to the research and the development of some of the most cutting-edge technologies introduced by Silicon Valleyβs most reputable firms including SanDisk, Intel and Apple.
As seen above, Arash enjoys photographing avian species (especially raptors) in flight over their natural habitats. Almost exclusively, he uses hand held super-telephoto lenses with or without either the 1.4X or the 2X TC. Along with yours truly, Arthur Morris, he co-wrote the seminal The Art & Science of Photographing Birds in Flight with Sony Ξ±lpha & Other Brand Bodies. (Note: A seminal work is a groundbreaking piece of writing that introduces new ideas and perspectives to a given field of study, in this case, avian flight photography). You can check out the recently revised version here.. Please note: folks who purchased the original The Art & Science of Photographing Birds in Flight … guide will be receiving update information via e-mail this week.
Like artie, Arash is 100% sure that the Sony a- ii the is best-ever camera for creating dynamic, highly detailed in-flight images of avian subjects in flight. The main difference between Arash and artie is that — not surprisingly, Arash understands the science that makes Sony autofocus the best.
Sony A1 ii Review for Avian and Wildlife Photographers by Arash Hazeghi
In the YouTube video above, Arash does a fine review of the relatively new Sony a-1 ii. He touches all the bases: the slightly larger chassis size with improved ergonomics, the advantages (and disadvantages) of Pre-Capture, the improved a-1 ii viewfinder and monitor, the improved Optical Stabilization System (as compared to the a-1), the lack of an integrated grip (that artie sees that as a big plus), “pretty good buffer depth,” a more flexible AF system that can be fine-tuned in more ways than the AF system of the a-1, and the amazing combination of 30 fps, 50MP files, and deadly accurate AF.
His comments on Zone versus Tracking: Zone are a bit confusing to me; this is ironic because he was the one who explained the differences to me. And, as he does not do a lot of general bird photography, he neglected to mention the articulating, multi-angle rear screen and the value of Tracking: Zone.
Summing up, Arash states that as the a-1 ii is “somewhat better than the a-1.” He recommends that folks who want to photograph birds taking flight (using the a-1 ii’s Pre-Capture) should upgrade. Do understand that the a-1 ii is only somewhat better than the a-1 ii for Arash because of the following factors:
1- He is strong and has great stamina
2- He has incredibly fast reflexes and incredibly short reaction times
3- His hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills are at the top end of the scale
4- He has spent nearly two decades refining his hand held flight photograph skills
5- He concentrates on flight photography rather than on general bird photography
In short, Arash does not see the vast improvement in the AF system of the a-1 ii because of his vastly superior and dazzling skill set.
As I am weaker, less fit, (older), with much slower reflexes and poorer hand-eye coordination than Arash, and because I do a lot more general bird photography than he does, I can unequivocally state that for me, and for most mortals, the autofocus system of the a-1 ii is vastly improved as compared to the a-1 (as noted above). When photographing birds on the ground or in the water, Eye-Face Tracking with the a-1 ii rarely misses. The same could not be said about the original a-1. And for flight, unlike Arash, I find that the a-1 ii grabs and tracks the bird’s eye faster and more effectively than the a-1. To me, it is a no contest.
I recommend that everyone using an a9 series body (a9, a9 ii, or a9 iii) or the original a-1 upgrade to The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body as soon as they are able to get their hands on one.
The huge problem right now is getting one. I have sold both of my a-9 iii bodies and all but one of my a-1 bodies but am still waiting to have my order for a second a-1 ii filled π
If you decide to order a a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body be sure to use one of my affiliate links so that you get my settings, the buttons and dials guide, and the Info sheet for free. You can use the B&H link immediately above or order yours here from Bedfords being sure to enter the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout and receive 3% back on your credit card when your camera ships.
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Composite #1: All with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body.
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The a-1 ii for General Bird Photography
I have found that eye-tracking for general bird photography with the a-1 ii is far, far better than with the original Sony a-1. It grabs the eye and tracks it faster and far more consistently and focus is rarely lost, even with backgrounds other than sky.
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Composite #2: All with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body.
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The a-1 ii for Birds in Flight
For birds in flight, the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body has no equal. As Arash says, “It is better than the a-1.” When I am late getting on a bird in flight, I have consistently been amazed at how often the AF system of the a-1 ii finds and tracks the bird’s eye.
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Composite #3: All the result of using Pre-Capture with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body.
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Pre-Capture with the Sony a-1 ii
When it comes to Pre-Capture with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body, Arash and I agree 100%. And with my slower reflexes, Pre-Capture is more important for me than it is for Arash. Understand that in each of the images in Composite #3, I did not push the shutter button until after the bird took flight!
Should You Upgrade to or Purchase a Sony a-1 ii?
I ordered my second a-1 ii six weeks ago and still have not received it π Every day that I use mine, the more I am amazed by speed and accuracy of the Bird Face-Eye tracking in AF-C and the overall performance of the camera.
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 has proven to be a huge plus while in my opinion, 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 that 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.
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 first using my a-1 ii. The differences between the a-1 ii and the original a-1, seemed to be neither huge nor eye-opening. But over time, I came to realize that I was 100% wrong.
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 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). But for me, the a-1 ii is clearly far superior for bird photography than the original a-1.
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.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
A difference that makes my day…with the a1 II big eye cup I can keep my glasses on.
Thanks, Anthony. Does it come with two eye-cups?
a
yes it does! the regular standard one like on the a1, and a bigger deeper one.
Thanks, Anthony. Just another reason to go to the a-1 ii.
with love, artie
Artie
You are welcome on the perches however I would have hoped to have got the 4th one up that is now laying in your yard, and maybe your neighbor Ralph could help as it would be a shame to let it lay there anyway i got it that far but due to a “In Reverse tree” that change my ability to do a little bit more.
A big thank you to Arash on his review on the A1-II and explaining the difference on tracking and non tracking, one can learn something new all the time. I DID with the last 4 months with Artie he is amazing and I love him.
After shooting next to Artie for 4 months and seeing his images where the focus locked on the Birds Eye 90 plus% of the time with his A1-II compared to my 40-50% it is a game changer however my choice was Tracking Spot Small in 95% of my shots and I do quite well in using that with my trusty A1 and the 200-600 G lens OOOOH if I had the A1-II and the 600GM ooh baby OOH !!!! I’d be dancing but I do now lol π
I’d love to find the Snowy’s one day OMG Yes Yes just would like to know where π
Thanks to You Artie and amazing Friend and Thanks again Arash for the teachings great video today.
Always with love b
Thanks, Bob. Send me that owl raw file please π
a
Artie
Owls sent from wetransfer there were actually 2 photos that morning.
sorry I forgot to hit send on the file.
I did pretty good on my Cinnamon Teal flight hand held among others π thanks to an amazing teacher….pan faster hold steady π
Always with love b
Hi, Artie, and thanks. That snowy owl image is to die for. I’m a little confused by what you wrote above. You say the differences between the original a-1 and the a-1 ii are neither huge nor eye-opening. Then you seem to compare the a-1 ii to the a-9 iii. In addition, can you say more about caused you to change your mind about the superiority of the newer version over the older one?
Hi David,
A slight mis-quote; I wrote: The differences between the a-1 ii and the original a-1, seemed to be neither huge nor eye-opening. But over time, I came to realize that I was 100% wrong.
I understand that the next sentence, the one dealing with the a9 iii, might cause some confusion. I was, however, referring to the reasons detailed previously. These:
I can unequivocally state that for me, and for most mortals, the autofocus system of the a-1 ii is vastly improved as compared to the a-1. When photographing birds on the ground or in the water, Eye-Face Tracking with the a-1 ii rarely misses. The same could not be said about the original a-1. And for flight, unlike Arash, I find that the a-1 ii grabs and tracks the bird’s eye faster and more effectively than the a-1. To me, it is a no contest.
I will do a small re-write for clarity so thanks!
with love, artie
Thanks, Artie.