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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neil" data-source="post: 1560740" data-attributes="member: 1568">" ..Also, digital photography has enabled me to advance my techniques and abilities far beyond that which I reached with film. The instant nature of the medium allows you to check how different techniques and settings affect the photograph and learn so much quicker. Not to everyone's taste perhaps, I know people who say they like the 'anticipation' of waiting for the film to be developed, but that's something I always hated and really limited my progression as I was too disorganised to write careful notes on techniques and settings.I love my digital cameras - they reinvigorated my interest in photography, led me towards watching wildlife and helped me make big improvements in my general and wildlife photography"I agree with this .  I started shooting parrots and lorikeets in Sydney about 10 years ago using film and soon realised this wasn't the way to go (it took 1 week ), both for the results ( birds too small in the frame ) and cost of shooting lot's of frames.  Digiscoping got me bigger images and Digital helped me through the learning curve at low cost (except of course the cost of keeping up with the change of camera technology and computers ). I've taken over 1,000,000 images over this period ( most ended up in the bin in the early days ) and each year my average quality gets better.If anyone is any doubt about the improvements in bird photography skills have a look back to the Galley images from the early days.  I was checking my Peru hummer photos with the Database and images from 2004 were quite poor compared to those of today.For those who wax lyrical about the lost days of using film for bird photography I would like to see some results from Reala or Velvia .  Maybe someone could take some photos using film and post the results here.  I might even do this myself for fun.I just clamboured over the islands of the Galapagos with the Nikon 500/4 on a monopod over my shoulder and didn't fall down once.  The rest of the group were amazed.There are many birds though that are a bit shy of a 500/600 f4 lens swinging around towards them when you are close enough to get a decent sized image.  Some also are put of by the noise of the motor drive firing at up to 11 fps.  I would like to be digiscoping most of the time so that I can observe and stand back so as not to intrude. We are at the point now when it is possible to get speed and quality from digiscoping ( perhaps not at Naturescapes standard but close ).  Birds are more "photographable" ie. not so anxious , the further we are away. Just for interest my 500/4 plus monopod is lighter than my digiscoping kit and tripod.Good discussion and points well presented without any bad language and violence.Good stuff, Neil.Neil</blockquote>

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