dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

You might actually benefit from a body upgrade rather than a lens. The t2i is really long in the tooth. I usually go for lens upgrades, but your case might be different. The newer focusing systems are a real leap over what you are using now and, since you shoot wildlife, that could be vital.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Cropping will definitely be better with a body upgrade .....

BobT Loc: southern Minnesota

What might you suggest for a body upgrade; keeping in mind that the "bank" is a primary concern. Used is OK with me. Much of my gear has always been used; with very little, if ever, new gear.

vonzip Loc: cape cod

good sharp image

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Bob, there's a lot of bodies to choose from, particularly if you're interested in used. You could stay within the Rebel line where the Rebel line is now split on subtle differences in features between an 'i' version and a more based configuration. The current models are the T7i and T7.

The next level up, still with a cropped sensor: 70D or 80D or 77D with the 80 and 77 model numbers being the current releases.

The top tier in the crop model, specialized in outdoor sports & wildlife, is the 7DII.

Afterward, you're looking at full-frame models where you lose the benefit of the crop sensor effect on the field of view. The 80D is a great mixture of capability including the ability to auto-focus with lenses (and lenses with extenders) with a maximum aperture of f/8.

If you scroll to the bottom of this wiki page, you find a graphic showing the entire EOS DSLR product line http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Canon_EOS_digital_cameras

BobT Loc: southern Minnesota

For as many years as I've been in this hobby, I have always been under the impression that the lens made more of a difference than the camera body. I guess I need to be convinced a bit more about why this might not be true if I were to invest in the 70-300mm Nano lens. Plus, I could not afford a body upgrade AND lens purchase both. My current 100-400 Mk 1 "L" lens is too heavy for me to use with a tripod, while the 55-250, though a mighty fine lens, just doesn't reach far enough. A lens reaching 300mm (and capable of delivering sharp images)would be my minimum long length for my Yellowstone trip based on past experiences there.

BobT Loc: southern Minnesota

...Meant to state "without" a tripod (or monopod).

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

The body will make a difference in your clean cropping abilities and lower light work.

New 80D's can be had for $800 if you shop hard ..... used T6i for $500.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

You're right, up to the point of shooting at higher ISOs, or wanting to maintain AF with a lens combo at f/8, or wanting a burst higher than 5 fps, or shooting at a long distance and wanting to crop deeply "into" the image. So, an older DSLR is still perfectly good and always benefits from a high quality lens up until the point you find yourself limited by one the four areas mentioned.

Consider another post in the past day or so that raised my eyebrows if not others. Someone selling a camera purchased for a NP trip cancelled due to the fires. What if they had just rented the high-end equipment for the trip? They might be out the rental fee, but wouldn't be trying to dump the camera they didn't even use ...

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

The 70-300 L version would be the better choice, but you were also talking more reach, the 400/5.6L will give you a tad more, and it is feather light!

BobT Loc: southern Minnesota

But I don't think the 400mm lens is IS. Correct? If it has IS, it might interest me quite a bit.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

NO IS and, it is NOT a zoom .....

The Sigma 100-300 f4 is a GREAT lens - but no IS/OS either .....

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I agree with an earlier response that the Canon EF 100-400mm IS USM "II" is your best bet, though it's a lot more money. Partly that's because it uses a fluorite element, which all the 70-300s lack. Fluorite really helps with chromatic aberration in powerful telephotos.

300mm really isn't much more "reach" than 250mm you've already got. 400mm... well that's a noticeably longer lens! If the current 100-400L "II" is too costly, you might consider the first, push/pull zoom version... It's also quite good and can still be found new at some hefty discounts, or even cheaper refurbished (at Canon USA website) or used.

The exception would be if you plan to shoot video with the lens. If so, then the Nano USM lens would be a better choice. It's quieter/smoother focusing, so more ideal for video work.

See the detailed review of the 70-300s at https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-70-300mm-f-4-5.6-IS-II-USM-Lens.aspx

You also can use the comparison tool at that website to see for yourself image quality from the two lenses (as well as the 100-400mm II, if you wish). Spoiler alert! Bryan Carnathan didn't find the image quality all that different, between the original 70-300mm IS USM and the "II" with Nano-USM. He felt the focus performance, improved IS and stylish new design were more significant differences.

There is a new Tamron 100-400mm VC USD lens coming soon.... don't know the details yet, but I expect it will be priced a lot lower than the Canon 100-400mm. It doesn't include, but is designed to be able to optionally fit a separately sold tripod mounting ring. Sigma already has a new 100-400mm OS HSM "C" lens available that looks to be competitive at about half the price of the Canon 100-400L II. The only thing I don't like about it is that there's no means or option to attach a tripod mounting ring. When a lens can reach 400mm, IMO it absolutely needs a tripod mounting ring! (Especially if it will be used on a crop sensor camera.)

Regarding possible camera upgrade....

T2i isn't all that bad. It's sensor is two-generation old 18MP, same as a pair of 7D I used for five years before updating to a pair of 20MP 7D Mark II. 80D is newer... it and T7i, 77D, T6i all use the latest generation 24MP APS-C size sensor. But you won't see a huge difference in IQ. Used right, the 18MP cameras are quite capable.

The biggest difference with a newer camera would be autofocus performance.... both the viewfinder based system and Live View on the latest models.... and possibly some other things such as reduced shutter lag, higher frame rate continuous shooting, larger buffer, maybe a bit higher usable ISO.... plus the rather silly stuff like WiFi, GPS, a direct line to Starbucks to pre-order your preferred coffee drink, etc.

Photocraig

Alan, I think my new 77D has direct WiFi to Andy's BBQ. But I now live in Sparks, NV, so it won't do me any good 3055 days a year.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Yes, you are correct, it does not have IS, but one uses that for stationary subjects only, so for any action shots, or BIF, or something in that line, it is not needed anyway!