So true Prof

I bought a Sigma 175-500mm lens many years ago (seems they've stopped making it now), which turns into a 225-750mm lens on my Sony A100 - superb lens for wildlife and other areas where you can't get close to the action.

Update time. I went to the Real Camera Shop during my lunch break and had a conversation with a very nice man called Jim who showed me a manual 400mm lens which cost £60, (I had actually phoned them about hiring a lens) and then, after I had told him what lenses I already have, spent 15 minutes explaining why I didn't actually need it.

I ended up following his advice and getting a 2x tele-converter for £30. It's a manual device, but given that I actually like all of the fiddly setting up stuff, and the fact that this isn't something you'd use for the family barbeque happy snaps, seems like a bargain.

He also gave me a copy of the Dinxons world of photography "How to photograph nature" book for free, which was very nice of him!

Given that these guys know what they are talking about and seem really nice, I think I've found my new favourite shop!

He made you aware that that will effectively double your aperture on your 300mm lens, right?

Mark

I thought it decreased the maximum aperture?

With the converter your 300mm lens will start at f/8.

Mark

I'll have to dig out some of my old books anyway, as I'm going to be limited to auto-everything, (something I haven't done since the Praktica days and a lot of whisky has flowed under the bridge since then) but it should be fun re-learning what I have forgotten.

I'll start by getting used to manually focussing again, and worry about the other stuff once I have a couple of test shots. Having said that, there's nothing wrong with choosing a static object, such as a lampost or clock tower, and practising on that until I get the settings "just right" and then seeing if I can find some more rabbits, etc

So for a given exposure the shutter will have to be open 4x longer when the lenses aperture is wide-open.

Aye.
Those rabbits will have to be sleeping.
John, that f/8 is the aperture at the widest end of the lens, at the 600mm end it'll go past f/10.

Mark

Take advantage of these sunny summer days.

With apertures like that it's about all you can do.
I do look forward to seeing any test shots you care to share with us, John.

Mark

Or get one hum-dinger of a flash unit.

Will do Mark, and I'm going to see a chemist friend of mine to find out about doping carrots, to see if that'll slow 'em down for me!

First update: Took the camera into the garden for a couple of test shots yesterday evening, and my first impressions are that it's quite impressive... nothing worth uploading yet, but I'm going to have a read of the camera manual tonight and do some more advanced settings tweaking.

The wife is now telling me that I need to buy a 50mm for taking pictures of the kids... I'm not sure how to tell her that the little lens should be fine for that, but I will see if I can use that as leverage the next time I want some toys!

Have a look in the nifty fifty thread John.