In the Field

Off Fairway Hazard. Khutzeymateen Estuary, British Columbia, Canada. May 24, 2025.

There are many good reasons why there are no golf courses in the Khutzeymateen Inlet or Estuary. If the unthinkable happened and someone DID manage to open a golf course there then there's a very good chance that the hazards found in the long grass of the "rough" would scare off the clientele! 😉

I'm often asked what lens is my most valuable and/or useful lens in the Khutzeymateen. For me the answer is clear-cut: It's my Nikkor Z 400mm f2.8S. Do I have "evidence" to back this statement up? Sort of. After completing my 2025 Khutzeymateen photo tours I took my time carefully culling my images searching for the images I wanted to retain and immediately process. I came up with 60 images that I felt justified keeping and processing for various uses. Of these 60, 40 (or 67%) were captured with one of the 3 focal lengths I regularly use the Z 400mm f2.8S at (400mm, 560mm, and 800mm).

This image was captured using the Z 400mm f2.8S shot at 800mm (paired with the Z TC-2.0x). I own a copy of the Nikkor Z 800mm f6.3S so some may be wondering why I would shoot the Z 400mm f2.8S with a 2x TC rather than using my Z 800mm. Good question. It's simply owing to logistics - we travel into the Khutzeymateen via float plane and have luggage weight restrictions. Which means I can NOT bring every possible lens I might use there - I have to leave some lenses at home! My own previous systematic lens testing has shown that under controlled conditions there is close to zero difference in image quality between the Z 400mm f2.8S plus the Z TC-2.0x and the Z 800mm f6.3S (especially if you run your raw files through DxO PhotoLab or PureRAW using the appropriate camera/lens modules). However, under real-world field use conditions I HAVE noticed I get a slightly (but very consistent) higher hit rate of in-focus shots with the Z 800mm f6.3S compared to the Z 400mm f2.8S plus Z TC-2.0x. I think this is due to a bit of a diminishment in autofocus performance when you add the 2x TC to the Z 400mm f2.8S.

SO...even though the hit rate of the Z 400mm f2.8S shot at 800mm doesn't quite match that of the Z 800mm f6.3S in situations where "I can't bring it all" using the Z TC-2.0x with the Z 400mm f2.8S is a very viable option.

Finally, other geeks like me may be interested in knowing how many shots captured with the Z 400mm f2.8S at each of the 3 focal lengths fell into the "I just gotta process this image" category. Here ya go: @ 400mm it was 16 shots (of 60, or 27%); @ 560mm it was 17 shots (28%); @ 800mm it was 7 shots (12%).

Here's a larger version (4800 pixel) of this large brown grass dweller:

• Off Fairway Hazard: Download 4800 pixel image (JPEG: 4.3 MB)

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

1. These images - in all resolutions - are protected by copyright. I'm fine with personal uses of them (including use as desktop backgrounds or screensavers on your own computer), but unauthorized commercial use of the image is prohibited by law. Thanks in advance for respecting my copyright!

2. Like all photographs on this website, these images were captured following the strict ethical guidelines described in The Wildlife FIRST! Principles of Photographer Conduct. As such, no baiting or any form of attractant was used and, as always, we attempted to minimize our impact on the ongoing behaviour of the subjects. I strongly encourage all wildlife photographers to always put the welfare of their subjects above the value of their photographs.

3. This image was captured during my Grizzlies of the Khutzeymateen Instructional photo tour in late spring of 2025. Each year I offer trips into the Great Bear Rainforest as well as tours into the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Sanctuary (to photograph grizzlies, of course!). Details about these trips can be found on the Photo Tours page of this website.

Behind the Camera

Off Fairway Hazard. Khutzeymateen Estuary, British Columbia, Canada. May 24, 2025.

High Efficiency* Compressed RAW (NEF) format; ISO 640.

Nikon Z 9 paired with Nikkor Z 400mm f2.8S @ 800mm (paired with Z TC-2.0x). Hand-held from a floating Zodiac inflatable boat. VR on in Sport mode. 3D-tracking AF area mode with subject detection on "Animal" mode.

1/1250s @ f6.3; -0.33 stop compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.

At the Computer

Off Fairway Hazard. Khutzeymateen Estuary, British Columbia, Canada. May 24, 2025.

Initial noise reduction and capture sharpening on the .nef (raw) file using the DeepPRIME XD2S algorithm of DXO PhotoLab 8.7 Elite (using the appropriate lens/camera optical module).

Subsequent adjustments to the adjusted linear DNG file (exported from PhotoLab) and conversion to 16-bit TIFF file (and JPEG files for web use) - including all global and selective adjustments - made using Capture One Pro (build 16.6.3). In the case of this image the only global adjustments were minor tweaks to contrast (a Levels adjustment) and the blacks. Selective local adjustments performed using Capture One Pro's layers and masking tools. In this case numerous small adjustments and minor tweaks were made on 6 separate layers, with the tweaks being associated with "exposure balancing" and contrast adjustments (such as adjustments to brightness, clarity, highlights, shadows, etc.).

Photoshop modifications included insertion of the watermark and/or text.

Conservation

Off Fairway Hazard. Khutzeymateen Estuary, British Columbia, Canada. May 24, 2025.

Species Status in Canada*: Special Concern (May 2002).

While Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos) are not technically listed as "Endangered" in Canada, they have been extirpated from most of their historical range. Grizzly Bears are far more sensitive to intrusion/disturbance in their habitat than are Black Bears and are being increasingly forced into marginal habitat by human encroachment. The Great Bear Rainforest along the central and northern coast of British Columbia is one of the last strongholds of the Grizzly Bear in Canada, and even this population is coming under increasing pressure.

On December 18, 2017 the government of British Columbia banned grizzly hunting across the entire province. This major conservation victory came after decades of tireless work by many dedicated conservationists and ecologists and, most importantly, it reflects the opinion of the vast majority of British Columbians. And, it means that AT LEAST while the current government remains in power grizzlies are finally "safe" in British Columbia.

Now that we've at least temporarily won the battle to save grizzlies in BC, it's time to re-focus our efforts toward protecting ALL of BC's carnivores, including Gray Wolves, Black Bears, Cougars, Wolverines, and more! Simply put, there are no ecological, economic, or ethical arguments supporting the trophy hunting of carnivores.

*as determined by COSEWIC: The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada