advice on camera to go with 400mm F5.6 (1 Viewer)

After many months/years weighing up whether to splash £1,500 or so on a DSLR set-up to replace my superzoom, I've almost decided to go for it..

The 400mm prime seems to be the best option for wildlife photography, so what camera would you get to go with it? how much difference would there be between the 550D and the 650D?

And I think I'd want an all-round lens as well for general landscapes etc. Would the kit lens they come with be OK, or should I buy body only and something else?

many thanks!

I use this lens. I would say what body you use will depend on your budget - here in Malaysia new 550Ds are only about 2/3 the price of a new 650D. Dpreview says that the 650D's sensor is a tiny little bit noisier, perhaps due to the mixed phase and contrast detection pixels on it. If you can afford it go for the 650D - better AF points (same as 60D - 9 cross type vs only 1 center cross type), higher rate of shooting and much much faster AF in live view. For me (a 600D user), the flip screen is great when composing shots in live view, which I like to use when the bird sits still as to eliminate mirror slap and otheriwse reduce vibrations. Otherwise, features are mostly identical - resolution, body construction and video. the 550D is still a great camera despite being around for more than 2 years already - my sister uses one.

You could look for s/h say 50D or something like, just a thought.

Would a second hand 50D really be better than a new 650D?

Any other thoughts much appreciated.

Amarillo said:

Would a second hand 50D really be better than a new 650D?

Any other thoughts much appreciated.

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That isn't any easy question to answer, especially as I doubt that there are many 650D users on here yet. If you want to use video then it is an easy choice as the 50D doesn't have it! many prefer the xxD cameras for the more solid build (which makes them heavier) and the layout of controls which is a bit easier to use quickly (but you soon get used to whatever you have). However the xxxD cameras are still very capable and looking at the spec of the 650D it does look like a decent choice - 18mp, 9 point AF, 5fps and full HD video recording. The flip out LCD could be useful in some situations, a friend uses the 60D and loves the LCD as it allows him to video on odd angles.

Personally I would say that if you decide to go for a secondhand 50D then go for a 40D instead. It is at least as good a camera (I owned both and prefered the 40D as it was cleaner at high ISO) and will cost you a chunk less. That said looking at the spec I would want to try a 650D before deciding as it does look like a good camera on paper, it would be interesting to see what the images are like at higher ISOs.

Thinking about it, by going down the second-hand route I could probably just about stretch to a 7D, which you can get for £700-800 but to be honest as someone who has never had a DSLR before, I'm unsure as to how much I'll benefit from a higher spec camera. maybe I should just go for the 550 or 600's which are now discounted due to the introduction of the 650?

Really confused...at least the lens is an easy choice

I am saving for a 7D to go with my 400 5.6 - best combo out there from what i have seen and been told.

As Brucie says, the choice is yours. Personally i think you need to go to the shop and feel a couple in your hand to see what is right for you.

But dont discount s/h, check out MPB Photographic for stuff.

OK so having done some more research the 7D seems to be the best option due to the faster burst mode and focussing, but as a new DSLR user coming from a superzoom am I really likely to be disappointed with the speed of say a 550D + 400/5.6?

You'll most certainly not be disappointed with this lens's focusing speed - its really fast on my 600D, especially when the focus limiter is set to 8.5m-infinity. The 7D AF would be a bit faster and better as the 7D has 19 AF points and a much more powerful battery.

This link was on Birdforum so i clicked it

http://www.canonshoponline.com/product_info.php?products_id=70&osCsid=5g7ec65b1hgpqtgrdtub6uq592

Must be a catch as its so cheap.

think I'm going to try and pick up a 7D on ebay for around £700ish and then a second hand 400mm/5.6 for £700-800 so should just about scrape below my £1,500 budget...

Amarillo said:

think I'm going to try and pick up a 7D on ebay for around £700ish and then a second hand 400mm/5.6 for £700-800 so should just about scrape below my £1,500 budget...

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If you're looking at £700'ish anyway, HDEW are currently listing new ones at £815 including a 3yr warranty. As noted widely elsewhere on BF, it's a grey import, but delivered from a proper UK base & you will get a VAT receipt if you ask for one (I got one without asking). Personally, dealers with a physical UK presence like HDEW or Kerso (flash camera) look a lot safer than dealing direct with HK traders & for a SH body (more so than a lens) I wouldn't be happy buying off fleabay.

Chris A.

Thing is on ebay you can get one with kit lens and other extras so you're looking at a difference of £200 really

Whats wrong with ebay? Obviously theres always a risk, but pretty minimal surely? People buy stuff off there all the time.

Amarillo said:

Thing is on ebay you can get one with kit lens and other extras so you're looking at a difference of £200 really

Whats wrong with ebay? Obviously theres always a risk, but pretty minimal surely? People buy stuff off there all the time.

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Fair enough - just my opinion ... good luck with your purchase!

am now leaning back towards a new 650D! which avoids the worry over a second hand buy and as more of an entry level model may be easier to get to grips with...

can't believe how hard this is!

Assuming the size of the consumer bodies has stayed the same throughout their life you won't like them if you have big hands. I had a few go's with a 400D and didn't like the way it felt in my hands at all (maybe different if you get a battery grip) and the layout isn't as well thought out and easy to use as pro-sumer bodies.

All depends which particular aspects of each body are most important to you and work from there, eg if you're lens is range limited then you might want to have a few MP to play with, do you get good light where you are or is it more often dull and so high ISO capabilities are important and if you're after doing loads of flight shots you'll want a body with a more capable AF and FPS etc. Once you know what you want from your photography you can work from there as to which body best suits your needs.

I have pretty small hands and considering I currently have a superzoom I think I'll be more than satisfied with the flight shot capability of the 650D.

I realise the 7D is a better camera, but for me buying new takes a lot of hassle and risk out of it. And the extra fps and other features of the 650D compared to previous entry-level models makes it a good compromise I think

I have had 350D, 40D, and currently using a 7D. Needless to say that the 7D would be my choice anytime. You mention you have small hands, so let me recommend you to try to hold both a xxxD and a xxD body. For me my littlefinger had to go under the body with a xxxD body, if that is also the case with you - I will recommend either a batterygrip or getting a XXD. For the build quality alone I would actually go straight for a XXD body unless you ofcourse find it too big. It can be worth looking at used stuff, sometimes you would find incredible deals. I got my 7D with almost 200GBP of extra equipment (24GB memory 16+8, Bag, Battery, spirit level, Quickplate, etc) I payed around 700 for the lot, and that was a body that had been used very little (less than 3K shuttercount)

As others have said, the 7D will be the best camera. Fact is, the 7D has superior AF which can't really be touched by normal 9-Cross Focal points. Furthermore, the 7D is basically the 550Ds sensor, which is excellent, the 50Ds build, and then an AF system which is better than both the 50D and the 550/650D.

I've used the 550D for a year and a bit now, and while it's served me very well and was great for landscape photography, as I turned more towards birding, I started to feel it's short-comings.

In fact just today I opted to 'cross-grade' to a 50D and sell my 550D. The reasons for me were simple. The 550D has never worked with my 400mm 5.6 L perfectly, there has always been some softness issue and during controlled tests it was showing to front focus a lot, now having the 550D (or 650D) there is no option for me to correct this, I would need to send it in to get the body calibrated to the lens, which would then mean if my other lenses like my Sigma 10-20mm were syncing in the opposite direction on the body (back focusing), it would mean that the calibration may fix my 400mm, but it would make my backfocusing lenses worse. I think that MFA is an extremely valuable tool. I have seen people getting photos that are a world different after calibrating their lens to their body. The 50D and the 7D have MFA (micro focus adjust) abilities, where as the 550D and 650D do not.

Next was the issue of frame rate, I can't tell you how many times (using a class 10 SD card) I had a raptor in flight pass quickly overhead and it was only a couple of seconds before my camera stuck on the 3.7FPS and ended up spending 5 seconds writing to the card, giving one only 3 or if lucky 5 shots in a situation like that. Missing a lot of vital frames inbetween, this was another major reason for me opting for the 50D. The 7D has even BETTER FPS too.

The build was never something I worried about, but the 50D and 7D have great body builds I've heard.

The plus side to 650/550D as opposed to the 50D is the sensor, it has a better sensor which means you also get a bit less noise at high ISO, but this is something that one likely needs to worry about less if you're shooting primarily birds.

The 7D is still my desired camera, which I am currently saving for - and if it's an option for you, I'd definitely say it's the right one. It's essentially the best of both worlds. A semi-pro build, with MFA, amazing focus abilities, comfortable in hand, video capabilities and also with the same excellent low noise filter that comes with the 550D for example. It's by far the best cropped sensor Canon available and excellent for using with a 400mm 5.6 L.