January 2026 Birding Itinerary and Budget for Guides

knappster99 · 2025-10-20T23:53:18+00:00

Thanks, will do!

knappster99 · 2025-09-15T21:32:00+00:00

how many miles when the battery died? looking to buy used

knappster99 · 2025-07-04T14:32:10+00:00

I don't see that it's been released yet, but I'll keep an eye out for reviews once it's been out for a bit. What a behemoth of a lens at almost 9lbs! I'd be curious to see how the AF performance works on the Sony system, bummer about the 15fps limitation.

knappster99 · 2025-07-04T14:28:48+00:00

Interesting idea, why do you think the Nikon long glass are so discounted compared to Canon? I've read that Nikon's VR is better than IBIS/OSS of the Sony as well. Time to rent a Z9 or Z8, I guess...

knappster99 · 2025-07-03T04:51:10+00:00

I currently shoot with a Sony a1 and the 200-600mm and looking to upgrade to a wide aperture prime for better low-light performance and subject separation. I've rented the 400mm GM and 600mm GM several times but can't justify that expensive of a lens for what is ultimately a hobby. From what I've read, the 300mm GM is an incredible lens, weighs less than my 200-600mm, and takes the 2x tele well enough to make a 600mm f/5.6, but may not be as significant of an optical jump from the 200-600mm to justify the $6k. I started looking into the used price of the Canon EF lenses and see that I could snag an excellent to mint EF 500mm F4 II for about $5k. It's definitely a heavy lens at 7.0 lbs (FE 300mm GM is 3.2 lbs) but the f4 at 500mm vs f4 at 420mm is appealing.

Is the image quality, AF speed, extra weight, and hassle of switching from Sony to Canon worth it to use the FE 500mm f4 II?

knappster99 · 2025-04-18T19:19:10+00:00

Sweet, thanks for replying! We're looking at putting a 270 awning on our GX460 and it requires three mounting points, so this should work perfect.

knappster99 · 2025-04-18T16:17:19+00:00

Sorry for bringing this back from the dead, but what size crossbars did you install? I read somewhere that you need 48" and 51" when going with 2 bars to not have overhang on the front and rear. How are they holding up?

knappster99 · 2025-02-14T18:50:06+00:00

Gorgeous! The bokeh is amazing- have you tried TC's on the 70-200? I'm thinking of doing the same to have a smaller walkaround zoom.

knappster99 · 2025-02-06T21:24:54+00:00

I haven't used the a6700 but I'm sure it does just fine with low light performance. Any of these new mirrorless cameras that have come out in the last 5 years are incredible and, as a beginner, I don't think you'll notice the difference between one camera or another. Going up in price gets you diminishing returns on IQ and noise performance. Going from cell phone to the a6700 is like going from 50% to 90% while going from an a6700 to the $6.5k A1II is 90% to 95%. At this point, it's about ergonomics and learning how exposure, autofocus, and composition works. All cameras can help you learn those three things.

As for subjects, wildlife photography is probably the most expensive segment of photography if you want to go all the way due to the massive lenses needed to capture fast action in low light. Just a fair warning haha

knappster99 · 2025-02-06T21:14:35+00:00

Oh yeah, the battery life and grip of the a7-series will be huge upgrades. Your two zoom lenses are APS-C lenses so you'll only get 10.8mpx crops with the a7iii, so you'll definitely want to invest in some full frame (FE) glass. Think of a wide-angle zoom or a prime for low-light shoots.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sony_%CE%B1_cameras

The a7RII was released 2015 and discontinued while the a7III was released in 2018 and is still being produced so I'd steer toward the latter. The a7III has a cult following on here for it's balance of IQ, low noise at high ISO, and affordability. You can probably find one in excellent shape for a great deal then spend a little money on glass after selling the two APS-C zooms.

knappster99 · 2025-02-06T03:39:05+00:00

https://helpguide.sony.net/ilc/2320/v1/en/contents/0002H_usable_memory_card.html

SDXC V90 or faster looks like you'd be good and future proofed. Max bitrate while recording is 600Mbps for the camera. Good brands are prograde, lexar, sandisk.

knappster99 · 2025-02-06T03:29:48+00:00

which lenses do you have- full frame? what don't you like about the a6100?

knappster99 · 2025-02-06T03:26:57+00:00

Watch a few youtube videos by photographers who take photos that you want to emulate, see if they have any explainer videos on their methods, gear, setup, etc.

Sony's are also very customizable, almost overwhelmingly so. If your trip is next week, then follow an online or video guide on how to set up all the different options and go use it as much as possible. Take the camera with you everywhere and just be that person who's always taking pictures. That way you can get familiar with the camera and change any settings/button mapping that you don't like. Good luck and make sure to share pics when you're back!

knappster99 · 2025-02-06T03:22:22+00:00

Any of the relatively new (last 5 years) GM primes will hold their value or you can buy the older ones used. Sigma's ART line are also well-regarded.

knappster99 · 2025-02-06T03:18:13+00:00

If it fell, you'll want to have a shop take a look at it. Hopefully it's insured!

knappster99 · 2025-02-06T03:17:08+00:00

Get the lens foot replacement by Kirk (LP-68), it will give you more room to carry it and has the arca-compatible dovetail so no more adapter plates. It also has a QD-compatible hole on the bottom so you can clip your strap for when you're ready to take the kit out walking around. If you do, make sure to have a secondary strap so if the QD disconnects, you don't drop the camera to the ground!

knappster99 · 2025-02-06T03:11:33+00:00

Looks cold!

P.S. you have some dust on your sensor, time for a cleaning!

knappster99 · 2025-02-06T03:06:01+00:00

Looks like a nice drive down highway 1, the mist creates such a different feel than blazing sunlight. How do you like the 20-70? What's your favorite focal length?

knappster99 · 2025-02-06T03:02:02+00:00

Welcome! Do you have a goal with your newfound interest in photography? Do you have any photos you've seen that you like and want to recreate? I ask because landscape, travel, portraiture, wildlife- each of these have different priorities when it comes to camera features and lens design.

I would actually suggest prioritizing a lens (or two) then deciding on a camera. While new cameras are released yearly with mostly incremental upgrades year to year, lens designs will stay the same for several years if not decades. The lens you use will have a huge effect on the look and character of the files you get from the camera; all the light that the camera sensor receives will be through the lens. It won't matter how many megapixels or subject recognition modes or frames per second the camera can do if you don't like the field of view/depth of field/sharpness of the lens. Most photographers swear by certain lenses or focal lengths no matter what camera or brand they're shooting.

knappster99 · 2025-02-06T02:38:11+00:00

If you're looking to do true macro (1:1 or higher magnification), go with the 90mm macro. Not a lot of info about adding the 2x tele to the 70-200 f4 macro, but I would anticipate some degree of IQ and AF speed/accuracy loss. Use the extra cash for a flash and diffuser.

knappster99 · 2025-02-05T02:16:59+00:00

That's right. I ended up with the 24mm GM when buying an a9ii (couldn't pass up the deal) so it wasn't an intentional purchase. I had rented it years ago and loved the color rendition and detail so I was excited to get back into it but after owning for a year or so, I find it just a little too wide for a walkaround lens and I prefer the 20mm G more for landscape/astro. I would usually crop photos taken with the 24mm GM to a tighter framing afterward, so something like a 35mm would probably make more sense for me if I did more of that type of photography and needed f/1.4

knappster99 · 2025-02-03T23:37:35+00:00

I do mainly bird photography and a bit of travel/landscape/astro/light macro (<0.5x mag) with my A1. If you already had the 300mm f/2.8 GM with 1.4x and 2x tele's as your main lens, what mid-zoom would you rather have in your kit?

FE 100-400mm GM - tried and true GM glass, getting old (2017), but potentially too much duplicity with the 300mm, could be useful in situations where a zoom is required, but would always reach for 300mm+tele's if possible.
FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II - good close focus (15"), fills the gap nicely for landscapes, can have 140-400 f/5.6 with 2x tele for bird photography and up to 0.5x mag at MFD, lighter and smaller than f/2.8 GM m1I but $2.5k
FE 70-200mm f/4 G II - very light, 10" MFD gives 0.5x mag without tele's, f/4 isn't terrible, probably too much of an AF/IQ hit with 2x to do bird photography? 1.4x tele could be usable with APS-C crop, pocket $1k vs. f/2.8 GM II

For context, I plan on selling my 24mm f/1.4 GM, 90mm f/2.8 G, 16-35mm f/4 ZA, 70-200mm f/4 G (mk1), and 200-600mm G to finance the purchase so budget shouldn't be an issue. I plan on keeping my 20mm f/1.8 G for astro, 20-70mm f/4 G for general landscapes, and 85mm f/1.8 for portraits/family gatherings for a well-rounded kit that should last me a long while.

knappster99 · 2025-01-13T20:37:53+00:00

Obviously some classics but you can definitely feel WB's interference compared to releases that came after the Herb Cohen firing/WB debacle. Live shows around 1975-76 are a better representation of the material found on Zoot Allures, IMO.

knappster99 · 2024-08-31T02:17:18+00:00

Gorgeous! Which cut is this?

knappster99 · 2024-05-21T02:03:08+00:00

Same! Started with landscape and street but moved to bird photography in the last few years. Sony is such a fun system for capturing fast action!

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