A couple of weeks ago I returned from leading a photography tour to northern Finland to photograph black grouse lekking. It's a wonderful spectacle including anything from two to twenty males (sometimes more) generally showing off and fighting one another to grab the attention of nearby females. Four mornings were to be spent in comfortable hides and it was on the third that they eventually appeared, strutted and fought close enough to us for some photos.
The action was fast and furious and the D850/200-400 f/4 combo worked a dream but as we shot, occasionally they would stop and look at us.
We held our breath and resisted taking any further photos until they had relaxed and resumed battle.
It occurred to me that it must surely be the Gattling-gun like noise of our cameras that was disturbing them. Of the three in the hide, two of us were using Nikon D850s and the other a Canon mirrorless which I couldn't hear at all. It was a seminal moment, just as it had been three years previous (Covid prevented me from returning in 2020/21) when in the same hide I realised that the Nikon D810 just didn't cut the mustard for wildlife photography and where days later I purchased the D850 and a handful of XQD cards. Since then, I've been extremely happy with it and in my opinion, it's Nikon's best DSLR to date; the perfect tool for wildlife and landscape photography.
So, here I was again, realising without any shadow of a doubt that there is no longer a place for the DSLR when photographing sensitive wildlife subjects. It has definitely had its day and with the release of the Z9 with its incredible AF, high ISO capabilities and silent shutter wondering when - not if - I should make the switch!
