New Purchases

First off is a telephoto zoom lens its range being 55-250 mm but you can times that by 1.6 as it is designed for a full 35m sensor. The 550 has a smaller sensor so crops the image giving greater magnification. It ordered it with a lens hood, many thinking that a hood gives better protection than a uv filter.

It has image stabilisation which is important when zooming in so close.

Next up is a tripod. I bought a Giotto 936 with a three way head, very versatile as you can swing the stand round to the vertical and use it for video pans although it is designed for still photography. Not a manfrotto but it does come with a 5yr warranty and you dont pay through the nose for it. Good enough for me.