I like the photo. Dad used to take pics of old barns, come home, and paint pictures that would include one or another of them. What I like the most is the stories that you can imagine that old barn could tell. I also like old trees for the same reason. But barns show more, age, damage, weather worn, listing one way or another, boards missing or rotted, the old hardware visible on doors, hinges, long abandoned pulleys are all signs of the character developed over the ages. I have one near me that is held upright solely by the trees surrounding it. Otherwise, it would be in so many piles here and there. Thanks for sharing the photo.

Thanks LoneRangeFinder for your suggestion regarding Fujis. I've already bought the FZ1000, so I'll just learn how to have fun with it for now. By the way, I'm always impressed by the handles that you creative guys come up with.

Not sure how you get your shots, but can you put your camera on a tripod closer to the place where you see all the birds and use a remote trigger to make the shots. You might get even sharper detail of the bird's feathers. Maybe you're already doing that. Anyway, I'm always trying how to get it better, my bad!😄

So I'm left wondering if I can mount my 400mm camera & lens onto a telescope? Seems the moon is just close enough that lots of us are interested in trying to see more of it. Nice pics!

Well, I know I said I was going to do some iPhone picture taking, but I've also found another direction that is a little cheaper than a full blown DSLR. I bought a (Deep breath) Panasonic LUMIX DMC- FZ1000. Long name! Anyway it's a single lens camera that acts like a DSLR. The lens is an optical zoom, 25mm-400mm, F2.8 towards F4.0. I bought a 2x lens adapter that will give me 800mm, I don't know how much picture quality that will give, but seems like something to try. The 25-400mm seems like a good range. 25mm is a decent wide angle, not an 18mm, but also more than a 35mm. The f2.8-f4.0 isn't an f1.4-1.8mm, but it's better than so many of the telephotos that have an f5.6-6.3. My memory is that more light is better.😄 I remember when you chose the film with a given ISO and chose from a range of shutter speeds to adjust your lighting. With digital, you vary the ISO, equivalent to changing the film each time. This camera doesn't seem to let me set an ISO, say 800, and adjust my own shutter speed. I've read some explanations suggesting a 1/2000sec. shutter speed which is decent, not 1/5000 but still fast. Setting ISO rather than shutter speed is just something I'll need to adjust to. This seems like a less expensive DLSR wanna be that may just have enough options to keep me busy. I bought an extra battery, two 64GB SDXC UHS-I memory cards, a remote switch, a card reader/writer, a tripod and a toy table top tripod that bends every which way, plus an equipment backpack with rain cover, and a camera case. Now all I need is to get past my chemo (April, 2017) so I'll have the energy and ability to get out in the sunlight to wander away from home. I'll let you know as I learn this "FZ1000". Wish me luck!

Since you are considering the Panasonic LUMIX DMC- FZ1000, whew, what a name. May we just call it the FZ1000? Anyway, I think you have the gist of the situation. Is your aim to become a professional or just to take pic that you and your friends on the internet enjoy? If friend sharing is your goal, then the FZ1000 offers a lot of pro-like features, but can be shot in auto settings and the wiggle-free stabilization feature gives you a lot more good shots. The huge zoom enables you to shot close-ups or telephoto shots of birds or other animals, even a zoom shot of kids doing something so cute or a friend doing something so silly that you have to have that shot and right now, without changing a lens. Oh, and did I mention the auto setting in case you don't have time to choose the apparature, speed, or ISO for that perfect shot. You just need to get it and NOW! And yes, if you have some time to study how to get more unique photos, that you might even want to blow-up and hang...this will give you some latitude. Are there other options, sure! I just chose this one and would suggest this might be the one for you. Good hunting!

You've received some great advice, especially about used or refurbished equipment from reputable dealers. Here is my question for you. You said you are a beginner in photography. You are interested in shooting birds, to which one birder suggested you won't have enough lens at 300mm for that interest. You are interested in some tourist vacation shots. Do you have even an inkling that you might become a pro or semi-pro photographer? If so, then buy the best that you can afford. BUT, if you are not thinking that grand, let me offer another direction. There is another level of cameras in which you can spend about $800-$850 and own all the ancillary equipment that you may want. (Think camera bag, case to fit over your camera when out walking, extra memory card/s, back-up battery/s and charger, a basic set of 7 photo lenses filters, lens hood/s, a 2x lens extender, an extra manual on making the most with your camera, a couple extra books on making the most of the elements of photography, and of course your camera and lens.)
What about a camera with these features:
20.1 megapixel 1"-type MOS sensor
25-400mm equiv. F2.8-4 Leica lens
5-axis 'Power OIS' stabilization
XGA OLED electronic viewfinder with 2.36M dots
3-inch fully-articulated LCD with 920K dots
4K (3840x2160) video at 30p, 100Mbps MP4
1080p at up to 60p, 28Mbps (MP4 or AVCHD)
120fps quarter-speed 1080p
3.5mm microphone socket
Clean HDMI output
Zebra pattern and focus peaking
Wi-Fi with NFC
360 shots per charge (CIPA standard)
Well, if this sounds like something that might keep you busy, and for less money, let me suggest a non-professional camera that only imitates a true DSLR. Open the curtains to to reveal the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000.
It is a single lens camera, 25-400mm equiv. F2.8-4 Leica lens. With a 2x adapter, you're using an 800mm equivalent lens. Now maybe that will get you some decent bird shots, wide angle to telephoto tourist pics that your friends and family will enjoy, the ability to shoot in RAW incase you ever get interested in making changes in your photos using computer technology. As a tourist, you'll appreciate there are no extra lenses to carry around your neck, just one amazing, but non-professional camera, that looks like a DSLR, has many of those features, but is a camera for beginner to intermediate camera enthusiasts.

Thanks again for all the great comments and advice. Here's what I've decided to do and why...I'm upgrading my iPhone from a 4s to the 7 Plus which offers a wide angle and a 2x telephoto lens. I have a good friend who has been an avid photographer for 40+ years, but mostly when they'd take their vacations to Colorado. I'd take a copy of any pic in his BEST portfolio of about 200 shots. He's now retired and has found that the new phone he got captures all the pics he sees around town and on vacation. He qualifies his statement by saying that he wouldn't print these in anything greater than 8x10 and probably more like 5x7. He's having a lot of fun with the phone and has set his Nikon on the shelf in favor of the quick, easy phone camera. He knows me pretty well and suggested I start there and will probably not crave the bigger telephotos. I'm not sure about a 2x telephoto, but I do need a phone upgrade and this may help me identify where my photo interests really lie.
Then if I still think I want a real camera, I'll know what and why I want a particular camera and lenses. I realized I am infatuated by all the options and even found myself drooling over the Nikon P9000 bridge camera for its 2000mm telephoto. Exactly what I'd use it for, I'm not sure. I also drooled over a few $12,000-$13,000 telephoto lenses. Do I ever expect to become a professional photographer who could justify owning such lenses? Not in my remaining lifespan. I need to see what my location has to offer and what I want to capture from it. I need to train the photographer again about composition and lighting among other things. Then I might know better how invested I want to become in cameras and which lenses might meet those wants.
Again, thank you all for your comments. If and when I do decide that I really want a dSLR camera, I'll have a lot of good ideas to help me decide which camera and lenses I want.

Wow! Thanks for all the informative responses. Some of you mentioned refurbished cameras and possibly upgrading to a 7200. Just so happens Nikon is offering that body, refurbished, with 18-55 and 55-300 lenses for the same price as a new 5300. I perceive that a refurbish by the manufacturer may have a better chance of being "like new". Hence my attention to the Nikon site. One mentioned the 18-140mm lens which I agree seems a more useful single lens. Maybe I can find that setup on another site, but then I have to wonder about the refurbished.
My old Pentax (filmer) had a f/1.4, 50mm. I remember some dark scenes that needed to be opened up and the speed slowed way down just to get a shot. So the 18-55mm with f/3.5-5.6 makes me wonder about low light shooting. It seems that lenses with low f-stops may be out of my budget now and that's okay. It will make me find other ways around those shots. Someone asked about my old Pentax lenses. Those went to my son when he was shooting for his high school football games and have long since been traded by him. I don't know how quiet the new brand of Olympus DSLRs are, but I remember my dad's Olympus film camera was a lot noisier than my Pentax. I'd perceive that the newer Nikons might be quieter than the newer Pentaxes. That seems important when shooting wild animals. Some suggested other brand options, but I perceive the Nikon lenses to have the best "glass". So I want to buy into that brand. Still as mentioned, the jerk behind the camera may have more to do with getting good shots.😊 I'll look around some other sites with all of your comments in mind. For now thanks so much for all the great advice.

Great shots! I used to have a Pentax with a 300mm lens. I tried it with a 3x adapter and mounted on my tripod. The film photos I got were not nearly as clear and sharp as yours. Congrats!

Roy, I'm new too, but for my taste, the color version tells more of a story about this old wagon and wheel. The pinkish color makes me think of how colorful the wagon once might have been, while the white mold growing on it suggests that it may have sat idle for some time. The graying wood tells of years of use and neglect. See also the rusted hub nut. It's almost a picture of a life cycle. I like your color shot.

Between this pic and your profile pic, you offer two great shots that identify this bird. I first thought it was a Pyrrhuloxia, a cousin to the Cardinal, but your frontal shot tells me it isn't. Aside from photography, you might find an interest in identifying the birds you photograph. With the quality of your shots; the name, location, and date would tell a story that bird watchers might appreciate. I'm new here and don't recognize your camera. What lens did you use for these shots? What time of day did you take them? Do you know the lens opening, etc.? I've seen some photo sites where these details were included. I'd think your shots and details would be of interest here and in photo magazines that pay for pics. If not now, it seems that you could be on your way to a career or at least a paying hobby. Good luck and good shooting!

Great choice for a black and white. Reminds me of an older man I once knew. At 16, he was a projectionist at a late night theatre in Dallas, TX. For protection, he used to carry a butcher knife to and from the theatre. After high school, he prayed that God would get him out of Dallas and promised never to ask for another thing. Your picture helps convey the dangerous feeling of a city alley that he might have travelled.

Newbee here. 😊 Haven't shot with a good camera in years, but am now interested in getting into DSLRs. Nikon is offering a sale on one that I'd like some critiques about. It is a Nikon D5300 Camera Body with AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens and AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED Lens for $700. Please weigh in about this package for a retiree who is interested in shooting nature shots of landscapes and animals. I have about six months before I'll be able to get out and shoot, so I'd like to spend the time learning about photography with a DSLR. Thanks for any help.

Ditto! I agree with Jane. But how did you get them to stand still for the photos? 😊