[mou] Fw: help with scopes?????

[jaxi]

I would just like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to
this thread.  Chris and Jeff I found both of your posts especially
insightful for me since photography is a huge interest of mine.  You
have helped me shift my mindset from digiscoping to if I buy a scope
it is to have a scope for the joy of having that toy (er ... tool) for
birding.  I would love to converse more about the photography
equipment you have found most useful, but perhaps we could take that
off list if others are not as interested.

Jaxi (Mpls)

On 2/19/08, Fagyal, Chris E (US SSA)
<christopher.e.fagyal at baesystems.com> wrote:
>
> Further to this discussion a few things to consider:
>
> 3)       If I were to recommend a DSLR setup (in the same price range), I'd
> modify it a bit from what Jeff uses.  A) I'd use a Cannon 400mm f/5.6L USM
> lens with the 40D, not the 100-400mm.  The 400mm f/5.6L costs less, and has
> far superior optics at all apertures, especially wide open.  I'd also not
> use a 2x teleconverter, ever (especially with the zoom lens, but also not
> with a lens with an f/stop above 4.0).  I've applied a 1.4x TC to a 400mm
> f/5.6L before and the results were "ok" (keep in mind you can't autofocus a
> 400mm f/5.6L or a 100-400 f/4.5-6.3L IS USM with a 1.4X TC on it on any
> camera but a professional 1 series camera, which the 40D is not), but I
> found myself not using the teleconverter with that lens very often.
> Comparatively, with a 300mm f/2.8L IS USM I'd use the 1.4 constantly, but
> the difference in image quality is dramatic.  The difference in price (about
> 300% more expensive) is dramatic too.
>
> Chris Fagyal