Im going to buy a Canon D40 soon but im not sure which deal to go for. Basically I'm going to buy a D40 with 17 -85 mm lens plus a 70 - 300 mm lens. Can anyone suggest which is the better lens option either Canon or Tamron?

Also if anyone knows of any really good deals on the kit above let me know!

Thanks Mark

If you can afford the Canon lenses, go with them. Third-party lenses of the same specifications, while cheaper, usually aren't as good of quality as the Canon lenses. Tamron does make some really nice lenses though, it just depends on which one you get.

Tim

I have the Tamron and it is very soft at 300. Have replaced with Canon 70-200f4L and 300f4L and although cost is a factor, the IQ makes up for this. Better to save and get Canon.

We have Canon's and Nikon's narsissistic tentancies to thank for the confusion of nomenclatures. The Nikon is the D40. The Canon is the 40D. They're not even in the same class; Nikon's is a starter camera, and Canon's is the next best thing to a pro-camera (in fact, it could be used for all pro situations).

Anyway, you should go for the longest range (300 at least) with the lowest f stop number (2.8 if you can afford it) you can afford, regardless of brand name. Also look into the possibility of a tele-extender for wildlife shots.

Chris

If you are going to buy a Canon or Nikon then you will need IS lenses for the longer focal lengths in my view. This is the main reason I went another route...john

got both lenses mentioned.....quite happy with the results from them both...
the 70-300 lens is a little front heavy and needs to be used with a tripod to reduce shake