Tariffs, Camera gear, and hummingbirds

 

I mentioned in a previous post, that I had been planning to purchase a new long, telephoto lens sometime in the summer, before I went on the Alaska trip. Along came “Independence Day”, and excessive tariffs on just about everything that is not made in the USA. Almost all quality cameras and lenses are made in either Japan, Korea or Germany - we just do not make these things in the US. I currently have two Sony mirrorless cameras (A7II, A7RII), and a bunch of lenses for the two bodies - the equipment is pricey but you get what you pay for. The tariffs when announced, on Japan, were 39%…ouch. That made me think that buying now would be a good thing. So, I researched a few options, and wound up with a 100-500MM lens from Tamron. I was planning to buy a Sony G 150-600MM, but the beast just weighed too much to hand hold on a moving, small boat, so I opted for something a bit more compact. OK, enough technical photography stuff.

Once I had the new equipment home, I decided to go somewhere to test the lens. and I really wanted to try it on wildlife, since that is what I bought it for. Since elk and moose are not an option nearby, I decided on a trip back to the coast, to the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum. No, not to take pictures of trees. The arboretum is a nice place to wander through in general, but the sections dedicated to South African plants are a haven for hummingbirds. My wife and I used to go there every spring for a few years, to see the little buggers buzzing around on the flowering plants and trees. So, I packed up my gear, and headed off to the coast (Campbell actually, where I stayed.)

The peak of "hummingbird season" at the abroretum is in March, when all of the trees and bushes are in bloom. I missed that by a month, but there were still a lot of Allens and Annas hummers buzzing around. The secret for photographing these hyperactive, blinding fast birds, is to find one (or two) that have a territory they are protecting, and setup shop (tripod) at one of the places they roost to rest. You can then position the tripod and focus the camera on that spot, and just hit the shutter whenever it stops for a while (usually a minute or two). I was lucky right off the bat to find a male Allens that rested in two, really great spots, where the background would be a dense tree. I then spent a pleasant few hours, photographing one or two of the birds, and then just wandeed around in the arboretum, which has some amazing flowering plants. It really is a beautiful place. 

The combination of the new lens, and the Sony camera with a huge sensor (44MP), and a little bit of luck, resulted in some remarkable shots. 

The level of detail and sharpness of the birds neck feathers was amazing, given how small the birds are.

I went back the next day and spent more time in the same location (and probably the same birds). The lighting was better that day, so I was able to get a few more good shots. I then wandered about taking a few picture of some of the strange flowers.

Later in the day, I spent some time visiting friends in Capitola, and wandered down to the beach with their mutant golden retriever (huge). I so miss being near the coast. My wife and I spent lots of time visiting our friends there when we lived in Campbell. Sigh. Better times for sure.

I did manage to help the local economy while I was there. My favorite camera store is in Campbell, so I decided to stop by and see if there was any gear that I absolutely needed to buy. I was amazed to see the front of the store covered in plywood. Apparently, someone drove a car into the store, and cleared out a lot of gear. Smash and grab. How sad. But while I was there, I decided I needed a a new monopod and ball head, for my upcoming trip to Alaska. I knew I’d find something. And I beat the tariff’s again.