Pezzenti freely admits that. His gear has gotten better and more advanced over time. Yet, as he also says, had he not taken the time to fully know the subjects he shoots (to the point that he knows certain birds well enough, and they even know him well enough) that he can get quite close to them. He says that if he has to use anything more than a 600mm lens he's not done his work right. For individual nesting pairs that he's worked with over the years, he gets a lot closer, often using focal lengths of 300mm or less. The point is that he knows the subjects, practices, and is dedicated. That's a lot different than heading up the Chilkat with huge glass, tele-extenders, shooting a gazillion fps, hiding your ass in a blind, and hoping you'll get something, or blaming your failure because the camera buffer fills too quickly or the auto focus isn't fast enough. IMO, equipment is not a replacement for skill and ability, for dedication and knowledge.
Since (at least as I read it) Herb is bitchin' and moaning about the failure of his gear to deliver the goods, I'd suggest he get faster and better gear, and see if that really nets better results. Why keep using Pentax gear if it doesn't do the job? Shel > [Original Message] > From: Godfrey DiGiorgi > Good equipment certainly helps, but it's not the arbiter of great > photographs.
