I use the godox system. I have the 860ll and the xt1 and the S pro transmitters. They work flawlessly. The only thing you need to do is to make sure the channel is the same on the transmitter and the flash. (Ch. 1 - Ch. 32)The group will control the power of the flash. A, B, C, D from 1/128 -1/1. The channel is the key. They should pair up once they are both turned on. They will work even without being on the camera. Just hit the flash button on the transmitter to check to see if the flash works.
There are some videos on YouTube which help with trigger and flash set up. Check those out.
I really like the camera and shoot the 70-200 2.8 and the 100-400 Sony lens they work great. All Sony lens work fantastic with this camera. It is fast and has great accurate autofocus. You won’t go wrong with this purchase. With this camera I mainly shoot wildlife and high school sports (football,basketball). The A7lll looks great, it is a full frame camera but for wildlife the aps-c format will give you that extra crop factor with the Sony a mount lens.
You asked for our favorite and sharpest lens, it has to be the 70-200 G master 2.8. This is an amazing lens for AF speed, bokeh, and low light ability. It is big and heavy but it works great for portraits and sports. I use it on the 6500 and the A7rll. It is expensive but a great lens. Just my opinion.
I think you are right about the grass being sharp but if you follow that same focal plane up you hit the muzzle. It looks pretty good to me. Dogs have very long eyelashes that catch AF sensors. To brighten up the eye hit it with a little flash. The picture looks good. Crop some off of the right and your there. Remember this is free advice. You get what you pay for. Have a great day.
I shoot with a Sony G master 85 1.4 lens, my go to portrait lens. It is simply amazing but the DOF is so shallow that 10 feet is the minimum distance to get a clear facial image. 15-20 feet works better, I would try that with the smallest focal point on your camera. There is no way the entire muzzle will be in focus unless you are at least 20 feet. You might want to check a dof calculator. That will get you a little closer. This is always fun to experiment with. Lens fine tuning is always a good thing to do but it takes a great deal of time. Have fun, a great exercise, you will love the lens once you get it figured out.
Great system you just buy the trigger to go with the camera you use. Check YouTube for many videos and a lot of information.
Just a suggestion to maybe try a variable neutral density filter maybe at 3 and that way you could keep your shutter fast enough to stop the action. I use tiffen filter it seems to work well. Just a thought.
I usually plan for the week around September 25 for peek colors and elk activity. Check Mike Jackson’s website, Best of the Tetons. He gives daily Teton updates and in the fall a color update. I agree with Jackson Lake Lodge, Signal Mountain, and Colter Bay that will put you in the heart of GTNP.
Brad
Godox 860ll LiIon battery you can not go wrong. Purchase the transmitter for off camera flash and you will be all set. Recycle time is amazing.
My favorite location to photograph in the Moab area. Great job!
Peak Design
I use the slide lite strap, the capture for my belt, but the one piece I use most is the clutch. I am definitely a peak design user.
Brad
On our Alaskan trip I took two bodies. A full frame A7rll with a 24-70. A 6500 with a 70-300. Both lens are not that big. Remember this is Alaska is RAINS. I did not want to worry about water and changing lens. Take camera covers you will need them. You will take many panorama images. Denali is a photographers dream. It is an amazing place.
Peak Design Everyday Backpack 30L. It has everything you are looking for have a great time.
Stunning images, I only dream of taking images like these. Great explanation and examples of the use of an f4 lens. That is how come we use the lowest f stop on all the lens we can when we want to isolate the subjects. Thank you.