Crane

It was a good day with the 1D Mark II (camera #9) and the bluebirds. Shown below are four images taken with the motion trigger. I also got one of a first-time caller, a red-winged blackbird. I didn't post it because the bird is facing away from the camera. I was in the yard when it triggered, and I'm sure the noise of the ancient DSLR scared it away. Fortunately the bluebirds are used to it.

But I'm leading off with a sandhill crane, the first I've gotten in Montana. I hear them honking off in the distance frequently from the back yard, and this is the first time I've gotten close enough to get something. The cranes I saw in New Mexico over the years didn't have the reddish-brown body, but I'm guessing that has to do with the time of year. I usually carry the 5D Mark III (#8) on my bike rides, but today the battery was dead so I hooked the M100 (#10) to the 100-400. The image quality is a bit disappointing, I'm sure because I had to crop extensively. It's not a remote trigger or motion trigger, so technically it doesn't belong on this blog, but my blog my rules. The final image is a couple of deer this morning on the melted Browning (#6).

The last few days a harrier hawk has been swooping through the field behind the house. I'm going to start leaving the 5D/100-400 by the back door because the hawk doesn't linger long. I just need to keep the battery charged. I think the battery is getting weaker since the camera is 10 years old. I actually read the DPReview writeup of the Canon R5 this week. Besides the $4,000 cost, I'm a bit put off by Canon introducing yet another lens mount. Since Canon abandoned the manual focus FD mount, they've come out with EF, EF-S, EF-M and RF. All of my lenses except for the 15-45 kit lens that came with the M100 are EF. I've got an EF to EF-M converter for the M100, and the R5 would need an EF to RF converter. (EF-S is for small sensor DSLRs, which I don't have.) I never thought the 5D Mark IV was a necessary upgrade for me, and that model is already almost six years old. There will never be a 5D Mark V, so if I want to get a new top-line EOS in my lifetime, the mirrorless R5 or its successor would be it. (Update: I eventually got a 6D Mark II (designated camera #12), which is a conventional SLR and takes EF lenses. It is mostly an upgrade to the 5D with a few minor deficiences, such as lack of dual memory card slots. I'm probably three years away now from going mirrorless, but I did get the spouse an R10 if I want to dabble.)

In case any of the 8 billion people on earth are wondering why I designated the 5D as #8 and the much older 1D as #9, it is because the 1D sat in its box for about 10 years until I revived it for motion trigger duty. I figured it would save some wear and tear on the 5D, and it's really not worth anything on the resale market.