Need recommendations for beginner camera and lens for bird photography

[keenanbare]

I'm totally new to photography and want to get a camera that I can use mostly for bird photography and for taking pictures during duck hunting of me, my dad, the birds we harvest, pictures of that sort. I may also dabble in some short video and casual pictures with friends, but would mostly be using the camera for bird photography and taking pictures during hunting.

I just recently purchased the Canon M50 Mark II, but am thinking about returning it. I have recently read some forums that it may not work well with telephoto lenses due to it's small/fragile size and build. Also, it seems that Canon is going away from the EF-M mount and towards the RF mount. I've read some forums that have recommended the R10 and R7, and that's currently what I have my eye on. I want something that I can grow into and with.

My price range is flexible, but would say that the upper limit is $2,000 (camera and lens included). Would be willing to go a bit higher if it's worth it.

[ebiggs1]

"I have seen several articles in the past month saying they still have plans for the M series."

I wouldn't invest in any Canon M Series stock. 🤔

[Far-Out-Dude]

I would not either but to say it is dead may be premature. Severally wounded for sure but not dead. 😄

[ebiggs1]

"Where is the RF-S 22mm, which in November was rumored to be announced along with the R50, but wasn't? "

A rumor is not a fact. It's just somebody guessing.

[thesun]

My suggestion would be to have the DSLR, whatever you get, for the long distance bird shots and then use your phone for the people pics. Get an R7 (or if you want cheaper, go for a 7DmII, which I have, which has excellent weatherproofing), and get a Sigma (if that's allowed to suggest here on this forum) 600mm lens for the long distance.  I love my Canon 100-400 zoom, but for long distance birds it's not quite close enough even with the 1.6x crop factor.  I've heard friends say great things about the inexpensive Sigma 600mm, so you could start with that.  And if you're hunting, in bad weather, if there's gunpowder in the air, dust, etc., you won't want to be switching lenses...so just use the phone and keep the DSLR for the long shots.  My 2 cents.

[ebiggs1]

"...  to say it is dead may be premature."

My friend the last M series lens has already been made. What's there is it. Canon is not going to come out and declare the M is dead. They are a profit oriented business. If you were them you would do the same.

[deebatman316]

x2 No manufacturer comes out and says that an old product lineup is dead. They expect consumers to move on to the new product lineup once the old one is discontinued. They quietly let the old product die off and remove it from there lineup.

[Far-Out-Dude]

As I said I have read some stuff lately saying they MAY be doing some more with it, thus I can't say dead. I would go try to find the articles and post them but as I understand the rules links are not allowed. I definitely think it is drawing it's last breaths though.

[ebiggs1]

Most reviews and ole inner web articles are worth exactly what you paid for them, nothing.

[amfoto1]

You have plenty of budget to put together a very nice, compact system. I'm assuming you will need a telephoto for some shots of more distant birds, as well as a kit lens with moderate wide to short telephoto, as a general purpose "walk around" lens.

Get yourself...

• Canon R10 with RF 18-45mm kit lens............... $999
• Lens hood EW-53 for 18-45mm lens................... $29 (or Vello $10)
• Canon RF 100-400mm IS USM lens.................. $599
• Lens hood ET-74B for 100-400mm lens.............. $45 (or Vello $24)
• Extra LP-E17 battery................................................. $60
• 2 Sandisk 32GB SD memory cards...................... $24

                                             Sub total.......................... $1756

Options...

• Quality multi-coated Circular Polarizer filter, 49mm... $50 (Hoya NXT Plus, this will fit the 18-45mm and useful reducing reflections in water, deepening blue skies and more... likely don't need for the telephoto zoom).
• Quality multi-coated UV filters: 49mm & 67mm......... $75 (Hoya NXT Plus, protection for both lenses when shooting around water, in rain, etc.)
• Adobe Photoshop & Premiere Elements 2023........ $150
• Small camera bag........................................................... $50
• Video mic............. ?
• Video lighting panel...... ?
• Portable flash (still photography) Canon EL-100.... $150
• Macro extension rings, RF mount, Vello brand......... $80 (set incl. two rings, Canon doesn't yet make for RF)

An alternative to the two-lens setup recommended above would be to get the R10 in kit with the RF 18-150mm lens. This single-lens alternative would reduce total cost by a little over $300, but your telephoto "reach" would be greatly reduced. An old joke among bird photographers is that you'll never have a long enough telephoto lens... when you have 300mm, you'll want 400mm.... when you get that 400mm, you'll find you want 500mm... when you finally get 500mm, you'll start looking enviously at 600mm!

I referred to the B&H Photo website for above price info... Any authorized Canon dealer in the US will be charging the same for those items. If you see lower prices offered anywhere, it may be a "gray market" item (unofficial import, no warranty).

Some of the other stuff might vary a bit in price. I tried to balance price and quality for good value. For example, there are both more expensive and less expensive memory cards and filters. In both cases I recommended well known brands' mid-grade quality.

EDIT: I forgot about Canon's newest camera, the R50. This is about $200 lower priced than the R10. It is more of an "entry-level" camera with a lot of automation and fewer controls. This makes more advanced control of the camera, such as shooting manual exposure, slower and more difficult. Interestingly, it does away with the mechanical shutter (which Canon also did in the R8 full frame)... only has an electronic shutter. But in addition to the lower price, the R50 is smaller and lighter than the R10, which itself is pretty compact. I wouldn't expect much weather resistance with either of these cameras.

The R50 is being offered in kit with the RF 18-45mm lens (same as the R10). It's also being offered in a two-lens kit with both the 18-45mm and the new RF 55-210mm lens. While that's a telephoto, it isn't really long enough for a lot of bird photography, so in my opinion it would probably still be better to invest in the RF 100-400mm.

I agree with what someone else replied, that with bird photography even the 100-400mm will come up short at times. However, lenses with longer focal length are a lot bigger, heavier and more expensive. There also aren't a lot to choose among, for RF mount. The most affordable are the Sigma and Tamron 150-600mm, but you would need to buy the EF mount version and adapt either of those for use on an R-series camera. The cheaper of the 3rd party 150-600mm lenses is $400 more than the RF 100-400mm (plus the cost of an EF to RF adapter). They also are as much as triple the weight of the Canon RF 100-400mm (around 4.5 lb., versus 1.5 lb.) Add a few ounces to the 150-600mm for that adapter, too... which also adds about $100 cost.

Another option is the excellent Canon RF 100-500mm. It's somewhat bigger and heavier, too... but only about double the weight of the RF 100-400mm. However, it's a lot more expensive! More than quadruple the cost of the RF 100-400mm, the 100-500mm would more than wipe out your entire budget.

I still think the RF 100-400mm would be the best starting point for you and would meet most of your needs. If you find it coming up short sometimes you could later add a 1.4X teleconverter to your kit or add a third lens such as the Canon RF 600mm f/11 (fixed aperture, but reasonably compact, only 2 lb. and affordable at $799).

***********

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7DII (x2), 7D(x2), EOS M5, some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
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