Some decent weather and so some decent bird shots (go see a couple in /c/birding).

Good luck - they are a delight.

Mmm, repetitive squawking or song, only a jay could tell you.

The RSPB have it as a conventicle, and alas, I wasn’t close enough to hear their chatter.

Kayaking sounds more like you need water-proof than water-resistant. For interest, the following is from the “water-resistant” Canon R5 MkII:

Oh, if I’d had a good single shot I’d have posted it - I have been blessed by such in previous years, so I keep clicking and keep hoping.

When you actually get the device manuals, the suppliers are remarkably coy about what “water-resistant” actually means and when it applies, beyond “less prone to water damage than those that are not”. So just be aware what you might mean by the term may well not be what the supplier means - and second hand items may have lost some resistance as well.

Also, if you are in rain or drizzle, you’re probably not going to be taking the best photos regardless of kit!

Yes, not rare, but I only seem to see them around this time of year when they are out hunting amongst ivy berries or, here, loose brambles - most of the time I suppose they stay well hidden in the thicker vegetation. I also have to be careful as I think there’s Firecrests around as well, and apart from a white band round the bottom of the crest, they are very similar.

See (or not), I warned you!

They can run a wide variety of their member’s trains, on at least two distinct loops of track (pretty sure there’s a third). But yes, the larger loop I think has multiple gauges.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.4467487,-1.0049924,146m/data=!3m1!1e3

Gives some sense of their setup: Footbridge to the North, “level crossing” with lights to the south, and there’s a raised track in the woods.

Glad it bought memories - the Reading Society of Model Engineers remains active on the site.

That russet patch under the wings gives it’s name, but obviously is a member of the thrush family (Turdus iliacus). Only seen down my way in the colder months.

:) Guess!

I happened to choose ACDSee Photo Studio to add keywords, ratings and catalogue them, so I could do the simple “Show me all pictures of Magpies with a Rating of 4” searches (because I want to find my best Magpie photo, etc.). Product chosen as it was not subscription, so works “forever” (though you do get bombarded with upgrade offers).

The keywords show up as tags in Windows File Explorer properties, and you can now add tags there directly. Don’t go for any approach that is not visible in your operating system, outside of the app!

I’m not sure it was the best option, but, as purchased, it does the job I needed. Ironically I ended up with the full ACDSee package, for all I only needed the cataloging form, and in fact do my small amount of post-processing just in Canon DPP4.

Just avoid pointing your camera at the sun, and if you find yourself pointing that way, stop it :) This is more for your eyes than the camera, as I for one sometimes peer over the top of my camera to try and get it back on track. For that matter, shots broadly in the direction of the sun are likely to have a lot of shadow - the better shots will be away from the sun

As for heat - just being aware of the issue is a good start, so you think about where you leave your camera in your room, test the lens temperature by hand occasionally, etc. But a pale rather than black camera bag might be a good idea.

If there’s any Vietnamese camera clubs you know of, it might well be worth getting in contact - they will be able to give you far sounder advice.

Need more decent sunlight in the UK

Ah, you’re not after bird photos, so ignore my comments on lens lengths (even so, I’m sure there will be birds, and probably still interesting to see in detail - the UK has many small often-common brown birds, and most are really pretty plumage close up when you look - for that matter, I’ve even photos of crows that I think interesting).

You mention macro shots - do you mean of insects, flowers and the like? Good macro shots again tend to depend on the lens, and some lenses are much better than others. You’re looking for maximum magnification in the specification, and you might be surprised how poor that seems even for an expensive lens. It might only be x0.5 and still be “good” (even if by some definitions that’s not even “macro”). Even the top end Canon RF 100mm F2.8 is only x1.4! As a great bonus, macro lenses should also work as normal lens, usually really rather well.

I’ve not tried the R50, so can’t comment - though these days I use higher end Canon cameras and like them. Other people dislike them, especially due to their policies on their best lens mounts that mean third parties like Sigma couldn’t produce lenses for them.

While I really wouldn’t try pointing a camera at the sun without heavy filters, it’s probably not instant destruction, and through a mirror-less view finder it won’t directly blind you (DSLR view-finders might!). A significant issue is that your lenses and camera bodies will likely have a fair proportion of black plastic that will heat up fast in the sun, and then transfer that warmth to where you really don’t want it in a camera - especially during heavy use when the camera will be internally heating up as well.

For that price point, if second-hand is not an option (which I guess is what you mean by “Not open to refurbished”), you are going to be challenged to get something “good”. But…

First, do check to see if any high end smart phones can meet your needs - they probably won’t have the “reach” to get distant birds, but will be far more convenient for travelling.

Next, you should probably be looking at crop-frame cameras - lighter, cheaper, and because of their nature, their lenses have a longer reach for their technical length. There are downsides (e.g. low-light capabilities), but a reasonable trade-off in your case.

If new, you’d likely be only offered mirror-less cameras (rather than DSLR) because that’s the way the suppliers are going. Probably to your benefit (even if more power hungry), but second-hand DSLRs can be cheap, and some adore them.

I’m not sure what happens at your budget, but with a bigger budget a suitable lens is likely to be the same price as the camera body: so don’t look at lenses as accessories, but as a significant part of the package.

If you are after birds, on a crop-frame camera, a good focal length would be 400mm, but you may have to settle for less (and even 200mm might be pleasing).

You are travelling, so likely don’t want lots of separate lenses, so you might want a zoom lens to get a range of focal lengths in one item. That said, you might want something around the 35mm length for "tourist shots - two lenses also means if one gets damaged, you aren’t carrying round entirely dead weight.

As to other accessories: proper lens cleaning kit, lens hood (more to protect the lens than to stop flare), and a camera bag suitable for the conditions. Spare memory cards, batteries, etc. Work out a way of getting pictures off your camera and somewhere safe while you travel, as another form of de-risking.

I imagine Vietnam as wet and warm - neither of these is great for cameras, and you may want to seek advice on that.

Get in as much practice with your camera as you can before you set off on your travels. Take photos comparable to what you hope to take later, but locally - garden birds, a local town park, whatever. You will likely still make mistakes for years to come, but many more in the first few weeks.

And most of all, take care but have fun!

Ah, sorry, been away over Christmas.

This is probably too late, but a major requirement for me is to be able to swap modes while I continue to look through the view finder to track the thing I want to photo (if with a bit of built up muscle memory). For me, this is achieved by a button that puts me in focus mode change mode, and another than cycles through the modes, both close to the shutter button, and easy to find by touch. That is, if you can only change mode through a menu structure, that would not work for me.

The other advice looks good, but just a word on Autofocus, especially for wildlife. I’ve not tried any of the eyeball tracking cameras, but if it’s not that, it is just going to be “Closest distinct object”, unless (ironically) it recognises an eyeball or face and clicks to that. “Closest Object” is fine for portraits, etc. but for poorly lit wildlife with undergrowth around it will really struggle: you will forever be focusing on fascinating sticks and leaves. I’m therefore often switching from Autofocus to “Focus on this point” and hoping hand shake won’t put me off target. Occasionally, even resorting to manual focus.

Eyeballs on wildlife in poor light or in cover are, unsurprisingly, hard for cameras to spot.

It will also struggle in poorer light - relatively distant flying birds against a cloudy sky for instance, can leave my Canon R6 searching wildly for a viable focal distance for anything, for all to my eyes it’s “obvious” there’s only one thing worth focusing on. This is the “distinct object” part.

In some ways, the above problems are due to “proper” cameras having a shorter depth of field (but better quality in that field) compared to smart phones, so getting the focus “good enough” is more of a challenge.

That is all to say, Autofocus is nice when it works, but it won’t always work regardless of camera, so still pay attention to the ease of other focusing modes.