a full color palette

A whimbrel photographer on the CA coast. the BG is the rocks covered in pickleweed and wildflower

image made with A1 and 200-600 at 460mm f/6.3 ISO-800 1/4000 sec hand held. Full frame 50 mega pixel image with a small bit of canvas added. The Sony alpha-9 and 1 series camera continue to track the subject as the user is zooming in or out with the zoom lens. The no blackout finder allows for perfect framing. Using the zoom-while-tracking feature I have been able to fit many large birds in the frame almost wing tip to wing tip. the original has an incredible amount of detail enough to make a billboard including grains of sand on the bill.

hope you like this image

Love the top side view off the curlew! The BG colors really compliment the subject. I have a question on the A1. I have a couple of friends with it that are having trouble with the viewfinder working when they have sunlight behind them. Are you having any problems? I am wondering if they just have lemons? I am thinking about getting one, but I don't want to spend thousands of dollars if it still. has issues.

gorgeous flight shot Arash, not a long-billed curlew though... whimbrel

Hi Arash,
This is a gorgeous frame.
The BG is killer as is the top view with great wing position. Love the tail flair.
I think this is a whimbrel and not a long-billed curlew but I could be wrong!
gail

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kurt Bowman

Love the top side view off the curlew! The BG colors really compliment the subject. I have a question on the A1. I have a couple of friends with it that are having trouble with the viewfinder working when they have sunlight behind them. Are you having any problems? I am wondering if they just have lemons? I am thinking about getting one, but I don't want to spend thousands of dollars if it still. has issues.

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Hi Kurt every A1 cameras has the same issue with the EVF sensor. You have to use the tape solution until Sony fixed it. The a9 II also had the same issue to a lesser degree

Your fieldcraft is as good as your photography.. How you consistently get these perfect shots is impressive to say the least...

Fancy. Love the dorsal view. Pose is dead perfect.

Gorgeous look at the Whimbrel, equally as nice bkg. TFS.

thanks everyone, judging from the length of the bill it is a wimbrel

Killer image as usual. The relatively short bill, browner plumage, and head stripe separate this from LBCU. I am curious as why and how you hang out with so many flying shorebirds ... Can you describe the situation.

As for the a1, it is by miles the best camera body I have ever used. In order to experience the EVF blackout the back of the camera must be exposed to sunlight. On cloudy days it will never happen. If you keep the camera shaded by your body or your head you will never get the blackouts unless the sun peeks in over your shoulder if you are slightly off sun angle. If you tape the sensor and shoot a lot, you'd better have lots of batteries in your pocket. I do not use the grip to save weight.

If anyone is considering getting an a1, please contact me about using one of my affiliates to earn free membership in the BAA a1 Info and Updates e-mail group.

with love, artie

Hey Artie,
the truth is that the shorebirds here rarely fly. I watched the whimbrels for about 1 hours and perhaps 3-4 flew and only 2 in the right direction. the trick is the A1. All it takes for this camera to deliver killer frames is just one pass in the right direction. even very short flights yield several ideal wing positions when shooting at 30fps. with 95%+ of the frames tack sharp. Every pass almost guarantees a few top keepers. for e.g the dowitcher shot that I posed is just one out of at least 5 with fully stretched wings (both up and down) all from what I'd call a short jump. The A-1 made 50 tack sharp frames of this less than 2 second jump with 5 ideal wing positions. that was all the action in the afternoon. so the opportunities remain rare but the probability of capturing them is now close to 1 thanks to the new gear.

It would have taken 4-5 evenings worth of work and 10's of jumps to get one frame like this with the old DSLR's and then it would have been slightly soft with that Canon 1DX series. what a waste of time it was now that I look back at it. We are fortunate to have this technology and I thank Sony for it despite the EVF sensor issue which I hope they fix .

cheers

Thanks Arash. You have a lot more patience than most folks. And when you say this, The trick is the A1. All it takes for this camera to deliver killer frames is just one pass in the right direction" you are leaving out a few things: aside from owning an a1 you need skill, patience, determination, strength, some degree of stamina, fast reflexes, and top-notch hand-eye coordination. Don't sell yourself short by giving all the credit to your (admittedly great) gear.

with love, artie