Hi koolklamz,
Deswitch said:
Birding will easily put you back by $20k. I hope you seriously consider if you want to walk into this most expensive path of photography.
Deswitch is absolutely right. Bird photography is an
expensive hobby. Birds are among the most difficult and challenging subjects in nature to capture on sensor/film. You need long, fast (bright) lenses and cameras with fast and robust autofocus performance to capture the action. Many bird photographers use top end gear costing few tens of k to ensure they can have increase the possibility of getting quality pictures. Don't get me wrong, it is not a luxury statement but a necessity of the hobby.
You will need have to have the following gear (minimum) to ensure good to excellent results:
1) A decent camera body, preferably digital SLR with a built in crop factor and which has full manual settings. Canon 20D/30D or Nikon D80/D200 are preferred choices. This will cost you between $2k-3k.
2) A telephoto lens (preferably 400mm or more). The most important part of your setup as this determines the quality of your images. This will set you back about $2.5k or more. A good starting point is the Canon 400mm f5.6L. Tack sharp and fast focusing.
3) A decent flashlight. Birds sometimes hide in shady or dense foliage or in low morning or evening light, a flash is sometimes essential in this instances. Canon 430EX or Nikon SB600 as starters, abt $400-500.
4) A good, sturdy tripod. If you can swing it, a Gitzo carbon fibre 1257 or even the bigger 13xx carbon fibre series ($700-$1k). If not, the cheaper Manfrotto 055 Pro is also very good (although heavier) - about $200.
5) A good ballhead. Markins M1Q Emile is excellent - small, light and rated for 30kg max load. This cost abt $480.
6) Assorted accessories like CF memory cards (standard 2 gig card costs around $100?), Better Beamer flash extender (available at TCW for $70), remote cable release switch ($80), a bag to put all the stuff into. ($100 upwards).
So as you can see, its not cheap. If you intend to get into it for the long run, my advice is:
dun go for cheap. Get the best you can possibly afford in the beginning to spare your self the trouble of selling and then buying again later. Even if it means saving up for it. You might also consider purchasing used gear which goes for less than brand new street prices, you can save up quite a bit.
Another option is using digiscopes. If you are a birdwatcher, you might already have one. A quality digiscope from the likes of Leica or Swarovski, coupled with a good digicam and adapter, and a solid tripod, can yield impressive results, and fit somewhere around your budget (give or take a few hundreds). The downside of this setup is that you need lots of good light, and provided the bird is not in motion (i.e static or perching shots.)
Do check out this web forum,
http://www.avianwatchasia.org . Its a local birdwatching cum bird photography forum where local and regional bird enthusiasts hang out to share pics and tips.
Good luck!