I like to interrupt my 2012 photo review for an actual post. One of my favorite birds here in Eastern Iowa is the Tufted Titmouse. They are here all year long and I have photographed them many times before. Last weekend I made a few clicks with the D300s and the Sigma 50-500 attached. I'm very happy about this image for several reasons. First, It is the closest shot I ever made of this fast moving bird, second the titmouse is backlit and that makes the picture more interesting. I don't have much experience making backlight shots but I think it turned out well. And third, I handhold the camera with the lens fully zoomed to 500 mm (equivalent to 750 mm on a FX body) and still got a sharp image. I had recently a similar experience (backlight plus very sharp photo). I really wonder if the autofocus system on the D300s can handle this situation much better because of the sharp contour that the backlight creates on the bird's chest? Let's forget all the technical talk, the most important thing was the fun watching and working with the birds in the backyard. The Tufted Titmouse had obviously a successful breeding season this year because, at least I believe, we see more of them than the years before, and that is really a good thing.