Hi Jack,
I see you like MP 65 and 100-400 L from Canon but Nikon is looking good too. You should think what lenses you'll use the most for your type of photography and go for that system. Somehow you will never have the best of everything with only a camera brand. can you consider to go with both brands? I am a sucker for lenses and i burned a lots of money to end up using only one or two lenses for 90 percent of my work. Any good birding spots in your area ?
If only there was enough disparity in the lenses ...
My own goals are macro and (eventually) telephoto-zoom. Given my bass-ackwards understanding of cross-system lens compatibility, I think I will stick with Canon.
As for good places to go birding, all over my property really I am on 50 acres of Florida wilderness, so I don't really need to go anywhere. Sadly, however, at this point all I have is a G9 which, although neat for macro, isn't worth a quarter for bird shots
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You may want to take another look at the Canon 180 macro before saying that it is "eclipsed". It has got to be one of the sharpest lenses period. This is one thing I know.
Many of the reviews I've read suggest the Nikon 200 micro is better than the Canon 180 macro, albeit not by much. But, of course, the hidden variable is
sample copies ... so if you got a particular (stellar) sample copy, then all of those reviews might not apply to you. If that is the case, congratulations
Jack
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