The problem with photographing small things such as birds, is that you need great magnification paired with an f-stop that will make it possible to get correct exposure in less than the brightest sunlight. Since this is also a function of film speed, I'm obviously talking about film cameras. Without going into a huge tutorial about exposure I can tell you that the classic combination among professional bird photographers for many years has been the Nikon 400 mm EDO lens (I think it's an f 2.8) with doubler, giving 800 mm., or its Cannon equivalent, costing about 5-figures with appropriate back, tripod, cases etc. This still requires blinds, tripod, patience and extremely good advanced scouting. Excellent nest photos have also been taken with the normal 50 mm macro fired remotely, either by motion switch, remote cable or electronic release. Special film backs for 250 or so exposures, if you're putting the camera up a tree, are recommended. The most cost-efficient method for the true professional (one who has to balance his equipment investment against the measely prices paid by the market for bird photos, which is over run with amatuers with too much money and no fiscal sense), is the bird in a box technique - capture the bird and put it into a blind with only one perch directly in front of a camera hole with multiple strobes for lighting. Lighting is the main cost here, as once again the 50mm. macro lens suffices handsomely. Most small bird photos in magazines are shot in this manner. Look at the eye and see how many "suns" are reflected in it - hummingbirds are normally shot with three strobes. Another tip is the soft focus background in green or blue. Tents are frequently used. Even this technique has its dangers. A prominent ornithologist lost an eye in South America when he peeped through the lens hole and his eye looked like a fish to the kingfisher inside. Obvioulsy digital has changed all this. You can enhance and you can easily double size on the computer. Are the lenses yet good enough and do you care? The fact that a good used 400 mm. EDO lens has dipped from about $5,000 to about $2,800 in the past couple years indicates it has headed in this direction. Be sure to factor your investment in computer, software and batteries into the equation. As digital prices come down and quality moves up it is clearly the wave of the future. Our photo staff at the Johnson City Press has gone entirely digital, and within a month will quit stocking film and chemistry for the rest of us who are loath to change because good film cameras last a long time, and I for one am loath to make a new investment out of pocket with only two years before retirement. James Brooks Jonesborough, TN Robert wrote: >TN Birders, > >We want to purchase a camera to photograph birds >in the wild. What camera do you use to do this? >Is it a digital camera or a conventional camera >with film ? > >Robert Fowler >Memphis TN > > >=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== > >The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with >first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. >----------------------------------------------------- >To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: >tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx >----------------------------------------------------- >To unsubscribe, send email to: >tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx >with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. >* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * >Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp >* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society > web site at http://www.tnbirds.org >* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN > jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423) 764-3958 >========================================================= > > > =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423) 764-3958 =========================================================