Just got the Canon Rebel T5 1200D kit with 75-100 lens. Not getting zoomed in with AF mode/Auto on

[cealexander]

Just got the Canon Rebel T5 1200D kit with 75-100 lens.  Not getting zoomed in with AF mode/Auto mode on camera adn zooming in as far as possible to the 300 notch.  I can get closer shots with my old SX10IS Powershot from further away then i can with the EF 75-300mm 1:4-5.6.  What I'm i doing incorrectly?  I do a lot of bird shots and took it out to test and was again not able to zoom in for a reasonible distance,

[ebiggs1]

That is an easy question to answer.  But you may not like the answer.  You old camera has a 560mm equivalent lens and you just bought a camera kit that has a 480mm (300x1.6=480)  equivalent lens.  Now add to that fact, you had a fake zoom of 20x and that is the reason.

The pictures from you new camera should be miles ahead of the old one.  

[amfoto1]

The following compares your old camera with your new camera by "converting" each camera's actual lens focal length to their "effective/equivalent" focal length on a full frame/film camera... in order to have a common denominator for comparison purposes.

The SX10 IS has a 20X optical zoom that's equivalent to a 35mm film camera with 560mm lens. It's got further 4X digital zoom, which when combined with the optical zoom make for equivalent to 2240mm lens on a 35mm/full frame camera (but probably pretty poor image quality at that extreme). The SX10's actual zoom focal lengths are 5mm to 100mm, it's the small 1-1/3" CCD sensor that makes it seem like a much more powerful range... plus digital zooming uses only a small portion of the image

Now the T5 you just bought also has a sensor that's smaller than a 35mm film/full frame camera... called APS-C size. However, even so it's much bigger than the tiny sensor in the SX10. This makes the 75-300mm lens behave like a 120-480mm would on the film/FF camera. Also there is no "digital zoom" in a DSLR like the T5, but you can crop your images later in your computer, for the same effect as a digital zoom.

However, you're comparing a 2240mm equivalent lens on a 10MP CCD 1-1/3" sensor point-n-shoot digital camera with a 480mm equivalent lens on an 18MP CMOS APS-C sensor DSLR camera. The SX10 has potentially much, much greater "reach" with it's optical zoom and digital zoom combined, but uses it to produce much lower quality images on a smaller and lower resolution sensor.

Doing "bird shots", you might want a better and more powerful lens than the 75-300mm (which is Canon's cheapest zoom).

Unfortunately, that means spending a lot more money. For example, the Canon EF 100-400mm L IS Mark II is a very high quality zoom that's popular among birders and would behave like up to a 640mm on your T5... but costs $2100 US. The EF 200-400mm L IS 1.4X is extremely high quality zoom with a built-in, matched 1.4X teleconverter that makes it equivalent to almost 900mm on a T5, but costs about $11,000. Alternatively a 600/4L IS Mk II (not a zoom, but a prime lens) with a separate 1.4X teleconverter will give equivalent to over 1300mm on a T5 camera.... but that lens costs $11,500 US and a similar quality 1.4X to use with it costs another $450. These lenses, especially the last two, are much larger and heavier than the 75-300, too. You'll definitely want a tripod to use them on, and a tripod that's sturdy enough for the purpose will typically cost upwards of $1000.

Now that you've got "sticker shock" from those premium quality lenses, some cheaper alternatives are the Tamron SP 150-600mm VC and Sigma 150-600mm OS lenses that are priced around $1100 (much as I'd prefer to recommend a Canon OEM lens!). The build quality, image quality and performance aren't going to be up to the standards of the more expensive lenses above, of course, but these are among the most affordable really long telephotos available for DSLRs. Both the 150-600mm are fairly large and heavy lenses too... They're handholdable, but you might want a monopod, at least, for longer shooting sessions.

Between a longer telephoto lens,larger sensor size and higher resolution of your new T5, you should be able to get much higher quailty photos than you could with the SX10. You might need to get a bit closer to your subjects, though... since the "effective" focal lengths of lenses that are practical to use on DSLRs are significantly less than was possible with that point-n-shoot camera's 20X optical + 4X digital zoom!

***********

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & EXPOSUREMANAGER 

[ebiggs1]

"... some cheaper alternatives are the Tamron SP 150-600mm VC and Sigma 150-600mm OS lenses that are priced around $1100 (much as I'd prefer to recommend a Canon OEM lens!). The build quality, image quality and performance aren't going to be up to the standards of the more expensive lenses above, of course, ..."

As much as I would also like to recommend real Canon EF lenses, the ones Alan Myers is talking about only exist for the very well healed or pros.  Us more common and/or hobby photographers don't have or even want to invest that kind of money in a lens.  Right?  Of course, right.

Now the truth about each is, if one is comparing the IQ of the cheaper Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary Lens and the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens the images either produces will be non distinguishable from each other.  The same is true with the Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD Lens and the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens as well..  You will not be able to pick one from the other with any of these three lenses. And I might add the IQ is very good from all three.

Canon no longer makes the first version and has replaced it with the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens.  It is better than any of the three above listed lenses.  Along comes the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens.

It also is better than any of the three above listed lenses and equal to the new Canon.  It has a price to match as you might expect.  But for that you will be getting 600mm vs 400mm (plus a small aperture penalty).

A word about the build quality, although it is not up to the standards of a Canon "L" lens, it is very good.  As an amatuer, you are not likely to see or notice any problems there.  Again as expected the build of the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens is very nice and better than the others.

I say this because I either own or use each of these lenses personally.  If I had to pick one today to use and not be allowed any other it would be the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens.  But I could live with any of them.

Going from what you had to what you have now is worlds apart but it is going to be more expensive.  Especially if you want and desire photos like the one below.  It was shot with the above mentioned Tamron.  This level of photo did not exist in the old cameras world.  It can for you now!