The Sony 24 1.4 GM lens

Dale Matson

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I have been photographing eagles in the overcast winter sky at Millerton Lake near Fresno. Sometimes I take my newest lens attached to the Sony A9 to break up the waiting periods. I also took some photos at home in the back yard attached to the A7R3.

Lots of folks are curious about how the Sony lens compares to the Batis 25mm 2.0. Since I was willing to part with the perfectly fine Batis lens, I can cite my reasons. The pros for the Sony over the Batis are shape, speed, sharpness, with a similar cost. I have always like the color of the Batis and give it the edge.

Without further comment, here are some of the photos I have had in a file for a while. The photos in the back yard were taken with the A7R3 and the photos at the lake were taken with the A9.

Eagle Photo Of The Week

Dale Matson

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My late father Milt, was known as the fisherman of Tipsico Lake. We had a plaque on the cabin wall with a skeleton holding a fishing rod sitting in a boat. The title underneath was “Stubborn Cuss”. My dad loved fishing so much that he traveled 90 miles round trip from our summer cabin to work and back. This allowed him a couple of hours of daily fishing during the spring and summer months. On weekends he would spend most of the day by the lily pads hoping to catch a lunker Bass.

By the time I hit my teen years, dad had bought a Mercury outboard and my services were thankfully no longer required as his galley slave. Sitting for long hours in a hot aluminum boat was not for me. At least the seats were made of wood!

Well, in my 70’s my dad’s genes kicked in and instead of fishing, I arrive before daybreak often to sit near a group of Coots waiting for an eagle to come swooping down and carry off one of the Coots for breakfast. It is that moment that I wait for and have my camera settings just right. Manual, 1/2000/ f9 and auto ISO with about 10 frames per second. I sit in my truck which for some reason is less distracting to the eagles than being outside my truck. The trick is to be close enough to the Coots to get close photos and video but no too close that the eagles won’t come after the Coots. Often the eagles will sit for a couple of hours and then fly away or they will not even show up.

Much of the time getting good eagle photos, like catching lunker bass, is luck entwined with superstition about what works and what doesn’t. Patience is important for both fishing and photography. There is a peaceful anticipation.

I think both dad and I have taken more than a few naps during the waiting period. Dad always needed a new fishing rod. He even wore my Garcia 300 spinning reel out while I was doing my two-year stint in the army. I am always looking for new cameras and lenses that will land the Nat. Geo photos.

Well, this week I was leaving the Madera County side of Millerton Lake and spotted this juvenile Bald Eagle sitting on a boulder looking out at the lake. This time of year, the lake level is about 50% in anticipation of Spring runoff and you can drive out along the shoreline quite a ways with a 4x4 being careful not to get stuck. I put my camera and 600mm lens out the driver side window and got this shot. This was a lunker that didn’t get away.

Ospreys At Millerton Lake

Dale Matson

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Osprey

I was looking for eagles to video and photograph today at Millerton Lake and an Osprey volunteered his modeling time so I couldn’t pass this opportunity to oblige.

Ospreys are often mistaken for Bald Eagles but they are smaller. They are also referred to as Fish Hawks but they are not a member of the Hawk or Eagle families. They are their own species and can be found throughout the world. They like fish and are excellent divers.

Eagles will often steal their prey and the Osprey’s offspring off the Osprey's nest. I believe there is at least one pair of Ospreys at Millerton and there are resident pairs on most of the reservoirs above Fresno and even a pair at Woodward Park with a nest near one of the ponds. I got some fairly close photos and video.