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Debating if I need a new body right now.

hanna66
Apprentice

I've been having my rebel t3i on and off for years. I wouldn't say I'm a fresh beginner, but I won't ti dive more into it. I want to get into editing as well.

In my process to find a camera I think the R7 makes the most sense for me. However that would cost me over $1k.

I have a 34mm and a 50mm. Really what I'm missing is better AF and a larger lense for nature shots like birds.

I get a bit frustrated. I don't want to get another cheaper camera though. I want a decent one to invest in. I don't need full frame.

$1400 on just a body is a lot. Then I'd be buying lenses.

It may just end up being worth it. I'm going to sell a mtb for up to $1k which will fund my purchase.

I also don't want to put 500-700 into a ef-s lense

4 REPLIES 4

deebatman316
Elite
Elite

Have you looked into the R10 if budget is a concern of yours. What exactly is your budget to spend on a camera. Does this include a kit or body only. Also no EF-S lenses cost $700 your looking into Full Frame lenses at that point. 

-Demetrius
Bodies: EOS 5D Mark IV
Lenses: EF Trinity, EF 85mm F/1.8 USM
Retired Gear: EOS 40D, EF 50mm F/1.8 STM & EF 70-210mm F/4
Speedlites: 420EX, 470EX-AI, 550EX & 600EX II-RT

Tronhard
VIP
VIP

Hi Hanna and Welcome to the forum:
As always, the decision to upgrade is a challenging one.  So, to try to guide your thinking I have a few observations and questions for you to ponder.

My Understanding:  You say that you have a 35mm and 50mm lens, and want to do wildlife photography, particularly birds and you have a budget of about $1,000.
Here is your dilemma: if  you want an APS-C camera that is part of the R-series with IBIS and animal eye tracking, then you are correct in saying that the R7 is the most likely body.  You could go for a lesser body like the R10, R50 or R100, but as wildlife cameras they will miss out on IBIS, which is not critical, but very helpful. 
However, that body alone will not come within your budget and that is not even considering the lens you need for bird photography.  I have been shooting wildlife for four decades and can say that for birds you need something in the region of 400-600mm, even with a crop-sensor camera and such an optic alone is likely to push you well towards $1k and well past that with a Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera (MILC).

You need to examine your budget, especially in light of your statement that you "want dive into it", (I was initially confused by your typo). 

Thinking Laterally: If your budget is limited, and you don't want to or can't invest more, but want the reach, then the alternative is to consider what you will produce in the context of the sensor size.   If you are prepared to go to a smaller sensor, then you could consider the focal lengths you can achieve by getting a Bridge Super Zoom camera, such as the PowerShot SX70HS.  This has a smaller sensor, but give you an equivalent focal range of 21-1365mm, which will really bring subjects closer to you. 

The consideration of output comes in here:  the kind of output has a significant impact on what you actually need to produce for the medium to which you are intending to publish.  Essentially, it requires a lot more investment to achieve detailed, Fine Art prints for sale compared with publishing to social media or digital display.  Thus, if you don't need to do more than post on the web or show on a digital device, you could get the reach without the significant investment.
To give you an idea of the range of the lens with this camera: These were taken with the SX60HS, which has the same sensor and lens as the current PowerShot SX70HS. The files I am showing have been seriously downsized to fit into the 5MB limit for posting to this site, and the 900mm is oddly noisy due to that.  I encourage you to click on the series and see them full screen.  Furthermore, at super long FLs, one is also going to get heat haze, as in this case.
21mm21mm
100mm100mm
250MM250MM500MM500MM900MM900MM1200MM1200MM1365MM1365MM

This is a screen shot of a slide from a course I run on buying camera gear, it shows the relative qualities of two images by two cameras massively different in price.  The prices quoted were in Canadian dollars and are some years past, but the principle is still valid.
Comparing the SX60HS with a camera system 10x the costComparing the SX60HS with a camera system 10x the cost
While the two cameras considered are not the R7 and SX70, the 7DII has similar image quality and the SX60 is actually functionally identical to the SX70HS as far as sensor and lens go.

Furthermore, since you say you are interested in pursuing post production, whatever shortcomings come with the smaller sensor may be offset by the significant improvements that AI has brought to improving resolution and reducing noise in post-production software like Photoshop, Lightroom, or with deVinci Noise AI, Topaz Sharpen AI, or Topaz Photo AI.


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

johnrmoyer
Whiz
Whiz

I agree with everything that Trevor wrote, except that I like free software. He gives good advice.

"Furthermore, since you say you are interested in pursuing post production, whatever shortcomings come with the smaller sensor may be offset by the significant improvements that AI has brought to improving resolution and reducing noise in post-production software like Photoshop, Lightroom, or with deVinci Noise AI, Topaz Sharpen AI, or Topaz Photo AI."

If you have a computer with macOS, Apple photos comes with it and works fine. Canon DPP works really well on both macOS and Windows and is zero cost. The PowerShot SX70HS can save raw files so that you can adjust the white balance and dynamic range after the shot is made.

I use Canon DPP on an iMac and gimp, GMIC, graphicsmagick, exiftool, and hugin on either my iMac or my Debian Linux computer or both. I like free software whether free as in free speech or free as in free beer.

When one is accustomed to using one software, it may be difficult to learn another that is different, but just starting out it does not matter.

Graphicsmagick works as well for scaling an image as any software. Gimp with the GMIC plugin does almost anything one could want. I do not like the results from AI noise reduction or from AI image resizing, but that is personal preference.

For a discussion of sensor size tradeoffs, I suggest https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/digital-camera-sensor-size.htm

I suggest trying free software first before spending money.

John

 

 

I definitely see John's point about free software.  There are some good apps out there.  I like Photopea, which is accessed direct off the web and is not actually installed on your computer, it's just a link.  It has great tutorials and many of the features found in PS.
Whatever software one uses, one can overcome the inherent resolution and noise issues with using small sensors far more effectively these days than previously.  This then, makes using a bridge camera a much more viable possibility.


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris
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