I have purchased several lenses and a camera from them with good results. I had to send one of the lenses back for repair under their warranty and they fixed it with no hassles. I would definitely recommend them.

I suspect one issue for Canon is their existing investment in and revenue stream from lenses. If they can figure out how to make a competitive mirrorless camera that uses native EF/EF-S lenses, they’ll probably move right in.

I have made a number of trips to France and England and tried a number of lens combinations. I would recommend the 15-85 if you’re only taking one lens. I agree that the IQ seems slightly better than the18-135’s. In my experience the wider angle is very useful in towns and for interiors, and the difference at the long end usually isn’t that noticeable. I would suggest considering one or two additions. One is the EF-S 24 mm pancake lens. It doesn’t have the wide angle but it’s inexpensive and extremely easy to carry, and I found it great for walking around in towns when I didn’t want the weight and bulk of a larger zoom. In addition or alternatively, unless you’re happy with using your smartphone’s camera, I would bring a compact like a G16, G5X or G3X II (assuming you stay with Canon). Based on my experience, at some points you will want to have a camera with you that is light and unobtrusive.

Have a great trip!

In my view the TG4 and the 18-55mm lens are essential and adding the 70-300 would be ideal. I think the weight you actually carry around is a crucial consideration. If possible, I would suggest spending time this summer on a few two- or three-hour photography outings with your camera and both lenses to see what you think of the weight and get some ideas about how you might use them. Alternatively, a single lens around 18-135 would probably be a good compromise, although once again I would think about the weight.

One other suggestion. I assume you’re flying to Greece, so you will be carrying all your camera gear as part of your carry-on luggage. I would do some practice packing so you know ahead of time how you will carry it. FWIW, I was recently on a crowded flight where passengers were required to check their larger carry-on bags (no charge) and only take on board what could fit under the seat. Fortunately I had packed with that possibility in mind, but there were a few unhappy people doing hasty repacking to make sure they kept their valuable or essential items with them.

If at all possible, I would urge you to handle several cameras before making your final decision. I think you also want to play a bit with the menu systems, since they range from the fairly straightforward (Canon) to the absurdly complicated (Olympus). Of course you can learn a new system, but since you want to keep things simple and you’re familiar with Panasonic, I would suggest looking at their micro-4/3 mirrorless cameras. FWIW, if you are looking for reviews, I would suggest checking the Camerlabs.com web site. Good luck and have fun.

That might just be a matter of time until the editing software catches up. I got my 80D as soon as it was released and it took a few months before the Apple photo editor could handle the raw files. I discovered the problem pretty quickly and took RAW+JPEG until the software got updated.

I went from a T1i to an 80D when the later came out in 2016. My wife asked me to help her select her first DSLR this past winter and I rented the cameras you are considering. One advantage of the T7i and the 77D is their larger number of focal points—I believe it’s 45 compared to 11 on the SL2, which I think is what you have with the T3. I wasn’t paying too much attention to the controls but IIRC, there are a few more manual controls on the 7i and 77D, and the latter has the top panel. The SL2 is the lightest and smallest, but they all weigh around a pound.

So... given your shooting style, I think they would all work fine for you. As people always say, if at all possible you should handle them and see which feels better to you. In my case, I was charmed by the SL2 and keep thinking it would be a good travel camera. I also liked the 77D since I have gotten used to the top information panel and there’s the allure of the “better camera”. I thought the 7i was fine but for me it did not have any charm (can’t think of another term for irrational appeal). My wife chose the 7i without much trouble because she preferred the way it handled and fit her hands.

I felt pretty much like you do when I decided to replace my point-and-shoot with a DSLR back in 2011. The decision isn’t exactly arbitrary, but there are many possible good answers. I was lucky to get some guidance from a friend at work who takes great pictures. (She had gone from a Sony to a Nikon, but suggested I look at Canons as well since the Canon menus were well thought out and easy to use.)

To the degree you feel necessary, I would suggest some basic research into things like full-frame vs cropped sensor, micro four-thirds vs APS-C, and mirrorless versus DSLR. You’ve already gotten a lot of recommendations here, but I would do some online searches for Best Camera by type (DSLR, Mirrorless, Full Frame, Cropped), Best Camera by function (travel, landscapes, etc.) and Best Camera by price (under $1,000, etc.). If you do that you’ll also find a lot of online sites that do reviews. (FWIW, I really like Cameralabs, DP Review and The Digital Picture, but there are many to chose from.)

Finally, as you describe it, I would be a little careful with the store you visited since it sounds like the salesman was pushing products rather than listening to you.

It seems pretty clear that no one here agonizes over whether to use their “real camera” or their cell phones to take a picture, so the choice hardly seems to qualify as a conundrum.

The newish (2016) 18-135 USM has what Canon calls “NANO USM” technology in the form of a small attachment that supposedly gives it the movie capabilities of their STM motor. I understand that the optics are the same as those on the latest iteration of the 18-135 STM, which is slightly cheaper. I have the USM version on an 80D and think it’s pretty good. You might also look at the older EF-S 15-85 which I think has marginally better IQ. It sounds like the longer reach would be a priority for you, but along with all the other suggestions, the Sigma 17-50 2.8 is a good deal cheaper and I believe somewhat lighter than the Canon EF-S equivalent and most reviews say it’s an excellent alternative.

Among other things north of Albany you get into the Adoronacks, Saratoga (great for 19th century mansions), the Saratoga Battlefield National Park—site of the most significant battle of the American Revolution, Ticonderoga, Lake George, Lake Champlain...it’s a really beautiful region with a lot of 18th century history.

I would go as light as you can. If you take the 6D, I would suggest the 24-70 and if time and budget allow get one of the f24, f28 or f40 f2.8 primes. If you’re sure you need the 70-200, I would skip the 24-70 and add one of the primes for walking around. I would also take the G10 or an upgrade. I would not bother with the flash or the SX50, unless you would carry the latter in lieu of the 6D. In that case, don’t bother with the G10. Obviously there are other combinations. My point is weight and as simple as possible, since you want to experience the trip, not just photograph it. I would also take the best pair of compact binoculars you can afford.

You may well be correct on the first point and are obviously correct on the second. On the first, I was making the implicit assumptions that for a general purpose lens he would want 15-18 mm at the wide end and the widest acceptable zoom range/image quality trade-off. The consensus on the latter seems to be 18-135, and I happen to be familiar with the 18-135 lens I suggested. Of course, my assumptions could be either right or wrong.

Mention of the other lenses was possibly useful, probably irrelevant and in my view harmless.

I also have an 80D and for a single lens I would recommend the EF-S 18-135 USM or the EF-S 15-85, depending on whether the 15 mm wide angle or 135 mm telephoto is better for your needs. They both produce very good pictures. My impression is that the 15-85 is slightly better optically, but I like having the extra reach of the 18-135 if I’m only carrying one lens.

I would add the EF-S 24mm pancake and consider the 10-18 IS wide angle. The 24mm is inexpensive, pocketable, unobtrusive, virtually weightless, and it takes great photos. The 10-18 IS is light and of course gives you the wider angles. In the US the 15-85 is about $800, the 18-135 about $600, the 24mm $150 and the 10-18 a little under $300.