Favorite wildlife lens?

[Ron Kruger]

Thanks, Loupe and Paul. I might be wrong about longer lenses, but decent long lenses are expensive, and I'm on a freelancer's budget.
Pentax has a Professional Program and I've begun gathering documentation to apply (they sure make everything complicated and involved, including multiple letters from publishers), and part of what they offer to those who qualify is loans, or tests, of new equipment, so maybe in a few months (I've been waiting for a rebate for six months now) I can try their longer lenses without putting out a bundle up front.
In the meantime, I've received a Manfrotto monopod and will be testing that in the woods. I've used it a couple of times and am pleased with the results, but I still don't know if it will be versitle enough to carry everywhere.

[Loupey]

...In the meantime, I've received a Manfrotto monopod and will be testing that in the woods. I've used it a couple of times and am pleased with the results, but I still don't know if it will be versitle enough to carry everywhere.

Since you're new to using a monopod, I'll be curious to hear what you think in the coming months with it.

While I realize that a tripod is steadier (I own 3), I don't recall ever using one with my 300mm or 500mm (3 years and 8 months old respectively) - but I do use a monopod nearly every chance I get. In my parts with my kind of subjects, speed to capture trumps maximum stability almost every time.