My Gear.

For BIRDING:

Over the years I have owned various makes of binoculars and birding scopes but eventually upgraded to my current equipment in 2003.

Swarovski 8.5 x 42 EL Bins
Swarovski ATS 80 HD Scope with 30x WA and 20-60 zoom eyepieces.
Manfrotto 943 Tripod with 128RC head.


For PHOTOGRAPHY:

For many years I used an Olympus OM10 and OM-1 with various lenses but with the ever increasing costs of film processing I eventually lost interest apart from the usual holiday snaps. Soon after starting this blog my thoughts returned to photography again and I quickly realised that I needed to upgrade from a simple digital compact and eventually purchased a DSLR. This has rekindled the desire to photograph some of the wildlife I encounter and although very much an amateur I am enjoying the challenge and also extending my interest in Butterflies, Dragonflies and Damselflies.

Canon EOS 80D
Canon EOS 450D (Backup body)

Cannon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM - This lens stays permanently attached to the 80D
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM.
Cannon EF 100mm Macro f1/2.8 L IS USM
Cannon EF 50mm f1.8 II
Cannon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM
Cannon Extension Tube EF25 II
Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DGX 1.4x Cannon AF Converter
Cannon PowerShot S95 - A handy pocket camera and good for some macro work.
Cannon PowerShot SX50 HS - Handy for videos and holiday snaps.

Unless I an out birding with my scope and tripod I prefer to travel light so practically ALL of my posted images are taken 'hand-held' but I do have a Manfrotto 294A4 Monopod if needed.