Pelagic camera setups

[neilpa]

On 3/12/2022 at 1:43 PM, blackburnian said:

Also, I have a friend who has the R5 with the 100-500. Ridiculous speed and image quality. Ultra expensive but if it’s within possibility, it’s probably the best setup on the market. 

Even compared to the Sony A1? I was under the assumption that those extra Gs were at least buying you something.

[chipperatl]

@blackburnian - Howell and Zufelt in Oceanic Birds of the World echoed some of your pelagic comments.  One question I have is if you agree with their notion of 7 or 8 power binoculars instead of 10 power?  I have 10x42, but if those are less than desirable out there want to put these in my plan also.  I’ve wanted to get a backup pair to maybe keep in my truck anyway.  Thanks again for the feedback.  

[blackburnian]

21 minutes ago, chipperatl said:

@blackburnian - Howell and Zufelt in Oceanic Birds of the World echoed some of your pelagic comments.  One question I have is if you agree with their notion of 7 or 8 power binoculars instead of 10 power?  I have 10x42, but if those are less than desirable out there want to put these in my plan also.  I’ve wanted to get a backup pair to maybe keep in my truck anyway.  Thanks again for the feedback.  

I have 10x42 and it’s not an issue at all. In fact I would recommend them. Many of the birds are seen at quite a distance out of Hatteras. I wouldn’t worry with what you have. 

[lonestranger]

On 3/11/2022 at 7:21 PM, chipperatl said:

Step up to a Canon Mirrorless and the 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L

I broke down and gave into my weakness last night and ordered the Canon R6 with the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L. My hope is that the 100-500 mirrorless lens performs as well as the 100-400mm mark ii did, with the added reach. As great as the 100-400ii is, and as much as I loved using it, the desire for more reach was always there. It really didn't make sense to me dollar wise to invest in the 100-400 when the 100-500 isn't all that much more expensive given the added reach. When it came to deciding between the R6 and the R5, well I decided that my skill level didn't justify the price jump needed to buy the R5. This way I still have a bit of wiggle room and can say that I should have bought the R5 instead of the R6 everytime I botch a photo. 😁

Just sharing my thought process, I'll share some photos when the new setup arrives.

[chipperatl]

41 minutes ago, lonestranger said:

I broke down and gave into my weakness last night and ordered the Canon R6 with the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L. My hope is that the 100-500 mirrorless lens performs as well as the 100-400mm mark ii did, with the added reach. As great as the 100-400ii is, and as much as I loved using it, the desire for more reach was always there. It really didn't make sense to me dollar wise to invest in the 100-400 when the 100-500 isn't all that much more expensive given the added reach. When it came to deciding between the R6 and the R5, well I decided that my skill level didn't justify the price jump needed to buy the R5. This way I still have a bit of wiggle room and can say that I should have bought the R5 instead of the R6 everytime I botch a photo. 😁

Just sharing my thought process, I'll share some photos when the new setup arrives.

I’m about 90% decided to target the R5/100-500 setup.  I just watched a video comparing the 100-400 and 100-500.  The pics were really close between the two, as far as quality.  Where the 100-500 shined was when adding teleconverter to the 100-400.  The quality dropped off.  But when adding a teleconverter to the 100-500, it still kept more of its quality.  Granted you have to leave it zoomed out to 300-500 range with teleconverter, but I like having that option for more reach.

The only reason I think I want to pay more for the R5 is I think it is better in low light, which is constant here in Michigan.   Looking forward to see what you get with the R6/100-500 combo.

Edited March 16 by chipperatl

[chipperatl]

I may have to add the Nikon Z9 paired with 200-500 f/5.6 into the mix with the Canon R5/100-500mm combo.  Close to same price, when you add battery grip to the Canon.  

[lonestranger]

I thought this might be of interest.https://www.pictureline.com/blogs/products/canon-lp-e6n-vs-lp-e6

Since you have already been doing your own research  @chipperatl, you may already know this, but for those that don't, the LP-E6 batteries from older Canon DSLRs are compatible with the new mirrorless R5 and R6 models. While they don't have the same capacity as the new LP-E6NH that comes with the R5/R6 and they won't last as long, they will probably hopefully make suitable backup batteries.

BTW, the R6 showed up yesterday,😊 now I'm waiting for the lens to mount to it. 😡

Edited March 22 by lonestranger
Reworded

[chipperatl]

45 minutes ago, lonestranger said:

I thought this might be of interest.https://www.pictureline.com/blogs/products/canon-lp-e6n-vs-lp-e6

Since you have already been doing your own research  @chipperatl, you may already know this, but for those that don't, the LP-E6 batteries from older Canon DSLRs are compatible with the new mirrorless R5 and R6 models. While they don't have the same capacity as the new LP-E6NH that comes with the R5/R6 and they won't last as long, they will probably hopefully make suitable backup batteries.

BTW, the R6 showed up yesterday,😊 now I'm waiting for the lens to mount to it. 😡

I did see that the old battery can be used, and my plan is to use them as backup.  What I didn’t realize is I could pick up the new battery and use it in the 7D MK II now.  I have no battery backups now, as the 3rd party ones I got are worthless.  I guess if I completely rule out the NIkon options, I may pull the trigger on the batteries earlier.  

 

Oh, that’s got to be tough waiting on that now.  

[lonestranger]

22 minutes ago, chipperatl said:

Oh, that’s got to be tough waiting on that now.

You have no idea, talk about a roller coaster of emotions. On Thursday I was excited because I got the official word that my order was shipped and due for delivery on Monday/yesterday. I checked the tracking info on Friday and was disappointed to see that the expected delivery date had been pushed back to Tuesday. I got excited again early Monday morning when I got an email saying that my order was on it's way and it'd be delivered before the day's end. A few hours later my excitement plummeted back to disappointment again when the parcel showed up at the door and I found out that it was only the camera without a lens. Due to limited supply there's a few day delay while they pull a lens from one of the stores and return it to the distribution centre before shipping it out to me. Hopefully I'll have it before the weekend. 🤞

Edited March 22 by lonestranger
Typos

[Charlie Spencer]

1 hour ago, lonestranger said:

they pull a lens from one of the stores and return it to the distribution centre before shipping it out to me

Huh.  I wonder why they didn't e-mail a shipping label to the store and have it sent directly to you.

[lonestranger]

11 minutes ago, Charlie Spencer said:

Huh.  I wonder why they didn't e-mail a shipping label to the store and have it sent directly to you.

I asked myself the same question, after I had finished talking to customer services. 🤷‍♂️

[chipperatl]

6 hours ago, lonestranger said:

I asked myself the same question, after I had finished talking to customer services. 🤷‍♂️

Are you tempted to add the 800 f/11?  I’m including being able to nab that relatively cheap in the future, as a pro for going the Canon route.  

[lonestranger]

16 minutes ago, chipperatl said:

Are you tempted to add the 800 f/11?  I’m including being able to nab that relatively cheap in the future, as a pro for going the Canon route.  

I hadn't given any thought to expanding the mirrorless setup but I think I'd probably go with a 1.4 extender on the L series glass of the 100-500 for 700mm of reach before buying a longer but obviously cheaper lens. Yeah, the image quality might take a ding with the extender but I suspect it would still be better than the 800mm f/11, or at least just as good. I suspect the 500mm of reach will satisfy my wants/needs for most situations and since I have only had a 300mm lens to play with for the past few years, 500mm is going to feel like a huge jump in reach for me. So no, I'm not really tempted to add the 800 f/11.....at least not today. 😉

[BigOly]

On 3/12/2022 at 8:14 AM, IKLland said:

The 100-400IS II a great lens, but it’s a little pricey.

Love my 100-400is 11 paired with 7D Cannon.  Fast auto focus.

[chipperatl]

Pulled the trigger on the Canon R5.  My 7D II has been going to error 20 a lot in the last week.  One shot and then pull the battery tray out to get it to work again.  I will use my Sigma 150-600mm C for a while.  Didn't feel like getting the camera and lens together right now, so kind of forced me to stay in the Canon camp despite some other Michigan birders having good things to say about Nikon Z9, Sony and even Olympus.  

[blackburnian]

My friend just got the R5/100-500 setup and speaks wonders about the image quality with a 1.4 extender. Almost no noticeable decrease at all. Crazy. He also routinely shoots at ridiculous ISO and the photos turn out great. That camera is a beast. 

[Tim Emmerzaal]

1 hour ago, blackburnian said:

My friend just got the R5/100-500 setup and speaks wonders about the image quality with a 1.4 extender. Almost no noticeable decrease at all. Crazy. He also routinely shoots at ridiculous ISO and the photos turn out great. That camera is a beast. 

I will agree to this! Last year I upgraded from the 7DmkII to the R5 with the 100-500 and it was well worth the investment! I cannot speak about other camera brads but I am very happy with this combo 🙂 

[lonestranger]

I am having a love/hate relationship with my R6 and 100-500 purchase. I love the camera and lens, with a few exceptions that I really hate. Most of those exceptions could have been avoided if I spent the extra money on the R5.

My biggest problem is adjusting to the mirrorless system. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but not being able to look through the lens until the camera wakes up is taking some getting used to. With a DSLR I can watch the birds through the mirrored viewfinder, even while the camera sleeps, and wait for the right moment to take the photo. With the mirrorless system, I have to keep the camera awake and chew up battery power just to see what the lens sees. It's a little thing, but being mirrorless frustates me at times and is taking some time to adjust to.

Beware of the ridiculously fast shutter speeds, those 45MP RAW files will take forever to load and viewing large batches of photos can quickly become a tedious chore while you wait and wait between each and every photo. My 20MP RAW images cause delays in viewing so I can only imagine the time needed to view 45MP images.

Good luck with your purchase, @chipperatl, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

[chipperatl]

On 5/7/2022 at 8:34 AM, lonestranger said:

I am having a love/hate relationship with my R6 and 100-500 purchase. I love the camera and lens, with a few exceptions that I really hate. Most of those exceptions could have been avoided if I spent the extra money on the R5.

My biggest problem is adjusting to the mirrorless system. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but not being able to look through the lens until the camera wakes up is taking some getting used to. With a DSLR I can watch the birds through the mirrored viewfinder, even while the camera sleeps, and wait for the right moment to take the photo. With the mirrorless system, I have to keep the camera awake and chew up battery power just to see what the lens sees. It's a little thing, but being mirrorless frustates me at times and is taking some time to adjust to.

Beware of the ridiculously fast shutter speeds, those 45MP RAW files will take forever to load and viewing large batches of photos can quickly become a tedious chore while you wait and wait between each and every photo. My 20MP RAW images cause delays in viewing so I can only imagine the time needed to view 45MP images.

Good luck with your purchase, @chipperatl, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Well didn't have to worry about the RAW file on my maiden voyage with it this morning.  Some moron didn't set it up for RAW shooting.  I have 500 JPG images.  Also I've been unable to figure out why it only is doing single shot, no bursts of photos got to be a little frustrating.  A few things I thought I had set up before heading out weren't working they way I thought they should so spent some time trying to fix it in the field.  When I was able to use the eye focus it was amazing.  As I figured the Sigma 150-600mm would frustrate me some with how slow it was to get focused.  I'm sure once BH get 100-500mm back in stock I'll have my order in.  Especially with an upcoming trip to NC.  

I think I got used to the viewfinder fairly quick.  I just need to remember to hit the shutter button when I pull it up to my face, so it is on by the time it gets to my eye.  I was able to get dual back-button set up, but I need to figure out how to get it to jump off center point focus when I want to track something in flight.  Also I can't use the touchscreen for adjusting the single point focus as my nose kept hitting the screen and moving it to bottom corner.  Images also seem darker than I expected.  I was cranking Exposure Compensation by +2, and they still look dark.  

Edited May 10 by chipperatl

[Charlie Spencer]

2 hours ago, chipperatl said:

Well didn't have to worry about the RAW file on my maiden voyage with it this morning.  Some moron didn't set it up for RAW shooting.  I have 500 JPG images.  Also I've been unable to figure out why it only is doing single shot, no bursts of photos got to be a little frustrating.  A few things I thought I had set up before heading out weren't working they way I thought they should so spent some time trying to fix it in the field.  

Test at home before you hit the field, amigo.

[Charlie Spencer]

3 hours ago, chipperatl said:

Also I can't use the touchscreen for adjusting the single point focus as my nose kept hitting the screen and moving it to bottom corner.  

I run into this on every camera I've used that had a touch screen. 

[chipperatl]

Just now, Charlie Spencer said:

Test at home before you hit the field, amigo.

I'm on India hours, so up at 2 a.m. work till 6 (1/2 day vaca this week), and then head out.  Night before sleep didn't go so well, so when I picked it up yesterday all I did was bring it home and make sure no damage after FedEx used the box for a soccer ball.  Rewatched a video this morning on setups and got some of it done, but missed a few thing.  I knew I was taking a chance having it in field like that but wasn't any time to test.  

[chipperatl]

2 minutes ago, Charlie Spencer said:

I run into this on every camera I've used that had a touch screen. 

This is my first touch screen, and I've found that a lot of setting are in the touchscreen, and not the menu.  So found my high speed shooting setup there.  Should be good to go for tomorrow to rack up the GB on the card.  

[lonestranger]

3 hours ago, chipperatl said:

 I have 500 JPG images.  Also I've been unable to figure out why it only is doing single shot, no bursts of photos got to be a little frustrating.

If you're taking 500 shots without using high speed burst mode, you're going to have thousands of images to sift through after you turn burst mode on. Don't say you weren't warned. 🤪 

You can find the drive modes by opening the Q menu. One dial will scroll up and down on the various options, and one of the other dials will scroll across the possible settings for each option on the bottom.

[chipperatl]

6 hours ago, lonestranger said:

If you're taking 500 shots without using high speed burst mode, you're going to have thousands of images to sift through after you turn burst mode on. Don't say you weren't warned. 🤪 

You can find the drive modes by opening the Q menu. One dial will scroll up and down on the various options, and one of the other dials will scroll across the possible settings for each option on the bottom.

High speed finger mode.  😄  i found a video finally where i noticed the “Q” menus options.  I really am going to have to get very discerning with what I keep.  I have much sharper images, especially when eye focus locks in.  Way more potential keepers than what I was getting at same shutter speed previously.  

Edited May 11 by chipperatl