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Message: <blockquote data-quote="HermitIbis" data-source="post: 3502802" data-attributes="member: 128291">So you are unsure which path you should take: - a 400mm prime which is best to insulate a bird against a pleasing background ("bokeh"), or a zoom (flexibility)- Canon or Nikon- short focusing distance, weight, price... and not to forget ISO!Why do you not consider "mirrorless" cameras as another option and post your question in those threads, too? <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" />Many of those offer silent shooting, electronic shutter (as opposed to DSLR shutters that break after 130,000 photos or so). At the end the key question is what is most important to you. Which kind of photos do you want to take that are totally different from your present practice? I have been where you stand now (Canon 650D, a 300mm zoom and a 1.5x teleconverter), bought a cheap 400mm prime (the Sigma APO macro) to see whether it made a huge difference (not really, it is great in some respects, frustrating in others). Finally I decided that in 2016 my priority would be "birds in flight". So I bought a Nikon V2 and the 70-300CX lens. I've posted <a href="http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=324405" target="_blank">about my experiences in the Nikon section.</a> Lens + V2 cost about Euro 800 (used), it's 810mm (equivalent), weight below 1kg. [There is an option to use the Nikon 200-500 lens (with the FT-1 adapter), an equivalent of 1350mm.] You'll get silence, reduced weight, fast autofocus at 15, 30 or 60 fps, a buffer of 40 photos (RAW) vs the 6 photos with the 650D. Occasionally I still use my Canon DSLR, because the results with the 400mm prime are ... different, and yes, they are pleasing. But on most days I use the Nikon V2.</blockquote>

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