MAY 23, 2004
THE MONGOOSE M-262 FOR INTERMEDIATE TELEPHOTO LENSES!
POINT PELEE IPT REPORT
BIRDS AS ART KUDOS AND CHRIS DODD PELEE IPT IMAGE GALLERY
IPT UPDATES
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Photo Theme: Mongoose pix & my favorite Mark II images from the recent Point Pelee IPTs.
Chestnut-sided Warbler, adult male, Point Pelee National Park, Ontario
Image copyright 2004 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS lens & 2X II TC.
ISO 250. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/250 sec. at f/16 with fill flash at -1 1/3 stops.
Depth-of field when working at or near yours lens's minimum focusing distance is extremely shallow so stopping down when possible will yield images of small birds that are in focus from stem to stern...
THE MONGOOSE M-262 FOR INTERMEDIATE TELEPHOTO LENSES!
The Mongoose M-262 Action Head balances the Canon 100-400mm IS L lens beautifully even when used with one of the (heavy) professional bodies like the Canon EOS 1D Mark II show here. Do note that the plate is placed fairly far forward in the lens mount.
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As many of you know, I am and have been adamantly opposed to the use gimbal-type heads that feature side-mounting clamps with large telephoto lenses, but am fine with this style of head (The Wimberley Sidekick, for example) for use with the intermediate telephoto lenses. With big rigs, the danger of losing control of your lens when mounting the lens or moving the plate forward or backward for balance is--IMHO--simply too great. The Sidekick, when used with the Linhoff Prophy III that I own, weighs a shade under four pounds. The regular Wimberley head weighs in at a shade over four pounds... The regular Wimberley head (which I use everyday with my Canon 500mm and 600mm AF lenses) is way overkill for use with the intermediate telephotos. And most folks who use Wimberley heads with their big lenses simply hate having to use a ball head with their intermediate telephotos.
My friend John Zeiss of 4th Generation Design has come up with a simple, lightweight (only 19 ounces!), elegant, side-mounting, gimbal-type action head that operates smoothly and is ideal for use with most intermediate telephoto lenses including the Canon 100-400mm IS L zoom lens, the Canon 300mm f/4 L IS lens, and the Nikon 80-400mm VR lens. With each of these lenses we recommend the use of the Wimberley P-20 plate. (All Arca-Swiss compatible plates fit the Mongoose clamp). When theses lenses are mounted with the back of the plate flush or nearly flush with the near-side of the circular clamp, balance is just about ideal. And surprisingly, with both of the zoom lenses above mounted as described, balance is maintained throughout much of the longer focal length range (this because of the just about perfect tension built into the head). With the Canon 400mm f/5.6 L lens and the Canon EOS 10D camera body (or with the Elan & or A2 series film bodies) the plate needs to be pushed forward an additional 1/4 to 1/2 inch into the clamp for proper balance. And with that lens and one of Canon's heavier pro bodies (EOS 1D, 1Ds, or 1D Mark II), the plate needs to be pushed forward halfway into the mount to achieve proper balance. It is recommended that at least half of the plate be in the clamp before tightening.
We are proud to announce that BIRDS AS ART is now able to offer this great new product as part of our burgeoning mail order line. The Mongoose M-262 Action Head is available now for $295 plus $9 shipping via US Priority Mail/Certified/Return Receipt Requested. We are receiving our first order of eight pieces early next week--two are already sold. With so many more folks getting into bird photography with intermediate telephoto lenses and digital cameras that offer 1.5 or 1.6X multiplier effects, this head will prove to be extremely popular. Once the word gets out, these heads will prove hard to get.
The clamp-lever on the Mongoose M-262 can be spun in either direction before the plate is clamped into place.
The head is elegantly machined and is extremely light in weight at 1 pound, three ounces.
POINT PELEE IPT REPORT
My poor warbler luck continues, some of it attributable to yours truly... I arrived in Leamington just before supper on May 7th. I ran into another photographer at the new Ramada Inn (519-325-0260, ask for Dharmesh and tell him I sent you) and the first thing that he said was, "You should have been here yesterday; it was the best warbler photography day in the past five years. There were lot of warblers all day and the Tip was alive in the afternoon with birds down low in gorgeous light. It was not very good on the morning of the 8th, so I decided to stay in and get set up to meet the IPT group. Mistake number 1: that afternoon was another great one at the Tip... One the first morning of the tour there were lots of birds but they were high and fast-moving so it was pretty poor for photography. We came up with some good back-up subjects: some Barn Swallows and a Killdeer nest. I got talked into walking back from the Tip to the Visitor Center, a journey that we referred to afterwards as the Death March... That afternoon we did fairly well at Sanctuary with a first-year male Prothonotary and Cape May Warblers, several Nashville's, and a wonderful Great-crested Flycatcher. The mornings and afternoons are now beginning to run together in my mind, but I do know that the first group has one spectacular afternoon morning at the Tip with a killer Philadelphia Vireo, several Northern Parulas, lots of Chestnut-sideds and Palms, and six spectacular, tired, tame male Scarlet Tanagers either at or below eye-level.
Great-crested Flycatcher, Point Pelee National Park, Ontario
Image copyright 2004 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS lens & 2X II TC.
ISO 250. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/250 sec. at f/9 with fill flash at -1 stops.
This bird was sitting on a cluttered perch to my left when he suddenly jumped up and landed on a perfect perch with a clean background for 3 seconds... Scratch another bird off of my lust list!
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The second IPT was scheduled for Magee Marsh (aka Crane Creek) east of Toledo, Ohio. Thanks to a tip from another photographer, I learned of a great spot an hour from Pelee where it was easy to photograph Northern Orioles and Red-headed Woodpeckers, the latter a bird I had been lusting over for years. I decided (mistake number 2?) to try and get in touch with all the folks who had signed up for the trip, and see if they would come to Pelee instead; it had been good and getting better, plus I had the orioles and woodpeckers in my pocket. They agreed. The first morning of the IPT was Friday May 14; there were no migrants at Pelee. That night I got an e-mail from Brian Zwiebel (who lives in Oregon, Ohio ten minutes from Magee): "Friday was awesome here. Most birds were down low with great light all day. Male and female Bay-breasteds, Magnolias, Chestnut-sided, Blackpolls, and American Redstarts. Several Wilson's, a female Blackburnian, and a really nice male Cape May. You should have been here bud!
The second group had no luck at all with migrants, but we did really, really well with the orioles and woodpeckers at Rondeau Provincial Park and with the Barn Swallows at Pelee.
Scarlet Tanager, wet, tired male, Point Pelee National Park, Ontario
Image copyright 2004 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS lens & 2X II TC.
ISO 250. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/160 sec. at f/8 with fill flash at -1 1/3 stops.
As I continued to do fairly well with migrants after the first Pelee IPT (this image was made on the early morning of Tuesday 11 May), I decided to ask the folks on the Crane Creek IPT to come to Pelee instead...
CHRIS DODDS, CHRIS'S PELEE IPT IMAGE GALLERY, & BIRDS AS ART KUDOS
Chris Dodds from Montreal attended the first IPT and he was so much fun and so enthusiastic that I invited him to hang out with us on the second IPT as my guest. He did. Chris showed up with a Nikon D1X digital camera, the Nikon 300mm f/2.8 lens, and a 2X teleconverter. His photography improved so much in the short time that he was with us that it was pretty much unbelievable. He says that he improved because I am a great teacher, and while I do agree with him there, he was a motivated, dedicated, determined, and passionate student. In the meantime, he could not believe how great the Canon system was when compared to his Nikon stuff. He has already ordered his Canon kit: 500 IS, Mark II, 550 EX flash, two extension tubes, and both teleconverters! Wimberley head, Arca-Swiss Flash Bracket, and Gitzo Carbon Fiber 1325 tripod. He will be dangerous. If you think that I am joshing you, check out a gallery of Chris's Pelee/Rondeau images here:
You will not believe the painterly quality of his first Barn Swallow image...
Here is an e-mail that I received from Chris:
"My friend, Artie,
How do I express, in words, my gratitude for all of your sharing during our recent IPT to Pt. Pelee, Ontario. During the long days in the field, your passion for bird photography and energy were contagious. I have read many books and taken many pictures, but have never understood so much about photography in such a short amount of time. Regarding exposure, composition and use of flash (as both fill and main light), your explanations were well thought out and easy to understand and remember. I must have spent hours trying to understand the histogram and it's importance - WOW, 20 minutes with you and presto: I can accurately access exposure without even seeing the image. I would never had imagined how valuable the histogram is for correct exposure. It is an incredible tool that I had lived without for the year I have owned my Nikon D1X. The evening Photoshop session was packed with great new ways of editing and optimizing shortcuts and tricks. I especially enjoyed the critique sessions - what a great way to learn (how many nights did I stay up really late to edit that day's takes for your comments).
After an 11 hour drive home on Sunday I had to open my laptop, yet again, to see the results of our trip.I now feel that I am creating art, instead of just taking pictures! THANK YOU!!
The early mornings, long hours in the field and lack of sleep were well worth it! My only regret is that of seeing how much I live without by continuing to use Nikon. Keep your camera to your eye, and your finger on the shutter release button, buddy, I'll see you soon on another IPT (with my new Canon gear).
Christopher Dodds
Franklin Centre, Quebec, Canada
Red-headed Woodpecker, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario
Image copyright 2004 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS lens & 1.4X II TC.
ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop set manually: 1/160 sec. at f/8 with fill flash at -1 1/3 stops.
If the bird's back were (in a different composition) in the middle of the vertical frame, the meter would have been influenced towards overexposure. To prevent this, I verified the correct exposure (in the constant light) via the histogram and set it manually.
IPT UPDATES
The June 2004 Nome IPT is sold out.
The August 2004 Kenya Photo-Safari is sold out.
The Bosque Del Apache NWR, NM 2004 IPTs (geese and cranes, spectacular sunrises, sunsets, flight photography & blastoffs) are filling more quickly than ever. Digital expert and Photoshop Instructor Ellen Anon will be co-leading both of these trips with me. 3-day IPTs ($869--limit: 14) NOV 21-23 (6 slots open) and NOV 27-29 (only 3 spaces left!).
SW FLA ITPs
POST X-MAS: DEC 28-30, 2004, 3-DAY: $869. Limit 12/10 openings.
PRESIDENTS HOLIDAY IPT: FEB 18-22, 2005, 5-DAY: $1399 (Ellen Anon will assist me as co-leader on this IPT and conduct a Photoshop session) Limit 14/only 7 openings.
Click here to enjoy the SW-FL IPT Experience.
THESE ARE MY BREAD & BUTTER CAN'T MISS IPTs: HERONS, EGRETS, GULLS, TERNS, SHOREBIRDS, OSPREY, BURROWING OWL & BOTH PELICANS. SPOONBILLS LIKELY. FIND OUT WHY FOLKS COME TO FLORIDA TO PHOTOGRAPH BIRDS! WE WILL VISIT DING DARLING NWR, SANIBEL ISLAND, PLACIDA, THE VENICE ROOKERY, CAPE CORAL, AND LITTLE ESTERO LAGOON.
SAN DIEGO, CA
JANUARY 6-9, 2005. 4-DAY: $1299 (Limit: 12, 10 openings.) (Ellen Anon will assist me as co-leader on this IPT and conduct a Photoshop session.)
Click here to enjoy the San Diego ITP Experience.
CALIFORNIA BROWN PELICANS IN SPECTACULAR BREEDING PLUMAGE, BRANDT'S (& OTHER) CORMORANTS, WESTERN, CALIFORNIA, HEERMAN'S--ALSO IN SPECTACULAR BREEDING PLUMAGE, & OTHER GULLS. (WE WILL HAVE INCREDIBLE FLIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY OPPORTUNITIES WITH ALL OF THE ABOVE SPECIES). LESSER SCAUP, WOOD, RING-NECKED AND OTHER DUCKS. MARBLED GODWIT, WILLET, WHIMBREL, SURFBIRD, WANDERING TATTLER & OTHER SHOREBIRDS, EVERYTHING AT CLOSE RANGE! HARBOR SEALS & SEA LIONS. DEPENDING ON LOCAL CONDITIONS, WE MAY BE TEMPTED TO MAKE THE EARLY MORNING TRIP TO BOLSA CHICA LAGOON.
For additional details visit: http://www.birdsasart.com/tours.html
Baltimore Oriole, adult male, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario
Image copyright 2004 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS lens & 1.4X II TC.
ISO 250. Manual Mode: 1/400 sec. at f/14 with fill flash at -1 2/3 stops.
I accidentally underexposed this image while working in manual mode, but with raw images it is a snap to correct even fairly substantial errors of underexposure during the raw conversion process.
Best and love and great picture making to all,
Artie
Artie
Note: Arthur Morris has been a Canon contract photographer since 1994 and continues in that role today. Hunt's Photo of Boston, MA is a BIRDS AS ART sponsor, as is Delkin Devices. Do feel free to forward this Bulletin to one or more photographer-friends. Those wishing to subscribe click here: mailto:http://birdsasart.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=94ad23bd96f48a1de2ca612b3&id=bdb4a511a0?subject=subscribe Back issues of relevant Bulletins are archived on the web site at: http://www.birdsasart.com/bn.html