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]

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@lurechunker wrote:

A 14 yo granddaughter has expressed interest. How about the T6 for her?

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The T6 is a camera body that is a good teaching tool.  But, it is one that a photo enthusiast will quickly outgrow.  The camera body lacks a handful of features that are found on nearly ever other Canon DSLR: i.e.; external microphone, mirror lockup, etc.

[Waddizzle]

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@lurechunker wrote:

I am very happy with my 80D and 100-400 L. I probably would have liked the 18-135 better than my 18-55. Live and learn. My thanks to all who have posted. I am hooked on photography. Next purchase will probably be a Tamron 150-600 G2. Need to rob a 7-11 first. 

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You might have liked the 18-135 better, but the 18-55 kit price point was a better deal.  They were giving you a quality lens for next to nothing.  The 18-135mm kits were not as good a value, because you were paying nearly list price for the lens.  

Personally, I think you may have been disappointed with the IQ compared to the 100-400mm.  If you want a good standard zoom lens, then check out any of the Canon 70-200mm lenses, or the 24-105mm lenses.  

I also recommend the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM, solely because of how much it can teach you about photography, and fast lenses.

[lurechunker]

Is Adobe Photoshop Lightroom adequate for a beginner?

[Waddizzle]

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@lurechunker wrote:

Is Adobe Photoshop Lightroom adequate for a beginner?

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Indeed.  You will love it, once you get the hang of it.

[ebiggs1]

"Is Adobe Photoshop Lightroom adequate for a beginner?"

LR is not a 'beginner' tool.  It is a full on professional program aimed at a certain part of the professional market.  It is a limited editor as its main intent is a data base.  It is designed to help pros keep track of thousands upon thousands of photos. Its limited editing abilities is sufficient for most adjustments.  But it is not in the class of a real post editor like Photoshop.

A far better 'beginner' package is Photosop Elements. It has additional features that appeal to that segment of the market.  It is the best of LR and PS combined in a toned down post editor interface.

[lurechunker]

Are there any free editing applications that I could start with? I'd like to "enhance" and keep track of some photographs. Thanks.

[Waddizzle]

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@lurechunker wrote:

Are there any free editing applications that I could start with? I'd like to "enhance" and keep track of some photographs. Thanks.

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I suppose that depends upon what you have in mind when it comes to "photo editing."  Image editing, or RAW conversions?

There are a few free, high quality image editors out there.  Two that come to mind are GIMP and PaintDotNet.  If you are not familiar with image editing, then PDN is a good place to start.  It was originally released as an upgrade over MS Paint.  You can perform layer masking with it, but no RAW conversions.  It knows nothing about photos, though.

I dabbled with GIMP for a couple of weeks.  It is as close to "free" Photoshop that I have seen.  I do not recall whether or not it can handle RAW files, but I seem to remember that it did.  I do not know how "up to date" their RAW conversions are.  I do not think it can do lens correction, which may have been why I stopped using it.

Canon's DPP 3/4 software can do a pretty good job on RAW conversions.  You can make the typical adjustments that people want to make to a photo.  People complain about the speed of DPP4, but I feel the sluggish behavior is due to the hardware.  If you use DPP4, then you may know what I mean.  It needs a separate video graphics card to run well.

Adobe Lightroom 6 isn't free, isn't cheap, but I highly recommend it.  Not only does it help you organize photos, it does a really good job RAW conversions.  It's quick.  Unlike DPP, LR6 can d lens correction on third party lenses.  If you feel creative, you can also create your own lens correction files.

[lurechunker]

Mayday!! My refurbished 80D has stopped working. I noticed it Wednesday and thought it was a dead battery. I charged the battery and still no joy. The shutter does not function in A or M. It is under warranty but I hate to do without it for a day let alone WEEKS. Suggestions?

[Waddizzle]

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@lurechunker wrote:

Mayday!! My refurbished 80D has stopped working. I noticed it Wednesday and thought it was a dead battery. I charged the battery and still no joy. The shutter does not function in A or M. It is under warranty but I hate to do without it for a day let alone WEEKS. Suggestions?

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Contact Canon support during business hours.  Turn around is typically 10-14 days.  You can run into delays during holidays seasons, when workers take holidays and vacations.  

Make sure the camera is not in "Movie Mode".  If it were, it would seem to automatically go into Live View, and refuse to take a picture when you press the shutter.  

Do all of the usual stuff like removing the lens, and powering up.  Trying a different lens or a different SD card.  Resetting the camera to factory defaults.

 Check your exposure settings, too.  I once had that happen to me.  Somehow, by shutter was 1/4000 and f/stop was at f/32.  I looked in the viewfinder, and something was flashing, too, trying to alert me to the bad settings.

[jrhoffman75]

What is, or isn't happening?  Shutter doesn't fire. Turns on. Mode changes. 

Do do shutter speed and aperture show on LCD?

Can you change settings?

Did you remove and reseat lens. 

Is lens in AF mode?

Do you get focus confirmation?