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An update!
Well I'm not sure if this is the right forum to post this in, but since I made my start here and I don't have any photo's to share yet I thought I'd give it a go again 
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I just wanted to give a little update now that I've had my camera for a couple weeks (thanks again Divamum!). I'm absolutely loving everything about it (well besides the cost of film). My photography class is very interesting and challenging. I will never take light for granted again, that's for sure. The class also goes very well with my birds of Oregon biology class except for the fact that the rolls of film that I do have are for class assignments and I keep snapping great pictures of birds. I even got a picture of low flying Bald Eagle carrying a fish with an Osprey hot in pursuit (guess who actually caught the fish, lol). All of our pictures are taken on chrome film so I don't have anything to post here yet, but hopefully after the class is over I will be able to afford some prints.
The only thing I wish is that I had more time to take pictures, but with 21 credits at school, a new job, two internships, and volunteer work, I'm normally pretty beat by the end of the day.:snore The trick I've found is to just carry my camera with me all the time. I've already scuffed up a new pair of shoes crawling around on pavement trying different angles for a fountain shot (which worked great for my motion assignment) while running late for class haha. :click
I guess I do have a couple questions about cameras and lenses though. I always give myself a nice gift at the end of a term if I earned straight A's or did well in difficult classes, but I can't decide what would be the better investment, a digital body or a nice zoom lens.:dunno Film is expensive and I do feel like digital would fit my lifestyle and budget better. However, I will be continuing with film photography in school (wee darkroom next term!), and I'm constantly wishing I had more focal length when I'm out bird watching. I'm also concerned with what digital body I could afford and how far that will carry me. I've seen a couple Rebel Xsi's up on our local craigslist for under $300, but they may not be there when I'm ready to buy. Realistically I couldn't put more than $600 into a new digital camera, and that may be stretching it. So basically, what would you do in this situation? :bow
All in all, I'm loving it! I just need a better neck strap for my camera and binoculars lol!
:wave
.I just wanted to give a little update now that I've had my camera for a couple weeks (thanks again Divamum!). I'm absolutely loving everything about it (well besides the cost of film). My photography class is very interesting and challenging. I will never take light for granted again, that's for sure. The class also goes very well with my birds of Oregon biology class except for the fact that the rolls of film that I do have are for class assignments and I keep snapping great pictures of birds. I even got a picture of low flying Bald Eagle carrying a fish with an Osprey hot in pursuit (guess who actually caught the fish, lol). All of our pictures are taken on chrome film so I don't have anything to post here yet, but hopefully after the class is over I will be able to afford some prints.
The only thing I wish is that I had more time to take pictures, but with 21 credits at school, a new job, two internships, and volunteer work, I'm normally pretty beat by the end of the day.:snore The trick I've found is to just carry my camera with me all the time. I've already scuffed up a new pair of shoes crawling around on pavement trying different angles for a fountain shot (which worked great for my motion assignment) while running late for class haha. :click
I guess I do have a couple questions about cameras and lenses though. I always give myself a nice gift at the end of a term if I earned straight A's or did well in difficult classes, but I can't decide what would be the better investment, a digital body or a nice zoom lens.:dunno Film is expensive and I do feel like digital would fit my lifestyle and budget better. However, I will be continuing with film photography in school (wee darkroom next term!), and I'm constantly wishing I had more focal length when I'm out bird watching. I'm also concerned with what digital body I could afford and how far that will carry me. I've seen a couple Rebel Xsi's up on our local craigslist for under $300, but they may not be there when I'm ready to buy. Realistically I couldn't put more than $600 into a new digital camera, and that may be stretching it. So basically, what would you do in this situation? :bow
All in all, I'm loving it! I just need a better neck strap for my camera and binoculars lol!
:wave
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It sounds like you are doing well in the class and that's fantastic.
I agree that digital photography is a benefit in several ways:
Lower total cost of ownership (TCO), versus film and processing.
Instant gratification and feedback.
High ISO is generally less problematic than film.
A plethora of used equipment is available at very reasonable prices. (This is also true of film cameras for their original cost but alas the TCO for film is so much higher if you use it much.)
Then again, lenses tend to serve you much longer and ultimately lenses are what form the original image and, thus, a good lens may ultimately have more of an impact on the results (unless you absolutely need the features of a better body.)
I suggest that, in your case, the benefits of a digital body will have a more immediate return for your success. Remember that you may also have to invest in an appropriate computer, hard drives and software to leverage the investment of a digital camera. There is also a fairly hefty learning curve to using the computer and software successfully.
The sort of lenses that are appropriate for bird photography can get very expensive and in the mean time you can practice the techniques of luring/baiting and "hunter's blind" to both get your quarry closer to you and allow you to be closer without scaring the birds.
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We may be able to (soon) help you with a better strap for your camera:
http://smugmug.com/free-stuff.mg?offered=yes&
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
What camera and lens do you have now?
Does it auto-focus, camera or lens?
If all are totally manual then I recommend you take a look at Olympus.....funny thing.....Olympus has lowered it prices, where C & N are raising theirs:D.
If your current camera & lens does auto-focus then I suggest you take a look at ebay......I find a lot of great deals on ebay....if one is cautious........not knowing what your currently shoot I would suggest a Sigma 70-200 f2.8 in your camera mount .......
As Ziggy suggested their are few little things a person can do to get close to the animals in nature......these are what I do when bow hunting or wildlife photography......
1- take chlorophyll pills for a least a month before the outing and then keep up on a regular basis....it is good for you as a supplement......does make your sweat smell like wet mowed grass.......:D
2- day of outing......bathe with a non scented pure soap.....rinse and then using approx 1/2 cup baking soda make a rinse with 2 cups warm water and rinse whole body including hair.....do not towel dry......it may leave a residue behind but this will keep the animals from being able to smell you.......I have had Deer walk right up to me and push on me because they knew I wasn't there the last time they walked thru that part of the woods.....
It is cool being able to get up close and personal with some animals:D.........this technique has kept me from having to invest in very long lenses....my longest being my Sigma 70-210 f2.8 APO for my konica Minolta 7D's.....
Chlorophyll pills, hmm. I'll have to think about that, although I don't think the person next to me at the gym will like it very much lol!
I've been waiting for SmugMug straps to become available (I check almost every day lol), it sure would be a nice upgrade!
I got to spend almost the whole morning taking pictures, well almost the whole morning. Either way it was really nice and I did get pretty close to some ducks, but I don't think that's a major accomplishment lol. I'm sure I looked funny crouched on the side of a creek taking pictures of duck butts lol. I also got some great pictures (and panning practice) at the dog park. But man did I wish I had that longer lens when I first got there. Right as I got out of my car an osprey flew overhead, I got my camera out and quickly unloaded my dog and started speed walking towards where it was flying and went to take a picture as it flew close by and forgot I didn't take the lens cap off *facepalm*. But then it landed in a dead tree nearby and I could have had a real nice close up if I had that longer lens, but it flew off before I could get close enough :cry
A quick question about the lens comment you made Ziggy, the lady at the local camera shop recommended one lens to me for bird photography. I think it was a Tamron 75-300mm f/4-5.6 telephoto zoom lens. They have them new for around $200, which doesn't seem too expensive. But was this a bad recommendation on her part? She's helped me a fair amount before and I've always been very pleased with her help.
If you think of that lens as an 75-200mm, f5.6-f8, it works pretty well. Use it in very good light with those parameters and you can get pretty good results. At 300mm you need to really fill the frame with the subject or just shoot very simple subjects as the lens gets pretty soft at the long end.
I have an older version and the results can be OK if the lens is used properly.
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=15769
KEH often has the lens used for around $100USD. Be aware that the oldest version of the lens will not work on digital bodies.
If I were to replace my lens I would get the Tamron 70-300mm, f4-f5.6 LD Di Tele-Macro 1:2, model A17 with 62mm filter threads. KEH has an EX+ for $115. I regard it as a minor upgrade of the 75-300 with better close focus capabilities.
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