Plus my take on Canon’s new IDX Mark III camera. Final specs were announced yesterday.
Yesterday was our second day in a row with sunshine and my second day in a row at Bear River MBR. And it was yet another day of relatively few birds and (mostly) missed opportunities. This Great Blue Heron was one of the very few exceptions.
1/5000, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
At first the heron was on the wrong side of the road for good light but as I approached “he” flew across the road in front of me and into much better light. I photographed him on the ice for quite a while before he eventually took off again.
1/5000, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
During takeoff this species really stretches out. Thankfully I’d planned for takeoff by removing my teleconverter just before he launched. Otherwise I’d most likely have clipped or cut off his wings with them in a vertical position or…
1/5000, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
cut off his head when he stretched out horizontally. Or both.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
At 10 frames per second I was only able to manage four shots before he started to go behind the phrags at right.
Readers know that I’m struggling with the decision of buying a new camera. Yesterday Canon announced the final specs for their new 1DX Mark III that will be available for purchase at the end of February. We’ve known for a while that its frame rate (burst rate) will be 16 frames/sec while using the viewfinder (20 frames/sec when shooting in live mode). This heron was one of the situations where 16 frames/sec would have been the cat’s meow because I’d have been able to get more shots before he flew behind the phrags.
But now we know that the IDX Mark III’s image file size will only be 20.1 MP which disappoints me immensely. That’s the same file size as my current 7D Mark II and since the new camera is full frame instead of cropped frame like my 7DII I’d lose too much “reach” without the additional cropping ability a larger file size would allow. With the new camera I’d effectively be going from shooting at 1120mm to 700mm (with attached teleconverter). That’s just too much loss. With birds we often need all the reach we can get.
But dammit, I really lust after the Mark III’s vastly improved autofocus system and faster burst rate (among other improvements) so I’m torn about what to do.
Bird photography. It’s ALWAYS a matter of compromise!
Ron
Note: Save your breath. I won’t be switching to a Sony or Olympus mirrorless system. I have far too much invested in Canon’s professional lenses (which I love) to switch. Besides, if I used an adapter (which I refuse to do) those tiny mirrorless cameras would look like a pimple on the end of my 500mm lens… 🙂
Late in viewing your Blue Heron pictures. I have to smile as they are really nice. They are a beautiful bird.
The toes in the second photo really capture my attention. I don’t know if they remind me of a dancer or not.
Love these pictures. I’ve become so fascinated with and always excited to see Blue Herons since moving to NC from NJ
I like the abundance of feathers coming from the neck and the detail of the feathers in take-off.
I had a blue heron friend when I lived in the Florida Keys back in the 60’s. I’d come home from work and go to the canal in the backyard to fish. As soon as I sat on the bank my friend Oscar would fly in to stand beside me. I always gave him the ones too small for us to eat. He never bothered me for the larger ones. It was quite immediate that he flew in after I sat down, so I’m guessing he had a nest nearby. I didn’t know enough back then to look.
Wow, Barbara. That must have been fun for you.
Ron: Have you looked at the Sony A7R IV. 61 MP image, 10 fps. Interesting.
Yes, I’ve looked at both Sony and Olympus mirrorless.
Beautiful shots Ron.
I am the type of person “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”..I can understand your keen interest in the new Cannon. I would wait and read several reviews of people who bought the camera before you indulge. If you see more thumbs up then purchase the camera, but you never know, there might be more disappointment for the camera.
Oh, I’ll definitely wait until the verdict’s in Jean.
Beautiful photos all, Ron. I live close to a heronry and will be doing another nest count soon. Hopefully, the recent rains have washed most of the poop off the vegetation we have to wade through.
Thanks, Lyle. Good luck with the poop.
Awe and wonder. This is a truly beautiful bird. Thank you.
And good luck on the camera decisions. Increasingly I am finding that life is a compromise (and sometimes the choices are less than optimum).
Still burning here – and ramping up for another horror weekend.
Thanks, EC. I wish you and everyone else down there all the luck in the world.
24 fps on my Sony A9. . .
Yes, I know.
What a magnificent creature! I feel the same emotional draw toward a GBH as I would, say, a Golden. I’m probably in the minority and I have no idea when/where/how my great affinity for them started, but there it is.
Marty, most of us have our favorite birds and our choices certainly don’t have to be justified. Not to anyone.
Really like that first photo…that full side view displays a great bit of regalia! 😍 Always have a pair that hangs out in one of the wetlands I frequent in summer.;amazes me with their nible agility through the forest! Spent several hours out yesterday(great weather)and returned disappointed even though I did see one Snowy Owl in the far distance. My main objective was Snow buntings, Horned Larks, or Longspurs …none of which were to to be found. They were in abundance last year and so far I’ve only seen one ‘small’ flock of Horned Larks! Most disappointing.
Thanks, Kathy. Horned Larks are common around here but Snow Buntings and Longspurs are a big deal if you can find them. I still don’t have decent photos of either species.
Hi Ron, my department at work will be purchasing the MarkIII as soon as it becomes available. I agree the 20MP is disappointing, but with the full 5.5K full frame sensor, there is a good amount of room to crop the image and retain quality. What may be a good idea is as soon as you can rent one from Lens Rentals.com or Red Finch here is SLC when they are available you can try one out for a pretty minimal 3 Day rental rate.
Thanks, Brett. Rental is one of the options I’m considering.
For some reason the GBH’s in Rhode Island are EXTREMELY skiddish and just slowing down nearby nevermind stopping sends them into flight. I am seldom blessed with good images of them. As far as the new Canon that you lust for…the answer is probably to rent one for a few days and try it out. Then you will know for sure whether the enhanced focus system and faster frame rate is worth the loss of reach you get with your crop frame 7D MKII.
You may just save some money and stay with your current Canon body. And with all that money you save you may get out in your camper more this year !!!
Many of ours are difficult to approach too, Gary.
Yes, I’m considering lots of options – including renting for a short time when it’s available.
You will get used to the full frame. Went I shot birds I used the 1DX Mk1. Loved it. Even thou I used a 800MM lens. Hated to sell it and that lens. Strictly landscapes now, but went I do shoot birds I use a 5D Mk4 with a 500 MM and have no issues. Good luck.
“You will get used to the full frame”
I’m not convinced, David. Because I’ve shot with cropped frame so long I know very well what I’ll be missing.
Great images of the heron, Ron. I like the last two the best as they really show off the heron’s huge wings well.
It sounds like we are in a similar situation on cameras. I use my Canon 7DII a lot and love it. I have a Canon 1DX Mark I. It came brand new with a lot of dirt between the low pass filter and the sensor. Canon was a real pain to get this resolved, even though it was under warranty, and I am a Gold Canon CPS member. The dirt was present when the camera was new.
Luckily, I had taken some small aperture images of a uniform sky as the first shots on the camera when it was new. Having these images show the dirt at a low shutter count helped.
** I highly recommend that whenever anyone buys a new camera, take some f/22 images of a uniform target (the blue sky in my case) and save these to document any flaws in the sensor **
If I did not have so much invested in Canon lenses I would be happy to switch.
I consider these my tools, and I am doing fine with my Canon 1DX-1, 7D2, 5D3, and 5DSR. Being a “poor”, full-time photographer, I will have to stick with these.
“If I did not have so much invested in Canon lenses I would be happy to switch”
Sounds like we’re in the same boat, Ed. Good idea about shooting those sky images as soon as we purchase a new camera. Thanks for the tip.
I particularly like the “squat” in the first photo and then the body position and feather shadows on the body in the last – both a little different… 🙂 They certainly do “get around” for such a large bird! Changing cameras is tough and I’m with you on a small camera on a large lens. I would worry about “balance”,and the weight of the lens creating stress where it connect with the camera. Being able to crop effectively IS critical when shooting at long distances…….no answers……. 🙁
“no answers”
That’s right, Judy. At least no good answers for now. Frustrating…
Beautiful shots Ron. Love take-off photos of any birds. Wish I could comment on the camera situation, but do not have enough knowledge to do so.
Thanks for positing these. At our Lynx Lake there are so many GBH’s that as you circle the lake they are constantly flying off while screaming out that loud squawking noise to let you know they are very perturbed to have been disturbed.
Everett, their squawking always amuses me. And even takes me aback a little even though I’ve heard it thousands of times.
Gorgeous. I love thenm in their breeding plumage.
Thanks, Arwen.
I’m amazed how well they flight in tight areas. We have dense wooded areas and they fly through it easily.
Yes, they’re quite agile for such a large and ungainly-looking bird.