Okay, check this out from GD, if you haven't seen it

[Celebration]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x232443

Guy made his own camera shooting birds at 1/8000 second. Hint--think hummingbird wings with stop action, etc.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. nice. but he did not make his d3 and 300 2.8

only the sets behind the birds and the blind

[postatomic]

2. Looks like the 400 2.8

I'm guessing about $17,000 plus in body, lens, and flash?

[bluedigger]

4. Holy cow! That much?

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

5. at least that much

if that is a d3x... and he has at least sb900, possibly 5 of them

[Celebration]

7. Did he rig together lenses or something?

I never thought he ground the glass, but I thought he put together lenses, but I could be wrong.

Honestly, I love taking bird photos, but sitting in an igloo does NOT sound appealing to me. Glad he is doing it though.

It does sound like an expensive hobby, but golf can be as well, and bass fishing too, ugh.

He should sell his work and stop calling himself an amateur.

[bluedigger]

3. Amazing what an amateur can do with several thousand dollars worth of equipment.

Nice shots.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

6. his flickr stream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38337571@N02/