hookedupin2005 Loc: Northwestern New Mexico

Roberts Camera from Indianapolis usually has a good selection of used cameras, and lenses...They have a good rep.

papaluv4gd Loc: durham,ct

Yeah, what jd750 said. A newer camera will not make you a better photogropher. Master the tools you now have. Your canon equipment is more than capable of some seriously fine photographs. Get more proficient in the art of photography first. I shoot with olumpus m43 cameras. I'm not going to brag on anything I've done with them,But I have seen some outstandind work done with these cameras. Again, it's not the equipment, it's the operator. Save your money till you get damn good at what you do with what you have.

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

kbk

Best advice I have heard. Stay with what you have, a full frame may not necessarily take better pics for you. You may be better off upgrading to a better lens for the camera you have.

Keith S Loc: Federal Way, Wa

Wow, just as I expected from this forum. So many great comments and suggestions. I am going to stay with my t2i and grab the Tamron 150-600 for my Yellowstone trip.

Again, thank you all for your ideas.

Keith

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

I suggest that you rent the lens. I have the Sigma 150-600 for my sony and only use it for birds and wildlife. LensRentals.com out of Tenn is reliable and affordable. Renting is a good idea since you may be switching cameras in the next year.

Keith S Loc: Federal Way, Wa

ORpilot,

Now that is a great idea. I will use it more than just the Yellowstone trip. Here in the Seattle area I chase Orca whales when they arrive in Puget Sound and this lens will help to reach out and touch them. However, I think rental is great for my Yellowstone trip as a test run.

Thanks,
Keith

Simon1066

Just admit you have a proper attack of GAS, ignore the phoney $2k "budget" and blow the kids' inheritance!

newvy

Mpb.com has Nikon D750 ($800-950/good vs excellent) and a 24-85 f2.8-4 ($179). You would still have $1000 in budget for a nice zoom 80-200 f2.8 in budget.
Used camera but an excellent choice if you were up for move to Nikon.

jeffhacker Loc: Dallas, Texas

another one to call is Cameta in New York (they're actually on Long Island). I'd call the retail store and ask for Cathy. She can tell you what they have that's used and in good condition; they give a 30 day free return policy if you need it. I've bought a bunch of stuff from them and they're extremely easy to deal with (I agree that Adorama and B&H are also good; I think Cameta is right up there with them).

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

.

So you will be chasing Orcas and the whales. I would definitely look into very fast focusing cameras. I rented the Sony a7iii because it was within my budget. I was just blown away by its speed over my professional a99ii. So I bought it. The fastest is the a9 and the a7Riii, a7R iv, and a7iii are very very close seconds. My a7iii and a7Riii focus extremely fast even with moving subjects. Eye fallowing is hard to beat. You may think about renting a package of camera and a few Lenses to try them out. For Yellow Stone , a 24-70 and then the 70-300 would be enough. Animals there are use to tourists so you don’t have to be half mile away like Alaska.

A7iii sigma 150-600mm

lmTrying Loc: WV Northern Panhandle

Four months is not enough time to learn a new camera. Trust me. I bought a new point n shoot to take to Disney. While it was easier to carry than my DSLR, it was really frustrating digging through the unfamiliar menu.

I bought my first Canon in '82 because it felt good in my hands. If it feels good in your hands and the controls are easy to reach, it's good, and you will want to use it.

Full Frame Canon DSLRs can only use EF lenses. Crop sensor Canon DSLRs can use EF and EF-S lenses. Canon R and RP mirror less can use RF, and with a Canon adapter, EF and EF-S lenses.

Common advice from every direction seems to be to first invest in the best glass you can afford. My EOS XSi came with an EF-S 18-55. I also wanted a 70-300, but I was not impressed with the EF-S. A month later I picked up an EF 70-300 on sale. A much better built lens. A few years ago I wanted more width, so I picked up an EF-S 10-18. For something that would not see a lot of use, the reviews were good and the price was right. Then last year I finally took every one's advice, and instead of buying a body, I bought the latest EF 24-105 f/4 L. Better image quality? Yes. Bigger in diameter and longer than the 18-55? Oh yes. And much heavier.

Then I couldn't shake the GAS attack for a new body. And my soft focus problems still plagued me. I had been looking at the 80D. It had a lot of good reviews. Then the full frame R came out. But more than I wanted to spend. But Ken Rockwell's review made me think again, until I looked up the features and specifications. Wow! Too many things beyond my understanding. Enter the 90D. Affordable, latest technology, focus correctable, understandable, and all my lenses are still usable. Enter the RP. Priced similar to the 90D. Has all the latest technology. Looked up the features and specifications, definitely not overwhelming. Full frame. ? Mirror less, like all my Point n shoots. In November it went on sale with a free adapter. Mine arrived Monday before Thanksgiving.

Those bad reviews you've read? If you are a pixel peeper, or a rivet counter, maybe you will heed their warnings. I am not. I like the RP. The menus seem easy to navigate. The buttons and controls are well placed. I like the electronic view finder more than I thought I would. Am I still learning? Oh yes. Manufacturers web sites are your friend when sorting all this information.

But, I also know that my Canon XS 710 HS point n shoot will allow me to photograph scale models on the contest table far closer, under any lighting conditions, and with greater depth of field than any APS or DSLR can ever dream of. I had three photos in a show I November, all taken with the 710. I have seen several very fine photos posted here on the Hog taken with point n shoots. It's not the gear, it's the operator. Are my photos better? They're sharper. But I still have a long way to go, especially in composition.

P.S. (Personal note. Tried to help a friend who has a Fujimi the other day. OMG NO. Not me. Never. Talk about a learning curve. The buttons and controls are all in different places and operate totally different. No. Just be aware.)

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

wow, most Fuji cameras are very easy. Their controls are just like film cameras of days gone bye. Most Non Pro cameras and point & shoot cameras have "auto" setting that is colored green. Green is good. Auto mode will take a photo 95% of the time. They also have scene modes. They also work 95% of the time too and reset the camera to improve on "auto" mode. Granted, that leaves 5% is there for "manual" mode. But I find that mostly I use "P" so I can adjust f-stop, shutter speed, ISO, and WB as desired. I admit that I do not use the many options in the menu just like a microwave oven. I don't use half of the menu items. I have never taken 4 months to learn a camera, even my pro cameras. Once you understand the principals of photography switching cameras is just a matter of learning the differance in each companies nomenclature. As an example: most manufactures designate "S" for shutter speed but Canon uses "Tv". As a Photo Instructor I know, we all learn at different speeds. Also practice makes perfect. But like the Dinosaurs, If one does not evolve, then one is doomed.

Keith S Loc: Federal Way, Wa

So what I ended up getting is a canon 6d mark II, canon 24-105 f4 both used and with 2 year warranty. In addition I plunged in and purchased the Tamron 150-600 G2.

So far I am loving the camera and lens. Shot probably 40 shots today and initially very good. All done in Manual mode. If it doesn't rain tomorrow (it does that ocationally here in Seattle), I will connect the Tamron and go look for whales or Eagles and see how well I do.

Sure love the challenge and learning this photography stuff. I know I am a little in over my head, but nothing easy is worth doing.

Thanks to everyone for the comments, suggestions and experiences.

Keith

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

Congrats.... Just did a 4 hr walkabout training session this morning for two guys that have the same equipment as you. Happy shooting