Francy - I am linking below to a Gardenweb FAQ on vent hoods, which should help you. Regarding the width of the hood, a 42" hood would be ideal for your 36" range, because it is most ideal to have 3" on each side of the range for capture area, to capture all the smoke/grease. I did not have the space for those extra inches, so I have a 30" wide hood over a 30" wide range, and it's OK, but I do wish I had the space for a 36" wide hood. Please make sure you check your duct diameter. Ventahood has specific requirements for duct diameter depending on the cfm's you get. If your duct is smaller than what's specified, you will get more noise, as you are constraining the air flow out of the blower. I chose the VAH Excalibur, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! However, the Excalibur was a special order, and took about 10 weeks to arrive, but I was not in a hurry, so it was OK. Unlike you, I was not going for a vintage look; I just loved that curved design. I chose it in a stainless steel finish, with the bands in stainless steel also, which was an upcharge (the bands come standard in black). Also, I chose rivets on the bands, another upcharge, but so worth it IMHO. The rivets are small, but they are the cherry on the sundae! From a functional point of view, I have found the VAH Excalibur to be efficient, quiet (but I have only a 6' run which helps keep it quiet), and a cinch to clean (don't believe any threads you might see that the VAH is trouble to take apart and clean--if you can open the latches on a briefcase, you can open the VAH's latches and take it apart to clean.) Here is a link that might be useful: Gardenweb's Vent Hood FAQ

If I had to choose between a Polarizing filter (CP for circular polarizer) and a Neutral Density filter (ND), I'd definitely go with the CP first. But usually, or at least often, you buy filters in sets that include CP, ND and UV. I use the UV more as a protection for my lens than anything else. The CP comes in handy for popping color in water and sky and taking reflections off water and glass. The ND filter I have has not shown itself (yet) to be terribly useful for every day use. But ... check out this video I found the other day on extreme ND filter use. How to make traffic disappear. Very cool. Jodi- Here is a link that might be useful: Removing moving objects in bright sunlight

I am not familer with what lenses Olympus has, but I can give you some general ideas. For taking pictures of birds a lens of 200mm or larger is best. A zoom lens from 80 to 200mm or 70 to 300mm would work also. The tele extension lens that you have could also work with these lenses to bring an object even closer, but with a decrese in quality.

There really is no one "best all-purpose" zoom. It all depends what you plan to photograph and how much you want to spend. One that will let you walk around all day without tiring you out is the 28-135 IS USM. The 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM is excellent for butterflies and birds that are not too far off. The 100-400 L IS USM is probably Canon's best zoom lens for birds. Both the 70-200 and the 100-400 are heavy and pricey, but they're excellent. I have photos on my site made with all three of those lenses. All the butterflies are with the 70-200. Here is a link that might be useful: My pBase Galleries