Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Merritt Island NWR In-the-Vehicle Instruction

I will be heading over to Merritt Island NWR on Friday and staying the weekend. Black Point Drive has had lots of Roseate Spoonbills and feeding sprees near the road recently. When I lived in Deltona ,I visited often, so I know the place well. I have a great little-known sunrise location there.

If you would like to meet me for a day or two or three of In-the-Vehicle Instruction, please e-mail immediately so that we can discuss the rates (inexpensive) and a schedule. 500 or 600mm lenses are preferred. Most of our photography will be from my vehicle. The weather for the weekend is looking good. I need to know in advance so that I can set up my car so that you can photograph from the back seat. I can only take one. Shared lodging (with your own bedroom) in my AirBnB home (FRI, SAT, and SUN nights) is available. If a private IPT sounds as if it might be something that you would enjoy, do get in touch quickly. Or call my cell at 863-221-2372. I will sign up the first to get in touch for a single session or two. Mornings will begin very early.

What’s Up?

I have another few hours work on the RawDigger Guide. I should have it complete and in the BAA Online Store by Thursday. I did make it out at sunset on Wednesday and took a few not-too-good images. After seeing yesterday’s exciting blog post, many folks ordered their Sony Alpha a1 bodies from B&H or Bedfords using the BAA affiliate links or discount code. Huge thanks to all of those folks, each of whom who will be enjoying a free copy of the BAA Sony Alpha a1 Camera User’s Guide before we know it.

Today is Thursday 28 January 2021. A cold front is coming through tonight; this morning is supposed to be sunny with NW winds. Knowing that that is a very bad forecast for morning bird photography, I will go down to the lake for a bit. I began setting up my Canon R5 this afternoon so that I can do some flight photography along Black Point Drive this weekend. 🙂

I was pleased to learn of the sale of Tom Mast’s Canon EF 300mm f2.8L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for a very low $3399.00 the first day it was listed earlier this month. If you have been wanting to get into SONY mirrorless but cannot afford the new Alpha a1, there are three great low-priced options for you below.

This blog past makes thirty-nine days in a row with a new blog post. This one took about 2 1/2 hours to prepare. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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 can always help out by clicking here if they see fit.

The BAA Used Gear Page

The Used Gear page continues to be very active. The BAA Used Gear Page is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 20 to 60% or more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Recent Sales list for the past eleven months at the bottom of the page.

New Listings

Sony Alpha a7r IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

Sold in one hour!

BAA-friend and multiple IPT veteran William Schneider is offering a Sony a7r IV Mirrorless Digital camera body in like-new condition for the very low price of $2598.00. The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it and insured UPS ground shipping to lower-48 US addresses. As a favor to Bill, I will throw in a copy of The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide and One Camera Set-up Video (a $100.00 value). Your new camera will not ship until payment clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Bill via e-mail or by phone (or text) at 1-262-269-8628 (Eastern time zone).

For the past two years you have seen the incredible detail in my a7r IV images made with a variety of SONY lenses and both teleconverters. I’ve typically used my 7r IV for about 50% of my bird photography and my a9 II in pure flight situations. As the 7r IV sells new right now for $3498.00, you can save a cool $900.00 by grabbing Bill’s pretty much new a7r iv. Though this 61-MP body is especially attractive to landscape and macro photographers, it is great for birds as well as you can pretty much crop to your heart’s content. artie

Sony Alpha a9 ii Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

BAA-friend and multiple IPT veteran William Schneider is offering a Sony a9 ii Mirrorless Digital camera body in like-new condition for the very low price of $3498.00. The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it and insured UPS ground shipping to lower-48 US addresses. As a favor to Bill, I will throw in a copy of The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide and One Camera Set-up Video (a $100.00 value). Your new camera will not ship until payment clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Bill via e-mail or by phone (or text) at 1-262-269-8628 (Eastern time zone).

From the moment I tracked that first incoming Brandt’s Cormorant, I knew that SONY a9 series bodies featured the world’ best AF. I upgraded to the a9 ii as soon as it was released for the slightly larger body size. I currently own two of them. A new a9 ii sells for $4,498.00. You can save a very nice $1000 by grabbing Bill’s pretty much new a9 ii. Not to mention that the new Sony A1 sells for $6498.00 … artie

Sony Alpha a7r IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

BAA Record-Low Price — Reduced $100 28 JAN 2021

Arthur Morris is offering a Sony a7r IV Mirrorless Digital camera body in excellent-plus condition for the BAA record-low price of $2398.00 (was $2498.00). Many might call this one near mint, but I like to be conservative when selling my own gear. The body has only 38,497 shutter actuations on it. The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it and insured UPS ground shipping to lower-48 US addresses. In addition, I will throw in a copy of The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide and One Camera Set-up Video (a $100.00 value). Your new camera will not ship until payment clears unless other arrangements are made. PayPal +4% will guarantee same day shipping.

Please contact artie via e-mail or by phone (or text) at 1-863-221-2372 (Eastern time zone).

For the past two years you have seen the incredible detail in my a7r IV images made with a variety of SONY lenses and both teleconverters. I’ve typically used my 7r IV for about 50% of my bird photography and my a9 II in pure flight situations. As the 7r IV sells new right now for $3498.00, you can save a very cool $1100.00 by grabbing my slightly used a7r iv. Though this 61-MP body is especially attractive to landscape and macro photographers, it is great for birds as well as you can pretty much crop to your heart’s content. artie

The Status of My Canon Gear

With the RawDigger e-Guide nearly complete, I am looking forward to setting up my very own R5 today and getting back to using it with the RF 100-500 (and on occasion, with the RF 1.4X teleconverter). That will enable me to get back to work on the BAA Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s Guide. It will be the most-expensive-ever Camera User’s Guide. Except for those who have used my affiliate links to purchase their Canon mirrorless gear.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plugins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Topaz Stuff

As I said just a while back and have said often many times before, I should have listened sooner. If you, like me, are new to the Topaz party, please use this link to purchase. Right now I can wholeheartedly recommend both Topaz Sharpen AI and Topaz DeNoise AI. Though I have not yet worked with JPEGtoRAW AI or Gigapixel AI, I have installed both of these plug-ins and look forward to trying them on some I-Phone 11 images fairly soon. If you are thinking like me, consider the Utility Bundle that includes all four plug-ins mentioned above at a money-saving price.

Again, those who purchase Sharpen AI or DeNoise AI 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. I had a bit of trouble getting the two plug-ins installed and having them appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu. In addition, I will explain how to best learn about the two plug-ins by applying them on a Layer (in Photoshop).

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free overnight 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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 also created on 20 JAN 2021 down by the lake at ILE. Again, I used the Induro GIT 404L/Induro GIT 404L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body). AUTO ISO set 1000. Multi-metering +1.7 stops: 1/1600 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Shutter Priority (Tv or S) mode. AWB at 6:47pm right at sunset with some haze on the southwestern horizon. Bottom Center Zone AF-C got very lucky, in part by design … Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1: Cattle Egret landing above reeds at evening roost

In the Two Sunset Family Jewels. Was Luck the Residue of Design? blog post here, I love both images equally. If I had to enter one of the two in a contest it would be a hard choice only if expanding canvas was permitted …

Like me, BAA-friend Bryan Holliday had good things to say about the image with the bird on the “wrong side” of the frame:

Hey Artie! I like the bird on the wrong side in the second image. I think it works because the open space behind the bird shows where it came from and we see it is flying down into the lower left reeds. It tells a story.

The reason I like the image above is that the bird on the left (“wrong”) side of the frame is that the composition is balanced nicely by the red streaks in the water on the right side of the frame.

This image was created on 22 JAN 2021 down by the lake at ILE. I used the Induro GIT 404L/Induro GIT 404L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body). AUTO ISO set 100. Multi-metering -3 stops: 1/6400 sec. at f/22 (stopped down 3 stops) in Shutter Priority (Tv or S) mode. AWB at 6:44pm. Flexible Spot (S) One-Shot AF! Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #2: Osprey in setting sun

Nobody Took a Stab at This One

In the same blog post, I wrote:

Why did I go to One-Shot AF here???

As noted here recently, when you are pointing your lens at super-bright highlights, most AF systems are blinded by the contrast. I tried my own advice by trying to focus manually and rely on Focus Peaking. But there were so many Zebras that I could not see a thing. So I turned the Zebras off but the sun behind the Osprey was so bright that I still could not see the Focus Peaking. Thinking fast, I reached up and switched from AF-C to One-Shot. Then I focused on the spot where the perch intersected the bottom of the sun. Bingo!

I love the problem solving that is often required in bird, wildlife, and nature photography. If you do not know everything, it almost feels better to work out a solution right on the spot in the field.

This image was created on 22 January 2021 while working away from my SUV at the Vulture Tree in the South Field at Indian Lake Estates. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 1250: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:22am on a sunny morning. Center Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and sharp focus was achieved. Click the image to see a larger version. Image #3: Black Vulture braking to land

Another Unanswered Question

In another recent blog post, I wrote:

Why would a southeast wind have been better for this image than the south wind?

Answer: if the wind had been from the southeast (rather than from the south), the bird would have been angling more toward me. There would have been a good chance that the shadow on the far wing would have been eliminated.

This image was also created on 22 JAN 2021 down by the lake at ILE. Again, I used the Induro GIT 404L/Induro GIT 404L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body). AUTO ISO set 2000. Multi-metering +2 stops: 1/2000 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Shutter Priority (Tv or S) mode. AWB at 6:48pm. Tracking Expand Flexible Spot AF-C performed perfectly (even though the active AF point was on the sky). Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #4: Osprey taking flight just after sunset

The Optical Collusion …

In a recent blog post, I wrote:

I stayed on the Osprey after the sun set and upped my EC to +2 stops. (See more on that below …) IAC, this is the question of the day: is the Osprey flying away from us or toward us? Be careful as these can be very tricky.

The comments were very interesting. The folks who thought that the bird was flying toward us, gave all sorts of definitive reasons. Those in the other camp just said, “The bird is flying away.” The results were about 4 to 4.

Image #4A: The lighted TIF for Osprey flying away

Whaddaya Think Now?

I’d say that the bird was flying away. And I was there. The wind was from the west. Optical illusions like this are fairly common when you are creating silhouettes. I posted a similar one of a crane a few years back. It too was headed away, but it looked as if it were flying right at us.

What’s Up?

Monday morning began with the discovery of an eagle pair re-building — and copulating in — an old Osprey nest in a pine tree down by the lake. When it cleared, I enjoyed another great vulture flight session with the SONY 600 GM and the a9ii (on a tripod, of course). It has been so warm here for the past few days that the pool was up to 86 degrees yesterday! Swimming has been a pleasure. I am now doing 52 slow lengths a day (with 88 to a mile).

I am almost finished going through the copy edits/proofreads of the RawDigger e-guide. Special thanks to BPN-friend Paul Burdett (from Down-Under), IPT veteran Bart Deamer, and long-time blog-friend Dane Johnson for their efforts. The amazing thing that happens when several folks proofread the same document is that for the most part, everyone finds different errors. Overlaps — where two or more folks point out the same problem, are rare. Today I have one more edit to do. After that, I need to add some promotional information and links. Then I will be done. I expect to have the final version in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store available for purchase by Thursday the latest.

Sunset last night was decent but not spectacular as the wind was from the southwest. I tried an alternate location and learned a bit. For years I thought that mornings were always best here at ILE and recently learned that I was wrong. And the best thing about the sunset session is that I head down to the lake at 5:30pm and get home just after six.

Opinions on the optical illusion Osprey question were widely divided with most folks feeling that the bird is absolutely 100% taking off toward us … Others explain why it is obviously flying away. Answer on Thursday.

The forecast for today, Tuesday 26 January 2021, is for partly-cloudy skies early becoming sunny with a gentle southwest breeze. I will be headed down to the lake early to see what I can do.

This blog past makes thirty-seven days in a row with a new blog post. This one took about two hours to prepare. Please remember …

The Status of My Canon Gear

With the RawDigger e-Guide nearly complete, I am looking forward to setting up my very own R5 and getting back to using it with the RF 100-500 (and on occasion, with the RF 1.4X teleconverter). That will enable me to get back to work on the BAA Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s Guide. It will be the most-expensive-ever Camera User’s Guide. Except for those who have used my affiliate links to purchase their Canon mirrorless gear …

Well, at least the battery is already charged. 🙂

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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 can always help out by clicking here if they see fit.

The BAA Used Gear Page

The Used Gear page continues to be very active. The BAA Used Gear Page is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 20 to 60% or more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Recent Sales list for the past eleven months at the bottom of the page.

Levered-Clamp & FlexShooter Pro News

We have zero Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro heads in stock. Two dozen are being shipped from Hungary tomorrow. Best to place your order now to be assured of getting one from our next shipment.

We do have FlexShooter Pro heads in stock; B&H does not … The ballhead that acts like (but is much lighter than) a gimbal-head, and that serves all purposes, has — as I predicted when I first used a FlexShooter head — taken the world of nature photography by storm. And it’s all on the level too!

RawDigger e-Guide pre-publication version

RawDigger e-Guide and Video Advance Copy Still Available — but not for long!

Save $10 Now

The RawDigger e-Guide and Video is almost finished. It will sell for $51.00. If you are anxious to get started with RawDigger, learn to mega-Expose to the Right, and wind up with the highest quality image files, you can save $10.00 and have a chance to review a recently updated pre-publication version of the guide by sending a PayPal for $41.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net with the words RawDigger e-Guide and Video Pre-publication Copy cut and pasted into the Subject line. The recent delay is the result of my recent conversations with Iliah Borg, the brains behind RawDigger. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you.

In the new guide, we teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values. And most recently, we teach you a simple way to evaluate your exposures using an adapted RawDigger histogram. And tons more, of course. I am planning on having the completed RawDigger e-Guide ready for sale by this coming Wednesday. Folks who saved $10.00 by pre-ordering will of course receive a link to the final PDF.

Canon R5/R6 AF e-Guide Info

So far, 85 folks have sent PayPals for their copy of the Canon R5/R6 AF e-Guide. And 30 who used my affiliate links to purchase their R5 have e-mailed for and received their free copy of the guide. If you e-mailed or sent a PayPal and did not receive your guide, please LMK immediately via e-mail.

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far. Three folks wrote stating that they had a better way of setting up AF on their R5s. When I wrote back explaining why they were in error, two of them back-tracked. One stubborn guy is still doing it his way — less efficiently. Be sure to scroll down to read about my plans for a Canon R5/R6 User’s e-Guide. Understand that the info in the BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide is so important that I opted to publish the AF guide immediately as the R5/R6 User’s Guide will take at least a month to finish.

BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide

BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide

Twenty-one pages. 3,452 words. 28-DPP4 screen captures showing the R5’s vaunted AF system in action. Note: the AF system of the R5 is identical to the AF system of the R6.

You will learn:

1- The two most useful AF Methods for general bird photography and for birds in flight.

2- How to set up your R5/R6 AF Menus.

3- What boxes to check (and un-check) under Limit AF Methods.

4- How to change the AF Method quickly, easily, and efficiently. Note: the default way of doing this is clunky, cumbersome, and inefficient at best. One person replied that this tip alone was worth the price of admission.

5- The only setting that should be used for Initial Servo AF pt for Face Detection + Tracking.

I you are currently using multiple back buttons either for general bird photography or for birds in flight, what you learn in this guide will change your life. For the better.

Here are the first three paragraphs of this e-Guide:

From the moment I learned about the new Canon mirrorless bodies, I read about using two or three back-buttons to focus using different AF methods. The word on the street said that the way to go for birds in flight was to use one button to acquire focus with Zone AF or with Large Zone: Horizontal AF and then switch to another button to activate Face Detection + Tracking AF and then use the shutter button to make an image. My immediate thought was, “This is insanity! There has got to be a better way.” In short, there is a far superior way to set up AF on your R5 or R6.

The default method of switching AF Methods with the R5/R6 bodies is cumbersome at best. It involves first pressing the grid button (my name) on the upper right back of the camera and then pressing the hard-to-access M-Fn button to toggle through the AF Methods. This method is so bad that it will not be mentioned again in this guide.

The guide is free to all who have ordered an R5 or an R6 using my B&H affiliate link or from Steve Elkins/Bedfords using the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Please send your receipt to me via e-mail. It will take me a few days to a week to verify the B&H purchases. Bedfords folks should expect their free e-Guides fairly quickly.

To purchase your copy of the e-Guide, please click here or send a PayPal for $25.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words R5/R6 AF Guide in your PayPal e-mail.

Everyone who gets the guide will receive a free update no later than the first week in February.

Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide

As regular readers know, I am working on a complete Canon R5 Camera User’s e-Guide. This will require a lot of research, a lot of time, and a lot of effort. I am hoping to have it complete by late February. As always, folks who use the BAA affiliate links to purchase their Canon gear will receive a substantial discount.

Understand that the info in the BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide is so important that I opted to publish the AF guide right off the bat to help folks get started with their new camera bodies. I may soon offer a pre-publication version of the User’s e-Guide … With a small discount, of course.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plugins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Topaz Stuff

As I said just a while back and have said often many times before, I should have listened sooner. If you, like me, are new to the Topaz party, please use this link to purchase. Right now I can wholeheartedly recommend both Topaz Sharpen AI and Topaz DeNoise AI. Though I have not yet worked with JPEGtoRAW AI or Gigapixel AI, I have installed both of these plug-ins and look forward to trying them on some I-Phone 11 images fairly soon. If you are thinking like me, consider the Utility Bundle that includes all four plug-ins mentioned above at a money-saving price.

Again, those who purchase Sharpen AI or DeNoise AI using my link, can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. I had a bit of trouble getting the two plug-ins installed and having them appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu. In addition, I will explain how to best learn about the two plug-ins by applying them on a Layer (in Photoshop).

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free overnight 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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 1 January 2021 at down by the Vulture Tree at Indian Lake Estates. I used the handheld Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens (at 500mm) and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 1250. Exposure determined by experience and luck and confirmed as perfect by RawDigger: 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:25am on a cloudy bright sunny morning. Face Detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure and performed well; see the DPP 4 screen capture below. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Turkey Vulture in rocking flight

R5 Crops

At 45MP, sharp R5 raw (CR.3) files hold up nicely to significant crops. When I mentioned cropping in an online chat with BPN-friend/R5 user Brian Sump, he eventually responded, At the end of the day, though, I guess that all I care about is, “Does the image look great?”

I would have to agree.

Here is an important point: if you crop to 50% of the width and the height of an image, you have cropped away 75% (not half) of the original pixels.

Image #1A: DPP 4 screen capture for Turkey Vulture in rocking flight

DPP 4 Screen Capture

Lots of top Canon mirrorless bird photographers like to use Face Detection plus Tracking as their go-to AF method for birds in flight. As I did here. As detailed in the R5/R6 AF guide, this AF method reverts to an AF box when it cannot track the bird’s eye. In other cases it reverts to a Zone-type AF with many AF points activated. And it often tracks all over the place. We will be exploring this latter occurrence with both systems in a blog post soon.

Please remember that I have not done a ton of flight photography with the R5/RF 100-500 in part because I have been unwilling — and in some cases — unable to travel. Can you say Bosque? Can you say San Diego? As things stand for me right now, for flight photography I do not have confidence in Face Detection plus Tracking, and I do not have confidence in Large Zone: Horizontal either. The next chance that I get, I will try Zone AF, the one large box in the center with the dancing AF points …

Image #1B: Topaz Sharpen AI on the vulture’s head

The Topaz AI One-Two Punch!

After converting the raw file in Capture One, I ran Topaz DeNoise AI on the entire image. It cleaned up the noise in the sky and in the dark tones of the vulture beautifully. Then I selected the bird’s head with the Quick Selection Tool (W), put that on a layer, and brought the layer only into Topaz Sharpen AI. In the Comparison View, I clicked on Auto and saw the Stabilize was best. I ran it at full strength. Once it was back in Photoshop, however, I zoomed in to 100% and clicked the eyeball for the Sharpen AI layer on and off. The sharpening was obviously much too strong. I reduced the Opacity of that layer to 50% and the sharpened head looked a whole lot better.

With almost all of my SONY and Canon mirrorless flight images, I do some Eye Doctor work by darkening the pupil using Tim Grey Dodge and Burn (as detailed in ABP II). Darkening the pupil gives images an added jolt of apparent sharpness.

Image #1C: the RawDigger Adapted Histogram for the Osprey taking flight just after sunset image

The RawDigger Adapted Histogram

Click on the image to enlarge it and note the rosy-red Ov-Exp warnings on some of the feather vanes and the bill tip. Note also the 1742 OvExp G pixels along with the 14 OvExp R pixels and the 9 OvExp B pixels. The OvExp R and B pixels are insignificant. In the RawDigger e-guide we teach you how to deal with images like this. We explain why the raw file brightness in this image is pretty much perfect and how to deal with the small areas of over-exposure. Remember that 1742 pixels out of 45,000,000 works out to 0.00% ever-exposed …

In the guide, you will — of course — learn how to set up the Adapted Histogram and use it to evaluate the exposures and raw file brightness for files from pretty much every dSLR and Mirrorless camera body in use today. It performs perfectly with my Canon CR.2 image files from 2001 and with all of my Nikon NEF files as well. Like me, you will probably find that you were severely under-exposing everything, especially overall light-toned images that were created in low light. And as we have seen recently, with silhouettes created against richly-colored skies. Like the Topaz AI stuff RawDigger has been a game-changer for me.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Saturday was a foggy, hazy, lazy, rather warm grey day in Central Florida. I went out briefly in the morning and then relaxed for the rest of the day. No bursts. No walks. No swim.

For the first time in recent memory, I finished this blog post the day before it was posted. The weather forecast for what is now Sunday 23 January 2021 is for mostly cloudy with a chances of sprinkles and light northeast winds.

The plan is that I will create the RawDigger Adapted Histogram video on Sunday morning.

This blog past makes thirty-five days in a row with a new blog post. It took more than two hours to prepare. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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 can always help out by clicking here if they see fit.

The BAA Used Gear Page

The Used Gear page continues to be very active. The BAA Used Gear Page is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 20 to 60% or more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Recent Sales list for the past eleven months at the bottom of the page.

Canon EOS-1DX Mark III professional digital camera body

Used Gear Page regular Don Busby is offering a Canon EOS-1DX Mark III dSLR in like-new condition with less than 10,000 shutter actuations for a very low $5499.00. The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it including the 64gb CF Express Card, the CFexpress reader, and an extra battery. Also included is 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 Don via e-mail

The Canon 1Dx bodies have been solid performers under challenging conditions for many years. The autofocus performance of the 1Dx and 1Dx MkII had been lacking as compared to Nikon or lately Sony (A9) especially when it comes down to dynamic focusing using the whole sensor array or specific zones. on the 1DX Mark II, the Automatic AF area selection never did a great job of acquiring and tracking the subject; thus, that mode was pretty much useless for photographing birds in flight. Single-point AF or AF Expand (4 or 9 points) with the tracking sensitivity set at -2 often produced good results for me with flying birds, but the fact that you were limited as far as image design always bothered me. Nikon’s dynamic focusing and Sony’s tracking capabilities provided extra compositional flexibility. As a result, many bird photographers decided to leave Canon and switch to Nikon or a Sony a9 series body. I decided to stay the course with Canon for two reasons: my collection of great Canon lenses, and the fact that the development of sensor and AF technology is like an arms race: one day Nikon is ahead, the next day Canon is ahead. I was lucky enough to get the new Canon 1Dx MkIII camera body from Steve Elkins just in time for my trip to Alaska to photograph the bald eagles. It was the perfect place to test the improved AF capabilities of the new Canon flagship body, the EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR with CFexpress Card and Reader.

The 1Dx MkIII is a hybrid camera with an Optical Viewfinder (OVF) and Live-View shooting making it a mirrorless camera at the same time that it is a rugged dSLR. There are a ton of other great new features, but I focused primarily on testing the new enhanced AF system. I was especially interested to see if the new dynamic 191-point Automatic AF selection and the AF zones would perform better than the previous versions of the 1Dx. The conclusion is that even under difficult circumstances — the first two days with heavy winds and heavy snow) — the camera had no issue focusing on the subject and keep tracking it with the Automatic AF selection mode. I used the center point to acquire focus and as soon as it locked the focus on the bird, it did a great job keeping multiple AF points on the subject and tracking it through the frame and through the snowflakes. The same applied for the Zones — smaller AF areas with multiple AF points active. Even with busy backgrounds, the AF stayed locked on the subject. The AF modes have been reduced to 4 compared to 5 in the previous 1Dx models. I primarily used Mode 2 (Continue to Track Subjects, Ignoring Possible Obstacles) and Mode 4 (For Subjects That Accelerate or Decelerate Quickly) but was not able to see a significant difference between the modes. Even with trying the “Deep Learning” Automatic setting (Tracking Automatically Adapts to Subject Movement) I did not notice a significant difference. They all performed really well. The conclusion is that Canon has produced a camera that is now on-par or even better than its competitors with respect to AF performance. Although I did not test the mirrorless capabilities yet, other tests show that this function is also equal to or better than the Sony A9 performance, the only difference is that you can not use the OVF in mirrorless-mode with the 1DX III and have to use the display on the back of the camera (the rear monitor) instead. Due to the fact you have to keep the camera away from your eye, this is somewhat awkward for photographing birds in flight. I am very happy with the AF performance as compared to the previous Canon models and am looking forward to testing it further on Florida birds this coming spring. Clemens van der Werf

The 1DX III sells new right now for $6,499.00. Grab Don’s almost new body, save a $1000.00, and get an extra battery to boot! I remember how thrilled Clemens was with his then brand-new 1DX III in Homer. You can see some of his eagle images made with the 1DX iii in the Field-testing the New Canon EOS-1DX Mark III at Homer: World-Class Nature Photographer Clemens Van der Werf Shares the Skinny on Canon’s New Flagship Camera Body post here. artie

Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro

We have just one Induro GIT 404L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro in stock. Two dozen are being shipped from Hungary this coming Tuesday. The ballhead that acts like a (but is much lighter than) a gimbal-head, and serves all purposes, is — as I predicted when I first used a FlexShooter — indeed taking the world of nature photography over by storm. And it’s all on the level too!

RawDigger e-Guide pre-publication version

RawDigger e-Guide and Video Advance Copy Still Available — but not for long …

Save $10 Now

The RawDigger e-Guide and Video is almost finished. It will sell for $51.00. If you are anxious to get started with RawDigger, learn to mega-Expose to the Right, and wind up with the highest quality image files, you can save $10.00 and have a chance to review a recently updated pre-publication version of the guide by sending a PayPal for $41.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net with the words RawDigger e-Guide and Video Pre-publication Copy cut and pasted into the Subject line. The recent delay is the result of my recent conversations with Iliah Borg, the brains behind RawDigger. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you.

In the new guide, we teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values. And most recently, we teach you a simple way to evaluate your exposures using an adapted RawDigger histogram. And tons more, of course. I am planning on having the completed RawDigger e-Guide ready for sale by this coming Wednesday. Folks who saved $10.00 by pre-ordering will of course receive a link to the final PDF.

134 sold to rave reviews. The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris

The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide (and Videos)

Click here to purchase the guide with one Camera Set-up Video. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your camera body so that we can send you a link for the correct video.

Click here to purchase the guide with two Camera Set-up Videos. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your two camera bodies so that we can send you links for the correct videos.

Click here to learn more about the SONY e-Guide.

Folks who have used my B&H affiliate links or purchased their SONY gear are invited to e-mail for discount information.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plugins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Topaz Stuff

As I said just a while back and have said often many times before, I should have listened sooner. If you, like me, are new to the Topaz party, please use this link to purchase. Right now I can wholeheartedly recommend both Topaz Sharpen AI and Topaz DeNoise AI. Though I have not yet worked with JPEGtoRAW AI or Gigapixel AI, I have installed both of these plug-ins and look forward to trying them on some I-Phone 11 images fairly soon. If you are thinking like me, consider the Utility Bundle that includes all four plug-ins mentioned above at a money-saving price.

Again, those who purchase Sharpen AI or DeNoise AI using my link, can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. I had a bit of trouble getting the two plug-ins installed and having them appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu. In addition, I will explain how to best learn about the two plug-ins by applying them on a Layer (in Photoshop).

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free overnight 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

This image was created on 22 January 2021 while working away from my SUV at the Vulture Tree in the South Field at Indian Lake Estates. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 1250: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:22am on a sunny morning. Center Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and sharp focus was achieved. Click the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Black Vulture braking to land

Give Me Eight Good Minutes

The first of 37 flight keeper images was created at 9:14am. The last, today’s featured image above, was created just eight minutes later. The wind was from the south at first, but switched to southwest about halfway through the session or I would have had a lot more good ones. I was a bit too close and a bit too old with slow reflexes and not the greatest hand-eye coordination or fine motor skills, so I clipped a lot of wings and heads. But I sure had fun.

And as I have been saying here repeatedly, If my life depended on making one sharp flight image, I would want a SONY a9 ii in my hands …

Wind Direction Question

Why would a southeast wind have been better for this image than the south wind?

Image #1A: Topaz Sharpen AI on the vulture’s head

The Topaz AI One-Two Punch!

Before adding canvas above, right, and below using the Crop Tool/Content-Aware Fill method, I ran the whole image through Topaz DeNoise AI. It cleaned up the noise in the sky and in the dark tones of the vulture beautifully. Then I selected the bird’s head with the Quick Selection Tool (W), put that on a layer, and brought the layer only into Topaz Sharpen AI. In the Comparison View, I clicked on Auto and saw the Stabilize was best. I reduced the Sharpness setting by one-third from 48 to 32.

Despite the fact that I am trying to use faster shutter speeds for flight, the fact that Stabilize is almost always the best mode chosen by Auto in Topaz Sharpen AI shows two things:

• 1- My panning skills even on a tripod are less than ideal.
• 2- I need to strive for Shutter speeds even faster than 1/3200 second.

Click on the image to view a larger version and to be able to read the fine print. Image #1B: RawDigger Screen Capture Composite

RawDigger Screen Capture Composite

First note the 191 OvExp G (GREEN) pixels. Next check out the 800% view in the upper right corner. All of the over-exposed pixels can be seen as rosy-red OvExp warnings in the specular highlight in the vulture’s eye. The GREEN channel histogram pegged against the 16000 line indicates that same degree of over-exposure. In the RawDigger e-Guide we teach you that this is a perfect exposure. By mega-Exposing-to-the-Right we are opening up the dark tones of the bird as much as possible and attaining the highest possible level of shadow detail in every situation.

Click on the image to view a larger version and to be able to read the fine print. Image #1C: Black Vulture Liquified

Creative (?) Fun With the Liquify Tool

Amazingly, I dreamed of creatively messing around with this image last night. First I tried Twirl (Filter > Distort> Twirl), but that was totally unsuccessful. Next I tried the Liquify Tool (Filter > Liquify). I played around a bit — often taking a step back (Command + Z) when I didn’t like what I had done — and wound up saving two different versions. Image #1C was my favorite. Like I or hate it, I’d love to hear from you.

If you are a high-end Photoshop user, you will find a great Adobe Liquify Tool tutorial here.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

I had my teeth cleaned at 7am yesterday and was done by 7:22am. Jim drove me to Lakeland where my first morning stop had zero American White Pelicans. In previous years there had always been dozens of the huge, beautiful, easy-to-approach pelicans resting on the bulkheads around the lake … Things were better at my back-up morning lake with lots of Lesser Scaup and a few Ring-necked drakes as well. I used my SONY 200-600 with the a9 ii while my brand new Canon rig remains in the product boxes on the dining room table …

We stopped at Mickey D’s for breakfast and headed back to Lake Wales for my appointment with TJ. I arrived about 15 minutes early only to learn that I was 24 hours and 15 minutes early. My appointment was for the next day, Friday 🙁

Jim and I headed down to the lake at about 1pm and we erected the largest, tallest-ever perch. It has a rather pointed top and I am wondering if the birds will take to it …

There was some nice sunset color on Thursday evening but with the wind from the west the birds coming to roost were landing away from me so I never even set up my lens. I did get some great sunset stuff on Wednesday evening and will share two of those along with my new sunrise/sunset exposure methodology with you there.

After posting this:

The exposures are very tough when you work in manual mode as you need to avoid over-exposure when the bird or birds are set against the brightest areas of the sky, those right next to the setting sun. But as the birds get away from those brightly colored skies, away from the sun or the spot where it just set, you will wind up with too-dark raw files.

If you can think of a solution to this problem, please, please pretty please leave a comment. And please be specific. What exposure mode? What Exposure Compensation?

in yesterday’s blog post here, I was surprised that nobody took a crack at a better way to work exposure-wise when dealing with richly-colored skies at sunrise or sunset.

This blog past makes thirty-three days in a row with a new blog post. This one took about 2 hours to prepare. Please remember …

Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro

We have just one Induro GIT 404L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro in stock. Two dozen are being shipped from Hungary on Tuesday. The ballhead that acts like a gimbal and serves all purposes, is indeed taking the world of nature photography over by storm. And it’s all on the level too!

Please Remember

With income from IPTs approaching zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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 can always help out by clicking here if they see fit.

RawDigger e-Guide pre-publication version

RawDigger e-Guide and Video Advance Copy Still Available — but not for long …

Save $10 Now

The RawDigger e-Guide and Video is almost finished. It will sell for $51.00. If you are anxious to get started with RawDigger, learn to mega-Expose to the Right, and wind up with the highest quality image files, you can save $10.00 and have a chance to review a recently updated pre-publication version of the guide by sending a PayPal for $41.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net with the words RawDigger e-Guide and Video Pre-publication Copy cut and pasted into the Subject line. The recent delay is the result of my recent conversations with Iliah Borg, the brains behind RawDigger. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you.

In the new guide, we teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values. And most recently, we teach you a simple way to evaluate your exposures using an adapted RawDigger histogram. And tons more, of course. I am planning on having the completed RawDigger e-Guide ready for sale by this coming Wednesday. Folks who saved $10.00 by pre-ordering will of course receive a link to the final PDF.

The BAA Used Gear Page

The Used Gear page continues to be very active. The BAA Used Gear Page is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 20 to 60% or more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Recent Sales list for the past eleven months at the bottom of the page.

Canon R5/R6 AF e-Guide Info

So far, 70 folks have sent PayPals for their copy of the Canon R5/R6 AF e-Guide. And 28 who used my affiliate links to purchase their R5 have e-mailed for and received their free copy of the guide. If you e-mailed or sent a PayPal and did not receive your guide, please LMK immediately via e-mail.

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far. Three folks wrote stating that they had a better way of setting up AF on their R5s. When I wrote back explaining why they were in error, two of them back-tracked. One stubborn guy is still doing it his way — less efficiently. Be sure to scroll down to read about my plans for a Canon R5/R6 User’s e-Guide. Understand that the info in the BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide is so important that I opted to publish the AF guide immediately as the R5/R6 User’s Guide will take at least a month to finish.

BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide

BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide

Twenty-one pages. 3,452 words. 28-DPP4 screen captures showing the R5’s vaunted AF system in action. Note: the AF system of the R5 is identical to the AF system of the R6.

You will learn:

1- The two most useful AF Methods for general bird photography and for birds in flight.

2- How to set up your R5/R6 AF Menus.

3- What boxes to check (and un-check) under Limit AF Methods.

4- How to change the AF Method quickly, easily, and efficiently. Note: the default way of doing this is clunky, cumbersome, and inefficient at best. One person replied that this tip alone was worth the price of admission.

5- The only setting that should be used for Initial Servo AF pt for Face Detection + Tracking.

I you are currently using multiple back buttons either for general bird photography or for birds in flight, what you learn in this guide will change your life. For the better.

Here are the first three paragraphs of this e-Guide:

From the moment I learned about the new Canon mirrorless bodies, I read about using two or three back-buttons to focus using different AF methods. The word on the street said that the way to go for birds in flight was to use one button to acquire focus with Zone AF or with Large Zone: Horizontal AF and then switch to another button to activate Face Detection + Tracking AF and then use the shutter button to make an image. My immediate thought was, “This is insanity! There has got to be a better way.” In short, there is a far superior way to set up AF on your R5 or R6.

The default method of switching AF Methods with the R5/R6 bodies is cumbersome at best. It involves first pressing the grid button (my name) on the upper right back of the camera and then pressing the hard-to-access M-Fn button to toggle through the AF Methods. This method is so bad that it will not be mentioned again in this guide.

The guide is free to all who have ordered an R5 or an R6 using my B&H affiliate link or from Steve Elkins/Bedfords using the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Please send your receipt to me via e-mail. It will take me a few days to a week to verify the B&H purchases. Bedfords folks should expect their free e-Guides fairly quickly.

To purchase your copy of the e-Guide, please click here or send a PayPal for $25.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words R5/R6 AF Guide in your PayPal e-mail.

Everyone who gets the guide will receive a free update no later than the first week in February.

Canon R5/R6 User’s e-Guide

As regular readers know, I am working on a complete Canon R5/R6 User’s e-Guide. This will require a lot of research, a lot of time, and a lot of effort. I am hoping to have it complete by mid- to late February. As always, folks who use the BAA affiliate links to purchase their Canon gear will receive a substantial discount.

Understand that the info in the BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide is so important that I opted to publish the AF guide right off the bat to help folks get started with their new camera bodies. I may soon offer a pre-publication version of the User’s e-Guide … At a discount, of course.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plugins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Topaz Stuff

As I said just a while back and have said often many times before, I should have listened sooner. If you, like me, are new to the Topaz party, please use this link to purchase. Right now I can wholeheartedly recommend both Topaz Sharpen AI and Topaz DeNoise AI. Though I have not yet worked with JPEGtoRAW AI or Gigapixel AI, I have installed both of these plug-ins and look forward to trying them on some I-Phone 11 images fairly soon. If you are thinking like me, consider the Utility Bundle that includes all four plug-ins mentioned above at a money-saving price.

Again, those who purchase Sharpen AI or DeNoise AI using my link, can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. I had a bit of trouble getting the two plug-ins installed and having them appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu. In addition, I will explain how to best learn about the two plug-ins by applying them on a Layer (in Photoshop).

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free overnight 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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 29 December 2020 at Lakeland, FL. I used the handheld Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens with the Canon Extender RF 1.4x (at 700mm) and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800. Exposure determined by experience and luck and confirmed as perfect by RawDigger: 1/800 sec. at f/14 (stopped down one full stop from f/10 which is wide open at 500mm) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:51am on sunny morning. Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly as seen below. Click the image to see a larger version. Image #1: American Coot head portrait

Canon EOS R5 Crop-ability

It goes without saying that sharp R5 images can stand up to healthy crops. I have not done the math with today’s featured image, Image #1 above, but would estimate that about 50% of the original pixels were cropped away. I did that in part to eliminate the yellow, out-of-focus grasses in the lower right corner. While the image quality and sharpness held up well to the large crop, I improved that by running the image through Topaz Gigapixel AI at 2X. Image quality improved as the file size doubled.

How to use Topaz Gigapixel AI

I convert both my SONY and Canon images in Capture One and bring the TIFs into Photoshop. First I crop with Delete Cropped Pixels. Next, I run Topaz DeNoise AI (as I did with today’s featured image as seen below). Then I do my clean-up work and make any other Photoshop adjustments. Then I save the image with the prefix “For Giga.” Finally, I open Gigapixel and drag the saved image into the GP window, select 2X, and hit “Save Image.” After rendering — it takes a few minutes — the image is saved to the folder from which it was opened. Then I return to Photo Mechanic and delete the converted TIF and the “For Giga” file to save space. I open the Gigapixeled image in Photoshop, rename it, and create a 1200px JPEG for the blog via an action in Photoshop.

I have had great success in up-rezzing large crops and with cell phone images as well. The up-rezzed images are not only larger, but they are sharper as well.

Why f/14?

It is important to stop down when working close to the minimum focusing distances of a lens where depth-of-field is razor-thin at best.

Image #1A: DPP 4 screen capture for American Coot head portrait

The DPP 4 Screen Capture

“Edit Image” mode in DPP 4 shows the active AF point or points as long as you have the AF Points box under Preview checked. You can toggle AF points on and off using the Command + J keyboard shortcut. I always leave the box checked. Command I toggles the EXIF information box on an off. Note here that Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF worked perfectly with this image. Note also that the DPP 4 histogram pales in comparison to the RawDigger adapted histogram (as seen below for this image), especially at the highlight end.

Image #1B: RawDigger screen capture for American Coot head portrait

The RawDigger Adapted Histogram for Today’s Featured Image

In the nearly completed RawDigger e-Guide, you will learn what causes the tiny over-exposed tiny spikes at the highlight end of the histogram in all three color channels. You will — of course — learn how to set up the Adapted Histogram and use it to evaluate the exposures and raw file brightness for files from pretty much every dSLR and Mirrorless camera body in use today. It performs perfectly with my Canon CR.2 files from 2001, and with all of my Nikon NEF files as well. Like me, you will probably find that you were severely under-exposing everything, especially overall light-toned images that were created in low light. RawDigger has been a game-changer for me.

Image #1C: Topaz DeNoise AI screen capture for American Coot head portrait

Topaz DeNoise AI Continues to Amaze

As WHITEs require one stop less light to be properly exposed than middle-tones do, the blue water background is one stop under-exposed despite the perfect exposure for the image overall. Why is that? Because we always need to expose as far to the right as possible while maintaining highlight detail.

Note that a clean coot’s bill is about as white as white can be. Having exposed perfectly to the right, as noted above, the blue water background is at least one full stop under-exposed. Thus the noise. Of note for R5 user’s is the hint of color noise visible in the before image on the left. I have yet to see any color noise in a SONY image no matter the exposure. IAC, Topaz DeNoise cleaned it up beautifully and thus would seem to be a mandatory part of the workflow for all Canon R5 user’s.

Oh, BTW, this is an absolutely dead-solid perfect exposure.

Image #1D: American Coot head portrait fine detail

You Want Detail?

It is a given that sharp R5 files are incredibly detailed. With the large crop of the original image followed by Gigapixel AI at 2X, the fine detail here should please just about anyone. Note also that whenever you add a teleconverter sharpness is decreased by about 14% …

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Yesterday morning turned out to be pretty good. In addition to a nice series of a very cooperative Cattle Egret posing in blooming tasselflowers, I go a few nice frames of a Red-Shouldered Hawk taking flight. As I was not quite ready (I should have been), the keepers are in need of some TLC with Topaz Sharpen AI …

I headed back down to the lake at 5:40pm, right before sunset and was very glad that I did. I had some light clouds on the western horizon and the wind was from the northeast. Since I was shooting silhouettes, the wind against sun conditions were perfect. I worked some single birds and small groups coming in just over the reeds. Just as the sun disappeared below the horizon, all hell broke lose: about 80 roosting birds took flight at once. Flushed by one of the local Bald Eagles the swirled around frantically in front of the still-richly-colored sky. Though I have not edited those images yet, I glanced at them and I did get a few very good frames. Some with the silhouetted eagle in the frame.

I just finished sending out the last pre-publication copy of the RawDigger e-Guide for review. If you purchased an advanced copy and did not receive the link, please let me know via e-mail.

I will be working on the Adapted Histogram video very soon. Today is Wednesday 20 January 2021. The forecast for this morning is for more clear skies with gentle winds from the north. I will be heading down to the lake early to see what I see.

Thanks to on-line friend and wildflower expert John Bradford for identifying today’s flowers.

This blog past makes thirty-one days in a row with a new blog post. This one took about 2 1/2 hours to prepare. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs approaching zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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 can always help out by clicking here if they see fit.

RawDigger e-Guide pre-publication version

RawDigger e-Guide and Video Advance Copy Still Available — but not for long …

Save $10 Now

The RawDigger e-Guide and Video is almost finished. It will sell for $51.00. If you are anxious to get started with RawDigger, learn to mega-Expose to the Right, and wind up with the highest quality image files, you can save $10.00 and have a chance to review a recently updated pre-publication version of the guide by sending a PayPal for $41.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net with the words RawDigger e-Guide and Video Pre-publication Copy cut and pasted into the Subject line. The recent delay is the result of my recent conversations with Iliah Borg, the brains behind RawDigger. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you.

In the new guide, we teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values. And most recently, we teach you a simple way to evaluate your exposures using an adapted RawDigger histogram. And tons more, of course. I am planning on having the completed RawDigger e-Guide ready for sale by this coming Wednesday. Folks who saved $10.00 by pre-ordering will of course receive a link to the final PDF.

The BAA Used Gear Page

The Used Gear page continues to be very active. The BAA Used Gear Page is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 20 to 60% or more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Recent Sales list for the past eleven months at the bottom of the page.

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens

Tom Mast is offering a Canon EF 300mm f2.8L IS II USM lens in like-new condition (used only three times in the past 2 years) for a very low $3399.00. The sale includes the original shipping box, the lens trunk, the front lens cover, the rear lens cap, 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 Tom via e-mail or by phone at 1-260-348-9004 (from 8am to 8pm Eastern time zone.

The 300mm f/2.8 autofocus lenses have long been the first choice of the world’s best hawks-in-flight photographers with and without a 1.4X TC. When teamed up with either the 1.4X or 2X TC, they make a great hand-holdable walk-around lens. For folks with an EOS R5, the 300 II would make a great workhorse lens for bird photography and an incredible flight lens Grabbing Tom’s lens will save you an incredible $2,700.00 as new ones are going for $6099.00 from B&H. I owned and used several versions of the 300 f/2.8 lens for many years until finally replacing my 300 f/2.8 II with the 400 DO II several years ago. That said, the 300 f/2.8 II represents a great value as the 400 DO II now sells new for $6,899.00. artie

134 sold to rave reviews. The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris

The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide (and Videos)

Click here to purchase the guide with one Camera Set-up Video. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your camera body so that we can send you a link for the correct video.

Click here to purchase the guide with two Camera Set-up Videos. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your two camera bodies so that we can send you links for the correct videos.

Click here to learn more about the SONY e-Guide.

Folks who have used my B&H affiliate links or purchased their SONY gear are invited to e-mail for discount information.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free overnight 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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 18 January 2021 while working from my SUV in the North Field at Indian Lake Estates. I used the Induro GIT 204/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 400: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 (stopped down 1/3 stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:34am on a sunny morning. Tracking Expand Flexible Spot AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection. Click the image to see the spectacular larger version. Image #1: Cattle Egret and tasselflower blossoms

Stopping Down 1/3 Stop

In general, when working with long lenses, I will stop down 1/3 stop with or without a TC. With the 600 f/4 lenses alone, I will normally work at f/4.5. With the 1.4X TC (as here), I will usually work at f/6.3. And when working at 1200mm with the 2X, f/9 is my go-to aperture. I do that mostly out of habit; with the telephoto lenses of more than a decade older, stopping down a bit from wide open was advised to create slightly sharper images. Note that in identical situations, Patrick Sparkman works at the wide open aperture …

While it is proper technique to stop down one stop or more –even two stops on occasion — for additional depth-of-field when working at or near the minimum focusing distance of a lens, that is not necessary at all when working with relatively distant subjects like the Cattle Egret in all three of today’s featured images. In those cases the depth-of-field provided by the distance to the subject will be more than enough to cover the entire subject.

Note the relatively creamy texture of the background.

The Setting up a Tripod in your Vehicle Video

Learn how here. While using a BLUBB is a very convenient way to shoot from your car window, setting up a tripod in your vehicle is a huge pain in the butt. But lens handling is unparalleled if you take the time to do it right and with a FlexShooter head, you can easily shoot flight from the driver’s seat. On a related note, we are almost sold out of the Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro heads.

This image was also created 18 January 2021 while working from my SUV in the North Field at Indian Lake Estates. I used the Induro GIT 204/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 400: 1/640 sec. at f/10 (stopped down 1 2/3 stops) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:35am on a sunny morning. Tracking Expand Flexible Spot AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection. Click the image to see the spectacular larger version. Image #2: Cattle Egret and tasselflower blossoms

The Same Image Stopped Down 1 2/3 Stops …

My reason for stopping down here was to sharpen up the tasselflowers. While the very closest bunch of flowers did sharpen up a bit, the main result of working at f/10 instead of at f/6.3, was the I brought up unwanted, ugly background detail. I have been preaching that lesson here for about two decades, mainly to those who routinely like to shoot at f/8 or smaller when working at 840mm with an f/4 lens. In the future I will lean more towards Patrick’s strategy of working wide open with relatively distant subjects …

Exposure Fine Points and RawDigger

When I first started working with RawDigger, I would often auto-bracket when working with static subjects so that I could fine-tune my exposure-thinking in various situations. Now, I find it hard to say this in public, but I still find myself auto-bracketing when working with (relatively) static subjects … That was the case with yesterday morning’s very cooperative Cattle Egret — how nice was it that the bird stood posing in the same spot surrounded but the pretty tasselflowers?

RawDigger showed that one of the bracketed images, Image #1, was 1/3 stop under-exposed while the exposure for Image #2 was dead solid perfect. You can confirm that by following along with the exposure math:

1/2000 at 6.3 (for Image #1)
1/1600 at f/7.1
1/1250 at f/8
1/1000 at f9
1/800 at f/10
1/640 at f/11 (for Image #2 was in fact, 1/3 stop lighter than the exposure for Image #1)

I made sure to do the math as I have screwed up often in the past when making similar points. Perhaps I screwed up again here …

Doubt Me?

Sometimes it is difficult to see differences when scrolling. That’s why the man in charge created animated GIFs …

While the flowers are slightly sharper, I do not like the fact that detail in the background was increased by stopping down. I far prefer the smoother background in the image created at f/6.3. Which background do you like best, the f/6.3 background or the f/10 background? Why?

This image was also and obviously created 18 January 2021 while working from my SUV in the North Field at Indian Lake Estates. Again, I used the Induro GIT 404L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 400. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the large rear dial on the back of the camera: 1/640 sec. at f/10 (stopped down 2 2/3 stops!) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:35am on a cloudy day. Tracking Expand Flexible Spot AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #3: Cattle Egret and tasselflower blossoms (horizontal at 600mm)

Removing the TC

A High Level Depth of Field Question

Noting the nice flowers to our right of the subject, I removed the 1.4X TC and rotated the lens in the tripod collar to get back to horizontal. For the image to work, I needed the bird to look to its left (our right). It did! Again, 1/640 at f/10 was still the perfect exposure.

The detail in the background was brought up even more than in Image #2. Why?

In retrospect, I wish that I had created Image #3 at f/4 (instead of at f/10). Had I done that, what would the equivalent shutter speed have been? In what way would the background have been improved?

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Last weekend, five of the six teams I was rooting for in the NFL playoffs won. This weekend two of my four favorite teams lost. All-time great Drew Brees and his New Orleans Saints went down the tubes, vanquished by G.O.A.T Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Chiefs managed to eke out a win after all-world QB Patrick Mahomes was left very woozy after a big hit. He was diagnosed with a concussion that might keep him out of next weekend’s AFC Championship game …

The forecast for today — Monday 18 January 2021, is cloudy turning sunny with NW winds. Again. Though I will be heading down to the lake early, I do not expect to do very well with the wind against sun conditions. Maybe I will get lucky!

I was glad to learn yesterday that Roger Dietrich sold his Canon EOS 5D Mark III in excellent condition for the BAA recored-low price of $499.00 and a Canon Battery Grip BG-E16 the Canon 7D Mark II in like-new condition for a BIRDS AS ART record-low $99.00, both soon after they were listed in early January 2020.

Anyone who might be interested in COVID-Aware in-the-field instruction at the end of this week is invited to shoot me an e-mail to learn the low rates and to work out a schedule.

This blog past makes twenty-nine days in a row with a new blog post. This one took about 1 1/2 hours to prepare (including the time spent on the post-processing). Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs approaching zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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 can always help out by clicking here if they see fit.

RawDigger e-Guide pre-publication version

RawDigger e-Guide and Video Advance Copy Still Available — but not for long …

Save $10 Now

The RawDigger e-Guide and Video is almost finished. It will sell for $51.00. If you are anxious to get started with RawDigger, learn to mega-Expose to the Right, and wind up with the highest quality image files, you can save $10.00 and have a chance to review a recently updated pre-publication version of the guide by sending a PayPal for $41.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net with the words RawDigger e-Guide and Video Pre-publication Copy cut and pasted into the Subject line. The recent delay is the result of my recent conversations with Iliah Borg, the brains behind RawDigger. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you.

In the new guide, we teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values. And most recently, we teach you a simple way to evaluate your exposures using an adapted RawDigger histogram. And tons more, of course. I am planning on having the completed RawDigger e-Guide ready for sale by this coming Wednesday. Folks who saved $10.00 by pre-ordering will of course receive a link to the final PDF.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plugins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Topaz Stuff

As I said just a while back and have said often many times before, I should have listened sooner. If you, like me, are new to the Topaz party, please use this link to purchase. Right now I can wholeheartedly recommend both Topaz Sharpen AI and Topaz DeNoise AI. Though I have not yet worked with JPEGtoRAW AI or Gigapixel AI, I have installed both of these plug-ins and look forward to trying them on some I-Phone 11 images fairly soon. If you are thinking like me, consider the Utility Bundle that includes all four plug-ins mentioned above at a money-saving price.

Again, those who purchase Sharpen AI or DeNoise AI using my link, can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. I had a bit of trouble getting the two plug-ins installed and having them appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu. In addition, I will explain how to best learn about the two plug-ins by applying them on a Layer (in Photoshop).

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free overnight 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

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 the morning of 18 January 2021 at ILE. I used the Induro GIT 404L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the large rear dial on the back of the camera: 1/2500 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode. AWB at 10:16am on a cloudy day. Center Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Black Vulture landing

The Great Turkey (& Black) Vulture Shoot!

When we last spoke, I was in my SUV working on yesterday’s blog post. The first Turkey Vulture (TV) flew over the bait at 8:54am. The first Turkey Vulture landed at 9:08 but as quite reluctant to approach the big fish head and begin eating. So I stayed in my vehicle. Three other TVs landed and they also stayed well back. At 9:29, two the vultures began eating and it was as if the dinner bell had been rung. I had already set up the 600 on the slope that led to the canal so that I could be just about at eye level with the birds. I got out of my car on the side away from the birds and quickly made my way down to the lens. It turned out to be a real turkey shoot as about two dozen TVs landed into the east wind right at me. After a few minutes, about two dozen Black Vultures flew in to join the fray. I enjoyed a good twenty minutes of non-stop flight photography action. It might have been the best vulture flight situation ever, but for a few I got to experience in East Africa as dozens of vultures flew into a fresh kill.

As the action slowed, a man with a golf cart and a dog came by and all the birds flew away. That turned out to be the best thing that could have happened as many of them flew back in quickly. As I have mentioned here, the TVs are almost always the first to arrive, but when the smaller Black Vultures show up, they dominate and drive the larger Turkey Vultures away. By 10:30, the wind had switched to a less-than-ideal northeast so I headed home for a late brunch.

I created 360 images with the 600 GM/a9 ii rig. 358 were razor sharp on the eye. Two were very sharp on the eye. Center Zone AF with the a9 ii is simply amazing, almost science-fiction-like in its ability to create sharp flight images of bird’s flying toward the photographer. I kept only the best 28 based mostly on wing position. I will delete at least half of those on the second edit.

This image was also created on the morning of 18 January 2021 at ILE. Again, I used the Induro GIT 404L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 1250. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the large rear dial on the back of the camera: 1/2500 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode. AWB at 10:13am on a cloudy day. Center Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Turkey Vulture about to join the feast

Learning From Raw Digger

Analyzing the raw file brightness in RawDigger, I noted that pretty much every image was about 1/3 stop too dark. I went for some Zebras on the sky, but should have gone for lots of Zebras on the sky. As things worked out, noise in the dark feathers or both species did not turn out to be problematic; in both cases, Topaz DeNoise eliminated it completely.

In the same situation — having learned from RawDigger — every exposure will be perfect.

Note also that in the same light, I go to 1/3 stop more light with the Black Vultures because their light tones are not as white as the lightest tones on the Turkey Vultures. — the feather vanes and the bill tips of the adults.

Image #2A: Topaz Sharpen AI screen capture

Topaz Sharpen AI on the head of the Turkey Vulture about to join the feast image

After converting the raw file in Capture One, I created a new layer and — after checking out all three options using the Comparison View, opted for DeNoise AI on Auto. Despite the small underexposure, there was not much noise in this ISO 1250 image. And unlike the R5, there was zero color noise to deal with. Then, I painted the vulture’s head with a Quick Mask, placed the selection on its own layer, and ran Sharpen AI on the layer only. On Auto, the plug-in selected Stabilize so I went with that. Click on the screen capture above to see the the improvement in the After image on our right.

The FlexShooter Pro Heads on Slopes

Working on steep uphill slopes with a properly set-up FlexShooter Pro head is a dream situation. First, make sure that the tripod is firmly seated with the leg lengths adjusted so that the platform of the tripod is relatively level. Now, simply level the bubble on the silver ball and then lock the black lever. With the lens rotated to the click stop in the tripod collar, you can point the lens in any direction an be assured that you will be square to the world, i.e., that all of your images will be perfectly level. Note that if you move your rig up or down the slope, you will need to repeat the process above.

Please note that for smaller telephoto lenses like the Nikon 500 PF, the Canon RF 100-500, all of the 100-400s, and the SONY 200-600 G, we recommend the FlexShooter Mini. Why? The spring-loaded counterbalance of the larger models is too stiff to perform optimally with the smaller, lighter lenses.

Ron Bielefeld FlexShooter Video

Friend and colleague Ron Bielefeld of Whistling Wings Photography fell in love with the Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro when one of his students showed up with one. He created a great YouTube video. You can see it here.

I particularly enjoyed this comment by Michael Cohen: Thanks Ron. I bought the FlexShooter Pro and (sic) sold my RRS BH-55 ballhead, my original Wimberley, a Wimberley sidekick, and a leveling base!

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Wednesday was another totally grey day. I walked the pier with the a9 ii/200/600 and created 360 intentionally blurred images. I kept four. None will probably ever see the light of day, or be featured on the blog … Many times when I walk with a zoom lens — be it a SONY lens or the Canon RF 100-500 with the R5, I am working to learn more about the AF system and to fine tune my understanding of exposure …

SONY folks are advised to check out the Coming Soon item just below.

It is partly cloudy here this morning — Thursday 14 January 2021 with light winds from the SW. I hope that it stays cloudy for my walk so I can try some more blurs.

This blog past makes twenty-five days in a row with a new blog post. This one took about 2 1/2 hours to prepare. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs approaching zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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 can always help out by clicking here if they see fit.

SONY AF point display after the fact!

Coming Soon!

We recently learned about an amazing new program that will show SONY AF points (and to a limited degree, the AF info). We hope to be sharing that info with you here soon.

RawDigger e-Guide and Video Advance Copy Available

Save $10 Now

The RawDigger e-Guide and Video is almost finished. It will sell for $51.00. If you are anxious to get started with RawDigger, learn to mega-Expose to the Right, and wind up with the highest quality image files, you can save $10.00 and have a chance to review a pre-publication copy of the guide by sending a PayPal for $41.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net with the words RawDigger e-Guide and Video Pre-publication Copy cut and pasted into the Subject line. The recent delay is the result of my recent conversations with Iliah Borg, the brains behind RawDigger. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you.

In the new guide, we teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values. And most recently, we teach you a simple way to evaluate your exposures using an adapted RawDigger histogram. And tons more, of course. I am planning on having the RawDigger guide ready for sale by next Monday. Folks who saved $10.00 by pre-ordering will of course receive a link to the final PDF.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plugins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Topaz Stuff

As I said just a while back and have said often many times before, I should have listened sooner. If you, like me, are new to the Topaz party, please use this link to purchase. Right now I can wholeheartedly recommend both Topaz Sharpen AI and Topaz DeNoise AI. Though I have not yet worked with JPEGtoRAW AI or Gigapixel AI, I have installed both of these plug-ins and look forward to trying them on some I-Phone 11 images fairly soon. If you are thinking like me, consider the Utility Bundle that includes all four plug-ins mentioned above at a money-saving price.

Again, those who purchase Sharpen AI or DeNoise AI using my link, can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. I had a bit of trouble getting the two plug-ins installed and having them appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu. In addition, I will explain how to best learn about the two plug-ins by applying them on a Layer (in Photoshop).

132 sold to rave reviews. The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris

The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide (and Videos)

Click here to purchase the guide with one Camera Set-up Video. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your camera body so that we can send you a link for the correct video.

Click here to purchase the guide with two Camera Set-up Videos. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your two camera bodies so that we can send you links for the correct videos.

Click here to learn more about the SONY e-Guide.

Folks who have used my B&H affiliate links or purchased their SONY gear are invited to e-mail for discount information.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free overnight 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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 28 October 2020 at Anahuac NWR, TX. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 8000. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/125 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode. AWB at 7:35am on a foggy morning. Tracking Flexible Spot (M) AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Great Egret and dayflowers bird-scape

The Situation

We arrived at Anahuac early every morning in hopes of photographing the grackle and ibis pre-dawn blast-offs. On the very foggy morning of 28 OCT, I spotted this Great Egret standing still next to a canal near some dayflowers and approached just a bit as I moved to my left. Remember: when it’s dark, keep your teleconverters in your pocket. I went with 1/125 second wide open at f/4 and raised the ISO until I had some Zebras on the subject. RawDigger showed that the raw file was about 2/3 stop too dark — in the SONY e-guide we advice going with lots os Zebras in low light …

Not a Head Shot!

I love clean tight and graphic. And I love head portraits. But, when the wide image includes some interesting habitat (and some nice flowers), small-in-the-frame is the way to go. Not to mention that the birds at the refuge were not at all tame …

Image #1A: Topaz DeNoise AI on Auto

Topaz DeNoise on Auto

The comparison view of this ISO 8000 image clearly showed that DeNoise AI was the most effective option. Be sure to click on the image to see how DeNoise AI cleaned up the noise and brightened and sharpen the image. Please note that white feathers in very soft light will never show much if any fine feather detail (FFD).

The Image Optimization

In the raw file converted with no adjustments you can see a large blue-cast. While converting the image in Capture One, I used click-White Balance to warm up the image and then backed off a bit. I executed the rotation and crop before bringing the image into DeNoise AI. Then I spent a while cleaning up the many distracting elements along the near-shoreline, especially in the lower left portion of the frame. The clean-up was performed using my usual cadre of tools and techniques. Those included the Patch Tool, the Spot Healing Brush, the Clone Stamp Tool, a series of small, transformed Quick Masks modified with Regular Layer Masks, and Divide and Conquer.

Feel free to leave a comment revealing your thoughts on the image clean-up.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II). You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a PayPal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand. Be sure to specify Digital Basics II.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)

The clean-up techniques mentioned above and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques (with the exception of Capture One RAW Conversions) — along with all of my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. While the new e-Guide reflects my MacBook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow, folks using a PC and/or BreezeBrowser will also benefit greatly by studying the material on DB II. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here. Note: all of the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.

You can learn how and why I used to convert all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. More recently, I became proficient at converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw. About two years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One Pro 12 and continue to do so today (along with my R5 images).

To purchase Capture One, please use this link. Then you can learn more about Capture One in the Capture One Pro 12 Simplified MP4 Video here. The next step would be to get a copy of Arash Hazeghi’s “The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide” in the blog post here.

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and edited by yours truly. Please use this link to purchase NeatImage.

To introduce folks to our MP.4 videos and the basics involved in applying more NeatImage noise reduction to the background and less on the subject, I’d be glad to send you a free copy of the Free Noise Reduction Basics MP.4 Video. Simply click to shoot me an e-mail to get your free copy.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Monday morning turned out rather nice weather-wise. It was quite still early, with some sweet light as the sun occasionally broke through the clouds. I started with a few images of my favorite crane family. Then after driving around a bit scouting, created a nice bird-scape or two of a Great Blue Heron on the edge of a canal. By the time I walked the pier at about 8:30am there was a gentle breeze from the northwest. There was a silly-tame Turkey Vulture on the pier railing that let me get closer than I ever have to any vulture. I would get really close and the bird would scamper away a few feet. There was a Bald Eagle sitting on the railing farther along. For some strange reason, the scampering vulture made the eagle somewhat comfortable with my presence. I made lots of tight head and shoulders portraits of the vulture but would up deleting every single one because the bird’s back was covered with whitewash. Vultures often poop on other vultures when they are roosting.

Anywho, with the sun in the southeast and the wind from the northwest the eagle took flight. I made a single good frame of the eagle gliding away over still blue water. I will likely share that with you here tomorrow. I did my swim with my neoprene vest. By late Monday, the clouds had taken over. I stayed in.

He today is another opportunity to look at some more great images. If you have a moment, please leave a comment and let us know which of Geoff’s five images you think is the strongest, and why you made your choice.

I was glad to learn yesterday that William Dummitt sold his Sigma 500mm f/4.5 APO EX HSM lens for Nikon mount in excellent condition for a very low $699.00 (was $899.00) and a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens in excellent condition for a BAA record-low $399.00 (was $498.00) in late-December 2020.

Today is Tuesday 12 January 2021. As it is cloudy-dark at 7:30, I will probably stay in this morning to get some work done. This blog past makes twenty-three days in a row with a new blog post. This one took about three hours to prepare. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs approaching zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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 can always help out by clicking here if they see fit.

Via e-Mail from Bill Dummitt

Hi Artie, Everything sold! Thank you for the help with pricing and selling all the lenses. It was invaluable. Some happy folks now own ew lenses and I am almost 4K to the good. Bill

The BAA Used Gear Page

The Used Gear page continues to be very active. The BAA Used Gear Page is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 20 to 60% or more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Recent Sales list for the past eleven months at the bottom of the page.

RawDigger e-Guide and Video Advance Copy Available

Save $10 Now

The RawDigger e-Guide and Video is almost finished. It will sell for $51.00. If you are anxious to get started with RawDigger, learn to mega-Expose to the Right, and wind up with the highest quality image files, you can save $10.00 and have a chance to review a pre-publication copy of the guide by sending a PayPal for $41.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net with the words RawDigger e-Guide and Video Pre-publication Copy cut and pasted into the Subject line. The recent delay is the result of my recent conversations with Iliah Borg, the brains behind RawDigger. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you.

In the new guide, we teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values. And most recently, we teach you a simple way to evaluate your exposures using an adapted RawDigger histogram. And tons more, of course. I am planning on having the RawDigger guide ready for sale by next Monday. Folks who saved $10.00 by pre-ordering will of course receive a link to the final PDF.

Canon R5/R6 AF e-Guide Info

So far, 70 folks have sent PayPals for their copy of the Canon R5/R6 AF e-Guide. And 28 who used my affiliate links to purchase their R5 have e-mailed for and received their free copy of the guide. If you e-mailed or sent a PayPal and did not receive your guide, please LMK immediately via e-mail.

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far. Three folks wrote stating that they had a better way of setting up AF on their R5s. When I wrote back explaining why they were in error, two of them back-tracked. One stubborn guy is still doing it his way — less efficiently. Be sure to scroll down to read about my plans for a Canon R5/R6 User’s e-Guide. Understand that the info in the BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide is so important that I opted to publish the AF guide immediately as the R5/R6 User’s Guide will take at least a month to finish.

BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide

Twenty-one pages. 3,452 words. 28-DPP4 screen captures showing the R5’s vaunted AF system in action. Note: the AF system of the R5 is identical to the AF system of the R6.

You will learn:

1- The two most useful AF Methods for general bird photography and for birds in flight.

2- How to set up your R5/R6 AF Menus.

3- What boxes to check (and un-check) under Limit AF Methods.

4- How to change the AF Method quickly, easily, and efficiently. Note: the default way of doing this is clunky, cumbersome, and inefficient at best. One person replied that this tip alone was worth the price of admission.

5- The only setting that should be used for Initial Servo AF pt for Face Detection + Tracking.

I you are currently using multiple back buttons either for general bird photography or for birds in flight, what you learn in this guide will change your life. For the better.

Here are the first three paragraphs of this e-Guide:

From the moment I learned about the new Canon mirrorless bodies, I read about using two or three back-buttons to focus using different AF methods. The word on the street said that the way to go for birds in flight was to use one button to acquire focus with Zone AF or with Large Zone: Horizontal AF and then switch to another button to activate Face Detection + Tracking AF and then use the shutter button to make an image. My immediate thought was, “This is insanity! There has got to be a better way.” In short, there is a far superior way to set up AF on your R5 or R6.

The default method of switching AF Methods with the R5/R6 bodies is cumbersome at best. It involves first pressing the grid button (my name) on the upper right back of the camera and then pressing the hard-to-access M-Fn button to toggle through the AF Methods. This method is so bad that it will not be mentioned again in this guide.

The guide is free to all who have ordered an R5 or an R6 using my B&H affiliate link or from Steve Elkins/Bedfords using the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Please send your receipt to me via e-mail. It will take me a few days to a week to verify the B&H purchases. Bedfords folks should expect their free e-Guides fairly quickly.

To purchase your copy of the e-Guide, please send a PayPal for $25.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words R5/R6 AF Guide in your PayPal e-mail.

Everyone who gets the guide will receive a free update no later than the first week in January.

Canon R5/R6 User’s e-Guide

I am working on a complete Canon R5/R6 User’s e-Guide. This will require a lot of research, a lot of time, and a lot of effort. I am hoping to have it complete by mid- to late January. As always, folks who use the BAA affiliate links to purchase their Canon gear will receive a substantial discount.

Understand that the info in the BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide is so important that I opted to publish the AF guide right off the bat to help folks get started with their new camera bodies.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plugins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Topaz Stuff

As I said just a while back and have said often many times before, I should have listened sooner. If you, like me, are new to the Topaz party, please use this link to purchase. Right now I can wholeheartedly recommend both Topaz Sharpen AI and Topaz DeNoise AI. Though I have not yet worked with JPEGtoRAW AI or Gigapixel AI, I have installed both of these plug-ins and look forward to trying them on some I-Phone 11 images fairly soon. If you are thinking like me, consider the Utility Bundle that includes all four plug-ins mentioned above at a money-saving price.

Again, those who purchase Sharpen AI or DeNoise AI using my link, can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. I had a bit of trouble getting the two plug-ins installed and having them appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu. In addition, I will explain how to best learn about the two plug-ins by applying them on a Layer (in Photoshop).

132 sold to rave reviews. The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris

The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide (and Videos)

Click here to purchase the guide with one Camera Set-up Video. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your camera body so that we can send you a link for the correct video.

Click here to purchase the guide with two Camera Set-up Videos. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your two camera bodies so that we can send you links for the correct videos.

Click here to learn more about the SONY e-Guide.

Folks who have used my B&H affiliate links or purchased their SONY gear are invited to e-mail for discount information.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free overnight 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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 by Geoff Newhouse in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He used the handheld Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 1250: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Center Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection. Click the image to see the spectacular larger version. Image courtesy of and copyright 2020: Geoff Newhouse Image #1: Short-eared Owl looking down the lens barrel flight

Thanks to Brian Sump

Thanks to Brian Sump for shooting me a link to the fine work of Photographer Geoff Newhouse.

Geoff Newhouse

Geoff grew up in the interior of British Columbia, did university at UBC in Vancouver, and worked in Alberta after graduation. He got into photography with his first Canon Rebel DLSR in early 2009 after from moving from Alberta to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. His focus soon changed from general outdoor photography to bird and wildlife photography after a trip to Galapagos in 2011. His interest in bird photography surged after he located two eagle nests at eye level; he spent four years photographing eagle nesting behaviour. One of his eagle images was highly-honoured in the 2017 Nature’s Best Photography Contest/Bird category in 2017. Scroll down in the gallery here to see his Eagles Feeding Eaglet image. After that, he spent most of his vacation time traveling to Antarctica, Borneo, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Florida photographing birds.

Geoff started with Canon and added some Nikon gear in late 2016. He soon switched mostly to Nikon but then added a Sony A9 in 2017. He sold off the last of his Canon gear in 2019. He still has a bit of Nikon gear but went predominantly to the Sony a9 ii, a7r iv, 200-600 G, and the 600mm f/4 GM for the past few years. The R5’s Face Detection + Tracking “bird eye” AF was too tempting to pass up, so he recently added the mirrorless EOS R5 to his kit. He wishes that he’d kept at least one of his big Canon EF super-telephoto lenses to use with the R5 and an EF adapter. His plan is to use the RF 100-500 until Canon releases some larger RF prime lenses. (Does his gear story sound familiar?)

In August of 2018 he moved from the Yukon to Vancouver Island in the Victoria, BC area. There he discovered lots of new and different avian subjects to photograph relatively close to home. As there is not any significant winter on the island, he is able to do lots of bird photography year-round. He plans to live there until he retires.

Geoff was a great help with the R5/R6 AF Guide. You can see more of his excellent work on his Flickr Photostream here.

This image was created by Geoff Newhouse in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He used the handheld Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 640: 1/4000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Center Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection. Click the image to see a larger version. Image courtesy of and copyright 2020: Geoff Newhouse Image #2: Short-eared Owl flight flight side view

Two-Gun Geoff

So why “Two-Gun Geoff?” Geoff is currently using both the SONY 600 GM/a9 ii and the Canon RF 100-500/R5 rigs. The first two of today’s featured images were created with is SONY 600 GM, the 1.4X TC, and the a9 ii. Image 3 & 4 were created with his Canon gear. All of these excellent images (and lots more), were created on a single great day of photography — 4 December 2020!

The Real “Two-Gun Pete”

“Two-Gun Pete” Washington was a legendary Chicago police officer who is said to have been responsible for more than 20,000 arrests. He had 9 notches on the two 357 Magnums that he carried on his South Side beat between 1933 and 1951.

About the book “Chicago’s Two-Gun Pete by Jerry Jones (now out of print), a reviewer named Peter wrote:

A very interesting history of a Black Chicago Cop that spanned from the 1930’s to the 50’s. He one time had patrolled both the South and West sides of the city. Sylvester “Two-Gun” started his career as an anonymous blue-coated Chicago beat cop, but he ended up as a neighborhood superstar! He was a flamboyant, hard-drinking, crooked, braggadocious, womanizing, foul-mouthed Chicago Police detective.

But the mention of Two-Gun Pete’s name could clear a street corner in seconds. “Everybody knew Sylvester Washington,” said Rudy Nimocks, a former Deputy Superintendent. “They knew his car. And the prostitutes would go hide someplace when they saw him. He was something else.” Washington and his pistols were even featured in a small photo in a 1947 issue of Life magazine. At the height of his legend, he didn’t even have to unholster his guns. He would send troublemakers unescorted to the police station, and they would go, preferring not to have Pete come looking for them later.

This image was created by Geoff Newhouse in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He used the handheld Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 640: 1/4000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Center Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection. Click the image to see a larger version. Image courtesy of and copyright 2020: Geoff Newhouse Image #3: Short-eared Owl staring flight

Staring in Flight!

I found this one in Geoff’s Flickr Photostream gallery after my morning walk and decided that I had to add it to the blog post. So I did.

This image was created by Geoff Newhouse in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He used the handheld Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens (at 500mm) and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800: 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode. Image courtesy of and copyright 2020: Geoff Newhouse Image #4: Short-eared Owl flight banking top shot

R5 Crop-ability

Geoff kindly sent me DPP 4 screen captures for both of the Canon images here (and several more from the series during which Image #4 (below) was created. With 45 megapixels, sharp R5 images can stand up to healthy crops. I’d estimate that for Image #3 more than 75% of the original pixels were cropped away yet the image quality looks just fine.

The screen capture for this image showed that Face Detection + Tracking AF for this image reverted to what I would call full-screen AF with 910 AF points (or areas?) available. In any case, the system activated an irregular pattern of 8 AF points. One caught the top of the owl’s head. The other seven points painted the far wing. Keep reading for my additional comments on Face Detection + Tracking AF.

This image was created by Geoff Newhouse in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He used the handheld Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens (at 500mm) and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800: 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode. Image courtesy of and copyright 2020: Geoff Newhouse Image #5: Short-eared Owl starting dive

The Attack!

As you can see by looking at the screen capture below, this is another large crop. It is from a five-frame sequence where a second short-eared flew in to attack the bird that Geoff was photographing. Geoff wisely kept firing. The bird in Image #4 was diving away from the attacking bird.

DPP 4 screen capture courtesy of and copyright 2020: Geoff Newhouse Image #5A: DPP 4 screen capture for Short-eared Owl flight

Getting Lucky

By Geoff’s own admission, he got lucky here. The AF system tracked the attacking bird. Though the active AF point was nowhere near the bird that would become the subject, both birds were on the same plane. Thus, the bird featured in Image #4 is quite sharp on the eye. Such lucky accidents happen with all AF systems. I have made sharp flight images with Canon, Nikon, and SONY where the AF point was on the sky rather than the subject.

R5 Face Detection + Tracking AF

Part of the reason that I was curious about the R5 were statements to this effect: The R5’s Face Detection + Tracking AF never fails. The system sees the bird’s eye even before you press the shutter button, locks onto the eye, and never lets go.

I will readily admit that this technology is nothing short of amazing. I have seen it track the eye of a-small-in-the-frame subject perfectly for multiple in-flight frames. But having worked with the R5 for five weeks, and having seen Geoff’s DPP 4 screen captures, I can state with absolute confidence that the R5’s Face Detection + Tracking AF is nowhere near perfect. It will, at times — with subjects ranging from tiny-in-the-frame to large-in-the-frame — fail to track the a subjects eye (even after first acquiring it successfully). When eye AF is tracking perfectly the AF point transforms to a tiny square. As detailed in the R5/R6 AF Guide, this technology may often revert to a small square, to a medium-sized square, a large square, or to activating multiple AF points (as we saw with Image #3).

In short, the R5’s Face Detection + Tracking AF technology is amazing, but it is far from perfect even in highly skilled hands like Geoff’s.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

With the huge black cloud that appeared seemingly out of nowhere on Saturday morning I took the a9 ii/200-600 on my morning walk on the pier. I tried but failed to create any really good pleasing blurs. I did keep three cormorant blurs and one American flag blur. I enjoyed watching the Buffalo Bills (finally) winning a playoff game (though I like the Colts too). And I was thrilled to see the schizophrenic Los Angeles Rams beat the Seattle Seahawks. I am watching the Washington/Buccaneers game on TIVO as I type on Sunday morning. The WFT is down by eight; would it be too much to ask that pretty boy Tom Brady lose this one?

Today is Sunday 10 January 2021 and it is cold here again. With winds from the north persisting, and the forecast of clear skies, I will again give it a go down by the lake while not expecting to do very well.

This blog past makes twenty-one days in a row with a new blog post. This one took about 2 hours to prepare. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs approaching zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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 can always help out by clicking here if they see fit.

The BAA Used Gear Page

The Used Gear page continues to be very active. The BAA Used Gear Page is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 20 to 60% or more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Recent Sales list for the past eleven months at the bottom of the page.

RawDigger e-Guide and Video Advance Copy Available

Save $10 Now

The RawDigger e-Guide and Video is almost finished. It will sell for $51.00. If you are anxious to get started with RawDigger, learn to mega-Expose to the Right, and wind up with the highest quality image files, you can save $10.00 and have a chance to review a pre-publication copy of the guide by sending a PayPal for $41.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net with the words RawDigger e-Guide and Video Pre-publication Copy cut and pasted into the Subject line. The recent delay is the result of my recent conversations with Iliah Borg, the brains behind RawDigger. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you.

In the new guide, we teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values. And most recently, we teach you a simple way to evaluate your exposures using an adapted RawDigger histogram. And tons more, of course. I am planning on having the RawDigger guide ready for sale by next Monday. Folks who saved $10.00 by pre-ordering will of course receive a link to the final PDF.

Canon R5/R6 AF e-Guide Info

So far, 70 folks have sent PayPals for their copy of the Canon R5/R6 AF e-Guide. And 28 who used my affiliate links to purchase their R5 have e-mailed for and received their free copy of the guide. If you e-mailed or sent a PayPal and did not receive your guide, please LMK immediately via e-mail.

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far. Three folks wrote stating that they had a better way of setting up AF on their R5s. When I wrote back explaining why they were in error, two of them back-tracked. One stubborn guy is still doing it his way — less efficiently. Be sure to scroll down to read about my plans for a Canon R5/R6 User’s e-Guide. Understand that the info in the BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide is so important that I opted to publish the AF guide immediately as the R5/R6 User’s Guide will take at least a month to finish.

BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide

Twenty-one pages. 3,452 words. 28-DPP4 screen captures showing the R5’s vaunted AF system in action. Note: the AF system of the R5 is identical to the AF system of the R6.

You will learn:

1- The two most useful AF Methods for general bird photography and for birds in flight.

2- How to set up your R5/R6 AF Menus.

3- What boxes to check (and un-check) under Limit AF Methods.

4- How to change the AF Method quickly, easily, and efficiently. Note: the default way of doing this is clunky, cumbersome, and inefficient at best. One person replied that this tip alone was worth the price of admission.

5- The only setting that should be used for Initial Servo AF pt for Face Detection + Tracking.

I you are currently using multiple back buttons either for general bird photography or for birds in flight, what you learn in this guide will change your life. For the better.

Here are the first three paragraphs of this e-Guide:

From the moment I learned about the new Canon mirrorless bodies, I read about using two or three back-buttons to focus using different AF methods. The word on the street said that the way to go for birds in flight was to use one button to acquire focus with Zone AF or with Large Zone: Horizontal AF and then switch to another button to activate Face Detection + Tracking AF and then use the shutter button to make an image. My immediate thought was, “This is insanity! There has got to be a better way.” In short, there is a far superior way to set up AF on your R5 or R6.

The default method of switching AF Methods with the R5/R6 bodies is cumbersome at best. It involves first pressing the grid button (my name) on the upper right back of the camera and then pressing the hard-to-access M-Fn button to toggle through the AF Methods. This method is so bad that it will not be mentioned again in this guide.

The guide is free to all who have ordered an R5 or an R6 using my B&H affiliate link or from Steve Elkins/Bedfords using the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Please send your receipt to me via e-mail. It will take me a few days to a week to verify the B&H purchases. Bedfords folks should expect their free e-Guides fairly quickly.

To purchase your copy of the e-Guide, please send a PayPal for $25.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words R5/R6 AF Guide in your PayPal e-mail.

Everyone who gets the guide will receive a free update no later than the first week in January.

Canon R5/R6 User’s e-Guide

I am working on a complete Canon R5/R6 User’s e-Guide. This will require a lot of research, a lot of time, and a lot of effort. I am hoping to have it complete by mid- to late January. As always, folks who use the BAA affiliate links to purchase their Canon gear will receive a substantial discount.

Understand that the info in the BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide is so important that I opted to publish the AF guide right off the bat to help folks get started with their new camera bodies.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plugins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Topaz Stuff

As I said just a while back and have said often many times before, I should have listened sooner. If you, like me, are new to the Topaz party, please use this link to purchase. Right now I can wholeheartedly recommend both Topaz Sharpen AI and Topaz DeNoise AI. Though I have not yet worked with JPEGtoRAW AI or Gigapixel AI, I have installed both of these plug-ins and look forward to trying them on some I-Phone 11 images fairly soon. If you are thinking like me, consider the Utility Bundle that includes all four plug-ins mentioned above at a money-saving price.

Again, those who purchase Sharpen AI or DeNoise AI using my link, can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. I had a bit of trouble getting the two plug-ins installed and having them appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu. In addition, I will explain how to best learn about the two plug-ins by applying them on a Layer (in Photoshop).

131 sold to rave reviews. The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris

The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide (and Videos)

Click here to purchase the guide with one Camera Set-up Video. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your camera body so that we can send you a link for the correct video.

Click here to purchase the guide with two Camera Set-up Videos. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your two camera bodies so that we can send you links for the correct videos.

Click here to learn more about the SONY e-Guide.

Folks who have used my B&H affiliate links or purchased their SONY gear are invited to e-mail for discount information.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free overnight 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

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 at a reservoir in Lakewood, CO on the late afternoon of 18 November 2020. I used the Induro GIT 404L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 800. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/160 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. RawDigger showed a dead solid perfect exposure. AWB at 5:16pm on a cloudy afternoon. Tracking Flexible Spot (S) AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly by tracking the second goose From our left to right) in the front row. Click the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Cackling Goose flotilla

Flotilla

flotilla. (flōˈtil-lə) noun: a small group of ships or boats.

Recently, I have been watching a ton of great World War II TV on the Smithsonian Channel. Yesterday afternoon I watched Hell Below: Season 1, Episode 1: America Fights Back. (No worries, I was TIVO-ing the NFL game.) It told the story of the USS Wahoo (SS-238), a large, fast, and powerful Gato-class submarine. The Wahoo was assigned to the Pacific theatre. She gained fame as an aggressive and highly successful submarine after Lieutenant Commander Dudley Walker “Mush” Morton became her skipper. Near Wewak, a Japanese supply base on the north coast of New Guinea, the Wahoo torpedoed a Japanese destroyer that was attempting to ram his sub at point blank range with the last weapon in his tubes! Next, near Palau, after an extended series of attacks, he eventually sunk a convoy of three Japanese ships — the last two were sent to the bottom with the last four of his remaining torpedoes.

In 1942 the Wahoo was sunk, and he and his entire crew were killed in an attack by Japanese aircraft in October 1943 while returning home from a patrol in the Sea of Japan.

Anywho, while reviewing images for the RawDigger e-Guide I came across these two images and wondered if there was a difference between a flotilla and an armada. The image titles here are somewhat of a stretch 🙂

The word “anywho” was coined by my late-Dad, Private First-Class Robert Edward Morris. You can learn more about Bob in the incredibly moving tribute to him here. It was published on Veteran’s Day 2019. I just finished reading it (again) and reading all the comments and I type with tears streaming down my cheeks.

This image was also and obviously created at a reservoir in Lakewood, CO on the late afternoon of 18 November 2020. Again, I used the Induro GIT 404L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 800. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/160 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. RawDigger showed a dead solid perfect exposure. AWB at 5:18pm on a cloudy afternoon. Tracking Flexible Spot (S) AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly by tracking a single goose in the extreme lower right corner of the frame. Click the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Cackling Goose armada

Armada

armada. (ärˈmä-də) noun: a large fleet of warships.

The Situation

We spent the better part of an afternoon with Brian Sump at a reservoir in Lakewood. We did not do very well with the ducks (flying or not), but had a great time photographing the (relatively tame) migrant Cackling Geese. The cacklers are actually not Canada Geese; they are a separate species that is smaller with stubbier bills.

RawDigger

The trick in low light when working overall light-toned scenes is to add a ton of light. “When the light is low, the meter is dumb.” I went for lots of Zebras on the water to ensure mega-exposing to the right. RawDigger showed that I got the exposures right. Image #1 showed 13 OvExp pixels (out of 24.2 million) and zero UnExp pixels. Image #2 was even better with zero OvExp and zero UnExp pixels.

Learning to mega-expose to the right will allow you to minimize noise, maximize image quality, best utilize your camera’s dynamic range, and attain the highest possible level of shadow detail in your RAW files in every situation. In addition, your properly exposed RAW files will contain more tonal information and feature smooth transitions between tones. And your optimized images will feature rich, accurate color.

Multiple Choice Quiz

Which is the stronger image?

a) Image #1. Why?
b) Image #2. Why?
c) I don’t like either one. Why?
d) I like them both equally. Why?

Typos

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