In November 2003 I took the decision to move over to digital capture after nearly thirty years of working in 35mm format on transparency film. At the time a viable Minolta SLR, which took their current range of lenses was no more than rumour on the net. The old and faithful system had to go. Like, I imagine many others in the same position, at that time, I opted to move over to Canon. Their system of cameras and lenses most suited my needs. I also wanted to cut down on the amount of gear that had to be lugged up mountainsides. I opted for a 10D body and 300mm f4 L IS matched with a 1.4 converter. This was quickly followed by the acquisition of a 28-135mm zoom.

The lightweight option rather went out of the frame the following January with the acquisition of a 500mm f4 IS lens. This quickly became my lens of choice. These days if there is picture to be had at the top of a mountain the 500 lens comes along too in a purpose made backpack. I adapted Lowe Alpine 45 litre rucksack by adding an insert made from a foam sleeping mat to keep the lens with body attached safe and allows quick and easy access.  Apart from being a fraction of the price of a photo backpack it has the advantage of having space to take enough for an overnight stay out on the hill.

By December 2004, just over one year on my conversion to digital photography was now one hundred percent. An EOS 3 body purchased as a backup was exchanged for an EOS 1D Mk II body. Although the 10D had certainly proved it’s worth enabling me to complete a body of work in 2004 equal to that of the previous five years using film. I had never been entirely happy with the auto focus or build quality. I acquired a 1D MK III in the summer of 2007 and found it to be head and shoulders above the Mk II in all departments. I often wondered how many of the auto focus problems that dogged the model’s early days were in the minds of photographers. After a trip back to Canon and a couple of firmware updates I have no complaints. I have kept my lenses down to a minimum, 300 and 500 primes, 17-40 and 70-200 zooms, 3 macro lenses and a couple of extenders.