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After it turned out that my old SLR got stolen on a recent shoot, I am now looking for a new one.

I’ve always liked Nikon, but since both cameras that were stolen from me were Nikons, I start to believe that they might have some sort of karma.

But seriously speaking, I took the chance – since both body and lenses are now gone – of looking into a different system. And here the Canon EOS 400D comes out as a very promising candidate. The natural competitor would be the Nikon D40. Here the Canon has a couple of advantages, namely

1. Higher pixel count
2. Self cleaning sensor
3. Wider choice of lenses (as the D40 requires lenses with built-in motor)
4. And, as it turns out, Canon offers some cash-back on selected equipment

There are some other manufacturers out there, but there I am a bit preoccupied – though with little if any hard facts to back it up.

• Fuji: I had some very bad experience with their customer “service”. Therefore I have never touched a Fuji camera since – and for our video camera Fujinon was never an option.
• Minolta: I simply have to experience with them, and haven’t seen many professional photographers with them
• Sony: I prefer a company specialized in photography
• Sigma: I know I am wrong here, but I prefer a name that I can solidly connect to a long history of camera making

One other thought has crept into my mind, I have to confess. Canon makes some fine small-sized camcorders. These take Canon photo lenses.

Being German, Canon offering cash-back of course appeals to me. Thus I entered the numbers into Excel, and found out, that the possible savings are from moderate to quite substatial. For your convenience, here comes the bottom line (Update: One should not make Excel sheets at 1:30 in the morning. After some sleep I realized a mistake in the formula to calculate the percentage. They are fixed now…) with relative savings.

Camera Bodies

EOS 5D       -7%
EOS 30D      -11%
EOS 400D    -14%

Fixed lenses

EF 24mm f/1.4L USM    -13%
EF 35mm f/1.4L USM    -13%
EF 50mm f/1.4 USM    -6%
EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Makro USM    -6%
EF 100mm f/2.8 Makro USM    -6%
EF 135mm f/2.0L USM    -5%
EF 180 mm f/3.5L Makro USM    -5%
EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM    -7%
EF 300mm f/4L IS USM    -10%

Zoom lenses

EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM    -13%
EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM    -6%
EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM    -30%
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM    -6%
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM    -5%
EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM    -6%
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM    -12%
EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM    -11%
EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM    -10%
EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM    -6%

Conclusion

A 400D with a EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM gives you a good starting package. The lens has a relatively high minimum f-stop, but the integrated optical stabilizer gives you effectively 2-3 extra stops. Unless you are into action photography, this is a good package to start with. Throw in a cheap 50mm F1.8 and you even have some light-critical situations covered. You can also buy a Canon flash light, the 430EX, and save 6% on that one.

Offer good throughout June – at least here in Europe. The percentages are calculated based on Norwegian street prices, and stipulate that you can claim the VAT back. Your mileage may vary.

Tags: advice, canon, canon_eos_400d, lenses, nikon, offer, photography