I love it when you show the photo, but then show the raw file and cropped area. It reminds me of what's possible in my own shots. It feels like a peek behind the curtain and it's a useful tool. Thank you and please continue to do this.
100%. That is absolutely great as only having the edited product makes me feel like every shot I take is crap but the raw file view makes me feel a lot better about what I'm getting. (better.. not good).
Completely agree. Seeing what the original image looked like, how it was cropped and processed and also what the camera settings were (exposure time, aperture, ISO, focal length) is really helpful. Big thanks to Duade also from me.
HI Duade, I migrated from Canon (R6) to the A7IV and 200-600 last year, along with the excellently working 1.4x extender. I think one of the keys is to have the Face/Eye AF turned Off in the main settings. I have my AF-On button set up to "Tracking - Spot S" (you could use Spot M or L or even Wide, if you prefer) and I reprogram the AEL button to "Eye AF." That way, I always have Eye AF available via the AEL button and regular AF available via the AF-On button. Yes, even though you have the Face/Eye AF turned Off in the main menu, it will still work via the AEL button! I also program the C1 button to "Face/Eye Subject Select" so I can rotate what sort of eyes I want the camera to look for (Human, Bird, Animal). I have C3 programmed to "APS-C 35 / Full Frame" although I rarely use it. I have C4 set to "Shutter Type" to alternate between Mechanical and Electronic shutter. Hope these basic settings help. If I can be of more help, reply to this message or send me a private message. Take care and I look forward to your future videos!
Welcome to the dark side of photography, I am a former NIKON shooter who switched to SONY in mid-2019 and have never ever looked back since. It's an amazing system and I am sure it's a great addition to your Canon system. All the best from a wildlife photographer & RUclipsr from snowy Switzerland, cheers Marco
@@jackbrumby1892 I wrote I swapped in 2019, so yes there was oviously no Z9 at that time. But even if there was, I am travelling a lot and need it small and light for my handluggage, so Z9 is nonoption for me ….
I’ve mentioned this before but it is so helpful when you show a) your settings and b) the pre and post processing images. I’m sure this takes more time at your end but it really is useful to guide the rest of us… Thanks for another fantastic video 🙏🏻
Don’t know why because every photo could be different, but even on photography forums, I like knowing what gear was used & the settings. Maybe because I’ll be moving to mirrorless hopefully in 2023 on the gear part. But always enjoy seeing the settings. Much appreciated.
@@dr.normanklack9111 Erm - yeah, thanks for the obtuse comment. I was thanking him for just those points. Perhaps you want to re-read the comment without needing to ‘be right’?
It's not a rocket science. First learn about photography basics like image composition (only if you have a lacks in this kind of knowledge), exposure traingle and eg.: photo manipulation technics like removing objects from picture (to clean-up image). Then buy some software like PureRAW to bump up image quality (without spending a lot of time in LIghtroom or Ps to post process image) and experiment much with exposure related sliders to forge your own pictures style.
Hi Gerald, I did a quick search of the Duade videos & found this link - ruclips.net/video/Adp9vLPIcx4/видео.html , if you haven't already found it I hope you enjoy it, Duades videos are always so clear & decisive aren't they.
I wouldn’t be sorry. Canon is shooting itself in the foot with the way that it’s behaving with regards to RF pricing, lack of 3rd party RF mount lenses and so on. It’s Canon’s loss and Sony’s gain. I’m starting to wish that I held off buying the R6 now.
I love getting to watch you while you’re taking photos - it’s great to see a professional still experiencing that frenetic excitement, darting around and trying to figure out light and angles! It’s easy to feel like everyone else just shows up and knows exactly where to be, but obviously we all have to work for it!
Hi Duade, This is just to thank you for all the hard work that you put into your videos. I don't even follow wildlife Photography and don't even do anything close to it, yet... I find myself watching all of your videos. Your Canon R6 M II was the video that brought me here and it was the video that closed up my decision. Have a great year and don't be afraid of trying those new things.
Thanks for taking the time to leave this lovely comment Tresvainas, welcome to the channel and I hope you enjoy the videos. I would usually say happy birding in 2023 but Happy Photographing :-) Cheers, Duade
Love it, love it, love it. Duade out in the field, birds in habitat. This video made me feel so happy I could cry. Thank you so much for the time and effort to share.
Wow! I felt that I was with you out in the field live shooting and seeing you composing and shooting then tweaking it in Photoshop. I actually feel great watching this live training video and learning so much because you show your process from starting in the outdoors to finishing with a great composition and Photoshop. Every photo was live like and beautiful in many ways. Thanks for this priceless lesson. And I've been taking first 35 mm film SLR and then Sony mirrorless A7I total since 1975 owned 9 cameras and taken 150,000 photos one at a time. I love photography it makes me feel really great enjoying life and capturing great Kodak Moments. I see them everywhere.
Ahh finally a video on my exact setup. Going from A7iii to A7iv it's upgraded my photo and more importantly video quality is just stellar. I use tracking spot medium and large for af it picks up the birds eye or starts tracking the body in almost all cases.
Hi Duade , Loved watching this style of Video, less about the gear and more about your in the field experience and your enthusiasm for the wildlife, great shots of Cisticola, brilliant 10/10
Its nice to see you upgraded to Sony... :) What I like about the 200-600 is you can set the lens to around 300 or 400mm, point the lens at a critter, then zoom in to 600mm with a finger tip. I have A1 and A7R4.
I have this exact setup and i just love it. I typically just use small spot tracking with eye tracking in afc. C1 - enable disable eye tracking to help with af when it struggles. C2 - Focus area C3 - changes eye tracking subject type - animal/bird/human
Love the first image of the Cisticola! And please don’t apologize for being excited about your photography. That is what makes your channel so appealing for me. Wonderful video!!
That's why I love this channel: Beautiful wildlife pictures, learning something about how to take and edit them, some information on gear, but most of all infectuous excitement for going out and experiencing nature. Thank you.
Congratulations! I switched from Canon to Sony A7R4 with 200-600 several years ago and never looked back. Changed the lens foot to arca for quick changeout and as it is kinder on hand when hand-held than with plate attached to original foot. Upgraded to A1 for wildlife, but kept my 7R4 to use with my Canon glass (just couldn’t give them up!) with Sigma adapter for landscape/portraits. Love my setups! It takes awhile to retrain muscle memory, but it will come. I find I have best results using zone or spot focus small. The rest of the settings are pretty much the same from Canon days except for being able to push the ISO higher on these Sonys.
As a longtime Canon shooter, I too have been looking at the Sony 200-600. Very interested in your comparison of it to the 100-500 and general comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of the two systems. Beautiful photos as well!
200-600 is an awesome lens. Don't know why Canon doesn't do something like that. Someone also showed me a Nikon 800 6.3. Light weight and a bunch of reach. Not withstanding the 100-500, which is a nice lens, Canon seems stuck in the dull drums when it comes to lenses. No creativity. The 800 f11 is a nice, cheap lens to get someone started in long lenses, but come on!! There has to be something for real photographers between a cheap f11 and a God-awful expensive f5.6! And a 500 7.1 when everyone else is doing 600 6.3 for only a few ounces more, and cheaper!?? Is it any wonder folks are upset that Canon won't license the RF mount to third parties? If they got a little creative they wouldn't have to. It's like Canon says, "Look, if you want 600 or 800 mm reach with anything CLOSE to a wide aperture, you are going to have to pay through the nose!
Awesome! Great to see you out & about again showing us your photos!! I really enjoy when you get back out there to Winton Wetlands and get excited about what you see (much more fun to watch than tech videos of stuff I don't have 😃)!
I absolutely love your format and showing both the final image and the RAW. How you not only get the shots but also video of yourself is commendable. I'm glad you're trying out another system too, I bought into the Sony system about 3 years ago after using Canon. One thing I'm VERY curious about is the Sony sensors allow unimaginable lifting of the shadows without noise from the RAW files (A7r3 and A1 but A7R3 is superior in this regard), last time I used Canon I didn't have nearly that kind of flexibility but I wonder if newer Canon cameras have better sensors. I've yet to see someone compare this aspect, it's always about FPS, sharpness, etc and unfortunately too many people seem to treat camera brands like their favorite soccer team. One thing I'd suggest, I see you have an arca plate on the original foot... you may want to look into a dedicated foot out of machined material, sadly the sony one has broken for more than one of us and as a side benefit if you get a Kirk , RRS or even some other brands you'll gain a QD socket that you can use with a strap to sling it over your shoulder for quick draw. Also carrying the camera by the body like that with such a big lens caused me to have connection failures to the body on my A7R3 with the 100-400. I'm using the 200-600 now as well along wwith the A7R3 and A1. Another nice thing you can do is map your buttons so you have quick access to several focus modes along with SS's for quick shooting. I have four in all dedicated to this. Getting down LOW really made those shots on the water pop, I need to get down and dirty like that, inches can make or break a photo.
Thanks for the feedback, good tips re the foot and not carrying by the camera. I must admit I have always carried the Canon bodies like that and never had an issue so will try to remember to carry by the lens in future. I will look into programming the buttons for more options, there are almost too many option on the Sony. Dynamic range has improved on the Canon bodies but I will be sure to try some tests underexposed and see the noise differences. Thanks again, Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Yes, we can all learn from one another. I always carried my cameras by the bodies in the past, Canon and Nikon... so this was the first time I ever had an issue but admittedly I'd walk for hours with the camera and lens dangling from my camera strap at my side. It happened on my A7R3, in fact i sent the lens into Sony and they cleaned it but it didn't seem to fix the problem and then later I had the same issue with another lens on that camera so I'm guessing that stress somehow compromised the ring where the lens goes onto the camera. I look forward to your DR tests and your photography inspires me to get out, in fact I'm putting on some clothes today that can get soiled and heading to the beach to see what's around on a nice warm 35 degree Fahrenheit day in New Jersey :)
Recently got the A7iv but paired with the 100-400GM way above my skill level and a massive step up from my old setup but hopefully I will be able to learn and grow in to the camera and lens ability. Must say I love your enthusiasm for your photography and really enjoyed how you show the raw image and merge it to the cropped and edited view, it’s one of my weaker points as to how much subject to fill the frame, can’t wait to see more of your Sony Adventures!
I shot Canon for about 8 years and switched to Sony last summer, also getting the A7 IV. My longest lens right now is the Sigma 100-400 (which I think is a great bang for the buck). The key I've learned with Sony is mapping your custom buttons. Personally, I made all of the buttons up top my exposure tools so I had quick access to things that would be changed a lot. The dial above the shutter is my aperture, the exposure comp dial is my shutter speed, and the dial left of that is ISO. Then C1 is white balance. I also have C2 as aps-c mode for quick punch ins when I want more reach. Anyway, awesome images as always!
Yup, once they're mapped and you're used to it everything is at your fingertips in an instant. I even have one called the "oh shit" button, wide area focus, auto iso, 1/2000... I do wish lens stab modes had the ability to be overridden by the custom buttons.
Thanks Chris, sounds logical to use those dials for that. I must admit I find the front dial slightly awkward for my finger to get onto but will improve over time. Thanks for that. Cheers, Duade
Congratulations Duade, you look very please with your purchases, it is great to see the joy ! Please let us know through a video how you like your new Sony combo once you feel even more comfy- I'm interested for sure (despite being Canon). I also very much like the revealed new artistic side of yourself, your attempt to add more strings to your bow lead to beautiful photos. I love the one with the vertical one with the flying off cockatoo as well as the colours and composition and colours of the 2 fighting kangaroos. It's exciting for us as we will have a great 2023 following the new you across beautiful Australia!
Thanks for another quality effort, Duade. It looked like a nice session & you appeared to enjoy it - good deal! As usual, some very nice shots of all the species you captured. That looks like it's going to be a very fine kit, anchored by that great lens. Nicely done getting all the cisticola shots after hearing them in the grass. The different menus & buttons will take a bit longer to get used to I'd think, but once you do, I'll bet you will be able to switch bodies seamlessly. Enjoy the process of learning your new set up & may your attempts be fruitful. Good shooting & best regards ~ Chris
Thanks Duade. A great video and also great to see how much enjoyment you got from you session at the wonderful Winton Wetlands. Looking forward to seeing your full review in a while when you've had time to fully get to grips with your new Sony gear. Mind you, some really brilliant Sony images already. Thanks again. John
There is one thing, Only one: Despite the Canon or Sony (where I use both and have same lens but A1) your enthusiasm in this passion si remarkable, is contagious, and this is more than any review, gear, and of course your competence. Thank you Duade.
Canon has a wonderful feel to the body, it is truly weather sealed, and has an outstanding color representation. Their lens line up is great. Sony provides very good optical quality with Sony lenses and sensors. Perhaps the build process of Sony lenses doesn't really allow repairs and maintenance as we know it from Canon and Nikon. You should definitely take care more of your Sony equipment than for those from Canon and use the excellent lens boxes from Sony for protection. The Raw files from Sony are large but very nice to work with allowing any manipulation of your pictures. Canon files a bit different. Duade, you did a great presentation with you Sony combo. I'm looking forward for your final word. The best setup for Sony was provided by Mark Smith for birding. I use this one for everything and it is very handy. Thanks for this beautiful video review.
I’m really glad to have discovered your channel! Your videos and fotos are amazing and I like a lot how you present information, plus you are really informative. I am a newbie to photography and I will be looking forward to learn from you! Cheers!
This is the real test of how a camera performs, not these camera review guys on youtube that just waffle, waffle, waffle and a few basic pics and video.This guy and others like him gives us the real world experience.It is where i turn to see the results of their camera and lenses they use if i am looking to get a camera or lens.I have the same gear as Duade but no where near the level of knowledge that he has but we all have to start somewhere
Great video as always, your excitement at the beginning was noticeable. The variety of photographs you captured with a new system was pretty incredible, loving the environmental shots. For any Canon users experiencing a crisis of faith at the moment, your results moving forward may give them something to think about.
Thanks Kyle, it was a lot of fun and I am very grateful to have the opportunity to try another system. I will be sure to share my thoughts after some extensive use but fun so far with some major differences from Canon both good and bad. :-) Cheers, Duade
Great video, Sony 200-600mm lens is quite tempting. I hope Canon comes up with something like this (with similar price point) or Nikon's 500mm 5.6pf. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts/experience comparing your Sony combo with Canon R5 and RF100-500mm. Looking forward, cheers!
Happy New Year Duade! Greetings and and salutations. Another uplifting video. I could feel your excitement thousands of miles away. Congrats on acquiring the Sony lens and body. Your shared images are already terrific. I continue to appreciate your generosity and transparency in showing the transition from raw to processed. I look forward to your next outing. Cheers.
Thanks for much, it was a lot of fun and I look forward to using it more. No problem sharing the RAW, a good way to learn and show what goes into editing the images. Cheers, Duade
Great to hear that you are a Sony shooter too now! :) The 200-600 is really a nifty lens. Tack sharp. Mine is paired with an A9 and its just a dream combination. I'd get a cover for the lens. Its fairly scratch prone. One of Sony's key weaknesses is the battery. They just run out too quickly. Got to live with it. I gave in and got a battery grip and it helps me go for an entire day without needing a recharge. I also have a 1.4x teleconverter which I do use often but not all the time. Absolutely fantastic birds and environments in your part of the world, and I love your videos! Happy shooting and congratulations on the new gear! 😃
Duade, I just love seeing your passion while you are out in the field. I most definitely relate! Gotta chase the light, get closer, enjoy all the sounds and smells of the experience. Looking forward to seeing how your Sony adventure goes and maybe crossing paths the next time I visit Australia!
Thanks for sharing. When I switched last spring from Nikon to Canon I seriously contemplated the Sony system, The reviews and results from the 200-600 lens was the primary reason that I considered going to Sony. In the end, the Canon build quality and responsiveness won the day for me. With that said, it is still interesting to see field comparisons on the gear for wildlife photography. I look forward to seeing your review after you get accustomed to the Sony gear.
Went for the same setup end of December, and loving it. The single coolest thing about AF I use and recommend is dual Back button focus, one as a tracking button and one standard afc. (disable all tracking focus area modes and only keep the zone, spot, wide etc. as you will then be able to decide with what button you use if it is tracking or afc.)
This is great. As a canon user put off by some of their recent decisions, I'm intrigued by the experiences of a pro like yourself. Will check back for more
Hi Duade, I'm still in awe of the way you go about your photography. I would love to use a ground skimmer pod like yours but in my physical condition (1Knee replacement, 2 Hip replacements & extensive back surgery) I would be unable to get up again & have to crawl home. Joking aside , just love what you do mate, please don't stop!
Thanks George, I appreciate the feedback, sorry to hear about your physical condition. One way maybe to try a monitor which is tilted up so you can place the tripod/camera lower but sit over it if that makes sense. Good luck ,Cheers, Duade
G'day Duade! This shoot was clearly a bit more hectic than usual, but it showed in different way how driven and passionate you are in getting great shots from the birds (or kangaroos), regardless of the used gear. Most of all, I loved your shots of the golden-headed Cisticola you showed at 6:45 and 9:00 partly because of the amazing backdrop.
@@Duade We also had such fun this Sunday, and it started hectic after spotting a buzzard after 5 minutes. I wanted to pop in the RF1.4x .. but I dropped it (without the caps) in the mud with the camera-side glass😞 Cleaned it with some optical cloth, but could not remove all in the corners. Any suggestion how to best further clean it, even though I guess due to the magnification the light passing through the corners may not hit the sensor ?? A bit later we enjoyed again a diving kingfisher (which was almost 2 years ago). Thanks to the 20fps, I managed to get some cool diving shots even when my eye-AF could not follow fast enough. I was shooting my 420-700 wide open which was at 1/2000 giving great sharpness when the bird was sitting, but he was softer while diving even when I didn't see real motion blur. Can I assume I should have stepped down the aperture to have a wider focal plane and avoid the bird to drop out of the sharp zone ??
@@WernerBirdNature Hi Werner, sounds like fun, sorry to hear about the extender. Tough situation with the Kingfisher, I think 1/2000 was a touch slow for a diving bird perhaps. But sometime the camera just struggles to keep up. I' don't think stopping down would have helped, SS would be more important I think. Cheers, Duade
Nice photos and welcome to Sony 🙂I recommend also the TC 1.4 and TC 2.0. Do you use electronic shutter (recommended at least on static images to save number of mechanical shutter shots)? BTW: Any topics with rolling shutter? Some important tips: - Use Zebra 109+ Custom Setting for exposure (normally you don't see any Zebra at all, except for highest dynamic range scenes) - Use AF release (fires even when camera doesn't think in focus, but might be even). - Use customs buttons/dials a lot I recommend the youtube tutorials of Mark Galer and Setup Guides from Sony A1 AF Setup Guide - Backcountry Gallery (it's for A1, but most of the settings are the same).
@@Duade I would love to see an in depth test with the 1.4 TC and the 200-600. I don’t put mine on at all anymore due to image quality degradation (simply cropping produces better results for me), but I’m not sure if it’s my copy or inherent to the combo
I would love to see how you processed the backlit Cockatoo image at 4:46. Great work of bringing out the sky color and allowing, or causing, the bird/tree to stay dark
Using Lightroom I use the temp slider in the white balance adjustments and made it very warm which changed the bg colour. I turned down the blacks to darken the branch/subject and lifted the whites and highlights which brightened the background. You can use the select subject mask as well and selectively darken the perch. Sometimes this does not always work as it often picks up the background as well. Cheers, Duade
Dear Duade, fantastic to see you trying out different brands. Can't wait for the full review! As a sony user, it doesn't feel there are many dedicated birding photographers out there as you. Happy to hear your thoughts on how you're getting the autofocus under control perhaps later. Best, Kevin
Well great combo Duade, a pro with pro gear ! If you feel a need for speed the A9II is also a great combo with the 200-600. I have just been using that Combo for birds in Norfolk here in the UK ! You certainly choose a good light day ! Great work Duade 👍
You might as well get the a1 at that point. It’s only $1500 more than the a9ii and has double the resolution. Also I feel like we might see an a9iii or see Sony bail on the a9 series altogether.
@@mrwashur1991 I would take around 3K for my secondhand A9ii though and buy another A1 an amazing camera ! I don't think many photographers would sell their A1s . It would be interesting to see what an A9 iii would consist of .
Loved the video Duade, thanks for sharing. I love the Winton Wetland but I haven't been there for quite sometime. I must do something about that. The last time I was there I noticed a game camera had been set up by someone or other, covering one of the tracks. I was kind enough to wave. Anyway Duade, thanks again. All the best.
G'day Brian, yes, it is a nice spot, plenty going on at the moment due to recent rain. It is drying out now but always something to see and photograph. Cheers, Duade
As always, your self-evident joy makes for unrivalled footage and images that keeps me coming back to my favourite channel . Please don't take this the wrong way, but I would hate to see you become more "gear oriented" like many RUclipsrs. Certainly, I appreciate your gear insights, which went a long way towards persuading me to upgrade recently. But I've always appreciated your birds-first, immersed-in-nature perspective and your repeated challenges to viewers to take gorgeous photos with even older gear, an encouraging admonition for enthusiasts whose budgets don't allow us to migrate eco-systems :). It would therefore be a real shame if your unique perspective were to become another comparison of technical specs or brand peculiarities, best left to others. Another beautiful vid, and keep up the good work.
Such fun video, Duade! It lifts my soul to see you happily scamper away, in pursuit of getting to your photo-objects... and still wrestling a bit with saying Cisticola, I hear. I did hear their calls, as well. I liked all the photos, however, I don't totally share your love for "yellowing" all the photos, but that's just subjective. I suspect I'm a "cold" person, and therefore prefer neutral coloring. I do like your 2023 challenge! Getting photos with more habitat, and sometimes in less than perfect light. However, I also like when you then make a detour around the subject for a better light angle, as you did with the Kite. It certainly made for a better photo! Anyway, your "2023 backlight-challenge" make me want to email you my runner-up for best photo of 2022, to hear what you think of it (because it's heavily sidelit, and it was no way around the bird without spooking it)... the one I didn't choose in the end. Would it be OK to do so? Also: somehow I didn't comment on that video, even though I was so happy to see my moody European Robin pop up there. It was such a nice video, with so many beautiful photos from our community! Also also: where have all your lovely emojis gone??? I can't live up to my inofficial rank of Best Emoji-User without them! Edit: They're BACK! Now I'm just gonna put my favorites here, in a row... (I wonder what happened, maybe it was "my" YT that played with me)
Hi Pia, it was my pleasure including your image, no idea re emojis but happy to see them there. Yes, I did go a little overboard with the yellow bg on the backlit shots, as you say purely personal taste and subjective. I am not really that creative of a person so just trying different things. I will continue to try to include habitat but find it a real challenge which is fun. Have fun with the r62 when you can get out. Cheers, Duade
Great video and especially the enjoyment of a little kid with his new toy attitude! 😉 One thing that help me is set my camera for BIF with back-button focus as a base and to map another button (custom reg) to a full set for perched bird with one press! Hope this helps!
Speaking of autofocus: - Often I use tracking even for static objects/subjects. It allows me to set the focus point and change the composition, and I use buttons to reset the focus. Also, I use the joystick. I am trying to select the smallest focus area possible to minimise the error probability.
Hi lovely video as always, but I was surprised to see you walking with you just holding onto the side of the camera, those lens weigh quite a bit, quite a big strain on the camera body. Have you ever tried the Nikon d500??? Take care from wet and cold uk
Thanks Geoff, I appreciate the feedback, thankfully I have never had a mount issue over the years but I take on your point. I admire the D500 but I have not used it personally, it is the best DSLR APSC out there. I hope Nikon make a D500 mirrorless at some point. Cheers, Duade
Omg i love when u go to this location Duade hehe, looking forward more reviews on this gear since its one ive been thinking about when i upgrade to mirrorless. Amazing video like always 😍
Hey, I have a sony a7iv aswell, I use AF-C (continuous autofocus) focus mode and tracking expand spot as the focus area. I use the backbutton focus (AF-ON) button, I aim the white focus area box at the subject and hold down the af-on button to start tracking the subject (it should show a green box around the thing your tracking focus of) and when I need to take a shot i just press the shutter button or hold it down for burst. I have bird eye af so if the camera detects a bird's eye near the subject your tracking then the green box will turn into a tiny green box around the bird's eye. Just incase you want to move the focus point (the white box) around the frame - for example when using the camera on a tripod on a stationary subject thats sitting on the left side of the frame, you can use the little joystick that's above the Fn button and below the AF-ON button and push it left and up or in any direction, you can also just tap the screen where the subject is to place the focus point there aswell. This is just how I use it and works very well for me, hope this helps :) btw love that flying cockatoo shot
For the money in Australia, the Sony 200-600 mm lens is a steal. I recently bought the Sony A7 R iv and the 200-600 mm lens. Tried it out yesterday for the first time. It's impressive, as you have found. In the process of selling off My A frame cameras and most of the lenses. Have kept a 50mm F1.4 Minolta and the A 70-400 mm G and using a converter with those and getting stunning results. More than impressed with this camera and the E frame G lenses. I can see you going full Sony soon, Duade. :)
Haha! I just sold this rig to fund a Z9 and 800Pf. I only "miss" the use of zebra's. Sony ambassador Mark Galer has great video's to speed up your settings etc... Have fun!
Great video! I have to agree with others: the system of showing the final photo and then quickly showing the process from the original RAW to the crop to the post-process is simply fantastic! It's such a wonderful visual aid to understand the possibilities and the creative process after the "technical" part is done. I really love it! Subscribed. Hope to see more. Thanks.
Great video. Videos like this encourage me to go out and take more photos! Will be interested to see how you get on with your Sony gear over the next month or so.
TIP: Assign the control wheel to ISO. That way you can just thumb the ISO to any value, including auto, on the fly. Turn on eye tracking and set it to Bird, which I think you've done. Since you are shooting birds in brush, set the focus mode to Expand Spot for a nice tight focus area; for birds in flight Zone or Full works wonderfully. Of course use AF-C for continuous focus. I have a Sony A1, and shoot on drive mode Medium, which gives me 20 fps, and is more than enough for birds in flight. Even so I come home with 2000+ photos from a good day out and slog through editing for days. 🙂Use pure electronic shutter - no noise, works beautifully. Awesome camera system. The real beauty is that you can assign nearly any function to the configurable buttons and dials, including the button on the lens. The 200-600 is awesome, with a quarter turn to zoom from 200-600 quickly, so a good technique is to get a flying bird framed at 200 then spin up to 600 as you shoot - easier to acquire it at 200. The 1.4 teleconverter works wonderfully, especially if you have lots of light, and loses 1 stop. Here in western Washington we have 8 months of gloom and rain, and winter birding in low light still works with the tele until about dusk. I shot some good short eared owl photos last weekend, and am posting them on my instagram feed (same user name as this - Wildmanzen) so you can get a look at low light in flight photos with a teleconverter and the 200-600. Enjoy. It's an awesome system.
Thank you for taking the time to comment, very helpful and sounds like you have your A1 setup well. I think spot and full is the way to go and will try it out. Cracking flight shots on your IG. Cheers, Duade
Thanks so much for this video. I think you will enjoy the a7iv and 200-600 combo. I shoot both Sony and Canon and I find the a7iv has far better dynamic range than my R5 or R7 but every camera these days makes great images. You captured some amazing images here. Cheers.
That was something I've really wondered about. I haven't used Canon in years but did switch to Sony from them. The amount of shadow detail I can resurrect with my A7R3 and A1 just amazes me... I never had that with my Canon's but again I haven't touched one in over 3 years now so maybe they've caught up. It's a subject so few people talk about but for me was a game changer. I rarely shoot 2 images and stack them for more DR and of course with wildlife doing that's quite difficult.
Stunning session there Duade! Great to see some in field use and insights. Loved the first roo shot, the cockie with the back lit crest. I also really like that first golden headed criticola(? don’t think I got that right) shot. And the feeding grebes.
Well that was a successful 1st outing. Great images ! I appreciate the more creative touch. I have a friend I shoot wildlife and landscape with. He shoots the Sony A1 and has the 200-600, I shoot Canon. We are often side by side shooting the same subject and we both get great results. I think it's a great addition to the channel.
Thanks Dan, yes, always good to try something different, It will take me a little while to get to grips with it but I look forward to the challenge. Cheers, Duade
That's awesome that you are adding the sony system to your arsenal. I did switch a few months ago when my trusted canon 5D iv broke and I got fed up with canon customer service. I can't make any recommendation regarding autofocus because I am still using the sigma 150-500mm C (with the mc11 adapter) and so far the results haven't been impressive (the hit rate is low compared to what I used to have with the canon 5d). There is one thing that I can comment on, it's the memory cards: I don't think that you need to spend the extra money on the CF express A cards. V90 SD cards work perfectly for all video modes (using both Lexar and Rith Gear).
Great video Duade! Totally worth customising the body to how you want it and the fourth control dial is handy too. Also, I'm sure you're across it but be careful about the unsupported lens weight on the camera mount. I've heard of people who've run into trouble with that
I look forward to see what happens for you after a few months with the Sony. I ended up returning my Canon for a myriad of reasons. I am a Nikon shooter and got tired of waiting for Nikon to update so I'm on hold right now until I find a compelling reason to switch. So, I'll be watching you closely!
You will get used to the controls, it’s really easy, once you get used to it. congratulations on your new camera and lens. For starting with Sony, you took some amazing photos.
Thx for your impressions. As you are a Canon shooter it was very interesting to see how you doing with the Sony equipment. Of course, you are not familiar with the settings, so you my haven’t used the APS-C mode to get some extra reach if need with a decent quality and the cost of megapixel size (26Mp). I use it often even if I have attached the 2times teleconverter attached and get an incredible range to 1800mm. As I use the 200-600 an my A7RIII and A7RV I can tell that the IBIS was improved dramatically and also the AF capability. You should try this the next time with a rented body. Another thing that would be interesting for the Sony community, how does the Canon 100-500 with an e-Mount adapter works/performs compared to the native 200-600 Sony Lens I’ll stay tuned for updates for this. Cheers Paul
Thanks Paul, I appreciate the feedback, I do not have the adaptor to use Canon lenses but may have to look into it. I assume the native lenses will always work better and the Tamron 150-500 is a fantastic lens and costs a lot less than the Canon for a lighter option. Cheers, Duade
I am I have found your channel and I have subscribed. The reason I am glad is I am a complete beginner at wildlife photography. It's the way you show and explain what you have done and how to do it. This is very helpful to me I am going to try some of your tips thank you. I use a Nikon d500 camera and a Nikon 200-500 f5.6 lens
I’ve really enjoyed my Sony 7 iv and the 2-6…it’s not perfect, but there’s so many features I like about it…glad you enjoyed it as well…a tip if I could Duade…I use expanded spot w tracking w eye focus on my AF on, then on a Custom button of choice I use wide. If expand spot is having trouble wide usually brings the focus closer and center, and then hit the expand spot to refocus where I want to. If the eye tracking on a difficult subject is not working I use the star button to be able to toggle on and off eye tracking, this is effective…hope this helps!
+1 for this. I have the r4 and 200-600. I use zone on my second focus button, for the same purpose. Chuck a decent strap on it (peak design slide works for me, attached directly to the lens) and you’ll have no worries carrying it all day.
I love your videos! They are always so calm and capture what it is like being out there very nicely! I also got the 200-600mm not very long ago for my a7 iii after using the 100-400mm for quite a while. I am really looking forward on what you got to say about your new setup! I also stumbled upon the minimal focus distance just as you have. The 100-400mm is an amazing lens that also can be used as a pseudo macro, which the 200-600 cannot. But I also didn't quite buy for that. Living in Vancouver and even having the amazing Stanley Park right at my doorstep I needed reach. And I got it! :D So, again: Thanks for your videos and looking forward to see new content with the Sony. Cheers, mate!
At one time I was shooting Sony, Canon and Nikon at the same time....as you've discovered the biggest challenge is muscle memory switching between different camera brands. But Canon and Sony can be setup very similar so I think you will get used to it soon. As for AF settings. It is important to understand with Sony is all the AF modes (Wide, Zone, Flex Spot etc) can be shot in a Tracking or non-Tracking versions. In non-tracking versions the AF and Eye-AF will stay contained to the size of the AF mode you select. If you say choose a Med Flex Spot and let the AF area drift away from the subject the camera won't continue to track or recognize the eye. Obviously in Wide AF it will still do Eye-AF over the entire VF. In the Tracking versions of the AF modes the camera will continue to track the eye outside of your initial AF Area. So you can pinpoint a Small Flex Spot onto the bird's head and then recompose once it is tracking the eye. I find even with the latest bodies (I currently shoot A1) that non-tracking AF Wide is best for BIF, especially smaller and more erratic BIF. Non-tracking Zone for more controlled BIF shooting. I don't find Tracking modes to be great for BIF, at least not as good as the non-tracking ones (The majority of my shooting is BIF). For non-flight I then prefer the Tracking version of either Small Flex Spot or Expand Flex Spot....sometimes Zone:Tracking. The way I run my cameras is shutter button AF with back buttons used to modify. I have my selectable AF areas limited to Small Flex Spot, Expand Flex Spot, Zone and Wide (all non-tracking versions). I then use AF-ON button to switch my primary selected AF mode to the Tracking version while I hold the button. That gives me a lot of flexibility to go from non-tracking to tracking with only cycling through 4 AF modes instead of 8. I use my AE-L button to immediately go to a "bird on a stick" mode with lower SS, Auto (therefore lower) ISO, Expand Flex:Tracking. Canon is pretty good with customization but Sony is one notch better. It takes time to get a really good customized setup but once you do it is the most flexible system out there. It is getting even better on the newest A7R5 software. The one thing the A74 and A1 lack that A7R5 now has is the ability to do direct manual focus with 200-600 and 100-400. With previous cameras DMF mode only works in AF-S OR you had to own the 400GM, 600GM or 70-200IIGM to have a DMF switch on the lens. This is a feature I really miss from Canon and Nikon when I use my 200-600.
I too found the non tracking to work better for BIF on my A1. I usually use zone but have also used wide and expand flex spot. I do find that fast birds flying close or directly at me are a challenge to the focusing speed of the 200-600, supposedly the primes are quite a bit faster. The 100-400 seems a tad quicker too but rarely is it the ideal range for BIF.
Duade, you asked for some input on optimizing your new Sony system for wildlife. Michael Hains offered some excellent comments below - I would only offer one more reference. I had been following Steve Perry as a Nikon shooter, and had used his unbelievably complete guide to getting the most out of your gear. When I moved from to Sony a year ago (A1, 200-600, with multiple primes based on an excellent video from Mr. Galer) I went back to Mr. Perry as he also has a guide to the Sony system. I followed his customization process and found that in no time I was very comfortable in the field with the Sony. Would highly recommend you taking a look. Thank you for your engaging videos, and like many others, allow me to add my thanks for showing the fade from the original RAW file to the finished image. Brilliant.
Hi Duade, I highly recommend getting the Wimberley AP-620 arca swiss foot for the Sony 200-600 if you haven’t gotten a replacement already. I struggled with an arca swiss adapter for far too long before getting the Wimberley foot.
Great Video :-) Your photos are wonderful ! The a7 IV and the 200-600G is also my favorite combination :-) I use it also with a 1.4 TC and even with this converter the combiniation is great ! I love this combination.
Those are some great pictures Duade, no matter what camera you use they always look so good. It looked like you had a lot of fun with the new setup. I also noticed that on my A7iv the eye autofocus does not always lock on but I thought that it was because I am using the 70-350 aps-c lens. It is not a big deal for me because I sometimes just switch to manual focus and dial it in. Overall I am very happy with the camera, still trying to decide if I will go with the 200-600 or the 100-400 with the 1.4. I am not in a hurry so I am looking forward to all your future videos with your new setup.
Thanks Marco. yes, it does get a little confused at times but the tracking seems to work well when guided. Two good options for sure, the 100-400 is similar to the RF100-500 in its all around abilities to do macro, plants etc whereas the 200-600 with its MFD and ability to become a 280-840 f9 is good for small birds etc. Cheers, Duade
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I love it when you show the photo, but then show the raw file and cropped area. It reminds me of what's possible in my own shots. It feels like a peek behind the curtain and it's a useful tool. Thank you and please continue to do this.
Duade is very transparent with his edits and it’s something I really appreciate as well
100%. That is absolutely great as only having the edited product makes me feel like every shot I take is crap but the raw file view makes me feel a lot better about what I'm getting. (better.. not good).
Completely agree. Seeing what the original image looked like, how it was cropped and processed and also what the camera settings were (exposure time, aperture, ISO, focal length) is really helpful.
Big thanks to Duade also from me.
HI Duade, I migrated from Canon (R6) to the A7IV and 200-600 last year, along with the excellently working 1.4x extender. I think one of the keys is to have the Face/Eye AF turned Off in the main settings. I have my AF-On button set up to "Tracking - Spot S" (you could use Spot M or L or even Wide, if you prefer) and I reprogram the AEL button to "Eye AF." That way, I always have Eye AF available via the AEL button and regular AF available via the AF-On button. Yes, even though you have the Face/Eye AF turned Off in the main menu, it will still work via the AEL button! I also program the C1 button to "Face/Eye Subject Select" so I can rotate what sort of eyes I want the camera to look for (Human, Bird, Animal). I have C3 programmed to "APS-C 35 / Full Frame" although I rarely use it. I have C4 set to "Shutter Type" to alternate between Mechanical and Electronic shutter. Hope these basic settings help. If I can be of more help, reply to this message or send me a private message. Take care and I look forward to your future videos!
Welcome to the dark side of photography, I am a former NIKON shooter who switched to SONY in mid-2019 and have never ever looked back since. It's an amazing system and I am sure it's a great addition to your Canon system. All the best from a wildlife photographer & RUclipsr from snowy Switzerland, cheers Marco
You obviously swapped before the Z9 was released. No "dark side" for me - I prefer the lighter & brighter side.
@@jackbrumby1892 I wrote I swapped in 2019, so yes there was oviously no Z9 at that time. But even if there was, I am travelling a lot and need it small and light for my handluggage, so Z9 is nonoption for me ….
Well, I still shoot Nikon and Sony, two great systems but I feel so confident always shooting the Sony.
@@winngh 👌
Have u tried nikon z9?
I’ve mentioned this before but it is so helpful when you show a) your settings and b) the pre and post processing images. I’m sure this takes more time at your end but it really is useful to guide the rest of us… Thanks for another fantastic video 🙏🏻
Don’t know why because every photo could be different, but even on photography forums, I like knowing what gear was used & the settings. Maybe because I’ll be moving to mirrorless hopefully in 2023 on the gear part. But always enjoy seeing the settings. Much appreciated.
@@dr.normanklack9111 Erm - yeah, thanks for the obtuse comment. I was thanking him for just those points. Perhaps you want to re-read the comment without needing to ‘be right’?
@@benwilde4337 i was just agreeing with you. Having a good day?
I’m always amazed at the difference in your RAW and edited images. I would love to see a walk-thru of how you edit.
Ditto...
He did some videos about that a few years ago, should be able to search for them.
It's not a rocket science. First learn about photography basics like image composition (only if you have a lacks in this kind of knowledge), exposure traingle and eg.: photo manipulation technics like removing objects from picture (to clean-up image). Then buy some software like PureRAW to bump up image quality (without spending a lot of time in LIghtroom or Ps to post process image) and experiment much with exposure related sliders to forge your own pictures style.
Hi Gerald, I did a quick search of the Duade videos & found this link - ruclips.net/video/Adp9vLPIcx4/видео.html , if you haven't already found it I hope you enjoy it, Duades videos are always so clear & decisive aren't they.
I wouldn’t be sorry. Canon is shooting itself in the foot with the way that it’s behaving with regards to RF pricing, lack of 3rd party RF mount lenses and so on.
It’s Canon’s loss and Sony’s gain.
I’m starting to wish that I held off buying the R6 now.
I love getting to watch you while you’re taking photos - it’s great to see a professional still experiencing that frenetic excitement, darting around and trying to figure out light and angles! It’s easy to feel like everyone else just shows up and knows exactly where to be, but obviously we all have to work for it!
Thanks Jess, nothing beats that feeling that is for sure, so much fun. Cheers, Duade
Hi Duade,
This is just to thank you for all the hard work that you put into your videos. I don't even follow wildlife Photography and don't even do anything close to it, yet... I find myself watching all of your videos.
Your Canon R6 M II was the video that brought me here and it was the video that closed up my decision.
Have a great year and don't be afraid of trying those new things.
Thanks for taking the time to leave this lovely comment Tresvainas, welcome to the channel and I hope you enjoy the videos. I would usually say happy birding in 2023 but Happy Photographing :-) Cheers, Duade
Love it, love it, love it. Duade out in the field, birds in habitat. This video made me feel so happy I could cry. Thank you so much for the time and effort to share.
Thanks Joan, I know you have been waiting patiently for an in field video, happy birding, Cheers, Duade
Wow! I felt that I was with you out in the field live shooting and seeing you composing and shooting then tweaking it in Photoshop. I actually feel great watching this live training video and learning so much because you show your process from starting in the outdoors to finishing with a great composition and Photoshop. Every photo was live like and beautiful in many ways. Thanks for this priceless lesson. And I've been taking first 35 mm film SLR and then Sony mirrorless A7I total since 1975 owned 9 cameras and taken 150,000 photos one at a time. I love photography it makes me feel really great enjoying life and capturing great Kodak Moments. I see them everywhere.
Ahh finally a video on my exact setup. Going from A7iii to A7iv it's upgraded my photo and more importantly video quality is just stellar.
I use tracking spot medium and large for af it picks up the birds eye or starts tracking the body in almost all cases.
Hi Duade , Loved watching this style of Video, less about the gear and more about your in the field experience and your enthusiasm for the wildlife, great shots of Cisticola, brilliant 10/10
Its nice to see you upgraded to Sony... :) What I like about the 200-600 is you can set the lens to around 300 or 400mm, point the lens at a critter, then zoom in to 600mm with a finger tip. I have A1 and A7R4.
for him it's a business decision to expand, for you it's a delusion to "upgrade"
@@_systemd That was a joke man, calm down!
I have this exact setup and i just love it. I typically just use small spot tracking with eye tracking in afc.
C1 - enable disable eye tracking to help with af when it struggles.
C2 - Focus area
C3 - changes eye tracking subject type - animal/bird/human
Love the first image of the Cisticola! And please don’t apologize for being excited about your photography. That is what makes your channel so appealing for me. Wonderful video!!
That's why I love this channel: Beautiful wildlife pictures, learning something about how to take and edit them, some information on gear, but most of all infectuous excitement for going out and experiencing nature. Thank you.
I love my A7IV and 200-600. The best photos of my life. Nice video!
Thanks, great to hear you are enjoying the same kit. Cheers, Duade 👍
Congratulations! I switched from Canon to Sony A7R4 with 200-600 several years ago and never looked back. Changed the lens foot to arca for quick changeout and as it is kinder on hand when hand-held than with plate attached to original foot. Upgraded to A1 for wildlife, but kept my 7R4 to use with my Canon glass (just couldn’t give them up!) with Sigma adapter for landscape/portraits. Love my setups! It takes awhile to retrain muscle memory, but it will come. I find I have best results using zone or spot focus small. The rest of the settings are pretty much the same from Canon days except for being able to push the ISO higher on these Sonys.
I switched to Sony too after 15 (fifteen) years of using Nikon which I loved (last camera was D850). Couldn't be happier :)
As a longtime Canon shooter, I too have been looking at the Sony 200-600. Very interested in your comparison of it to the 100-500 and general comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of the two systems. Beautiful photos as well!
200-600 is an awesome lens. Don't know why Canon doesn't do something like that. Someone also showed me a Nikon 800 6.3. Light weight and a bunch of reach. Not withstanding the 100-500, which is a nice lens, Canon seems stuck in the dull drums when it comes to lenses. No creativity. The 800 f11 is a nice, cheap lens to get someone started in long lenses, but come on!! There has to be something for real photographers between a cheap f11 and a God-awful expensive f5.6! And a 500 7.1 when everyone else is doing 600 6.3 for only a few ounces more, and cheaper!?? Is it any wonder folks are upset that Canon won't license the RF mount to third parties? If they got a little creative they wouldn't have to. It's like Canon says, "Look, if you want 600 or 800 mm reach with anything CLOSE to a wide aperture, you are going to have to pay through the nose!
I'm planning on getting the 200-600 and this came in at just the right moment. Excellent, sharp focus!!!!!!Thanks!!!!
Thanks Burt, great to hear, Cheers, Duade
Awesome! Great to see you out & about again showing us your photos!! I really enjoy when you get back out there to Winton Wetlands and get excited about what you see (much more fun to watch than tech videos of stuff I don't have 😃)!
Thanks for the comment and feedback, yes, always fun getting out into the field. I try to keep a balance of videos which can be tough. Cheers, Duade
I absolutely love your format and showing both the final image and the RAW. How you not only get the shots but also video of yourself is commendable. I'm glad you're trying out another system too, I bought into the Sony system about 3 years ago after using Canon. One thing I'm VERY curious about is the Sony sensors allow unimaginable lifting of the shadows without noise from the RAW files (A7r3 and A1 but A7R3 is superior in this regard), last time I used Canon I didn't have nearly that kind of flexibility but I wonder if newer Canon cameras have better sensors. I've yet to see someone compare this aspect, it's always about FPS, sharpness, etc and unfortunately too many people seem to treat camera brands like their favorite soccer team. One thing I'd suggest, I see you have an arca plate on the original foot... you may want to look into a dedicated foot out of machined material, sadly the sony one has broken for more than one of us and as a side benefit if you get a Kirk , RRS or even some other brands you'll gain a QD socket that you can use with a strap to sling it over your shoulder for quick draw. Also carrying the camera by the body like that with such a big lens caused me to have connection failures to the body on my A7R3 with the 100-400. I'm using the 200-600 now as well along wwith the A7R3 and A1. Another nice thing you can do is map your buttons so you have quick access to several focus modes along with SS's for quick shooting. I have four in all dedicated to this. Getting down LOW really made those shots on the water pop, I need to get down and dirty like that, inches can make or break a photo.
Thanks for the feedback, good tips re the foot and not carrying by the camera. I must admit I have always carried the Canon bodies like that and never had an issue so will try to remember to carry by the lens in future. I will look into programming the buttons for more options, there are almost too many option on the Sony. Dynamic range has improved on the Canon bodies but I will be sure to try some tests underexposed and see the noise differences. Thanks again, Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Yes, we can all learn from one another. I always carried my cameras by the bodies in the past, Canon and Nikon... so this was the first time I ever had an issue but admittedly I'd walk for hours with the camera and lens dangling from my camera strap at my side. It happened on my A7R3, in fact i sent the lens into Sony and they cleaned it but it didn't seem to fix the problem and then later I had the same issue with another lens on that camera so I'm guessing that stress somehow compromised the ring where the lens goes onto the camera. I look forward to your DR tests and your photography inspires me to get out, in fact I'm putting on some clothes today that can get soiled and heading to the beach to see what's around on a nice warm 35 degree Fahrenheit day in New Jersey :)
Recently got the A7iv but paired with the 100-400GM way above my skill level and a massive step up from my old setup but hopefully I will be able to learn and grow in to the camera and lens ability.
Must say I love your enthusiasm for your photography and really enjoyed how you show the raw image and merge it to the cropped and edited view, it’s one of my weaker points as to how much subject to fill the frame, can’t wait to see more of your Sony Adventures!
Do you find yourself wanting to zoom past 600 a lot?
I shot Canon for about 8 years and switched to Sony last summer, also getting the A7 IV. My longest lens right now is the Sigma 100-400 (which I think is a great bang for the buck). The key I've learned with Sony is mapping your custom buttons. Personally, I made all of the buttons up top my exposure tools so I had quick access to things that would be changed a lot. The dial above the shutter is my aperture, the exposure comp dial is my shutter speed, and the dial left of that is ISO. Then C1 is white balance. I also have C2 as aps-c mode for quick punch ins when I want more reach. Anyway, awesome images as always!
Yup, once they're mapped and you're used to it everything is at your fingertips in an instant. I even have one called the "oh shit" button, wide area focus, auto iso, 1/2000... I do wish lens stab modes had the ability to be overridden by the custom buttons.
Thanks Chris, sounds logical to use those dials for that. I must admit I find the front dial slightly awkward for my finger to get onto but will improve over time. Thanks for that. Cheers, Duade
Good idea for BIF or when you need high SS. Cheers, Duade
Wow! You've had that camera for 5 minutes and you're already taking some fantastic shots.
Your excitement is palpable! You're like a kid in a candy shop! Love it!
So you've succumbed to the lure of the dark side 😂 Good seeing you having so much fun. Great video. Cheers.
Congratulations Duade, you look very please with your purchases, it is great to see the joy ! Please let us know through a video how you like your new Sony combo once you feel even more comfy- I'm interested for sure (despite being Canon). I also very much like the revealed new artistic side of yourself, your attempt to add more strings to your bow lead to beautiful photos. I love the one with the vertical one with the flying off cockatoo as well as the colours and composition and colours of the 2 fighting kangaroos. It's exciting for us as we will have a great 2023 following the new you across beautiful Australia!
Thanks for another quality effort, Duade. It looked like a nice session & you appeared to enjoy it - good deal! As usual, some very nice shots of all the species you captured. That looks like it's going to be a very fine kit, anchored by that great lens. Nicely done getting all the cisticola shots after hearing them in the grass.
The different menus & buttons will take a bit longer to get used to I'd think, but once you do, I'll bet you will be able to switch bodies seamlessly. Enjoy the process of learning your new set up & may your attempts be fruitful. Good shooting & best regards ~ Chris
Chris, my pleasure mate,it was a fun morning. And yes, I am sure once I get it dialled in I will enjoy it more. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Duade. A great video and also great to see how much enjoyment you got from you session at the wonderful Winton Wetlands. Looking forward to seeing your full review in a while when you've had time to fully get to grips with your new Sony gear. Mind you, some really brilliant Sony images already. Thanks again. John
Thanks John, yes, it will take more use to get comfortable, but fun so far, Cheers, Duade
There is one thing, Only one: Despite the Canon or Sony (where I use both and have same lens but A1) your enthusiasm in this passion si remarkable, is contagious, and this is more than any review, gear, and of course your competence.
Thank you Duade.
Duade, Cool beans! We’ll look forward to hearing more of your experience as you have more time with it. Craig
Canon has a wonderful feel to the body, it is truly weather sealed, and has an outstanding color representation. Their lens line up is great. Sony provides very good optical quality with Sony lenses and sensors. Perhaps the build process of Sony lenses doesn't really allow repairs and maintenance as we know it from Canon and Nikon. You should definitely take care more of your Sony equipment than for those from Canon and use the excellent lens boxes from Sony for protection. The Raw files from Sony are large but very nice to work with allowing any manipulation of your pictures. Canon files a bit different.
Duade, you did a great presentation with you Sony combo. I'm looking forward for your final word. The best setup for Sony was provided by Mark Smith for birding. I use this one for everything and it is very handy.
Thanks for this beautiful video review.
I’m really glad to have discovered your channel! Your videos and fotos are amazing and I like a lot how you present information, plus you are really informative. I am a newbie to photography and I will be looking forward to learn from you! Cheers!
Great stuff! Would love to see a comparison with the RF 100-500mm, to test the effects of focus breathing and also a sharpness comparison.
This is the real test of how a camera performs, not these camera review guys on youtube that just waffle, waffle, waffle and a few basic pics and video.This guy and others like him gives us the real world experience.It is where i turn to see the results of their camera and lenses they use if i am looking to get a camera or lens.I have the same gear as Duade but no where near the level of knowledge that he has but we all have to start somewhere
Great video as always, your excitement at the beginning was noticeable. The variety of photographs you captured with a new system was pretty incredible, loving the environmental shots. For any Canon users experiencing a crisis of faith at the moment, your results moving forward may give them something to think about.
Thanks Kyle, it was a lot of fun and I am very grateful to have the opportunity to try another system. I will be sure to share my thoughts after some extensive use but fun so far with some major differences from Canon both good and bad. :-) Cheers, Duade
You are telling stories with your photos. Loving it.:D That golden headed cisticola frame is really beautiful.
Great video, Sony 200-600mm lens is quite tempting. I hope Canon comes up with something like this (with similar price point) or Nikon's 500mm 5.6pf. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts/experience comparing your Sony combo with Canon R5 and RF100-500mm. Looking forward, cheers!
Happy New Year Duade! Greetings and and salutations. Another uplifting video. I could feel your excitement thousands of miles away. Congrats on acquiring the Sony lens and body. Your shared images are already terrific. I continue to appreciate your generosity and transparency in showing the transition from raw to processed. I look forward to your next outing. Cheers.
Thanks for much, it was a lot of fun and I look forward to using it more. No problem sharing the RAW, a good way to learn and show what goes into editing the images. Cheers, Duade
Great to hear that you are a Sony shooter too now! :) The 200-600 is really a nifty lens. Tack sharp. Mine is paired with an A9 and its just a dream combination. I'd get a cover for the lens. Its fairly scratch prone. One of Sony's key weaknesses is the battery. They just run out too quickly. Got to live with it. I gave in and got a battery grip and it helps me go for an entire day without needing a recharge. I also have a 1.4x teleconverter which I do use often but not all the time. Absolutely fantastic birds and environments in your part of the world, and I love your videos! Happy shooting and congratulations on the new gear! 😃
Great Work Duade! Each image is beautifully composed and curated.👌
Thanks Vikram, I appreciate it. Cheers, Duade 👍
Duade, I just love seeing your passion while you are out in the field. I most definitely relate! Gotta chase the light, get closer, enjoy all the sounds and smells of the experience. Looking forward to seeing how your Sony adventure goes and maybe crossing paths the next time I visit Australia!
Thanks mate, yes, a lot of fun, be sure to reach out should you come back down. Cheers, Duade
Loved seeing you so excited and happy! Continue enjoying :)
Thanks for sharing. When I switched last spring from Nikon to Canon I seriously contemplated the Sony system, The reviews and results from the 200-600 lens was the primary reason that I considered going to Sony. In the end, the Canon build quality and responsiveness won the day for me. With that said, it is still interesting to see field comparisons on the gear for wildlife photography. I look forward to seeing your review after you get accustomed to the Sony gear.
Went for the same setup end of December, and loving it. The single coolest thing about AF I use and recommend is dual Back button focus, one as a tracking button and one standard afc. (disable all tracking focus area modes and only keep the zone, spot, wide etc. as you will then be able to decide with what button you use if it is tracking or afc.)
This is great. As a canon user put off by some of their recent decisions, I'm intrigued by the experiences of a pro like yourself. Will check back for more
Hi Duade, I'm still in awe of the way you go about your photography.
I would love to use a ground skimmer pod like yours but in my physical condition (1Knee replacement, 2 Hip replacements & extensive back surgery) I would be unable to get up again & have to crawl home.
Joking aside , just love what you do mate, please don't stop!
Thanks George, I appreciate the feedback, sorry to hear about your physical condition. One way maybe to try a monitor which is tilted up so you can place the tripod/camera lower but sit over it if that makes sense. Good luck ,Cheers, Duade
G'day Duade! This shoot was clearly a bit more hectic than usual, but it showed in different way how driven and passionate you are in getting great shots from the birds (or kangaroos), regardless of the used gear.
Most of all, I loved your shots of the golden-headed Cisticola you showed at 6:45 and 9:00 partly because of the amazing backdrop.
Thanks Werner, yes, it was a lot of fun that is for sure, love being out in the field. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade We also had such fun this Sunday, and it started hectic after spotting a buzzard after 5 minutes. I wanted to pop in the RF1.4x .. but I dropped it (without the caps) in the mud with the camera-side glass😞 Cleaned it with some optical cloth, but could not remove all in the corners. Any suggestion how to best further clean it, even though I guess due to the magnification the light passing through the corners may not hit the sensor ??
A bit later we enjoyed again a diving kingfisher (which was almost 2 years ago). Thanks to the 20fps, I managed to get some cool diving shots even when my eye-AF could not follow fast enough. I was shooting my 420-700 wide open which was at 1/2000 giving great sharpness when the bird was sitting, but he was softer while diving even when I didn't see real motion blur. Can I assume I should have stepped down the aperture to have a wider focal plane and avoid the bird to drop out of the sharp zone ??
@@WernerBirdNature Hi Werner, sounds like fun, sorry to hear about the extender. Tough situation with the Kingfisher, I think 1/2000 was a touch slow for a diving bird perhaps. But sometime the camera just struggles to keep up. I' don't think stopping down would have helped, SS would be more important I think. Cheers, Duade
Nice photos and welcome to Sony 🙂I recommend also the TC 1.4 and TC 2.0.
Do you use electronic shutter (recommended at least on static images to save number of mechanical shutter shots)? BTW: Any topics with rolling shutter?
Some important tips:
- Use Zebra 109+ Custom Setting for exposure (normally you don't see any Zebra at all, except for highest dynamic range scenes)
- Use AF release (fires even when camera doesn't think in focus, but might be even).
- Use customs buttons/dials a lot
I recommend the youtube tutorials of Mark Galer and Setup Guides from Sony A1 AF Setup Guide - Backcountry Gallery (it's for A1, but most of the settings are the same).
Thanks for that I will check it out. I have picked up the 1.4 so will be trying that also. Cheers, Duade 👍
Losing interest in this channel...
@@Duade I would love to see an in depth test with the 1.4 TC and the 200-600. I don’t put mine on at all anymore due to image quality degradation (simply cropping produces better results for me), but I’m not sure if it’s my copy or inherent to the combo
@@lbeetech OK. Bye.
@@marknoll8052 I had the dame experience with the 1.4 on my 200-600 and never use it. Maybe it holds up better on the primes.
Great stuff Duade. A friend is thinking about this exact set-up so looking forward to the review :)
Thanks mate, I hope you are well. The lens is great value for what it is that is for sure. Cheers, Duade
I would love to see how you processed the backlit Cockatoo image at 4:46. Great work of bringing out the sky color and allowing, or causing, the bird/tree to stay dark
Using Lightroom I use the temp slider in the white balance adjustments and made it very warm which changed the bg colour. I turned down the blacks to darken the branch/subject and lifted the whites and highlights which brightened the background. You can use the select subject mask as well and selectively darken the perch. Sometimes this does not always work as it often picks up the background as well. Cheers, Duade
Dear Duade, fantastic to see you trying out different brands. Can't wait for the full review! As a sony user, it doesn't feel there are many dedicated birding photographers out there as you. Happy to hear your thoughts on how you're getting the autofocus under control perhaps later. Best, Kevin
Congrats on your new setup! Great images from that beautiful morning.
Well great combo Duade, a pro with pro gear ! If you feel a need for speed the A9II is also a great combo with the 200-600. I have just been using that Combo for birds in Norfolk here in the UK ! You certainly choose a good light day ! Great work Duade 👍
Thanks mate, I have been wanting the lens for a long time so happy I got it. Yes the A92 used may have been another option. Cheers, Duade 👍
@@Duade I am the devil. I am tempting you to look at the A1 and ignore everything else. You're welcome.
You might as well get the a1 at that point. It’s only $1500 more than the a9ii and has double the resolution. Also I feel like we might see an a9iii or see Sony bail on the a9 series altogether.
@@mrwashur1991 I would take around 3K for my secondhand A9ii though and buy another A1 an amazing camera ! I don't think many photographers would sell their A1s . It would be interesting to see what an A9 iii would consist of .
Loved the video Duade, thanks for sharing. I love the Winton Wetland but I haven't been there for quite sometime. I must do something about that. The last time I was there I noticed a game camera had been set up by someone or other, covering one of the tracks. I was kind enough to wave. Anyway Duade, thanks again. All the best.
G'day Brian, yes, it is a nice spot, plenty going on at the moment due to recent rain. It is drying out now but always something to see and photograph. Cheers, Duade
As always, your self-evident joy makes for unrivalled footage and images that keeps me coming back to my favourite channel . Please don't take this the wrong way, but I would hate to see you become more "gear oriented" like many RUclipsrs. Certainly, I appreciate your gear insights, which went a long way towards persuading me to upgrade recently. But I've always appreciated your birds-first, immersed-in-nature perspective and your repeated challenges to viewers to take gorgeous photos with even older gear, an encouraging admonition for enthusiasts whose budgets don't allow us to migrate eco-systems :). It would therefore be a real shame if your unique perspective were to become another comparison of technical specs or brand peculiarities, best left to others. Another beautiful vid, and keep up the good work.
Thanks for another enjoyable video! Feels like I am going along with you on your trips. Always learn something new from each video.
Great video Duade, I just purchased the a7iv with 200 600 and so far loving it.
Congrats Glen, a very nice combo, have fun, Cheers, Duade
Such fun video, Duade! It lifts my soul to see you happily scamper away, in pursuit of getting to your photo-objects... and still wrestling a bit with saying Cisticola, I hear. I did hear their calls, as well. I liked all the photos, however, I don't totally share your love for "yellowing" all the photos, but that's just subjective. I suspect I'm a "cold" person, and therefore prefer neutral coloring. I do like your 2023 challenge! Getting photos with more habitat, and sometimes in less than perfect light. However, I also like when you then make a detour around the subject for a better light angle, as you did with the Kite. It certainly made for a better photo!
Anyway, your "2023 backlight-challenge" make me want to email you my runner-up for best photo of 2022, to hear what you think of it (because it's heavily sidelit, and it was no way around the bird without spooking it)... the one I didn't choose in the end. Would it be OK to do so?
Also: somehow I didn't comment on that video, even though I was so happy to see my moody European Robin pop up there. It was such a nice video, with so many beautiful photos from our community!
Also also: where have all your lovely emojis gone??? I can't live up to my inofficial rank of Best Emoji-User without them!
Edit: They're BACK! Now I'm just gonna put my favorites here, in a row... (I wonder what happened, maybe it was "my" YT that played with me)
Hi Pia, it was my pleasure including your image, no idea re emojis but happy to see them there. Yes, I did go a little overboard with the yellow bg on the backlit shots, as you say purely personal taste and subjective. I am not really that creative of a person so just trying different things. I will continue to try to include habitat but find it a real challenge which is fun. Have fun with the r62 when you can get out. Cheers, Duade
Great video and especially the enjoyment of a little kid with his new toy attitude! 😉 One thing that help me is set my camera for BIF with back-button focus as a base and to map another button (custom reg) to a full set for perched bird with one press! Hope this helps!
Nice shots Duade have a great 2023 !
Looking forward to how you get to know this set up Duade. Looks like you have got off to an excellent start!
So jealous! Looks like the pics were amazing! Nice work with the editing too. Keen to see how you go with the sony kit once you get used to it.
Thanks, yes, it was fun but still lots to learn. Cheers, Duade 👍
Speaking of autofocus:
- Often I use tracking even for static objects/subjects. It allows me to set the focus point and change the composition, and I use buttons to reset the focus. Also, I use the joystick. I am trying to select the smallest focus area possible to minimise the error probability.
Another great video Duade!
I'm happy that you're enjoying the new lens and body. I hope you'll continue using your Canon gear.
Hi lovely video as always, but I was surprised to see you walking with you just holding onto the side of the camera, those lens weigh quite a bit, quite a big strain on the camera body.
Have you ever tried the Nikon d500???
Take care from wet and cold uk
Thanks Geoff, I appreciate the feedback, thankfully I have never had a mount issue over the years but I take on your point. I admire the D500 but I have not used it personally, it is the best DSLR APSC out there. I hope Nikon make a D500 mirrorless at some point. Cheers, Duade
Omg i love when u go to this location Duade hehe, looking forward more reviews on this gear since its one ive been thinking about when i upgrade to mirrorless. Amazing video like always 😍
Thanks Ivan, it sure is a wonderful spot, Cheers, Duade
Hey, I have a sony a7iv aswell, I use AF-C (continuous autofocus) focus mode and tracking expand spot as the focus area. I use the backbutton focus (AF-ON) button, I aim the white focus area box at the subject and hold down the af-on button to start tracking the subject (it should show a green box around the thing your tracking focus of) and when I need to take a shot i just press the shutter button or hold it down for burst. I have bird eye af so if the camera detects a bird's eye near the subject your tracking then the green box will turn into a tiny green box around the bird's eye. Just incase you want to move the focus point (the white box) around the frame - for example when using the camera on a tripod on a stationary subject thats sitting on the left side of the frame, you can use the little joystick that's above the Fn button and below the AF-ON button and push it left and up or in any direction, you can also just tap the screen where the subject is to place the focus point there aswell. This is just how I use it and works very well for me, hope this helps :) btw love that flying cockatoo shot
For the money in Australia, the Sony 200-600 mm lens is a steal. I recently bought the Sony A7 R iv and the 200-600 mm lens. Tried it out yesterday for the first time. It's impressive, as you have found. In the process of selling off My A frame cameras and most of the lenses. Have kept a 50mm F1.4 Minolta and the A 70-400 mm G and using a converter with those and getting stunning results. More than impressed with this camera and the E frame G lenses. I can see you going full Sony soon, Duade. :)
Yaayy, can't believe it, this is my dream set-up. Currently saving for that :) Can't wait for the next vídeo.
Haha! I just sold this rig to fund a Z9 and 800Pf. I only "miss" the use of zebra's. Sony ambassador Mark Galer has great video's to speed up your settings etc... Have fun!
Great video! I have to agree with others: the system of showing the final photo and then quickly showing the process from the original RAW to the crop to the post-process is simply fantastic! It's such a wonderful visual aid to understand the possibilities and the creative process after the "technical" part is done. I really love it! Subscribed. Hope to see more. Thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
I just love your enthusiasm and excitement for wildlife. Amazing shots too!
Duade, Looking forward to the strengths and weaknesses of the two systems. Always enjoy the photos you share and your joy of wildlife!
Wonderful video, looking forward to a great 2023. Thank you!!
Nice video, I switched in 2019 from Nikon to Sony and love it,A1 and a9ll.
Thanks for another terrific video! The grebe photos are just superb!
Great video. Videos like this encourage me to go out and take more photos! Will be interested to see how you get on with your Sony gear over the next month or so.
TIP: Assign the control wheel to ISO. That way you can just thumb the ISO to any value, including auto, on the fly. Turn on eye tracking and set it to Bird, which I think you've done. Since you are shooting birds in brush, set the focus mode to Expand Spot for a nice tight focus area; for birds in flight Zone or Full works wonderfully. Of course use AF-C for continuous focus. I have a Sony A1, and shoot on drive mode Medium, which gives me 20 fps, and is more than enough for birds in flight. Even so I come home with 2000+ photos from a good day out and slog through editing for days. 🙂Use pure electronic shutter - no noise, works beautifully. Awesome camera system. The real beauty is that you can assign nearly any function to the configurable buttons and dials, including the button on the lens. The 200-600 is awesome, with a quarter turn to zoom from 200-600 quickly, so a good technique is to get a flying bird framed at 200 then spin up to 600 as you shoot - easier to acquire it at 200. The 1.4 teleconverter works wonderfully, especially if you have lots of light, and loses 1 stop. Here in western Washington we have 8 months of gloom and rain, and winter birding in low light still works with the tele until about dusk. I shot some good short eared owl photos last weekend, and am posting them on my instagram feed (same user name as this - Wildmanzen) so you can get a look at low light in flight photos with a teleconverter and the 200-600. Enjoy. It's an awesome system.
Thank you for taking the time to comment, very helpful and sounds like you have your A1 setup well. I think spot and full is the way to go and will try it out. Cracking flight shots on your IG. Cheers, Duade
amazing video! Love the photo edits, and how you show the raw files.
Thanks, yes, I believe it is helpful to show the before and after, Cheers, Duade
Thanks so much for this video. I think you will enjoy the a7iv and 200-600 combo. I shoot both Sony and Canon and I find the a7iv has far better dynamic range than my R5 or R7 but every camera these days makes great images. You captured some amazing images here. Cheers.
Thanks for that, yes, the detail in the shadows is very impressive. How do you find the difference in eye tracking between systems? Cheers, Duade
@@Duade For humans very close between the two for animals especially birds the Canon is much faster in my experience
That was something I've really wondered about. I haven't used Canon in years but did switch to Sony from them. The amount of shadow detail I can resurrect with my A7R3 and A1 just amazes me... I never had that with my Canon's but again I haven't touched one in over 3 years now so maybe they've caught up. It's a subject so few people talk about but for me was a game changer. I rarely shoot 2 images and stack them for more DR and of course with wildlife doing that's quite difficult.
Stunning session there Duade! Great to see some in field use and insights. Loved the first roo shot, the cockie with the back lit crest. I also really like that first golden headed criticola(? don’t think I got that right) shot. And the feeding grebes.
Well that was a successful 1st outing. Great images ! I appreciate the more creative touch. I have a friend I shoot wildlife and landscape with. He shoots the Sony A1 and has the 200-600, I shoot Canon. We are often side by side shooting the same subject and we both get great results. I think it's a great addition to the channel.
Thanks Dan, yes, always good to try something different, It will take me a little while to get to grips with it but I look forward to the challenge. Cheers, Duade
That's awesome that you are adding the sony system to your arsenal. I did switch a few months ago when my trusted canon 5D iv broke and I got fed up with canon customer service. I can't make any recommendation regarding autofocus because I am still using the sigma 150-500mm C (with the mc11 adapter) and so far the results haven't been impressive (the hit rate is low compared to what I used to have with the canon 5d). There is one thing that I can comment on, it's the memory cards: I don't think that you need to spend the extra money on the CF express A cards. V90 SD cards work perfectly for all video modes (using both Lexar and Rith Gear).
Proving once again it's the man/woman behind the camera and the computer that makes for beautiful images like these. Well done Duade.
Great video Duade! Totally worth customising the body to how you want it and the fourth control dial is handy too. Also, I'm sure you're across it but be careful about the unsupported lens weight on the camera mount. I've heard of people who've run into trouble with that
I look forward to see what happens for you after a few months with the Sony. I ended up returning my Canon for a myriad of reasons. I am a Nikon shooter and got tired of waiting for Nikon to update so I'm on hold right now until I find a compelling reason to switch. So, I'll be watching you closely!
You will get used to the controls, it’s really easy, once you get used to it. congratulations on your new camera and lens. For starting with Sony, you took some amazing photos.
Thanks Heidi, yes, with a bit of time I am sure I will get used to it. Cheers, Duade
Thx for your impressions. As you are a Canon shooter it was very interesting to see how you doing with the Sony equipment. Of course, you are not familiar with the settings, so you my haven’t used the APS-C mode to get some extra reach if need with a decent quality and the cost of megapixel size (26Mp). I use it often even if I have attached the 2times teleconverter attached and get an incredible range to 1800mm.
As I use the 200-600 an my A7RIII and A7RV I can tell that the IBIS was improved dramatically and also the AF capability. You should try this the next time with a rented body.
Another thing that would be interesting for the Sony community, how does the Canon 100-500 with an e-Mount adapter works/performs compared to the native 200-600 Sony Lens
I’ll stay tuned for updates for this. Cheers Paul
Thanks Paul, I appreciate the feedback, I do not have the adaptor to use Canon lenses but may have to look into it. I assume the native lenses will always work better and the Tamron 150-500 is a fantastic lens and costs a lot less than the Canon for a lighter option. Cheers, Duade
Awesome Duade! I've been using the 200-600 on a cropped body (a6400) for about a year.
I am I have found your channel and I have subscribed. The reason I am glad is I am a complete beginner at wildlife photography. It's the way you show and explain what you have done and how to do it. This is very helpful to me I am going to try some of your tips thank you. I use a Nikon d500 camera and a Nikon 200-500 f5.6 lens
Thanks Bob, great to hear, you have a wonderful kit that I am sure will give you a lot of joy as you learn and grow. Cheers, Duade
I’ve really enjoyed my Sony 7 iv and the 2-6…it’s not perfect, but there’s so many features I like about it…glad you enjoyed it as well…a tip if I could Duade…I use expanded spot w tracking w eye focus on my AF on, then on a Custom button of choice I use wide. If expand spot is having trouble wide usually brings the focus closer and center, and then hit the expand spot to refocus where I want to. If the eye tracking on a difficult subject is not working I use the star button to be able to toggle on and off eye tracking, this is effective…hope this helps!
+1 for this. I have the r4 and 200-600. I use zone on my second focus button, for the same purpose. Chuck a decent strap on it (peak design slide works for me, attached directly to the lens) and you’ll have no worries carrying it all day.
I love your videos! They are always so calm and capture what it is like being out there very nicely! I also got the 200-600mm not very long ago for my a7 iii after using the 100-400mm for quite a while. I am really looking forward on what you got to say about your new setup! I also stumbled upon the minimal focus distance just as you have. The 100-400mm is an amazing lens that also can be used as a pseudo macro, which the 200-600 cannot. But I also didn't quite buy for that. Living in Vancouver and even having the amazing Stanley Park right at my doorstep I needed reach. And I got it! :D So, again: Thanks for your videos and looking forward to see new content with the Sony. Cheers, mate!
At one time I was shooting Sony, Canon and Nikon at the same time....as you've discovered the biggest challenge is muscle memory switching between different camera brands. But Canon and Sony can be setup very similar so I think you will get used to it soon.
As for AF settings. It is important to understand with Sony is all the AF modes (Wide, Zone, Flex Spot etc) can be shot in a Tracking or non-Tracking versions. In non-tracking versions the AF and Eye-AF will stay contained to the size of the AF mode you select. If you say choose a Med Flex Spot and let the AF area drift away from the subject the camera won't continue to track or recognize the eye. Obviously in Wide AF it will still do Eye-AF over the entire VF. In the Tracking versions of the AF modes the camera will continue to track the eye outside of your initial AF Area. So you can pinpoint a Small Flex Spot onto the bird's head and then recompose once it is tracking the eye.
I find even with the latest bodies (I currently shoot A1) that non-tracking AF Wide is best for BIF, especially smaller and more erratic BIF. Non-tracking Zone for more controlled BIF shooting. I don't find Tracking modes to be great for BIF, at least not as good as the non-tracking ones (The majority of my shooting is BIF).
For non-flight I then prefer the Tracking version of either Small Flex Spot or Expand Flex Spot....sometimes Zone:Tracking.
The way I run my cameras is shutter button AF with back buttons used to modify. I have my selectable AF areas limited to Small Flex Spot, Expand Flex Spot, Zone and Wide (all non-tracking versions). I then use AF-ON button to switch my primary selected AF mode to the Tracking version while I hold the button. That gives me a lot of flexibility to go from non-tracking to tracking with only cycling through 4 AF modes instead of 8. I use my AE-L button to immediately go to a "bird on a stick" mode with lower SS, Auto (therefore lower) ISO, Expand Flex:Tracking.
Canon is pretty good with customization but Sony is one notch better. It takes time to get a really good customized setup but once you do it is the most flexible system out there. It is getting even better on the newest A7R5 software. The one thing the A74 and A1 lack that A7R5 now has is the ability to do direct manual focus with 200-600 and 100-400. With previous cameras DMF mode only works in AF-S OR you had to own the 400GM, 600GM or 70-200IIGM to have a DMF switch on the lens. This is a feature I really miss from Canon and Nikon when I use my 200-600.
I too found the non tracking to work better for BIF on my A1. I usually use zone but have also used wide and expand flex spot. I do find that fast birds flying close or directly at me are a challenge to the focusing speed of the 200-600, supposedly the primes are quite a bit faster. The 100-400 seems a tad quicker too but rarely is it the ideal range for BIF.
Duade, you asked for some input on optimizing your new Sony system for wildlife. Michael Hains offered some excellent comments below - I would only offer one more reference. I had been following Steve Perry as a Nikon shooter, and had used his unbelievably complete guide to getting the most out of your gear. When I moved from to Sony a year ago (A1, 200-600, with multiple primes based on an excellent video from Mr. Galer) I went back to Mr. Perry as he also has a guide to the Sony system. I followed his customization process and found that in no time I was very comfortable in the field with the Sony. Would highly recommend you taking a look. Thank you for your engaging videos, and like many others, allow me to add my thanks for showing the fade from the original RAW file to the finished image. Brilliant.
Hi Duade, I highly recommend getting the Wimberley AP-620 arca swiss foot for the Sony 200-600 if you haven’t gotten a replacement already. I struggled with an arca swiss adapter for far too long before getting the Wimberley foot.
Thanks Ryan, I took your advice and just ordered it, has to come from the US so might take a week or two. Cheers, Duade
Great Video :-) Your photos are wonderful ! The a7 IV and the 200-600G is also my favorite combination :-) I use it also with a 1.4 TC and even with this converter the combiniation is great ! I love this combination.
Thanks Ben, I have picked up the 1.4 so will try that. Cheers, Duade
Those are some great pictures Duade, no matter what camera you use they always look so good. It looked like you had a lot of fun with the new setup. I also noticed that on my A7iv the eye autofocus does not always lock on but I thought that it was because I am using the 70-350 aps-c lens. It is not a big deal for me because I sometimes just switch to manual focus and dial it in. Overall I am very happy with the camera, still trying to decide if I will go with the 200-600 or the 100-400 with the 1.4. I am not in a hurry so I am looking forward to all your future videos with your new setup.
Thanks Marco. yes, it does get a little confused at times but the tracking seems to work well when guided. Two good options for sure, the 100-400 is similar to the RF100-500 in its all around abilities to do macro, plants etc whereas the 200-600 with its MFD and ability to become a 280-840 f9 is good for small birds etc. Cheers, Duade
My 70-350 does some pretty decent macro shots so it sounds like the 200-600 would be my best choice since I prefer the small birds. Thanks, Marco.
The kangaroo shot in the reeds was spectacular! Loved the video, keep them coming.
Thanks Edward, yes, that was a great way to start the day, Cheers, Duade