JJ: Nice picture. I see you're wearing a wedding ring...what was your concession for the camera? :-D

Through Amazon from Cameta Camera out of New York: http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Digital-18-300mm-Battery-Charger/dp/B00K1H0D22/ref=sr_1_28?ie=UTF8&qid=1404453311&sr=8-28&keywords=Nikon+D7100

The tripod is too flimsy but the rest is good.

Well, that's real life. If we're talking "all else being equal" you get back to the sterile metric comparison on the Web site that started this particular sub-thread.

Regarding your tripod question I can only speak to the bull riding and the turkey vulture pictures. The former was taken from the general bleacher section of the rodeo and the latter from the driver side of my vehicle out the passenger window while the vehicle was slowly moving so as not to spook the bird. Neither condition was conducive to use of a tripod.

Here are some representative images...

1DX: http://www.photoextract.com/photo/489236.html

D4s: http://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Nikon-D4s-Sample-Image-7-1024x681.jpg

D7100: http://www.photoextract.com/photo/513205.html

As to the last picture, it was taken with the same camera and lens that captured this last weekend:
http://outrider.darrows.org/desertscenes/h924fce7#h924fce7

I'm familiar with the photographer :-).

I do get your point, however. Personally, I wouldn't mind a move to an FX format but the price difference isn't all that easy to justify considering the D7100's capabilities. While I would (and am) considering a move to an 810, the jump to the D4s is currently cost prohibitive.

Interesting site. Nice to see my D7100 outscore the Canon at 1/5 the cost :-) (overall score - D4s: 89, D7100: 83, 1DX: 82).

Add mine to the list of good reviews. The 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6 came as a kit lens with my D7100. In the year I've had the camera the only time I've removed the lens was to replace it with my Micro 105mm f/2.8 for macro shooting.

All shots were taken with my Nikon D7100 and AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens. All shots were taken from the general seating bleachers.

There are five galleries. You can click on the "Info" tab while viewing individual pictures to get specific shot information.

My picture "Going Down Hard" was featured in the online magazine PhotoExtract (http://www.photoextract.com/):
http://outrider.darrows.org/cave-creek-fiesta-days-2014-bull-riding/h2bcb6d7e#h2bcb6d7e

The galleries:
http://outrider.darrows.org/cavecreekfiestadaysrodeo2014

More of the outstanding work I've learned to expect from you. Thanks for posting interesting shots of a subject, though near and dear to my heart, that's a hallmark of a quickly receding era.

I should have added to my earlier response that I was also lucky that I was able to take the photos without a flash. The light was low and getting lower (you can see from recorded EXIF data that the time of the shot was 19:44).

I noticed through the viewfinder that even with the ISO at 800 on my Nikon D7100 I needed a shutter speed of a glacial 1/10 of a second for proper exposure. This worried me because the rule of thumb (as I know it) is anything slower than 1/30 of a second leaves you vulnerable to extensive blurring when shooting without a tripod. My Nikkor 18-300 lens has on-board VR and I leaned hard against the side of my vehicle to steady the camera (I was shooting from my garage). As it was, these are the best two of several shots. I could have cranked the ISO more or played with EV but there simply wasn't time.

To me it looked like a Bobcat but some folks who saw the picture thought it was a Lynx or an Ocicat. So, just to be sure, I asked an expert at the Phoenix Zoo. Here is her response:

~~~~~

I received the email you sent to the zoo regarding the wonderful photo taken of a cat drinking from your neighbor's fountain. You were correct –it is in fact a bobcat which is one of our Arizona native wild cat species. Bobcats do get their names from that short 'bobbed' tail that you can see very well in the photo –they are designed for hunting small prey such as rabbits and other small mammals, but will sometimes catch birds and even some smaller reptiles. They are the most wide ranging of all the cat species in North America, and are generally around twice the size of a domestic cat. While lynx do share some of the same physical characteristics, they are a larger, more northerly species and would not naturally be found here in Arizona. The ocicat is a domestic breed of cat that has wildcat-like spot patterns but have no wild cat DNA. The coat pattern of an ocicat may look slightly similar to what you see on the bobcat, but as you can see the bobcat has a short tail, facial ruff on the side of its face, large feet, large ears…..a domestic cat would have a long tail (most breeds that is, especially the ocicat), small feet, no facial ruff, and small ears.

You are so lucky to be able to see such amazing wildlife so close to home! As we move farther into undeveloped area, some species are learning to adapt and live among us fairly well –the bobcat is one of those species. It looks like this cat was enjoying some of the fresh running water from the fountain on a hot day. Enjoy seeing one of our Arizona native species up close! How exciting and what a beautiful bobcat!

Rebecca Benham
Collection Manager of Carnivores
Phoenix Zoo

I'm still thanking my lucky stars :-)! Of course, living in Arizona one never knows what may be just outside the door. Sometimes it's a herd of Javelina, and sometimes you're awakened at 2 AM by the clamor of coyotes having just made a kill.

The dog and I were going to the mailbox after work the other day when I spotted this fellow crossing the street. We both (the mutt and I) just stared for a couple of seconds before I herded my 90 lb. Lab back into the house and made a dash for my camera. My luck held:
http://outrider.darrows.org/desertscenes/h26fd9897#h21ef01d5
http://outrider.darrows.org/desertscenes/h26fd9897#h26fd9897