Sage Grouse and my new Canon 1Dmk4

Sage Grouse, Canon Eos1dmk4, EF600mmF4IS, ISO 400, 1/2000 @ F4

I just received my Canon 1Dmk4, Canon's newest flagship professional model camera. I took it out this morning for my first serious test drive. Over the weekend I tested the camera with my various lenses to make sure the focus was in calibration. Everything was very good. I feel as though the Mk 4 is is a real, down to business, professional camera that is very well refined. The camera handled everything I threw at it this morning with no trouble. It's a very fast responsive camera with impressive image quality.

Sage Grouse in Flight, Canon Eos1dmk4, EF600mmF4IS, ISO 800, 1/3200 @ F4

I visited a sage grouse lek (or dancing ground) not far from my home in Cody. It's a bit early in the breeding season but about 25 males were gathered for this mornings show. No females (hens) showed up but I would expect to start seeing some soon. The peak of the breeding season is still a month away but the males put on a pretty energetic performance along with some dominance fighting. A golden eagle flushed the birds off the lek about an hour after sunrise which put an end to my photography. Sage grouse are being considered for the endangered species list but our population in NW Wyoming is doing very well.

New Camera Canon 7D

Canon Eos 7D, EF 500mmF4IS

Golden Eagle in flight, Bighorn Basin

I received my latest camera on Tuesday the Canon 7D. This is Canons latest APS-C or 1.6x cropped sensor offering. There are many sites reviewing the camera and listing it's specs so I won't bother going into that. I spent some time learning the camera and reading the manual. Overall the camera is similar to the 50D which I had prior. Canon has included some really useful upgrades and revamped the AF system so I have high hopes for this camera. I spent some time using the MFA (micro focus adjustment) feature and fine tuned my lenses. Some we're spot on other required some adjustment.

I've been revamping my camera system lately. I sold off my 50D and my 1DmkIII. The 7D is a replacement for the 50D and I hope to have the brand new Canon Eos1Dmk4 before the start of the 2010 Images for Conservation Pro Tour Photo Contest in which I will be participating. In past contests I've always had cameras which each sensor size Canon produces, full frame, 1.3X and 1.6x crop. That strategy has worked very well for me.

Canon Eos 7D, EF500mmF4 IS, 1.4x teleconverter
Rough Legged Hawk, Bighorn Basin Wyoming

I was able to get out yesterday morning with the 7D for some photography.. A beautiful golden eagle provided me with a good opportunity to test the AF tracking of the camera.The 7D performed very well. The 8 FPS allowed me to capturet many different wing positions as the eagle flew by. Also with the 18mgpx sensor I was able to crop the image and retain great detail. So I'm off to a good start with the new camera. Next week in Yellowstone I'll really put it to the test.