Dear All,

Subject to forum guidelines, any advice on topic would be appreciated. What would you recommend as a 'high enthusiast level' DSLR and lens combination, the principal application of which will be macro work and general individual/group shots (i.e. not necessarily distance/landscape work)?

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

Cheers,
pplater.

The Canon 40D and the Nikon D300 (more expensive). There are plenty of reviews out there (just google for them). If you decide on the Canon, you may want to consider EF-S lenses (which don't work on full-frame pro models) which generally are cheaper but offer great capability. There's even a Macro, the EF-S 60mm Macro, which is very good, and cheaper than the other Canons (I own three of them, the 60mm, the 100mm and the 180mm). But if you're planning on owing a pro Canon camera, go for the 100mm. As for a general purpose lens, I can recommend: the EF-S 17-85mm. But there are plenty, just remember the 1.6 multiplication factor when buying, as you'll have to go real low to get a good wide angle field of view.

As for the Nikon D300, everybody agrees is better than the 40D and has better image quality at higher ISO's. But I'm not familiar with it, so maybe Pete or other member can tell you…

which has a swivel monitor which allows you to comfortably pre-view your image from any position (table-top?). Olympus is the pioneer of lifeview (the P&S like image preview like on a compact digicam), which recently has been implemented by nearly all other manufacturers as well. Furthermore, the Olympus has an in-body anti-shock system working with any lens attached.

The Olympus ZD-50mm is a perfect solution, it is regarded as one of the sharpest macro lenses ever made. If you shoot outdoor photos frequently you might like the fact that Olympus water sealed all its lense from mid-range level upwards. If you need more working distance (e.g. to image insects), you can also opt for the excellent 105mm Sigma macro.

Please note that on the Olympus, because of the smaller sensor size, you have already more working distance at any given focal length than with either a full frame or the so called APS-C sized sensor camera.

A similar system of a tiltable monitor has very recently been presented by Sony as well. And: their 100mm macro is also highly praised.

Good luck!
Magnus