geoffm

<p>Many times when my camera says I have one shot left on my card I can fit two or three more. I know that the explanation is as Marcus says, but I like to imagine that it's the digital equivalent of squeezing 38 shots onto a 36-exposure roll!</p>

<p>Now I know why I kept this shot from last January - thanks Laura!</p><div></div>

<p>It's just what you do in Paris! At least at the Louvre they have blocks to stand on to get the height right!</p><div></div>

<p>Down here we are just beginning to enter our golden autumn, best season of the year in southern Australia. I've really enjoyed the chilly pictures from the north over the last few months. :-)</p> <p>Water-worn channels in soft sandstone.</p><div></div>

<p>The always-reliable Emu. This is a young one.</p><div></div>

<p>Most of my gear I keep in a Lowepro Mini-trekker, and that's the bag I take when I go out specifically for photographic reasons.</p> <p>I also have a Lowepro Photo Hatchback 22l which I use for hiking, travel, and days out that are not purely photographic. It has a large compartment for stuff other than camera gear. Often, though, the camera hangs on a sling strap (I like Optech).</p> <p>I like backpacks. Others prefer different bag styles. It's a personal thing.</p>

<p>Thanks for the link, Dylan, it is a great film. I think that if you watch the whole video the giveaway is toward the end, where there is a shot of DA with a BOP, without doubt at the breeding facility he talks about in Qatar. In other words he is doing what Colin suggests in his last paragraph - going somewhere where you can get close enough to the subject that you don't need big expensive lenses. A zoo with a walk-through aviary is a good option, and by judicious positioning and tight framing you can usually hide the wire. A 50mm might be a little wide even for this though. I use a 100-400, but in your case I might consider the 70-200 f/4 as a superb general purpose lens which would be good in this situation. Of course, if you plan to shoot Birds of Paradise in the wild you'll need a budget like DA's! :-)</p>

<p>Australia's only mainland gannet colony is at Point Danger on the south coast.</p><div></div>

<p>I have the lenses you have (with the exception of the 50/1.4). I also have the 100-400, which I quite like. With just three lenses I can go from 10mm to 400mm. I have hung onto the 70-300 for travelling, where weight matters. The 70-300 ain't too bad a lens, and it beats the others in reach per gram! </p>

<p>Not too familiar with English butterflies, so I thought this was a Painted Lady at the time. Turns out to be a Small Tortoiseshell.</p><div></div>