August 16, 2012
Grizzly Bear in Glacier National Park, Montana

The two sub-adult Grizzly Bears were out again yesterday morning in Glacier National Park. They were on the other side of the road which put them above the road level and allowed more of a bears-eye view of them. In the image above, the lighter colored bear is trying to push over a dead tree. He didn't get it while pushing in that direction, but got it when pushing it directly towards me and was rewarded with some yummy grubs. Unfortunately, not too long after this image was made, both bears came even closer to the road and the ranger decided that they were too close. After explaining the situation to the folks around her, she had them yell at the bear and then she fired a cracker into the air — humans can be so unpredictable and pose a threat. The bears left in a hurry, and I'm sure that'll be the last time I see them close to the road again this year. :(

Canon EOS 1D X

I had a momentary, OK possibly extended, lapse of reason and purchased a Canon EOS 1D X this morning. I've been on a wait list since last October and have been waffling about it ever since. The new autofocus system, a jog dial for vertical-orientation shots, and a likely two-stop improvement in high-ISO image quality were big plusses, but a full-frame sensor with only 18MP that can't autofocus with an f8 lens/extender combination were almost equal minuses. It would have less total pixels than my 1Ds Mk III (21MP) and less pixels for the same image captured at the same distance-to-subject than my 1D Mk IV (16MP and 1.3x magnification), plus it wouldn't let me take advantage of the new 500 f4 II or 600 f4 II with a 2x III attached to make up for the loss of the 1.3x magnification.

While photographing bears in Yellowstone National Park this May, my 1D Mk IV on a 500 f4 with 1.4x didn't give me enough reach — how was a full-frame body, with no magnification factor, going to help me? I was convinced that I should cancel the 1D X and wait for a 7D Mk II which would hopefully have better image quality than the 7D and also have the new 61-point autofocus system of the 5D Mk III which is virtually the same as what's in the 1D X. Well, while photographing the bears here in Glacier National Park, which have mostly been a lot closer than the ones in Yellowstone, I really wished that I could shoot at a higher ISO to capture the action in the low light conditions.

I got notified yesterday that a 1D X had come in for me. I consulted some recent reviews about using the 1D X for wildlife (by Andy Rouse and by Michael Daniel Ho), and remembered the excellent in-depth review by The Digital Picture, then decided to complete the purchase. I'm still not sure that the 1D X is "the answer," and the 7D Mk II might be a good supplement when more reach is needed. I'll give you my initial report on the 1D X in about a week.