Certainly agree with Richard on this sobering tale,  and indeed digital revived my own passion for photography.  The Macro from my little compact were a revelation..

 I do think it may well have been down to the choice of equipment when you got the SLR I would have thought a dedicated Macro lens would have been far better choice, when the close up filters can also be used..    Upgrades do bring a whole host of changes and ways of working, as the wider you open the window the more the muck blows in!!

Danny O'Byrne  http://www.digitalartzone.co.uk/

"All the technique in the world doesn't compensate for the inability to notice" Eliott Erwitt