Besides the change from winter to spring, there's also a change in
equipment for me.
First, this winter weather was brutal for me bird wise. The temps were
so cold I didn't get one photo this year, a first for me. So as you can
probably imagine, I've by anxiously waiting for this warmer weather!
Second, my equipment changes...I'm finally saying goodbye to the
two pieces of equipment I've had since 2007, when I started in
bird photography.
1. Gitzo 1327 Tripod. Even after all these years, the Gitzo I have is
still great, but the legs were getting tougher and tougher to work.
Even after a periodic disassembling of the legs, it just reached the
end, not to mention finding parts harder and harder.
So what did I buy? An Induro CT304 carbon fiber tripod. The tripod
was first recommended by Denise Ippolito. With the tripod costing
half as much as a Gitzo, I bought the CT304.
The only negative of the tripod is the feet. They were made for pavement.
For under $12 I bought some replacement spike feet. I used a regular
wrench to replace the feet.
Other than that, it looks like a great tripod. It's also smaller and lighter
than my Gitzo. I can't wait to use it in the field.
2. The planets finally lined up and I said good bye to my NON IS 600.
I sold my Canon 300 2.8 giving me the funds toward an IS 600. The
600 is a version 1, but its still a heck of a great lens.
I have to admit, I am going to miss my NON IS 600. It helped me take
a lot of great pictures and prove to people you don't need IS to create
a great image. What I'm not going to miss is the weight of almost 16
pounds!!
