Upgrade recommendations from EOS Rebel XSi for Yellowstone trip

[KC3]

Hello,

I am very new to Canon Community, I just signed up a trip to Yellow Stone in Sept, 24 and I thought I would upgrade my old camera before the trip.  I have EOS xsi and the lenses I have now are EF-S 55-250MM and EF-S 18-55MM.

There is a refreshed Canon EOS R5 C come with lens RF24-105mm F2.8 for just under $4000. Is it a good buy or I should just buy a newer version of camera itself and get induvial lens I need.  Is Lens RF24-105MM all I need for wildlife photos in distance? Is EOS R5 compatible with my existing EF-S lenses? 

Do I need a lens 70-200MM F2.8?

Thanks in advance for any advises.

Karen

[Tronhard]

I agree and sympathize with your reservations.
There is a lot of hype about f/2.8 aperture, but unless you really, really need that extra f/stop, as I observed, one pays in terms of cost, bulk and weight a significant amount.   I had the EF 70-200 II IS USM f/2.8 and sold it as I rarely used it and it is, as you say, a bit of a howitzer.  I retained the f/4 MkII version of that optic because it is MUCH lighter and less bulky and it does all that I need from that focal range - and it works perfection via the EF-RF adapter with my R-series bodies. 
So, I would be more than comfortable in suggesting a suite a lenses that max out at f/4 aperture for wide-moderate telephoto work.  Wildlife lenses don't fit into that category unless one wants to spend literally tens of thousands of dollars and carry significant weight - and I suspect neither of us is in that category.
The challenge for wildlife is reach and here I consider your comment about Yellowstone being the beginning  - for that, 200mm is way too short and 500mm I would consider a minimum.  One must try to get as close as possible to a subject, but there are limitations in this - small animals may feel threatened and take off (e.g. birds) but for large mammals - consider bison, moose, bears, you need to maintain a respectful safe distance for both your and their sake, and to avoid them attacking you.  Even doing whale watching, there are requirements that vessels do not attempt to get closer than about 200m from one (although it doesn't stop them getting closer by choice).  So focal length become significant.  That comes with weight, especially for larger sensor cameras - and here we come to the cliche that the best camera is the one you are prepared to carry.

There is a solution that I wish I could recommend for Canon, but I honestly can't.  Sony make the RX-10 MkIV bridge super tele zoom camera, using a 20MP BSI/Stacked 1" sensor and a brilliant Zeiss stabilized optic with an equivalent focal range of 24-600mm, expandable through AI to 1200mm. It has face and eye tracking and a huge collection of other features, that even after 7 years make it top in its class.  It takes amazing images, and I have one - it is incredibly light, and compact.  So, if you are intent on travel but without the bulk, weight and cost of a large sensor system and associated optics, then it's worthwhile considering.   I really, really wish Canon had an equivalent but they don't - the closest they came was the Canon PowerShot GIIIX that was not a patch on it and I think is no longer available.

[stevet1]

Karen,

You have described your trip as a Yellowstone safari trip. Does this mean that it will be a guided trip?

The reason I ask is that, if it Is a guided trip, then the guide will probably have designated stops, not leaving you time to get out and take photographs every time you see something interesting. 

The thing that people don't realize about Yellowstone, is that it's not the distances from one point to the next that are the issue, it's the speed you are allowed to travel. For most of the time, because of the nature of the terrain, you can only drive at about 35 mph. and a lot of times, even less. Traveling from one side of the Park to the other will take you all day. Driving at 20mph, 100 miles is a 5 hour drive. The Park may look small on a map, but it is immense, and 100 miles as the crow flies, turns into three or four times that distance on narrow, twisting roads.

You are smart to take the weight of your camera gear into consideration. There will be a lot walking involved.

Steve Thomas

[shadowsports]

Great info here + my .02 cents.

I'd consider at least one or more faster lenses than f4.  f4 for Yellowstone like vacations should work pretty well.  For weddings however having a faster lens f2.8 is a safe bet.  (Ricky's suggestion).

Grabbing a Sigma or Tamron 150-600mm with an EF to R adapter as kvbarkley suggested is a great way to bring your price point down.  Canon also sells refurbished cameras and lenses which I know all here will also fully recommend.  Every refurbished product I've purchased from Canon has been magnificent. 

Check out refurbished.  Save a little money and buy with confidence.  Stock levels are down at the moment, but they are going to rebound shortly.   

Canon Refurbished Cameras & Accessories | Canon U.S.A, Inc.  

I like the R5 recommendation for you.  Lens wise, what I recommend is that you do your best to cover the broadest range of focal lengths with the least amount of overlap.  Granted this can't be avoided all the time, especially when you are buying a something for a specific purpose.  With photography, lenses are the real investment and what will move forward with you.  Body's come and go.   

Yes, there are a million ways to slice this, and you'll not likely get everything you want out of the gate, but with a little planning I know you'll get some very nice gear.