Digital Darrell Whoops a Bear ©Darrell Young Some have claimed that the Nikon's new digital SLR cameras have no where near the "build" of a film-based Nikon F5. It doesn't matter, and here's why: Let me tell you a "true" story about an event that happened to me here in the Great Smoky Mountains. A couple of years ago, I was out walking in the deep woods along a trail in the Smokies. I was so far away from civilization that sunrise came later than normal. As I was walking along photographing butterflies and birds with my Nikon F5, a large grizzly bear walked out of the woods and, viewing me as quite tasty, decided that I would be his next meal. Well, he rushed me with a great roar. Little did he know that I was armed with one of the world's most dangerous weapons...a fully loaded Nikon F5! I raised that F5 up and proceeded to use its great bulk and titanium frame to dispatch that grizzly in no time flat. Afterwards, I skinned him and made my coat and britches for the following winter. I continued shooting thereafter with my F5. No damage was done to the camera, of course. Well, just the other day I was around about that same area of the Smokies, doing my normal photography thing, except THIS time I was using my new digital Nikon D2x. As I rounded a bend in the trail, why, out of the woods rushed an even larger grizzly than the time before. Now, I knew that the D2x was NO MATCH -- weapon-wise -- for a fully loaded Nikon F5, so I figured I was in serious trouble. But, having nowhere to go, I raised my D2x into fighting position and rushed that old grizzly.
	About the time I started to hit him over the head, he stopped and said, "Whoa now! Is that one of those newfangled digital Nikon D2x's you've got there?" I, of course, was a bit surprised that he was talking and all, but I replied, "Yep, old bear, this IS one of those new D2x's!" Well that old bear then did something I never expected. He pulled out a Canon 1Ds Mark II digital camera from a hip pocket, and exclaimed, "tell you what there little buddy. I tried for three months to get one of them there D2x's by mail order. I never could, so I had to settle for this old Canon thing. I'll give you this here Canon and $1,000.00 USD for that there D2x, and let you go without a fight." Well, being primarily a business man, I made a deal right there with that old grizzly. He parted much happier with his new Nikon D2x, and I left alive with a Canon 1Ds. I've been trying to sell it since, but can find no buyers. Wanna buy a slightly bear scratched Canon? I gotta raise the cash for another D2x! Keep on shooting digital pictures, ya hear!
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