Your Call
Which of today’s three featured images do you think is the strongest? Why did you make your choice? For me, this is a very easy one.
In the Last Blog Post
Of the two water-lily images, I loved the first one but only until I processed the second one. I love the horizontal format with the two lily pads and the overall sharpness that came from a combination of zooming out and stopping down as compared to Image #1.
My favorite rainbow photo was #3. Though several folks sniffed around the right answer to the high level image design question, here are my thoughts:
If I had moved the car forward 4-5 inches, it would have placed the bird fully in the center of the prominent red/orange band on the left side of the rainbow. I did not note that in the field because I was properly exposing to the right leaving the colors of the rainbow quite muted.
Summary
On the afternoon of Wednesday 14 October 2026, Will from Tucson, AZ – visiting for five days of private In-the-Field sessions, kindly loaned me his Sony a7R VI Mirrorless Camera. I sat with the new body and one of my a-1 ii bodies that afternoon and set up the A7R VI menu in similar fashion so that operating the new body would pretty much be second nature. I loved the ergonomics — the camera felt great in my hands. I loved that the shutter sounds were louder than the shutter sounds of the a-1 ii. Those two factors gave the new camera an overall more solid feeling. The autofocus system of the a7R VI, though technically and theoretically not quite up to the level of the a-1 ii, was fabulous. At times, perhaps because of better AI training, AF seemed superior to the AF of the a-1 ii. Please remember that all of the above is based on a single two hour afternoon session with zero flight photography opportunities.
On the afternoon of Wednesday 14 October 2026, Will from Tucson, AZ, visiting for five days of private In-the-Field sessions, kindly loaned me his I had sat with the new body and one of my a-1 ii bodies that afternoon and set up the A7R VI so that handling the new body would seem to be second nature. I loved the ergonomics — the camera felt great in my hands. I loved that the shutter sounds were louder than the shutter sounds of the a-1 ii. Those two factors gave the new camera an overall more solid feeling. Though technically and theoretically, not quite up to the level or the a-1 ii, the autofocus system was fabulous. At times, perhaps because of better AI training, it seemed superior to the AF system of the a-1 ii. All of that based on a single very limited afternoon with no flight photography opportunities.
The image quality of sharp a7R VI 66.8 MP raw files is nothing short of breathtaking. The newly developed 66.8MP Exmor RS BSI sensor is the highest resolution full-frame, fully stacked sensor available with any mirrorless camera to date. These amazing files allow for healthy crops.
Future posts — calling on the technical expertise of Arash Hazeghi — will concentrate on the several important differences between the two camera bodies. These differences might be important to some bird photographers, not so much to others.
Did I mention that the a7R Vi is priced at $2500.00 less than the a-1 ii?
Anyhoo, I ordered one the next day to see for myself. Lots more soon.
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What’s Up?
It’s been sunny with brisk north for the past few mornings. Nonetheless, I have been out every morning testing the new featherweight lens and my new Sony a7R VI Mirrorless Camera. Sunday was pretty poor while Monday was pretty good. The a7R VI 68MP raw files continue to amaze me. In several weeks I will be offering my settings for the Sony a7R VI Mirrorless Camera along with a Buttons and Dials Guide and a detailed INFO sheet free to those who purchase this new camera using one of my two affiliate links. In the meantime, if you have used one of my links and already have the camera shoot me your receipt if you would like my current CAMSET.DAT file. As above and below, I am really liking the new camera body.
Today is Tuesday 27 October 2026. The forecast is again calling for clear and cool with a N/NE breeze. I will be heading down to the lake very early in hopes of getting some good stuff before the wind picks up. Whatever you opt to do today, I hope you choose to have fun and enjoy life. Please remember that happiness is a choice — Byron Katie – The Work.Com
I will be getting back to work today on the BAA 600mm f/6.3 Lens Guide and should be done sometime fairly soon. Use one of my affiliate links to earn your free copy. My tips on dealing with temporary AF blindness with this lens are alone worth the price of admission.
If an item — a Delkin flash card or reader, a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro, or a Wimberley lens plate or low foot — 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 or beat any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedford 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.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BirdPhotographer’s.Net, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. 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.
Gemini
General information, copy editing, re-crafting, technical refinement, and formatting for this blog post were assisted by Gemini AI.
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This image was created on 14 October 2026 by yours truly at Fort DeSoto Park, FL. Standing at full height, I used the handheld Sony FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS Lens (Sony E) (at 400mm) and the alleged poor man’s a-1 ii, the Sony a7R VI Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 2500: 1/1600 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 5:18:08pm in the shade on a partly sunny afternoon. Wide/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #1: Great Egret head and neck pano crap |
Why the Pano Crop
I zoomed out for this one so as to include the entire bird in the horizontal frame. The bird, however, was standing on a bright limestone path. In addition, the lower half of the bird’s body had some sunlight on it. So, I went for an aggressive somewhat out of the box crop.
Good News Bad News
The good news is that the batteries for the Sony a7R VI Mirrorless Camera last even longer than the a-1 ii batteries. Note: despite lots of negative internet chatter, I have never had a problem with a-1 ii battery life. I normally create from 1,000 to 4,000 or more raw files without having to go to a second battery.
The bad news as you might have figured out by now, is that the a7R VI is using a new battery. You cannot use your a-1 or a-1 ii batteries with the new body. And of course, the new battery requires a different charger. Inexplicably, the battery charger in the product box does not come with a cord or with a 30 watt phone charger. Both are mandatory at your expense.
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This image was also created on 14 October 2026 by yours truly at Fort DeSoto Park, FL. Seated on dam sand and muck, I used the heel-pod technique with the handheld Sony FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS Lens (Sony E) (at 800mm) and the alleged poor man’s a-1 ii, the Sony a7R VI Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 2500: 1/320 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 5:45:32pm in the shade of the mangroves behind me on a partly sunny afternoon. Wide/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #2: Semipalmated Plover in basic plumage |
My Favorite ISO with Relatively Slow Lenses
Notice that all three of today’s images were created at ISO 2500. With relatively slow lenses like the old 200-600 f/5.6-f/6.3 G, the new 600mm f/6.3 GM, the new 100-400mm f/4.5 GM with the 1.4X TC, and the slowest of the bunch, the 400-800 f/6.3-f/8, high ISOs are often the order of the day in low light. Always exposing well to the right along with my unique double noise reduction technique (as detailed in the DB III and DB IV Video Series) ensured clear, noise free images with lots of detail.
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This image was also created on 14 October 2026 by yours truly at my secret sunset spot near Fort DeSoto Park, FL. Seated on dam sand and muck, I used the heel-pod technique with the handheld Sony FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS Lens (Sony E) (at 513mm) and the alleged poor man’s a-1 ii, the Sony a7R VI Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined by Zebras with Exposure Compensation (EC) on the Thumb Dial. Multi Metering +1.7 stops. AUTO ISO set ISO 2500: 1/1000 second at f/7.1 (wide open at the given focal length) in Shutter Priority mode. AWB at 6:00:59pm right at sunset. Wide/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #3: Little Blue Heron at sunset |
My Secret DeSoto Sunset Silhouette Spot
Just a few minutes from the park, this spot offers pristine western views—and when fishermen are nearby, there are usually birds to set against the bay’s colorful sky reflections.
Though North Beach Lagoon is forever changing — the result of hurricanes and winter storms, information in the
Just a few minutes from the park, this spot offers pristine views of the western sky and, if there are some fisherman around, usually some birds to set against the colorful reflections of the sky in the water of the shallow bay. If you purchase or already own any of our Fort DeSoto guides, get in touch via e-mail and I will be glad to share directions to this often productive location.
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Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
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