Even if an extender would work, you lose 2 f/stops worth of light making the viewfinder image very dark. Your camera has an APS-C sized sensor. So, the 70-300mm lens will be the equivalent of about a 100-450mm lens on a full frame camera.

I shoot a Sony A7RIII and except for the last statement, that's what my camera will do. The A7RIII doesn't have "Intelligent Auto". Manual mode with fixed ISO won't allow EC on almost any body because you have full control of the exposure. When you set Aperture Priority & Auto ISO, the meter will adjust the shutter speed until it reaches a predetermined limit & will then adjust the ISO. You might consider purchasing Gary Friedman's book on the a6500 body. It will answer a lot of questions & probably some situations you haven't thought of yet.

Love it. Different perspective. At least you're not pushing up daisies.

You'd be amazed how many people don't understand that the same battery can have a different part number based on the manufacturer. I regularly have people tell me that an LR6 and an AA aren't the same or a Duracell DL2032 isn't the same as a CR2032.

A lot of batteries have several different part numbers depending on who the manufacturer is or what part of the world they're made in. Look at a AA battery. Chances are good you'll see LR6 next to the AA. The A23 is only sold in 1 or 2 packs because it's only used in a few devices like a fan or garage door remote. AA & AAA batteries go in a multitude of devices including thousands of kids toys. The problem with rechargeable batteries is they usually have about 1/3 of the charge capacity of a similar battery that is not rechargeable. Nicad & Nickel-Metal rechargeable batteries are also 1.2 volts where alkaline batteries are 1.5 volts. A lot of devices don't like the reduced voltage & won't work with them.

The 23A isn't an odd battery. We sell at least a dozen each week at Batteries Plus.

I’m with Longshadow. I don’t have any cards that are that old. Some of mine are 7-8 years old but, I’ve never had 1 fail. I always put the card in the SD card reader in my laptop & move the pictures over. Have yet to format the cards.

My daughter ordered a case of printer paper & got a robot vacuum cleaner. Her card was charged for the paper. She returned the vacuum cleaner.

Whichever lens you go with, make sure you have a monopod. It will make shooting a lot easier. I have the Sigma Contemporary 150-600 and love it for birds & wildlife.

Beautiful set. I especially like #2 although I would have liked to see a little more of the creek. In #4 the red flowers look to be over saturated.

I started my digital journey with a used Alpha 100 that I bought from a friend who had upgraded to an Alpha 700. Prior to that body, I had been shooting a Minolta Maxxum 7000i which I still have. The Sony body's had the same lens mount which made it a good switch. A couple years later I upgraded to the Alpha 850 for the full size sensor. Found a great deal on the A7RIII which required a lens mount adapter. Over the next 5 years I moved all my glass to E mount. Now all I have left is a 90mm macro A mount lens which stays on the 7000i body. Gary Friedman has an excellent book on the A7RIII which I've had since I bought the body & still refer to it regularly. Keep practicing & shooting. At least you don't have to spend a lot of money getting film processed.

High FPS is not necessarily the best feature to look for even for birds & wildlife. Anything over about 10FPS is gravy. The best camera, whether Sony, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, etc., is the 1 you feel comfortable with. I carry a Sony A7RIII with a Sigma 150-600 when I'm out shooting wildlife. It will do 10FPS for 76 frames before filling the buffer. I haven't found a situation yet when that wasn't enough. If there's a camera shop near you, get to know some of the folks there. Let them know what you're trying to do. Don't let them push you into a system you're not comfortable with. Another option is to find a local camera club with the same ideas in mind.

Very nice. Your patience is showing. Looking forward to some of your BIF shots.

Got to see him when I was stationed at Udorn, Thailand with the 432nd Recce Tech 1972-73. Don't remember who all was with him but, shortly after the show started, 1 of our recce birds launched. Bob made a comment about the noise. Less than an hour later, Col. Scott, the wind commander, came on stage & presented him with a photo of the opening of the show. Bob certainly seemed to be impressed. Lots of great memories.