It's official! We are going on a land/sea cruise to Alaska this year, so I must learn to use my camera!!!! I do have a question for those that practice bird photography in your back yard. Do you use a blind or are the birds accepting of you, if you frequent your backyard often? Does anyone use camo netting to wrap themselves in? It sounds unusual, but I did read that on a forum. I borrowed my son's D70 camera body yesterday to try with the Bigma. I'm hoping for more light and quicker response time. Gayla dance Brandon.