My first encounter with a digital SLR was when I bought the Olympus E1.  What a revelation that was in terms of useability and instant gratification - I was hooked.  When I realised that the sort of phootgraphy I enjoyed most was wildlife and in particular bird photography I switched to Canon because of their range of brilliant lenses which were affordable compared with those of the competition.

I worked my way through the 30D followed briefly by the 40D and then moved on to the Canon 1D MkII.  This camera was a revelation when it arrived on the market with 8 frames per second and an 8.2 MP sensor.  It was a sports and wildlife photographer's dream come true and there are still top photographers who are reluctant to switch to more modern versions.  The key to this lasting popularity is the incredible autofocus ability of this camera.  When trying to lock onto a fast moving target and then following it across a potentially complex and distracting background, this camera is second to none.

Drawbacks of the 1D mkII are:

• Relatively poor noise above ISO 400 (others would say above 200).  Noise cleaning software means I often use the camera up to USO 800.

• Non self-cleaning sensor.  Keeping dust at bay is a regular task and a little tiresome.

• Poor LCD size and definition on the back.  I like to review my pictures as do most people and there's a limit to how useful this is on the MkII.

• Non-intuitive 2 button operation for many tasks such as setting ISO and Mode.

Canon 7D

As you will see from the illustration above, the frustrations of the 1D MkII eventually outweighed its advantages and in November 2009 I moved to the new Canon 7D.  Despite its numbering it is a 1.6 crop camera unlike the full frame 5D.  It seems intermediate in build quality between the xxD series and the 1D series with improved weather sealing, a full 1:1 viewfinder and a 8fps shutter speed.  The high ISO performance is thought to be better than preceding 1.6 crop cameras and it has a staggering 18MP on it's sensor with a tiny pixel size.  In addition it has HD video capability which should be a lot of fun to try.

Drawbacks of this camera are:

• To balance the 500mm lens I need an additional battery grip.
• Build quality less than the 1D series and I will worry about it in the rain.
• Likely to be noisier than the 1d MkIII which I would have otherwise bought.

Lenses

Always get a good lens over the latest camera.  Lenses should last possibly decades whereas a camera can be out of date in a 3 years or so.  My current lineup is:

• Canon 600mm f4 IS (Mar '11) replacing the Canon 500mm f4 IS
• Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 IS
• Canon 24-105mm f4 IS
• Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro
• Canon 1.4x and 2x teleconverters

Support

Even with image stabilised lenses you need a steady foundation for most long lens work.  I use a Gitzo 1548 tripod with a Jobu BWG-HD2 gimbal mount.  The tripod has padded covers on its top leg sections to ease the pain of slinging it and camera and lens over the shoulder for long periods.