![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/great-blue-heron-1794-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"great-blue-heron-1794-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nPlus my take on Canon’s new IDX Mark III camera. Final specs were announced yesterday.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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1\/5000, f\/7.1, ISO 400, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/5000, f\/7.1, ISO 400, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n 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…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/5000, f\/7.1, ISO 400, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n cut off his head when he stretched out horizontally. Or both.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/7.1, ISO 400, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n At 10 frames per second I was only able to manage four shots before he started to go behind the phrags at right.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Bird photography. It’s ALWAYS a matter of compromise!<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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… \ud83d\ude42<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Plus my take on Canon’s new IDX Mark III camera. Final specs were announced yesterday.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/great-blue-heron-1795-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"great-blue-heron-1795-ron-dudley\\"")
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