If you are considering the Canon 400D (Rebel Ti), I think you should also look at the other recent competitive 10MP DSLRs-

Nikon D80 - a bit more expensive
Pentax K10 - a bit more expensive, but image stabilized and getting rave reviews from those who have it
Sony Alpha 100 - again image stabilized, and getting good reviews.

You can compare the specs of these four cameras here - LINK

Read the reviews of these four and compare not only the prices of the cameras, but the prices and availability of lenses, flashes and other accessories you might want.

Some people have questions about the future of Pentax in the camera business, but that is largely speculation, AFAIK. I know two people with Pentax DLSRs and they are both happy customers. The Pentax mount cameras also allow you to use older (cheap) manual focus lenses, which is a bonus.

The most important thing you should do, however, is go to a store that stocks these and handle them! Find the features/settings you will want to change frequently. How accessible are they (i.e. do you have to search through three menus to find them, or is there a button)? That's the sort of thing that makes a big difference over the long run.

As for ring flashes, I don't like them for herp photography. I much prefer to get the flash off the camera, either with a sync cord or with wireless flash.
(Wireless flash is another thing you should consider when looking at the system. Do you have to buy extra stuff, other than the flash, for it to work? Some brands require that, adding to the expense.)

I'm also a birder and try to take a few bird shots. I have some long lenses (a 500 f/4.5 and a few shorter lenses) and I bought most of them used from KEH.com for less than 1/4 their retail prices. Good lenses cost money, however.

As for macro lenses, certainly look at the other brands. Sigma and Tamron make excellent macro lenses that are significantly cheaper than the camera brand lenses and score as high (if not higher) on tests of optical quality.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

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