canon eos 1000 plus prime lense

[s1moran]

I have at the moment a panasonic DMCFZ5 12 optical,and have taken a number of photos with it over the years( birds deer ) i am know thinking of going to SLR cameras.I have been looking at getting a Canon 1000D body plus a Canon 400mm F5.6 L USM, would this be ok ,for the photography i do ie Birds and Deer, the lack os image stabilisation,i dont think is going to make a lot of difference when taking pic of birds in flight,would like some advice on this set up

[postcardcv]

The 400 f5.6 is an excellent birding lens, when I was using one I didn't feel that the lack of IS was an issue. The 1000D looks to be a fine camera though personally I'd recommend spending a bit more on a different body. Have a look at this which compares it's spec to that of the 400D and 450D - http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/CanonEOS1000D/page2.asp The lower number of AF points, smaller buffer and slow frame rate (when shooting RAW) would put me off it. If buying new then the 450D is probably worth the extra money, alternatively look for a good deal on a used 20D/30D.

[Nikon Kid]

I would go along with the 450d with the 400mm f5.6, have a look at my gallery for birds in flight with this camera and lens.