Of course one of the best things about owning an SLR is being able to change lenses.

So my thoughts soon turned to a long telephoto.

I considered the available options and opted for the sigma 70-300 APO Super Macro II. Now, the build quality of this lens is a little poor, but for the money it delivers the results.

So, I dragged the kids off to Marwell Zoo. I think the best shot of the day was one of a great grey owl, shot through mesh no less! One of the lessons I learned that day, is that you can shoot through mesh.

At the time I didn't own a tripod, lucky for me it was a very bright day! so I could keep the shutter speed very high.

One of the things I have learned since then ( mostly by missing shots ) is that a tripod is a must. I now have two tripods and a walking pole/monopod hybrid.

The other useful tip is that you cannot see if an image is in focus using the lcd panel on the back at default setting.