CanonTom Loc: Birmingham

Great advice!

jjbrenner Loc: San Angelo, TX

Excellent advice. I bought the 80D about a year ago, and have been completely satisfied. It's an amazing camera, and if you can find a refurb from Canon at a price you can afford, I don't think you can go wrong. By the way, I love your butterfly image!
Jim

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

Of the two lenses you mention, the 18-400 is a total one lens walk around lens and the Canon is a much better quality lens. I would also note that the Tamron 18-400 is a slower focusing lens for action shots.

You needs and use for you decision on that one.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

It sounds like your quandary is about manual focus versus auto focus. I have read that auto focus is more accurate than manual under most conditions. So there's that. Plus, Steve Perry has a great video on focusing techniques with DSLR's. You might also want to the proper use of your focus points and what array of points to use in various situations. Back button focusing can be your friend too.

Joexx

This is very good advice. Many good photographers mostly use aperture priority. You do generally want to stay away from the full auto setting, as it will offen compromise with a poor choice for a depth of field setting or shutter speed . Full manual is not good for many situations where the lighting and or movement of objects is rapidly changing.

williejoha

What is your budget? It sounds like you think you are missing shots because the buffer in your current camera is not big enough. You also feel that your kit lens is not sharp enough for what you want to achieve. Look for a factory refurbished D7 II ( 10 FP's) and a refurb first generation 24-105 lens. Zoom is great, but seldom used. MHO
WJH

Zooman 1

I have both of those lenses. Both are good, I give overall quality to the Canon 70-300, but the Tamron 18-400 gives you a longer reach. I have found the Tamron at the wider settings is not sharp, unless you are reasonably close to your subject. I have tried it for landscapes on a tripod, and still do not get good sharpness under 50mm. Better gear can help you to become a better photographer if you grow with it. A lesson I have had to learn. Have a fun trip.

revhen Loc: By the beautiful Hudson

Just enjoy and do your best. I subscribe to the infinite monkey theory: Take LOTS of pictures and at least some will come out right!

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

In the 70-300mm range, I would HIGHLY recommend you get the Canon IS II nano - I paid $400 for mine used - it is a GREAT lens !....

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TexasLynn

I will look further into you suggestions, Thanks. My photo looks great! I didn't crop in that far because it does lose a little clarity but apparently I am a little to sensitive to that and should not be.

jdub82 Loc: Northern California

If you do decide on the 77D, the sale price for a NEW 77D body is $649.00 right now. It is a incredible price, much less than I paid. It is also less than the refurbished price during the Canon sale. It is selling for less than the T7i right now. I have a 77D and love it. It has the same autofocus system as the T7i, with some upgrades, including the top LCD screen. It does not have the weather sealing that the 80D does, but it is an upgrade over the T7i. The body is the same size and weight as the T7i.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Just to clarify....

Auto FOCUS and auto EXPOSURE are two entirely different things.

When you hear and read about people "using manual", they are referring to using manual EXPOSURE. They also are actually rather silly, if that's all they ever use. In fact, there are auto exposure modes that are very useful... can even be necessary for certain situations. The best photographers learn to use them all, in addition to manual exposure.

On cameras like T7i, there are also "super auto" modes. Canon labels it "A+" in green ink on most recent cameras (sometimes called the "green box" mode). This is WAY MORE than just auto exposure. This is a highly amateurish "point n shoot" mode that automates exposure (Program mode) AND a whole lot more. It also restricts the auto focus mode, white balance (color) settings, even the type of file the camera will save (JPEGs only) and prevents you from using some useful tools such as Exposure Compensation. The "scene modes" such as "running man/sports", "mountain/scenic" and similar are also highly restrictive... they are some programmer's idea of the "correct" settings for specific types of photography.... Oh, I wish it were so simple!

Certainly... Learn to use Manual exposure mode (M). But also learn to use the auto exposure modes... Av: Aperture Priority, Tv: Shutter Priority, P: Program... as well as M with Auto ISO on most recent cameras. Get Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure"... study it, learn it, practice. That might be the best $18 you ever spend on your photography hobby!

But be aware that there is NO SHAME using the auto exposure modes! Av, Tv and P serve real, valuable purposes. So does M + Auto ISO. Do try to wean yourself off the A+ mode or scene modes, if using them.

And, don't conflate auto exposure and auto focus....

Auto focus - such as the T7i offers with it's 45-point, all cross type, -3EV, f/8 capable, viewfinder based AF array or its Dual Pixel AF in Live View - can be faster and more accurate than anyone was ever able to focus manually. There is no reason not to use AF and switch to slower and less capable manual focusing, aside from some specialty types of photography (high magnification macro, some landscape/architecture, astrophotography, some portraiture).

For a camera's excellent AF system to perform it's best, it needs to be combined with an equally high performance lens. With a Canon camera this generally means using Canon USM lenses. The ultrasonic drive motors of those lenses are the fastest. Canon STM (stepper motor) lenses aren't bad either, but are not quite as fast. In both cases, I have the most confidence in the performance of Canon's own lenses on their own cameras.

For that reason, I'd steer you away from the Tamron lens you mention.... especially a super wide ranging zoom like that 18-400mm. This IS NOT an f/3.5 lens as you wrote, other than at it's widest focal lengths. It is a variable aperture lens that is f/6.3 at the 400mm end and f/5.6 at a lot of focal lengths in between. Super wide ranging zooms like this are all about convenience... and to cover such an extreme range, they ALWAYS compromise in some other ways. Also, I think Tamron's fastest and most high performance lens auto focusing motor is their "USD" (ultrasonic), such as they use on their more premium 100-400mm zoom.

In fact, I'm not going to recommend the Canon 70-300mm "DO", either. That "diffractive optics" lens is now discontinued. It was an interesting experiment and is a decent performer in all respects... but it's expensive and although it's a little smaller than other 70-300s, it's actually about the same weight. Originally the 70-300mm DO sold for around $1400.... making it one of the most expensive lens of this type ever offered. Now used ones are selling for $550 to $600 and might appear a bargain... Except that you can buy a brand new EF 70-300mm IS USM "II" with just as good image quality, as well as the latest and greatest "Nano USM" focus drive and 3 to 4 stop IS for less money... currently about $450. The previous version of that lens is quite capable, too, can can be found new for under $400 or used for even less.

But the best performing Canon 70-300mm is their "L" IS USM... a bigger, heavier, off-white painted lens that can optionally be fitted with a handy tripod mounting ring. It's also the best sealed of the bunch, for weather and dust resistance. But that lens costs over $1300 new and you won't find one used for much less than $1000. The Canon EF 100-400mm "L" IS USM "II" is best of all, but is even bigger, heavier and more expensive.

If budget is extremely tight, the Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS STM is very good, too, though not quite as fast focusing. It's fairly compact, light weight, and has very good image quality and close focusing ability, for about $300 new or under $200 used. (Just be sure it's the "STM"... not the slower focusing micro motor "II" or first version of this lens.)

If you buy a T7i with a two-lens kit, most likely the EF-S 55-250mm IS STM will be the longer one that's included (usually along with an EF-S 18-55mm IS STM). In fact, I just looked and see that the T7i is currently being offered in kit with those two lenses for $950 total. The camera body alone normally sells new for $750... so you are basically getting the two lenses for $200.... (a pretty good deal, since new and bought separately they normally sell for $550... $250 for the 18-55mm STM and $300 for the 55-250 STM).

T7i is a fine camera. You'll have trouble finding many used, though, because it's such a new model. You might find a little savings buying refurbished direct from Canon USA website, which are probably demo models from stores and photo shows that have seen little or no actual use, but can no longer be sold as new. They also sell refurbished lenses. (Canon refurbs have the same warranty as new). https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/cameras/refurbished-eos-digital-slr-cameras#

Refurbished are not always the best deal, so shop around at the long-established, reputable and reliable stores, too. Early last year I was all set to buy a pair of 7D Mark IIs refurbished. But when I checked around I actually found that between the instant rebates Canon was offering on new and some things retailers & Canon were bundling with the cameras at the time, it was actually a better deal to buy brand new.

johnst1001a Loc: West Chester, Ohio

I have the 70-300, which does a beautiful job, but needs a lot of light or you have to boost the ISO or use a tripod. As for close-ups, the Canon 100 mm macro would be my choice, but you can just stand back a bit and use the 70-300 at 100 mm or a bit more and get essentially the same result.

BebuLamar

Do you mean Precision Camera in Austin, TX. It's a nice store and I am surprised that the price are higher than the web. I am in the Dallas, TX area and Competitive Camera here actually sells for a few dollars (too few to mention) than B&H or Adorama. Of course they do collect tax.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

For close ups you will need the 12mm extension tube or a 72mm 500D close up lens with a 67-72mm step up adapter ring.

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