My Christmas gift? (Page 2): :sm24: :sm24: It is a very solid camera. You can get a refrubished one for $799.20 right now at Canon:...

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Wingpilot wrote:

You might consider the Canon 80D.

It is a very solid camera. You can get a refrubished one for $799.20 right now at Canon:

https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-80d-body-refurbished

I think you should be good with your current lens for a while. But Sigma has a nice 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | C for $699.00 that could extend your reach and still be hand holdable and is way less expensive than the Canon version. I think Tamron has something similar

I'm a dabbler

Thank you for telling me your experience with your camera. I am wondering if the learning curve up to the 80D might be too much for my aging brain!

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

I'm a dabbler wrote:

Thank you for telling me your experience with your camera. I am wondering if the learning curve up to the 80D might be too much for my aging brain!

The 80D is very easy to use and learn. If you have a Canon DSLR there will be little operational difference.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Architect1776 wrote:

The 80D is very easy to use and learn. If you have a Canon DSLR there will be little operational difference.

The way you do things on the Canon Rebel XS 1000D (XS in America) you can still do them on the 80D in pretty much the same way. It is just that you have a lot more options.

I'm a dabbler

Thank you!

Unclehoss

[quote=I'm a dabbler]Photographing nature for enjoyment is my retirement "occupation."....

I have been in your shoes, Canon Rebel, et al. The first suggestion I have is upgrade your glass. Made all the difference in the world going from a kit quality lens to a Canon "L" lens and have no complaints about the camera body at all. I found a fantastic lens, used online for less than half of your allotted budget. The first lens I got was a 24-105 L, helps me with a wide range of subjects and needs.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

I'm a dabbler wrote:

Photographing nature for enjoyment is my retirement "occupation."....

Unclehoss wrote:

I have been in your shoes, Canon Rebel, et al. The first suggestion I have is upgrade your glass. Made all the difference in the world going from a kit quality lens to a Canon "L" lens and have no complaints about the camera body at all. I found a fantastic lens, used online for less than half of your allotted budget. The first lens I got was a 24-105 L, helps me with a wide range of subjects and needs.

Of course, in this case we are looking at a 10MP camera with a much older focusing system. The current lens is a decent lens. I think this is one of the rather rare cases where a newer body will overcome the sharpness issues the OP has identified as the problem.

I'm a dabbler

I have come to believe that the older body (not mine, but the camera's) is the first thing I need to address. As many times as I have said I was sorry that I did not have enough telephoto to get a shot, I do suspect I would not be satisfied with just the longer lens without first updating the camera. I think I will need to do this in stages. Thank you everyone for helping me feel more confident that I can do something soon that I will not regret!

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

dsmeltz wrote:

Of course, in this case we are looking at a 10MP camera with a much older focusing system. The current lens is a decent lens. I think this is one of the rather rare cases where a newer body will overcome the sharpness issues the OP has identified as the problem.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I wish you'd attached (store original) the image of your posted example to examine the shooting parameters from the EXIF data. The colors and exposure are very pleasing even though the focus details are soft. This indicates possible areas for improvement in technique that might be more effective than changes in equipment. Also, if you're limited in budget with a goal of wildlife photography, your first upgrade should be a 400mm lens rather than a body. All EOS bodies are relatively advanced and technique can help maximize their capabilities. You also should be shopping the market for used equipment rather than new. The combination of an 80D and 100-400L would be a great combo. Look at KEH and see what they're offering used with EX ratings. If you need to make an either-or decision, go with the lens. Or, consider the cheaper original 100-400L rather than the v II.

Unclehoss

CHG_CANON wrote:

I wish you'd attached (store original) the image o... (show quote)

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

CO wrote:

I think part of the problem is that you cropped very heavily. Your camera's sensor has 3888 x 2592 pixels. The photo you posted has 734 x 600 pixels. I don't know which lens you used. You might want to get a lens with a longer focal length.

You do realize that the image resolution is always low on the thumbnail images posted here. That's why we always stress using the download feature so we can see the image at a higher resolution. There is no indication that I can see that the original image was so heavily cropped.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

I'm a dabbler wrote:

I have come to believe that the older body (not mine, but the camera's) is the first thing I need to address. As many times as I have said I was sorry that I did not have enough telephoto to get a shot, I do suspect I would not be satisfied with just the longer lens without first updating the camera. I think I will need to do this in stages. Thank you everyone for helping me feel more confident that I can do something soon that I will not regret!

That is generally incorrect. Assuming there are no problems with your camera better lenses will usually result in sharper images.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

mwsilvers wrote:

That is generally incorrect. Assuming there are no problems with your camera better lenses will usually result in sharper images.

Depends on lenses and body.
I got better photos with my 7D over my 10D using the 24-105L on both.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Architect1776 wrote:

Depends on lenses and body.
I got better photos with my 7D over my 10D using the 24-105L on both.

Agree. It definitely does. But in your case you were starting off with a good lens. The OP say he has a 55-250, presumably a version I or II which are not terribly sharp at 250mm, and he likely also cropped that image quite a bit since 250mm is not a generally optimal focal length for birding. If he was using an EF 100-400 on that same body the results would probably be much much better and require much less cropping. And using a body like the 80D with his old 55-250 might only give him a marginal improvement in IQ and would still require significant cropping for birding. Of course all this is moot until the OP posts a high resolution version of the image with EXIF info attached and selects store original so we can evaluate what else might be causing the lack of sharpness.