I am in total agreement with you and think I understand your reasons for posting. Bird Photography is difficult. Gear is but one component. Understanding photography and the gear is a part of the process. Just because you buy a scalpel you will not become a Brain surgeon. Buy good gear for the intended use, then learn how to use it is what I think the message is here.

The camera can only do what it's programmed to do. Scenes with high dynamic range forces the camera's metering system to make decisions you might not like. High end cameras have settings to help the camera make decisions based on what you tell it is most important. Learning your camera and lens combinations will help you set it up to get good results. Extreme situations require more knowledge of photography to get a good results. Shooting in RAW is a godsend because you can get close in camera, then use software to fine tune the final image. Artificial Intelligence is getting better but it isn't perfect. Your vision and expectation is the key.

I use a ME PHOTO carbon fibre travel tripod. It has had no trouble holding a full frame camera, 150-600 lens, gimbal head, flash bracket, flash, and better Beamer. It is the tallest height extension of the ones I looked at and folds small enough to fit in a travel bag.

I am in full agreement you. Especially if you shoot sports and wildlife. I set the camera to get a great shot every time. Now I need the subject to cooperate. With birds I want the wings in certain positions. With sports I anticipate but having the right instant is very important. The new technology makes it possible to do things impossible with the old. Change is good and getting stuck can limit you in ways you won't know unless you change.

Photography is Art and Science. As the artist you decide your vision. If you like the results it is OK. I shoot RAW because the camera doesn't shoot like I see. I want to be able to alter the highlights, shadows, whites and blacks along with Color and sharpness to recreate what I saw and felt when I took the pic. RAW is better for that but requires editing skills or you can do more harm than good.