jrw, if I am shooting at 200mm I guess you mean 1/200 or above? When shooting the rabbit, I was resting the mount on a railing and felt most comfortable doing that. IS would really help with these shots. I know about the AI Servo. I was just shooting wildly at the tiger, it was difficult. It was moving fast and was close to me, shooting from above, so it would get up under me quickly. I normally use AI for moving subjects, but I had focused on the fence next to him to set up the shot and then let it walk into the shots, so it would find its way into the focal plane. I should have explained this. Keeping the single focus dot on the tigers head while moving and composing well, with the setting changing as he moved closer, seemed a bit difficult for me at the time.

I guess I should have used a 9 point or larger grid of focus area, adjusted it for his head and turned on AI. I toggled AI a lot during the day.

DavidEccleston regarding the higher ISO, I'll give it a try. I sort of like shooting at iso50 and the images are wicked detailed, but obviously that is not practical here. I guess 800 should be ok for most of the pictures here except nocturnal.

There were other pictures, much worse than the bear, such as a lion laying in the bright sun, (the only bright spot in the whole area) while surrounded by shade and dark green trees (the trees haven't much turned yet in Tokyo although some hints of oranges and yellows are showing on some)

I was already determined to return today and shoot again, but I slept in. Tomorrow is rain, the weekend is busy, they're closed on Monday so I should try again next Tuesday or sometime during the week.

Shooting through the glass is a challenge. I shot Seoul, Korea from Seoul Tower last month and it was difficult because of that. The best preparation is to wear black and keep a black cloth or jacket, felt or something, to put up on the glass and put the lens right to the glass. As I was wearing black gloves (often on 1 hand only), I was cupping the hood to the glass for many pictures.

THANKS FOR THE INPUT. I'll try again next week. I should see if they allow a tripod, but I doubt it. I can barely carry my camera around at this point, due to the neck injury I have. So it is becoming a challenge to do much. My best solution is the Lowepro Inverse AW200 for waist carrying and a Tamrac camera strap with a suede section on the strap, I wrap this around my wrist and carry the camera in my hand. During the zoo shooting, I was using a Black Rapid camera strap to hang the camera at my waist, with 3" wide shoulder pad and pockets, but the weight was still causing aggravation. It's night impossible to carry the Tamrac Expedition 5x anymore, but I do anyway, as the pain becomes numb and blocked after a while.

Some things I miss here: Tramadol: although I was sick of it anyways after 8 years of it. Twinings Lemon Green Tea, Celestial Seasonings Honey Lemon Ginseng green tea. Equinox. Central Park. Cheap Subway Fare (but renting a car in Tokyo and driving aimlessly through Japan is wicked good fun, with that thought, I am reserving one again now ). Also, things that are commonly accessible in Washington and Colorado but should not be until they actually make a realistic medical solution that doesn't damage the lungs and the sensibilities.

I have a lot of interesting photos but I haven't sorted through much. I havent taken anywhere near enough photos here.