New to wildlife photography...

[Ollie]

Originally Posted by wildlifesnapper

Hi

for a few more pounds you can get the 450D with 12 megapixels , live view and sensor cleaning to name just a few extras over the 400d.
I have a 40D which has the sensor cleaning and I must say it does a very good job - I was suprised worth the extra £50 or so between the 450d and 400d I would say.

neil

Not picking Neil but the 400D has the sensor cleaning as well and as you say it does a very decent job of it. No doubt the live view is a handy thing, not sure about needing the extra megapixels of the 450D, probably handy if you are printing very large photos.
Roger

[wildlifesnapper]

Didn't know that ollie, I've never had the 350/400/450 series (too small) I thought they brought it in with the 450/40.
Never mind live & learn.

Not THAT much between the two then!

I'll get my coat and go home now

neil

[zan]

Hiya,

I think you've got good advice in this thread. The 400D is an excellent camera and will do you well for wildlife. The one thing I would say though, is if you're really only interested in shooting wildlife, why not get a 400d body-only package, and add a 70-300mm lens (e.g. the Sigma APO one is very good for the money). The kit lens is ok, but not great, and if you decide you want a lens in this range later you can always buy a good one when you know what you want.

I wouldn't recommend jumping in and buying an expensive prime lens until you know this is a hobby you really want to invest in, and something like the lens above will be great for starting. There's plenty of wildlife out there (especially at sea) that you can shoot perfectly well with a 300mm.

Zan

[mh68]

Unless the macro facility of the Sigma 70-300 is going to prove useful, i`d recommend the Canon 90-300 EF over the Sigma if your going for this size zoom. I`ve used both (sold the Sigma, still got the Canon) and the Canon is faster focussing,much quieter and sharper.Having to get close to subjects with the Sigma lens to get frame filling shots, was defeated somewhat by the noisy focussing - it spooked a lot of subjects. No such problems with the Canon, its very quiet for a non-usm lens.

Mark H

[Nick T]

I can't speak for the 400d myself but I've got a 350d and a 30d and the 350 is still a good camera so the 400d should be.

I've also got a fuji s9600 which is a prosumer/bridge camera and I can tell you now, even though it is a 28-300 zoom it isn't up to the mark most of the time.

As to lenses - this is where you can't really skimp.

I've got the Canon EF100-400IS but it's around £900 at the moment. I also have a Tamron 200-500 which is a good lens and is cheaper but isn't as fast at focussing as the canon. Another good lens is the Sigma 80-400 OS which is Sigma's version of the Canon. I know some one with one of these & a 400d and he's really chuffed with it.

It's always worth looking for 2nd hand lenses as you can save your self a good chunk of money (there may be some 400d bodies around as people upgrade to either the 450d or the 40d.

Hope that helps.