@Opalsky wrote:
The bundle came with:
EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Autofocus Lens - this is an ok entry level lens
Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III Autofocus Lens - another ok entry-quality lens
58mm 2X Professional Telephoto Lens - chuck this in the trash can. It's junk.
High Definition 58mm Wide Angle Lens - chuck this in the trash can. Also junk
Digital DSLR Auto Power Slave Flash - more junk
Transcend 16GB Class 10 SDHC Card good
Transcend 8 GB Class 10 SDHC Flash Memory Card good (small by today's standards)
3 Piece Filter Kit (UV-CPL-FLD) 58mm - keep the CPL filter, toss the UV filter in your sock drawer, trash the FLD filter.
58mm Ultraviolet UV Protector Filter - throw this in your sock drawer.
The general advice is to AVOID "bundles". They try to pump up the percevied value of the deal... but they do this by adding "junk" grade accessories (and I do emphasize "junk" grade... these are typically the worst of the worst.) For exapmle... the "2X Professional Telephoto Lens" (I just love how they include the word "professional") is basically a very low quality focal length multiplier (same with the "wide angle" lens). They screw into the filter threads of your existing lens. They often jam. We occasionally get a post where someone screwed it "on" to the lens and cannot get it "off" of the lens and forcing it ends up breaking the lens.
Your camera has an internal UV filter (all digital cameras have one). There is no need to put one on the front of your lens UNLESS you are shooting somewhere where you fear something might splatter on the front of the lens and you are using it as a form of protection (a lens hood is usually better protection). The junk-grade versions of these lack anti-reflective coatings and result in "ghosting" in the images (reflections -- caused by the filter. We've had people send in their UFO sighting photos and ghost-sighting photos... caused by these poor quality filters ... which degrade image quality rather than improvign it.)
As for camera body upgrade (especially a camera body that can do video) and meets your specs...
The T7i would be ideal... but barring the price tag of that camera, the SL2 will probably also meet your needs. It has most of the features of the T7i.
You may also want to look at lenses that have the "STM" focus motor if you plan to do a lot of video (and better yet... get an external mic such as a Rode VideoMic Pro).
One major caution:
You mentioned "the capacity to film videos for a few hours".
If what you REALLY want is a video camera... best to get a video camera. "Photographic" cameras can shoot video but are limited to 29 minutes, 59 seconds (just shy of 30 minutes) to comply with governments that tariff video cameras different than phtographic cameras. By international treaty... the camera wont be considred a "video" camera if it cannot continuously record for 30 minutes or longer. So the camera manufacturers limit the cameras to 1 second shy of that limit to avoid the tariff. Currently the US doesn't tariff cameras... but some countries do, and this design choice was implemented so the cameras complied globally with the 30 minute standard.
Pro quality video is typically made by shooting lots of short clips... and splicing them together in post production. Watch anything with high "production value" and try to count the number of seconds before you notice the scene cuts to a different camera angle... and you'll find you have a very hard time ever counting to 10.
Tim Campbell
5D III, 5D IV, 60Da
