Suggestions for a new replacement camera

[UncleJoe]

 Hello and thank you in advance for your help with this matter. I've had a Canon Rebel XT for the last 12 years and I want to upgrade at this point. Over time I have accumulated some accessories for the XT that I obviously want to be able to roll over for usage with what ever I chose to replace the XT with. I am hopeful and assuming that the lens I have will be of some standard, I also have a remote for the shutter the additional battery pack that mounts to the bottom of the body a standard mount flash ect. I can provide specific model numbers if that would be more helpful. At a glance I was looking at the t7i model on the belief that being part of the rebel line it might be compatible, but I am open to any and all suggestions. I am old enough to know that one can reach a point where one is better off starting from scratch if that is the case than so be it. 

 My interest in photography is general but I have been thinking of doing some star field shots (astronomical), landscape some occasional portrait work and as a grandfather I would not mind having some basic video capabilities available. Thanks again for any assistance! 

[Waddizzle]

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@UncleJoe wrote:
I can see I'm going to learn a great deal here! I hope that at some point I will be able to repay all of your kindness and the tremendous amount of knowledge I have received from you and all of the contributors in this forum!

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Get a good camera.  Worry about quality lenses later.  The 80D and the 18-55mm STM in the Refurb store is a steal.

[UncleJoe]

The temptation was to great so I went with the t7i body and the 18-135 IS STM that you had suggested for a starter. I am completely enthralled with it! I can not put it down! I also bought the microphone that was suggested the (Rode) at my grandson behest. The 80D is not out of the picture yet, I am still considering that deal as well! Thank you once more for all of your insight, I am extremely grateful!

[RobertTheFat]

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@UncleJoe wrote:
The temptation was to great so I went with the t7i body and the 18-135 IS STM that you had suggested for a starter. I am completely enthralled with it! I can not put it down! I also bought the microphone that was suggested the (Rode) at my grandson behest. The 80D is not out of the picture yet, I am still considering that deal as well! Thank you once more for all of your insight, I am extremely grateful!

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It's hard to see how you could go far wrong with that rig, at least for the time being. By the time you need to replace it, you probably won't be asking us questions; you'll be helping us answer them.

[ebiggs1]

Quote, "It's hard to see how you could go far wrong with that rig,..."

Ya done good !  Now concentrate on using and learning your T7i.  Forget the 80D for a while.  You have an extremely capable camera and lens combo in the newest Rebel.

If you still have an itch for gear look at a fast prime like the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens or perhaps, even a better choice,  the Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM Lens.

[Waddizzle]

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@UncleJoe wrote:
The temptation was to great so I went with the t7i body and the 18-135 IS STM that you had suggested for a starter. I am completely enthralled with it! I can not put it down! I also bought the microphone that was suggested the (Rode) at my grandson behest. The 80D is not out of the picture yet, I am still considering that deal as well! Thank you once more for all of your insight, I am extremely grateful!

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Great combo.  Using P mode will help you learn the camera's features.  Taking photos will help you learn photography.

I used the same lens with my Rebel for over a year before I handed it down to my son.  It is an excellent standard zoom.

You may want to take a few test shots with the flash, though.  You may want to invest in an external flash.  To be honest, I invested in the EF-S 24mm STM because it was cheaper than the flash I wanted.  Wireless RF flashes were just coming out.

The built in flash of a Rebel T5 does not raise up high enough to fully clear the lens.  In other words, I would see a dark shadow at the bottom of shots, which was due to the length of the lens blocking light from the built-in flash.  The Rebel T7i body is probably not much larger than a T6.

[UncleJoe]

The EF 35mm f/2 IS USM is on the Canon refurbished site I believe I will purchase that lens. One question I have is that it is listed to be a wide angle lens. My knowledge with wide angle is limited, do they create distortion on the edges? With the price of the 50mm lens being as reasonable as it is I might just purchase that one as well.
I have the SPEEDLITE 580EX flash that I have used with my EX four years, would have the ability to fill the needs for the lens that I purchased? Your son is a lucky man to have a father with such great knowledge!
One other thing that I have been considering is a star tracking device I have not seen any questions on this forum about them, should I start a new topic or is it proper to bring that up here? I know that I am asking a great deal so if I am over stepping please say!
Thanks for all of your help! You folks are truly wonderful!

[ebiggs1]

"The EF 35mm f/2 IS USM is on the Canon refurbished site I believe I will purchase that lens."

It will be a great addition to your gear.  It is not a WA on your T7i.  It is 'normal' viewing.  That is one reason it is so nice to have.  Plus it is much faster than the zoom you bought.

"...my EX four years, would have the ability to fill the needs for the lens that I purchased?"

It will do fine.

"I have been considering is a star tracking device"

Go for it.  You may want to consider some more appropriate lenses for astro-photography.  Perhaps the Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC manual lens or the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC Lens manual lens.  Of course Canon has outstanding lenses in this focal length but they tend to be very expensive.

[Waddizzle]

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@UncleJoe wrote:
The EF 35mm f/2 IS USM is on the Canon refurbished site I believe I will purchase that lens. One question I have is that it is listed to be a wide angle lens. My knowledge with wide angle is limited, do they create distortion on the edges? With the price of the 50mm lens being as reasonable as it is I might just purchase that one as well.

I have the SPEEDLITE 580EX flash that I have used with my EX four years, would have the ability to fill the needs for the lens that I purchased? Your son is a lucky man to have a father with such great knowledge!

One other thing that I have been considering is a star tracking device I have not seen any questions on this forum about them, should I start a new topic or is it proper to bring that up here? I know that I am asking a great deal so if I am over stepping please say!
Thanks for all of your help! You folks are truly wonderful!

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I have the EF 35mm f/2.  I bought one through the Canon Refurbished Store, and like a lot.  Wide angle lenses can create barrel distortion when they are not level.  Some ultra wide angle lenses can produce distortion around the edges, too.  The EF 35mm f/2 doesn't suffer from either issue, and produces rectilinear images.  Besides, with most full frame, wide angle lenses, your crop sensor does not capture the edges of the image, just the center.

Thumbs up, for the Speedlite.  It should work well with a T7i, and lenses up to moderate telephoto.  Any lenses longer than that will likely mean that the subject is beyond the range of the flash, anyway.

I would start a new thread about astrophotography.  There are a number of threads about it.  Do a search for "astrophotography".  For general shots of the night sky, with landscape, I would suggest a wide aperture, ultra wide angle lens, like the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8.  I use a Rokinon 14mm T3.1, which is cinema version of the same lens.  

I would love to do more of that type of photography, but I live too near to NYC for that, which means you do not see ANY stars at night.  Suitable "dark sky" is at least 3-4 hours drive from home.  So, setting up a semi-permanent rig is almost out of the question.  They do make filters for city lights, and I have captured some surprising shots during a new Moon without a tracking device, just a long exposure.

With a fairly robust tripod, you can capture pretty good images with just a wide angle lens.  But, many shots that you see have had a fair amount of post processing applied to the image.  Frequently, they can be made from multiple images.  It has been through taking the time to try to reduce the noise and increase contrast, that I have discovered that some of my shots of the night sky actually captured significant amounts of detail.

[UncleJoe]

I appreciate the insight on direction for finding the astrophotography in the forum. I myself live in central New York north of the Auburn area. Although we still have the issue with light pollution to deal with I no so folks from Cornell do some star gazing on a hill not to far from my home so I am hopeful that the area where I live will be suitable. I will look into the lens you suggested, once again thank you!

[ebiggs1]

You need to learn the 500 Rule.  It is similar to the Sunny 16 but for astro-photography.

Here’s the 500 Rule:

500 Divided By the Focal Length of Your Lens = The Longest Exposure (in Seconds) Before Stars Start to “Trail”

For example; let's say you're taking a shot with a 24mm lens on a full frame camera. 500 / 24 = 21 seconds, which you can round to 20 seconds.

IMHO, it really sounds like you need to get into post editing before you buy anymore gear.  Great photos are made in post not in the camera.  Look at Lightroom and/or Photoshop.  Possibly Photoshop Elements.