What the seller was advising you to do is to support the camera/lens combo by the lens instead of the camera body. The reason is that the lens weighs considerably more than camere body; as such, carrying the gear by the camera body would stress the mount considerably more than if you carried the combo by the lens. The length of the lens combined with its weight exacerbates the stress placed on the mount. To put his advice into action you can do what I and others with this or similar long, heavy lenses do - carry the gear using a strap attached to the lens shoe instead of the strap mounting points on either side of the camera. When hand carrying, either hold the gear by the lens barrel or shoe mount. When actually shooting, support the weight of the lense with your left hand while holding the camera body with your right. I rotate the shoe mount to a position that makes it more comfortable to hold. What was probably obvious in his advice once you had the lense in your hand was to use the lense shoe mount instead of the body mount when using a tripod or monopod. This is more a center of balance consideration, but remains sound advice to reduce stress on the mounting surfaces and electrical contacts. You should note that this is a personal choice and that there are others that do not subscribe to this thinking. Personally, I think it makes perfect sense (basic physics), but I couldn't tell you factually that the stress has proven problematic. I believe that the materials that a camera body is made of would play a factor, as well. Enjoy your new lense!
Hey, biker! Welcome to the HOG! I feel funny saying that because I'm relatively new myself. The 18-55 kit lens from Canon is a great lense capable of capturing some truly stunning pictures. With that, you can hold off on buying another lens while you learn the basics of the exposure triangle - don't be afraid of shooting in manual. It is not as intimidating as many believe. There are limitless tutorials on YouTube for everything you could possibly imagine, including your specific camera body and lens. As you get more comfortable with the functionality you can turn your focus on lenses that will provide sufficient reach for the conditions you will be shooting under (day/night, distance to subject, etc) for your son's dirt bike racing. As for landscape, barns, cars, and people, your 18-55 can handle those with no problem. An external flash will help you when lighting conditions are less than optimal. For that, whether money is an issue or not, I highly recommend the Yongnuo YN600EX-RT, which is equivalent in most ways to Canon's top of the line flash unit, but at a fraction of the price. I'm talking $120 as opposed to. $500. It is an amazing flash at an amazingly low price! Buy it and don't look back! While you're at it, purchase the Yongnuo YN-E3-RT wireless transmitter, which will mount on your camera's hotshoe that serves as the "master" that will/can control your flash unit wherever you want to place it. I like hand holding the flash to the side (45° or whatever to my subject - alive or otherwise - and shift it above/below to varying degrees for affect, which you see instantly on your screen. The transmitter GREATLY increases the capabilities of your flash by allowing you to use it off camera for more flattering/appealing light. They are simple to use as they can be fully automatic (ETTL setting) while communicating with your camera. The only thing you'll have to do is set the flash to "slave" mode so it reacts to the wireless controller. If you feel a little adventurous you can take it off auto and put it on manual for more control, and again, there is no need to fear manual control. It really is no big deal. It can get a little more complicated, but that depends on how far you want to go with it, and the frequency in which you use the various functions at your disposal... think "use or lose" knowledge. A simpler way to play around and adjust the flash output is to simply use the flash exposure compensation. The wireless transmitter runs about $70, if I remember correctly, but there are always deals available, like a flash/transmiter combo for $180. I bought 3 flash units (one at first to try, immediately followed by two others and the transmitter after I personally confirmed the quality of the initial unit). I found that the wireless capabilities were a blast to play with, whether hand held, placed wherever you want on the base that comes with the flash, or mounted on a tripod or cheap light stand... Have fun!
Wow! Nice work! I think it looks amazing! Thank you! Have a great weekend!
The one with its wings spread is comical. Thank you for the chuckle. Have a great weekend!
Beautiful shots! Thank you for sharing. Like some others mentioned, it is on my bucket list.
Thank you, Linda. I enjoyed the article and absolutely loved the photos!
Absolutely gorgeous, hippy! Thanks!
Fascinating! Many of them are comical looking. I wonder how they distinguished between friend and foe? Thank you for sharing!
That is a beauty! Nice shot! Thanks for sharing!
Wow, pretty cool. Ugly, but cool. I love weird stuff like that. Thanks!
Beautiful set! Very crisp captures with nice detail!
Best Buy is also reducing their camera and gear inventories in many stores and creating a geographical hub at a single store with a large selection of cameras, lenses, etc.
Thanks for the chuckle! I've never heard that before either.