Of greater importance is which brand makes the lenses and other accessories (flash systems, etc.) you're likely to want, and which camera has the features you'll need.
I shot a local band, and the bar was using those horrible LED lights, so the white balance was all over the place. Converting them to black and white looked much better.
3175_small_bw-2 by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr
2763_bw_small by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr
2047_bw_sm by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr
Here are a few recent bird shots. C&C always welcome.
1. Snowy Egret
Snowy Egret, 11x14 by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr
2. Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron, 8x12 by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr
3. Snowy Egret
Snowy Egret, re-edited by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr
4. Little Blue Heron
Little Blue...
The annual "Cruisin' the Coast" is underway on the MS gulf coast. Here are some shots I've taken over the last few days.
Muscle Car by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr
Hot Rod by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr
Hot Rod by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr
Hot Rod by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr
Hot Rod by...
I bought a 55-250 from Amazon and sent it back within a week. Then bought a Tamron 70-300 VC (Model A005). It was 10 times the lens that the 55-250 was.
Here's some of the better shots I've taken in the last week or so. C&C always welcome.
Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, 8x10 by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr
Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, soaking up some sun. by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr
Snowy Egret by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr
Red-Tailed Hawk by...
Here's a comparison between the two. Go for the Canon. At the long end, the IQ is vastly superior. And it takes Canon's extenders well if you need more reach.
Excellent shot. Overcast skies are tough. I did a quick (and very sloppy) edit. First I copied just the sky to a new layer, and then darkened it and added some blue and cyan. Then I added a little contrast to the bird. With some patience (and the original file to work from) you could probably...
Canon's 400mm f/5.6 has an excellent reputation. Tack sharp even wide open. I have one and love it. Check out my Flickr set of photos taken with it. Flickr also has a group dedicated to the lens with thousands of photos.
Here are a few to get you started:
Pelican 10x8 by ScubaDude1960, on...
Altho you give up the versatility of a zoom, in your price range the Canon 400mm f/5.6 will give you the best image quality. It's a bit better than the Canon 100-400, and it beats the Sigma 150-500 and 50-500 by a very wide margin.
For $400 you could get a good used Canon 40D or T1i. Both great cameras. Don't place much stock in tests; at any given price point, photos from Canon or Nikon will look exactly the same. Pick the one that feels best in your hand and is easiest to set all the various settings and menu options.
I got these shots while testing my new camouflage blind.
Juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, flying by by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr
Juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night Heron by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr
Juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, wander around a bit by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr...
I like #1 as it is. Maybe crop just a bit off the top. The tree adds a lot to the shot. There's a dust donut in the lower left area. Just to the left of the egret's foot it looks almost like paint on the tree... I would edit that.