Photography
I have been quite seriously interested in photography since 1996, when I acquired an Olympus OM-10 for a safari trip in Kenya.
My Current Kit
I currently use three cameras: a SLR for important photos in reasonable conditions, a waterproof compact camera for taking with me anywhere, in any conditions and occasionally my parents' digital camera, for experimentation purposes or for getting images online rapidly.
SLR: Canon EOS-1N HSI previously owned an EOS-10 which was robust, performed very well and did most of what I wanted. The control dial was annoying, though, as was the lack of a back panel quick-dial. Eventually I found an offer on a second-hand EOS-1N HS too tempting to resist, and upgraded. The HS version comes with the power winder, providing extended battery life and a fast 6fps shooting rate. And a pain in the neck if you have to carry it for long! I really ought to find the standard grip somewhere.
Until a couple of years ago the EOS-1N was Canon's top-notch SLR, though it has now been surpassed by the 3 and the 1V (and 1D, if you're into that kind of thing!). The top button controls are simpler to use than the rather fiddly dials on Canon's consumer SLRs and the control remapping custom functions are useful too. The continuous wind mode can operate at 3 or 6 fps, which is nice, but the feature I love most is the second shutter release button on the power winder: it eliminates the awkwardness of taking portrait-orientation photographs and is utterly wonderful.
With this body I currently use three prime lenses, a 2x teleconverter and a telephoto zoom lens. Three of the lenses are Canon ones: the f-1.4 50mm USM lens, which is absolutely superb and makes a lovely 100mm f-2.8 when used with the 2x teleconverter, the f-2.8 28mm lens, which doesn't have a USM motor (but the advantages of USM are less important for the landscape shots I tend to use this lens for) and the f-5.6 100-300mm telephoto zoom, which is nice for a range of shots. The fourth lens is a Sigma 400m f/5.6 prime, apparently compatible with the L-series teleconverters, which focuses rapidly and accurately and does a very nice job indeed at the super-telephoto end of things.I also have a cheap Jessops flash, which is rather horrid but will eventually be of some use as an optical slave, and a Canon Speedlite 430EZ. This is quite nice: the zooming head moves between 24-80mm coverage and it uses Canon's A-TTL flash system, which is useful in certain circumstances. It supports second-curtain sync and strobing, and has a manual mode. Batteries fit in it properly (unlike the Jessops flash) and the build quality is good.
Compact Camera: Canon Sureshot A-1 (Waterproof)
This is waterproof only to five metres, so it isn't a proper diving camera. For that you're much better with an ordinary compact with a specialist waterproof casing. However, for a very tough, weatherproof camera that doesn't mind being dragged up climbs and ghyll scrambles, taken punting, knocked against the occasional rock and left in the snow for an hour or so you can't go far wrong with this. The lens is noticeably less sharp than those on my EOS, but then I would never dream of taking the EOS to some of the places I take this compact.
Digital Camera: Fujifilm A70
Well, I made a break with habit and bought a camera that isn't made by Canon. It isn't bad: the TFT preview screen is particularly good, being bright and large, and the video capabilities are surprisingly adequate for a lot of purposes, albeit limited by the amount of video that can fit on an xD media card and the battery life of the camera. Picture quality is reasonable for a compact camera, too. However, I must admit that I'm still somewhat underwhelmed by consumer digital cameras. In particular, I hate the way digital cameras are so unresponsive. You press the shutter... and wait... and wait... and in the time it takes to respond and take the photo my subject has lost concentration or sneezed, my EOS has taken about 4 frames and I've generally lost all my enthusiasm for digital cameras. I suppose it's done to improve battery life by not keeping the CCD powered up, but for me it sucks big-time. My Fujifilm camera is better in this regard than my parents' older Canon, and I hear the digital SLRs are better (if I ever get rich enough to buy one!)
My Photographic Interests
My interests are quite varied; you can see some of my work in the gallery. I first discovered photography shooting animals on safari (no, the humane way - through a lens!) and still take some animal and bird photography, but to produce some really good work I could do with some much longer, faster lenses. Something like the f2.8 400mm L-series lens would be nice! (droool....) I'm also a very keen climber and this has led me to an interest in climbing photography and landscapes. Finally, I'm quite keen on still-life photography of objects, using harsh lighting, shallow depth of field and other tricks to bring out unusual aspects of the objects.