Sony A9: White Throated Kingfisher In Flight

            Collected the Sony A9 cam after lunch and took it for a spin at the Botanic Garden (BG). Came home and tweak my Sony 7R2 preset. Went out this morning to BG to shoot pigeon to check out how good the AF system is. After shooting flying pigeons this gorgeous kingfisher came along and gave me the opportunity to shoot a fast flying birdie. The kingfisher was flying towards me and I managed to shot 26 in burst mode. All shots were in focus - majority were in focus except for a few, still acceptable. 
This image is the 26 frame and the sharpest of the lot. 
Update 2020 Feb: With all the SW updates by Sony, I hate to say I am not able to be able to get a series of 26 inflight shots like before. In 2018, I bought another A9 with firmware 1.0 becos it  tracks better for sequential BIF shots. The other A9  is using the latest  FW 6.01 with all the bells and whistles.  
Typically the feathers towards the lower wings appear white in colour. Because of the better DR on the A9 the details can be recovered and there is a nice bluish tone on these feathers instead of usual blown out white.   
The next 4 shots captured how he fishes. Interesting experience for me shooting this scene. 
These were shot with Focus Area:  Tracking Mode - Lock On AF Expand Flexible Spot . 

Also managed to get great shots of pigeons in flight. Tag sharp as well. This cam tracks BIF well. These I will be posting next were shot in FA: Expand Flexible Spot

As of now I have not the faintest which is better for BIF yet. 
Hopefully with more shooting opportunity the A9 will continue to outgun my D500 for BIF. Then I will consolidate to using Mirrorless System - Oly and Sony. 
Update Aug 1st: Never got around to checking which is better. I enjoying the shooting experience with the A9 more and getting decent results. Purely from recollection I think the D500 AF better when firing off into the sky for BIF. Bright background could be a weakness of the mirrorless system for BIF. From my EM1.2/300f4 vs D500f300/1.4TC shooting experience - harder for it to find the target and by then the birdie is gone. Will monitor this going forward and experiment with other technique for such BIF situations. I really love the light weight D500 for BIF but miss the EVF. 
Have sold the Nikon D500 system. 

Update: 2020 Feb. I will be shooting with 2 systems namely Sony and Oly. Collecting the new Oly EM1.3 this Thursday for birding with Oly 300f2.8 plus EC 1.4 & 2X. I am not a purist and shoot with digital zoom (ONLY with good light) with 300f2.8 to get a reach of 2400mm at f 5.7.  Plus Oly Pro300f4 as well. 

Thank you my friends for popping by.
Appreciate your visits, kind comments & favourites. 
Wishing all a beautiful Sunday and a great week ahead

With  JPEG file like this I am more than happy not to shot raw. 
   

Taken on: June 4, 2017

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Camera: Sony ILCE-9, f/8.0, 1/4000 sec, 200mm, ISO 2000 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Sony ILCE-9
Lens:	Sony FE 70-200mm F4.0 OSS
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	1/4000 sec
Focal Length:	200mm
ISO:	2000
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Other
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Aperture 3.6
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