My glass is bigger than your glass

My third time at Artis Zoo this month gave me a case of something that must be quite similar to penis envy.

The first two times I shuffled around the park, my Canon 300d and cheapo 80-200mm were easily the most advanced system there. People stepped aside and told their children not to get in the way of the lady taking photographs.

Yesterday, besides the army of digital point and shoots, there were at least four individuals carrying serious 'glass'. I found myself stealing glances of their massive tools whenever they lined up next to me, ready to snap critters in the small mammals area.

I could live with the very large man who at least shared his 10D and impressive image stabilised length - (possibly a 28-300mm L series) with his equally large son.

But the two young girls who were both sporting 70-300mm's on identical analog EOS cameras really made me and my system feel a little inadequate. Even the guy with the 28-200 Tamron had me question my photographic virility due to its range and, well, girth.

I cycled home chanting 'It's not the size, it's what you do with it' like a mantra. Then spent the rest of the day clicking through online shops, comparing and scribbling down prices.