New member needs help

[lurechunker]

I am new to the forum and asking for help. Our granddaughter plays basketball and I would like to photograph her. I kayak and would like to photograph birds. Is the EOS 760D the camera for me? Other? What lens or lenses? How can I protect my equipment form damage from saltwater? Thank you.

[Waddizzle · Accepted solution]

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@lurechunker wrote:
My 80D with 18-55 from Canon store will arrive tomorrow. I think I made a mistake by not getting the 28-135. Should I leave the 18-55 in the box and send it back? I'd like to start with an "all-round" lens and one long enough for back yard birds.

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Do you mean 18-135, instead of 28-135?  The 18-135 lenses are pretty good.  BUT, they will likely cast a shadow when you try to use the flash.  I know that older 18-135mm lenses cast a major shadow on a T5, so I would expect a shadow on an 80D.  The 18-55mm lens has a 35mm equivalent of 29-88mm, which is pretty close to 24-70mm that is very popular for use with full frame camera bodies.

The  STM version of the 18-55mm is a really good lens.  I would hang on to it.  I can guarantee you that whatever plans you have for using the camera, you will find new scenarios to use it.  I would keep the 18-55mm, and pass on buying a 18-135, so that you can budget more money towards your birding lens.  If you can afford to do all of the above, then by all means, buy all of the lenses you want.

[TCampbell]

On the paper topic, this may vary depending on what you're printing.

I might select a matte paper if I wanted soft, gentle, pastel-like color tones.

I might select a gloss paper if I wanted stronger contrast, saturating, and pop.

But another interesting paper are the "metallic" papers such as Kodak Endura Metallic.  Printers don't actually have "white" ink... anywhere things are white or near white they simply don't apply ink (or at least not much ink) and the white shows through.  

Now imagine that instead of plain white.... you used a pearlescent white (if you've seen a car with "pearlescent white" paint -- that's the basic idea.  The paper has a specular reflection in it that reflects light in a way that gives it a nice glow (if you do a good job lighting it on your wall.)  For the right type of image, it can be a very pleasing effect.

The imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 can print images up to 17x22.   So you could make your own 16x20 prints (that's the largest "standard" frame size that the printer can handle).  To get bigger than this, you'd need a beast of a printer and unless you're doing a lot of printing (you are your own studio and/or print business) it probably makes sense to send the work out to have it printed rather than do it yourself.

If I like an image enough that I want to print big and display it on the wall, I generally send it out (my favorite is Aluminyze... but they're not cheap.  They don't print on paper... they actually print on a sheet of aluminum.)

[ebiggs1]

"What paper and Canon printer should I buy for my pix?"

These guys are talking really expensive printing.  The Pro-100 printer itself is the cheap part from there on it ain't cheap.  The paper isn't and the ink certainly isn't.  It cost around $125 bucks just to put ink in a Pro-100.  Even more on the bigger printer like the one suggested above from Tim.

I used to print a lot. I ran three of the Pro-100 type printers but now I have just one.  Unless you intend to print a lot, send all your work out to a commercial printing service.  BTW, the Pro-100 type printers are photos printer.  They do photos really well but they are not general printers. Meaning, if you want a printer for normal stuff, the Pro-100 isn't for you.

A tip, before you really understand how the the Pro-100 works, use only Canon ink and papers.

[John_SD]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

Unless you intend to print a lot, send all your work out to a commercial printing service.   

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That's the best reply to the question. 

[lurechunker]

Please name some commercial printing services. I am very new to this game.

[ebiggs1]

There are lots of them a google wil find them. Some popular ones are Shutterfly and WHCC.

[RobertTheFat]

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@lurechunker wrote:

Please name some commercial printing services. I am very new to this game.

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I use Colortek (on Atlantic Avenue near South Station). If they weren't around, or if I got tired of going into the city to pick up my prints, I'd probably try Framed in Time in Saxonville, which is much closer to home and is the shop that does my framing. There are print shops and frame shops in Cambridge and Arlington as well; but now that I'm retired, they're not convenient.

Are you starting to get the picture? Every city has one or more print shops; and what works for me (or Ernie or John or Tim or Waddizzle) probably won't work for you. Believe it or not, we can't make all of your decisions for you. I guess we're flattered that you seem to think we can, but sometimes it just isn't feasible.

[jrhoffman75]

Why you are printing makes a difference. For me, I enjoy the process and like taking the image from eye to paper. I don't sell anything - never have. I followed my grandsons through 15 years of soccer and made a lot of parents happy by giving them 13x19 shots of their children playing. Now its girls and field hockey. It wouldn't be the same if I sent the files to WalMart and handed out Walmart prints.

If you are just printing to get hard copies I agree that your best choice is a good print house. As Bob said, there are many.

Depending on where you live you may have a local one.

[ebiggs1]

"It wouldn't be the same if I sent the files to WalMart and handed out Walmart prints."

I'm with ya brother! 

[John_SD]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

"It wouldn't be the same if I sent the files to WalMart and handed out Walmart prints."

I'm with ya brother! 

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In the OP's case, he will struggle just to upload the images and have them printed by a service. Dealing with a printer, cartridges, connectivity settings, panel settings, etc., would be beyond his abilities. Way beyond. 

[ebiggs1]

"Way beyond."  

Why is it so impossible to think anybody is not capabe of this.  You were there at one time!  I was there at one time.  We all were. No time like the present to LEARN.