I have been considering the possibility of buying a DSLR camera and telephoto lens for birding but I can't decide whether it is going to be too much of an encumbrance.
Hi Ron,
I assume you would be using the DSLR for more than bird photography?
If this is the case you could purchase a DSLR with a decent all around lens. If you had the DSLR you could rent a telephoto lens or rent a few different telephotos to get an idea of what to expect before you make the big purchase.
Speaking of heavy equipment…
A friend of mine who has done great with bird photography doesn’t like sitting around to shoot. He treks through the wild to photo birds with a heavy lens and camera, a large body DSLR and I think a EF 500mm f/4L IS. He recently purchased a BushHawk Shoulder Mount, similar to a gun stock but for your camera. You can purchase a remote shutter release cable that works with the trigger button.
I tried it out it was a cool camera mount. The only issue I noticed with this setup was the shoulder stock. When you have the stock on your shoulder it’s awkward to look through the viewfinder. You can brace the stock on your chest to get around this.
I don’t know the weight he carries but he said the bushhawk has been great, he can be ready for a shoot very quickly. You can also attach a monopod to the bushhawk to help as well.
Here’s a link to the shoulder mounts:
http://bushhawk.shopol.com/Group/5YDIQ7IWWOKX6ZMJ.htm
Good luck on your camera decision. There’s a bunch of great advice if you search the forums here and great people as well.
Dana