Gadwal-female

Can't recall seeing a flight shot of this species... you made this little lady look elegant. Would certainly like a better BG but for the 500 + 1.4X and for just starting to work on this bird you did a wonderful job. Congrats on the new toy.

It's fun to see another 7D enthusiast trying out the Mark IV. Autofocus was my main concern with the camera. Everything else seems so much better than the 7D (except the price). Currently I'm very happy with the autofocus. As you know, it is different than the 7D. I haven't tried many BIF shots yet and I'm not very experienced in such shots too. So, I'm very glad to see that you are.
Regarding this shot, I am one of those who would prefer to see the OOF foreground cropped out. [I have found that all pixels are not created equal: those in the Mark IV are significantly less noisy and I'm finding it easier in post-processing and in cropping.) I think the big question is whether this image is as sharp as your usual images. I find it so hard to evaluate that. It's certainly very close. AF and exposure setup is so important. I found the following Canon document very useful for it: "AI Servo AF Custom Function & ISO Speed Settings Guide"
I can't figure out how to put the link to it here. However, if you just input that title into Google it pops up.
I look forward to seeing more BIF from you with this camera, Ron.

Looks good to me as posted. I recently shot beside a friend with one of these cameras and the frame rate was quite impressive (putting my old D200 to shame when I attempted flight shots).

Steve, thanks for the comment. The AF on the Mk. IV is different and it "appears" to act different than any other camera I have used. At first attempt to shoot BIF against busy BGs I seemed the AF was jumping all over the place. However, after spending just a few hours working with the camera it became very apparent that what I first thought was the AF's inability to stay focused on a subject was really due to the AF's blazing speed and sensitivity. If you keep the focus point on the subject it will grab it and grab it fast and hold on well. However, if you stray from the subject it will grab what it is seeing and do it fast. So, you really must be very good at keeping the focus point on your subject or it will appear to jump around. Against blue sky it grabs the subject almost instantly and never lets go. Really amazing sensitivity and speed. It will take a bit of getting used to, but everything new does, and overall it looks like this camera will be just awesome for my style of shooting.

Wonderful flight shot, Ron; congratulations on your new acquisition. I made the jump to the Mark IV from a 20D/40D in June and I haven't looked back (I always had AF issues with these two cameras and was beginning to think it was just me). The customization, speed and accuracy of the AF and the low ISO cannot be compared to a 40D... but then... neither can the price; so it should be much better. At any rate, I'm quite happy with mine. I would also recommend the document Steve is talking about as there are so many custom functions to know about - and they all have their uses.

Quite a demonstration of the prowess of both the new camera and its operator Ron. Ducks in flight are just so difficult IMO (my few "good ones" are groups of birds) and here the sharpness and detail are very good - especially for a speedster such as this. I'm quite jealous of your new toy (but not enough to spring for the cost of one, at least not yet). Have fun with it!!!

Very impressive Ron. At ISO 1000, no NR and 50% FF I think you're really going to like that new toy!

Nice flight shot. The image quality is very good-especialy given the ISO of 1000. There is no noise at all that I can see. I look forward to new "improved" images, although your prior ones were so spot on, it scares me to think of it.

I can certainly understand why you changed your 7D Ron I wish I could do the same. However it's not all about the camera and I think you've done very well to capture this bird sideways on. You're obviously benefitting by being able to shoot at higher iso's , this looks quite impressive without any NR. Graham

I'm jealous Ron , one day maybe. I prefer the trees in the background - they anchor the shot and give it perspective. A slightly different wing position may have been nice but a wonderful shot

cheers
Rob

It doesn't look like it is flying, but it looks like it is floating. That is incredible. I always kind of like some land in flight shots as it places them in relation to that land. Very good detail. Sounds like we can expect even better than the great shots we have been seeing from you now that you have this new camera.

Congrats on the new gear, Ron. Good head detail, here. Bet you'll have fun with it.

Congrats on the new camera Ron, really nice hen Gadwall. Good job on the exposure against that bright sky.

I like the OOF trees at the bottom, just that little bit at the bottom gives a sense of place. Love the eye contact, details & sharpness.