- A Holiday Gift Bag of Miscellany
- EOS 1v Bosque Test Results
- Field Report on the new Elan 7
- Canon 500 mm F / 4l IS Lens for Sale
- Sending Film to the Lab
- Another Excellent Web Site
- Now Three Openings on the First California IPT!
- Last Chance to Order "Beautiful Birds" Calendar
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I would like to thank each and every one of you for your interest and support
over the past year. I do hope and pray that you and yours enjoy happy,
a healthy, productive, and prosperous 2001 filled
with many wonderful adventures and lots of great new images.
Do remember to live life to its fullest each and every day; we only get
one ride on God's merry-go-round.
Visit http://www.birdsasart.com
EOS 1v BOSQUE TEST RESULTS
After shooting dozens of rolls of geese flying
towards me at moderate speeds, with a variety of Canon camera bodies, I have
concluded that the 1v performed better than I expected and the A2 performed not
as well as I remembered. (Is today's chocolate pudding - even when made
from scratch - ever as good as what your mom made?) Each camera made many
sharp images; but at times, seemed a bit behind in tracking the incoming
subjects. The feet would be razor sharp and the eye a tad soft. I
had similar results last year with my EOS 3s, and in prior years with the EOS
1n. Do note: Initial focusing acquisition with the EOS 1v is incredibly
fast, with the EOS 3 just behind, then the 1n, and finally the A2 a distant
fourth. The A2, however, is lighter by far and has a pop-up flash to-boot.
Conclusions: The EOS 1v is Canon's finest body. I just love its
speed, its ruggedness, and several of the personal functions. (See
the earlier review in the Bulletin Archives for details.) The A2
makes a great body if you want to carry an EF 400 / 5.6 or an EF 100-400 IS zoom
on your shoulder for flight shooting.
FIELD REPORT ON THE NEW ELAN 7
I borrowed an Elan 7 from CPS for my New Mexico trip and used it extensively
on the 100 - 400 mm IS zoom for flight shooting of single geese and cranes and
for groups. Overall, it performed very well. The best feature is its light weight. It seemed to acquire focus a bit
faster than the older A2. With all sensors activated (AFPS), the 7-sensor
AF array performed extremely well at holding focus on groups of birds in flight
(except in extremely low light situations approaching darkness).
The body that I got my hands on had a very insensitive shutter (at times)
especially when it was cold. It seemed that an inordinate amount of
pressure on the button was needed to release the shutter. When I then
switched back to my EOS 1v, I simply put my hand on the camera and made seven
exposures! Another big plus for those considering an Elan 7 or 7E as their
primary body is that, unlike the A2 and the A2E bodies, there are no metering
anomalies to worry about when used with either tele-extenders and certain EF
telephoto lenses. The Elan 7 also has a built in flash that greatly
expands its versatility. If I can find one with a more sensitive shutter
button, I just might replace my trusty A2s......
CANON 500 mm F / 4l IS LENS FOR SALE
Bob Lichtman at Robert.J.Lichtman@cmich.edu has a practically brand new
500 Image Stabilizer lens for sale. Please contact him by e-mail. Thanks.
I have no further info.
SENDING FILM TO THE LAB: A simple task fraught
with danger
Here is how I send in my film to Chelsea Lab in New York: Each batch of
rolls (same film, same push) it placed in a sealed Fed-X PAK (Free for the
taking - Don't tell them that I sent you). Each PAK is labeled, for example,
like this: "12 rolls Provia F 100. Push Process 1 stop. Provia F
Push +1. Please label each box of slides P+1 Thank you."
Then I put a big smiley face on the envelope......
The PAKs are placed in a large US Priority Mail Box and a printed label is
affixed with Chelsea's address and my return address. For small batches, I
simply fill out and affix a Delivery Confirm form ($.35). For larger, more
precious shipments, I will use Certified Mail/Return Receipt Requested.
I have never lost a single roll of film using this method, and have never had
a roll mis-processed (except of course, those that I mis-marked......) So
when Kodak tells you that your roll was lost by the post office........
ANOTHER EXCELLENT WEB SITE
Joanne Williams of Lighthouse Point, Florida is a friend, long-time BIRDS AS
ART® student, and an accomplished photographer. You have all seen her
Sandhill Crane in an advertisement for Lee County Tourism (a $7,000 sale)!
Now, you can visit her web site at: http://www.joannewilliamsphoto.com
Be
sure to check out Snail Kite #9; it is one of her very best.
NOW THREE OPENINGS ON THE FIRST CALIFORNIA
IPT!
Due to seemingly un-ending numbers of cancellations, there are now THREE
openings on the January 11-16, 2001 IPT. See the web site for details.
LAST CHANCE TO ORDER "BEAUTIFUL BIRDS"
CALENDAR.
Thanks to all of you who ordered my "Beautiful Birds" 2001 calendar, either
for themselves or for gifts. We still have 132 calendars left, so any last
minute orders would be greatly appreciated.
Best and great picture making to all,
Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
