matt_grimes

Wow...that's a bunch of good info. Thank you all for the responses. I'll take some time and give this some consideration.

Some basic responses:

1. I do plan on keeping my existing lenses:

a) Canon 28-135mm, IS, f3.5-5.6

b) Tokina 20-35mm, AT-X Pro, f2.8

c) Tamron 1.4X Teleconverter

2. Home computer is up to date; P4 3.2GHz w/1GB RAM. Only an 80GB drive though. Somehow using 'only' and 80 GB in the same sentence seems ludicrous.

3. I dumped my 19"CRT recently and got a Samsung 970P which I think should be ok. I'm not sure I totally understand this 'calibration' business. I know the monitor came with some software called MagicTune which I have used to adjust it.

4. I suspect I will start off taking my images to the local lab for printing so I can concentrate on mastering the camera. I really like the 'print only the keepers' theory. In my case that was usually only a handful out of a roll.

5. [brad] I haven't done any darkroom work since I was a kid. It was fun! But I no longer have the space or inclination for that whole messy business and I image color processing adds a whole new range of issues.

Thanks again...

Ok, so I've finally decided to give up on film and make the move to digital. I

am primarily a hobbyist but occasionally try and cover events of interest to me.

I shot up five rolls last weekend covering a Land Rover rally and because I was

in a hurry ended up spending $55 getting it developed/printed/CD'ed. It doesn't

take a rocket scientist to figure out that the digital would pay for itself in a

reasonably short time.

After reading many very thoughtful postings I have decided to replace my ElanII

with a lightly-used 20D. But....the more I look into this...it makes me wonder

where this venture all ends? The more I read the more I think "scope creep".

1. Apparently, my RC-1 wireless remote won't work on the 20D.

2. Evidently I need to buy some fancy-schmancy (Photoshop)photo editing software

in order to fiddle about with the images. Assuming, that is, I shoot in RAW

format which seems to make the most sense. I do own PaintShop Pro Version 9.1

maybe that will work?

3. If I want to print my own I'll need to buy a printer/paper and lots of ink

cartridges. My current inkjet printer is five years old and very tired.

4. I'll need several Flash Memory cards, and a Card Reader for my PC.

5. ?

6. ?

What else is lurking out there waiting to empty my wallet?

The decision was made fairly easily after finding a Tamron 200-400mm lens advertised for sale by private owner for $175. It should arrive next week. I had better get busy finding that tripod.

I got my first set of prints back from using the Canon Elan II. Very nice! I am impressed. This will be much more enjoyable than my old setup.

Thanks again for the thoughtful responses. I have pretty much decided to stick with a zoom lens for now. I am leaning towards one of the following:

Canon 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM

Tamron 200-400mm f/5.6 LD IF

Tokina 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 AT-X

Any of these would seem to be a reasonable place to start learning. I think I should invest in a better tripod though. Something light enough to strap to my daypack. I have a monopod I can use in the interim.

Rob: Thanks for the candid answers. I appreciate the truth. As an amateur I know my expectations are too high for my limited budget. I can really relate to the "little birds" scenario. <chuckles> I learned that one not long after the "little/big planes" in the sky lesson.

It still doesn't stop me from trying though. Couple of weeks ago, while camping, there was a pair of eagles that kept coming back to the ridge we were on. My 250mm was adequate (filled nearly half the frame) but the manual focus hosed me again <sigh>

Sounds like the Canon 100-300mm might be a good choice.

I am in the process of upgrading my current Olympus OM-2n manual focus

setup to a Canon AF. I have acquired an Elan II with a Canon 28-135mm

IS Zoom which should meet my routine requirements. However, I will

miss my Zuiko 85-250mm zoom alot and need to find something to replace

it. Actually, I would like to find something with a little more

reach. I found that I used the 85-250 almost entirely in the

200-250mm range and often needed "just a little more".

I spent most of my money on the camera and IS lens. I figure I'll

have around $200 left for this long lens purchase. I am not

particularly experienced at nature photography but my goal while

hiking is to shoot wildlife rather than landscapes. It rarely seems to

work out that way though. I am not opposed to purchasing 3rd party

lenses and I expect to purchase used equipment. My hope is to get some

feedback from those of you that have "been there - done that" so I can

avoid buying a marginal lens. My limited research so far tells me I

probably want to avoid the Vivitar lenses, Tamron and Sigma can be

reasonable, and buy Canon if you can afford it. So.... I have a

couple of questions.

1. Will a 300mm lens give me that "little bit more"? or should I go

for 400mm top-end? (the odds of having a tripod along are slim)

2. Zoom or Prime? Ok, I know this is very subjective and everyone

has their own ideas. Maybe I should re-phrase the question... I like

the convience of zooms. If you were going to recommend a prime (can

only afford one) what would it be?

3. Of the Tamron and Sigma lenses what would be the better ones to

look for?

4. I could wait and save a little more money, but realistically,

would never spend more than $400 for another lens. Is there something

that would really be worth my while to save for?

Thanks,

Matt