[shajufx]

Mine is a D60, so I think I too get an advantage of 1.5 crop factor, isnt it ? I have already started searching for a 200-500 lens, defenitely used one, cant think about getting a brand new one by any chance as of now. But I would not want to miss any birding due to the limitation in the zoom range.

I think Samurai san mentioned somewhere in this thread 'DSLR is a money pit' or something like that. I realize how true it is !!! Another truth is = there are 100s of things that we miss out shooting within the 18-55mm range with the basic kit lens. We always look for something far from us, which requires a super zoom. I think its an addiction that gets developed after owning a DSLR !

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by shajufx

I think Samurai san mentioned somewhere in this thread 'DSLR is a money pit' or something like that. I realize how true it is !!! Another truth is = there are 100s of things that we miss out shooting within the 18-55mm range with the basic kit lens. We always look for something far from us, which requires a super zoom. I think its an addiction that gets developed after owning a DSLR !

Currently I am in a state of contentment when it comes to camera gear. Now that's rare for dSLR ownership. I have coverage from 24mm to 560mm EFL. My primary gear is fully weather sealed and can go anywhere, my primary lens 12-60mm is the best combo of convenience + quality.

Primary gear
Olympus Evolt E-3 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with in-body Mechanical Image Stabilization
Olympus Zuiko 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Digital ED SWD Lens
Olympus 50-200mm F/2.8-3.5 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens
Olympus Zuiko 50mm f/2.0 E-ED Digital Macro Lens
Olympus Zuiko EC-14, 1.4x E-ED Digital Tele Converter
Olympus EX-25, 1:1 Macro Extension Tube
Manfrotto 190DB tripod with 486RC2 & 141RC head

Backup Gear
Olympus Evolt E500 8MP Digital SLR Camera
Olympus 14-54mm F/2.8-3.5 Zuiko ED
Olympus 40-150mm F/3.5-4.5 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens

Any attempt to get wider or longer lens (weather sealed) would cost me minimum $1500 under Olympus system. So I can't eye anymore upgrades.

[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by Samurai

So I can't eye anymore upgrades.

I like this statement. You need more?

And I'm still using what I bought in 2003. Six years down the line I still can't afford to buy what I want to add..

[shajufx]

Samurai san, any reason to stick to Olympus as we have majority loyalists either to Nikon or Canon ? Do you keep all your gear in one bag ? locked ?

I have some emotional attachment to Olympus because I owned a film camera (IS 500) from 2001 to 2005. The prints are filled into around 15 albums. It was a superb camera by all means, with great zoom and best clarity. Lot of people had asked me if the camera was a high-end DSLR after seeing the albums.

Upgrading to higher zooms will never end. Even if someone gifts me the 500mm zoom lens, I will still find the lack of enough zoom for certain birds !! So atleast for next 6 months I will ignore all my cravings for higher zooms above 200mm and be just content with the 18-55 and 55-200. May be one day I have a kit like this;

[Rudra Sen]

For a moment I was puzzled thinking when did you buy that mag fiber tripod/rocket blower and so many lenses?

[HellwratH]

Shaju,

You might wanna take a look at this link. (Thanks to Redrage for the link he posted on a different forum)

Photo Equipments Buying Patterns for Nature Photography !!

Ganesh does a great job of explaining the buying patterns.

By the way, 200mm isn't enough? Hmm.. I liked Redrage's album on orkut and he has done a pretty good job with his ex-lens (55-250) and I was under the impression that 250mm should be Okayish to do bird photography (with lots of cropping of course!).

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

For a moment I was puzzled thinking when did you buy that mag fiber tripod/rocket blower and so many lenses?

I would have to sell my neighbour's house to get all that easily !

Originally Posted by HellwratH

Shaju,
You might wanna take a look at this link.
Photo Equipments Buying Patterns for Nature Photography !!
Ganesh does a great job of explaining the buying patterns.
By the way, 200mm isn't enough?

Yes buddy, I was laughing loud when I was reading that link 4 hours back. My wifee came and asked 'what happened?'. I just told her "I might win a photography contest unexpected". She left the room without even a murmer ! Its a great read and so true for a hobbyist.

200mm is very small for birding. The only choice you have with 200mm is clicking your chickens (if you have any !) in your house, cat or rat on the roof etc. or throw some rice around so that birds will come and sit infront of you to make you a bird photographer ! Birds, fish and animals will not ignore food infront of them. Here is an example. I clicked this at Lumbini Park with my Canon P&S. Popcorn is thrown into the lake (not allowed infact) and you get this: If I had my 200mm with me, I would have taken a close up of the 7th fish from the left, so that you could see the popcorn going down his throat

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by shajufx

Samurai san, any reason to stick to Olympus as we have majority loyalists either to Nikon or Canon ? Do you keep all your gear in one bag ? locked ?

I have a GV, CJ340 and an Automatic Santro in my stable. I work in a village despite being in IT. So the Olympus shouldn't come as a surprise. I keep the primary gear at home and backup gear at work.

What happened was this. When I was in the market for my first dSLR, there were slim pickings in Nikon/Canon stable. Nikon was still doling out D70s (just 6MP & USB 1.0) and Canon was still pushing 20D (no spot metering). And they weren't cheap. Compared to them Olympus E-500 was offering too much value. So I took the brave decision to follow the less-followed path.

Originally Posted by shajufx

I have some emotional attachment to Olympus because I owned a film camera (IS 500) from 2001 to 2005. The prints are filled into around 15 albums. It was a superb camera by all means, with great zoom and best clarity. Lot of people had asked me if the camera was a high-end DSLR after seeing the albums.

I too had soft spot for Olympus. I had a fixed lens SLR Olympus IS-3 between 1993-2006. Some of my finest memories were captured in this.

Originally Posted by shajufx

Upgrading to higher zooms will never end. Even if someone gifts me the 500mm zoom lens, I will still find the lack of enough zoom for certain birds !!

Any higher zoom in Olympus is way too expensive for me.

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

I like this statement. You need more?

No, not really. My dSLR quest did turn into a money pit, obvious from my gear list. But now I have the finest lens combo I can afford. That is what I mean by state of contentment. My skill will never surpass the ability of my lenses. So I don't need to upgrade anymore. TorqueGuru is probably in simlar state of contentment.

Since most guys here are unaware of Olympus lenses, let me mention what dpreview.com says about them. After reading this, you should not wonder too much about my choice. The following quotes mention the 14-54mm, 50mm and 12-60mm lenses I own.

The Olympus Zuiko Digital 50mm F2.0 Macro is a lens which we've held in high regard ever since we started using it for our reviews of Four Thirds camera bodies, and subjecting it to our full optical test suite shows precisely why. Certainly in terms of the studio results, it's the nearest we've yet found to a technically perfect lens (although it's important to appreciate that we haven't yet tested any comparable short tele macros for other formats). It's impressively sharp right across the frame even wide open, shows no significant lateral chromatic aberration or vignetting, and is near-perfectly corrected for distortion. Real world results not only bear this out, but also show that the lens maintains image quality across the entire focus distance range, making it suitable for macro, portraits and general-purpose short telephoto use alike - no mean feat at all. And in design terms it's compact and reasonably lightweight, yet solidly build and weatherproofed, providing a combination of features unmatched by any other manufacturer.

So in summary we have a lens which, despite its design flaws, offers a winning combination of optical quality and solid build in a compact package. The greatest strength of the Four Thirds system undoubtedly lies in the optics, and the 50mm F2.0 macro ranks alongside the likes of the Zuiko Digital ED 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 SWD as one of the finest lenses of its type currently available from any manufacturer.

Source: Olympus Zuiko Digital 50mm F2.0 Macro Lens Review: 4. Conclusion & samples: Digital Photography Review

Of course the 12-60mm has a hard act to follow, as the spiritual successor to the highly regarded 14-54mm F2.8-3.5, which was the standard kit lens for the E-1.

Indeed the Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 SWD is quite simply a superb lens, which can lay claim to being one of the very best standard zooms currently available. This is a design which would have been almost unimaginable even five years ago; a 5x wideangle to telephoto zoom which, though the use of some exotic optics, manages to perform almost flawlessly across its entire range, and throws in some impressive macro performance too.

Indeed Olympus have managed to surpass the already excellent 14-54mm with a lens which is demonstrably sharper at all focal lengths and generally shows less chromatic aberration, whilst extending the range at both ends.

Source: Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 12-60mm 1:2.8-4.0 SWD Lens Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

[phamilyman]

Shaju, what was needed was maybe just a CPL

[Samurai]

When I realised my 50-200mm lens is not long enough for birding, I gave up birding. I don't have the patience anyway. But I got to admit, I bought most of my lens in the first few months, that is in 2006. My last lens 12-60mm was added last year when I wanted a wider lens for shooting in confined spaces. Now that is my best lens, it is on use 95% of the time.

[abhijitaparadh]

How are case-logic cases for DSLR?
Can someone recommend a case (preferably backpack) for a SLR body and a couple of lenses?

I dont like the shoulder bag that I have currently. Its cumbersome to carry on hikes and treks. Budget is about $50.

[navin]

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

And I'm still using what I bought in 2003. Six years down the line I still can't afford to buy what I want to add..

One day I will move to a larger sensor (FF or larger).

Originally Posted by Samurai

When I realised my 50-200mm lens is not long enough for birding, I gave up birding. ...My last lens 12-60mm was added last year when I wanted a wider lens for shooting in confined spaces. Now that is my best lens, it is on use 95% of the time.

I use 17-55 on my D40 (Canon) 90% of the time too. A bit more range (15-70) would be welcome but you never get everything you wish for.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Shaju, what was needed was maybe just a CPL

Did you mean Circular Polarizing Filter ? or Chicago Pubic Library ? And how does it help in zooming or birding. Please enlighten, I am a potential photographer

Originally Posted by Samurai

When I realised my 50-200mm lens is not long enough for birding, I gave up birding. I don't have the patience anyway.

I find myself on the same road you travelled !! May be I could be lucky to find an aged and dying photographer who would want to donate all his gears to an amateur !

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by abhijitaparadh

Can someone recommend a case (preferably backpack) for a SLR body and a couple of lenses?

Lowe Pro Mini-Trekker

[phamilyman]

Shaju,

In my experience, the circular polarizer helps to focus on the fishes clearly - cutting out the reflections in the water that make it only partly visible to the camera. I am assuming the lenses/P&S can still be upto the job.





for example.