TexasLynn

You were all so helpful with your ideas for how to survive no electricity for 3 days on vacation that I decided to ask your help on a more important question. As you have all guessed I am a novice. I don't aspire to become a full time photographer. I just want to take great photos so that I can enlarge them and enjoy them at home. So before my Vancouver Island trip in August I decided it is time to update. I will be buying the Canon EOS Rebel T7i It gets good reviews. I am still practicing on being fully manual but I fear that working 2 jobs I may not be proficient by then, so I will probably be shouting a lot in auto. This camera gets good reviews for fast auto with many more sensors. Now along with this I am going to buy a new lens and here is where I need all your output.
My 2 choices are the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM DO Lens or Tamron 18-400mm f3.5 Di II VC HLD Zoom. I will be buying used on all 3 since money is an issue. Keep in mind that if dolphins and whales are plentiful and active I will shoot auto because my manual isn't up to par. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know. Thanks in advance, I trust all your opinions. I am downloading a photo I took last week of Monarch butterflies in my backyard. This was manual because auto couldn't focus on the butterflies alone. I have

Monarchs

(Download)

TexasLynn

to finish the statement..."I have been practicing."

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Great!




Why?

Why have you decided this?


You are a novice, you have a good camera now...why are you planning to spend more money on another one?


What does the current camera NOT do that it MUST do for you?


I'd bet you are just getting caught up in the 'hog disease of gear acquisition syndrome that is so rampant here. Instead of enjoying your photography and striving to polish you skills, you search for fulfillment in the next piece of gear...which of course doesn't satisfy over the long run and the process continues over and over.

Have you really examined WHY you want to upgrade?


I play classical guitar and the lure of the "next better guitar" permeates that community also. It's the same disease with a different toy. It's HARD to spend hours a day playing tricky finger independence exercises that actually help to make me a better player...it's not instantly gratifying as getting a new guitar...lol. My endorphins don't kick in when running scales over and over or playing one bar of a passage to get it perfect...that's TOUGH to spend your time on...it's NOT fun. Getting a new guitar...now THAT'S fun. :) but the problem is; that new guitar won't make me play better, it will only make me feel better until the next time.

That's my thoughts on this. I'm only telling you because I've been there. I've owned several HIGH END Canons, a DOZEN "L" lenses, high end lenses from other manufacturers, Mirrorless cameras, misc gear, gizmos, and stuff...many MANY thousands of dollars worth...I'd say easily over 10,000.00 and maybe more...probably more like $15,000 or $20,000.

In the end...NONE of it made me better nor did it ultimately satisfy me. It was always the same cycle.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

I would seriously consider lens rental as an option before purchase, especially if the spondoolies are tight. A quick google search brings up several possibilities in Vancouver, though maybe you want to look at taking them with you from a local source. I feel it's important to make the right choice for YOU and only you can work that out, all we can offer is advice.

Here's one in Vancouver that may be able to help.
http://camerarentalsvancouver.com/product-category/lenses/canon-zoom/

Dziadzi Loc: Wilkes-Barre, PA

Your butterfly photo is beautiful. I would go with the Tamron. I have it and it is a very good lens.

elliott937 Loc: St. Louis

You are receiving some really good advice here. I'd like to add another. Stop with the manual, and definitely stop with the auto. Don't use auto ever again, you know enough to leave that behind you. I'd like to suggest you think of three modes, and only these three: P, A, and T. My preference for you would be A, aperture. If you are anticipating that big water thing (:)), set your aperture to its largest opening and let the camera pic the fastest shutter for you. I think you will be please with the results. Practice at home with that. You can also experiment with T and P, but you know too much to surrender your camera to auto mode.

Marilia Loc: Dallas, TX

What camera and lens do you have now? Your butterfly picture looks great!
Btw, I have the Tamron 16-300mm on a T5i and very happy with it!

CO

This is excellent advice. The P, A, and T mode are great. I almost always use aperture priority except when using studio strobes in the studio. LensTip.com does extensive lens testing. I downloaded their image resolution charts for the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens version I. They tested version II of that lens also. You can see that the lens is its best around f/8. In auto mode, you don't know what the camera will select for you.

Image resolution Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens center


Image resolution Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens edge

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

RPavich speaks some words of wisdom. Our culture is steeped in acquisition. I would suggest doing a “side-by-side” preview in DpReview of your current model and the new one. You might discover that the new model doesn’t do much more than your current one. Then you can ask yourself: “What improvements am I paying for?” Consider that you may also have a “learning curve”....

srt101fan

A few thoughts, Lynn. I agree with rpavich re acquisition of new gear, (especially if you don't have access to Bill Gates' wallet!) Look at the equipment you have and do an honest assessment of what you can't do with it that you want to do. That should be your guide to any upgrades.

I tend to agree with elliott937 regarding the use of Auto mode. Avoid using it. It has its place, in a limited way, in a shooting scenario where things are happening fast, you are confused about your camera settings, and you can't think fast enough to figure out how to respond. At that point turning your dial to Auto may be a "safe haven". But for most situations, as elliott937 suggests, Aperture or Shutter priority or the P mode, are far superior.

Be sceptical about stated or implied suggestions that shooting full Manual is somehow better photography and makes you a better photographer. Look at the "full Manual" advocates and their type of photography (subjects, setups, equipment, etc.). It may not be yours. That's not to say that full Manual doesn't have its place - just learn what that is and then decide.

If your camera allows it, you might want to take a look at M + Auto ISO. In that automated shooting mode you set the shutter speed (based on your subject motion and/or minimizing camera motion) and aperture (based on your desired depth of field and/or optimum lens performance). The camera decides on the ISO setting.

M + Auto ISO is not for all shooting situations but seems to be a "tool" in the bag of many wildlife (and other) photographers. It's been discussed extensively on UHH. If you're interested in the subject, start with the video on fellow "hogger" Steve Perry's website Backcountry Gallery.

Whatever you do, enjoy your trip and have fun making photographs!

Bill_de Loc: US

Being able to shoot manual can be helpful. It should not be a primary goal. The goal should be to understand all aspects of exposure, depth of field, effects of shutter speed, etc. Once you understand that you will be able to leave full auto behind and shoot in M, A, S, or P and be successful. Then you choose what you are most comfortable with, not what others prefer.

--

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

I think you’ll be disappointed later on if you don’t have wide-angle capabilities. When I started out, I had to have a long lens, I thought, but I have ended up taking about ninety percent pf my photos with a wide-angle.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Another endorsement for “rent before you buy”! Did that previously and learned a lot with relatively small outlay.
Your butterfly image is lovely. /Ralph

Theresa Thompson

TexasLynn,
Auto has a time and place. Try practicing aperture or shutter priority if you are not comfortable on manual. You have more control. Otherwise, you are asking the camera to make its best choice. I have shot Av for a while and am now trying manual. There is a sense of accomplishment in getting quality pics on my own. As for gear, I thought long and hard before I purchased my Canon. It isn’t the latest and greatest, but it serves me well and left me with money to upgrade my lens from the kit. I can see the draw of new gear, but ask yourself: “What do I want to do that I cannot do with my current gear?” Sometime more isn’t better, it’s just more and or confusing.

TexasLynn

Very good questions sir! Here are the reasons why. I shoot a lot of my friends in Mustang (the real 4 legged wild horses) in competition. When I want to get action shots, the camera I have, which does take awesome photos) has a lag in after about 6 frames. When I am trying to shoot in succession the few seconds that it takes to reset misses some shots that I had gotten. The speed of the T7i is a draw. Next, many of my friends are real working class people that travel sometimes halfway across the country to come to the competitions so you can imagine the expense. This camera can be connected to wiFi so I can send 1 or 2 to them instead of waiting until I l them to my laptop and them connect to their pages. Sometimes this doesn't occur until much later so that connection part is a draw. About the lens. I am working with the original lenses that came with the camera. On most of my a I go out west to shoot photos of real wild horses. Sometimes I meet up with my photographer friends and standing side by side my photos are as good as my friends except for the fact that mine aren't as sharp as theirs. So an upgrade to the lens should help with that. And some of my landscapes, even though wonderful shots, just don't have the clarity or depth that I would like. On this special trip I have coming up, I want to have more of those. Hopefully, the new camera and lens will help with that as I progress. I hope that answers why.