Yes I know a half pound does not sound like a lot. But it does matter where the 1/2 pound is. And how long you have to hold it up. If you rent one and it doesn't do it for you, you are only out $50 bucks or so and you move on. But if it is a go and you love it, you can think about buying one.
A great thought, go ahead and rent it now. It just may make all the difference and you find your T3i isn't as challenegd as you thought. Spring is coming and so are the birds!
As a side note. I have been shooting egales and I use my 1D Mk IV and the big Tamron 150-600mm. That rig tips the scale at 12+ pounds. Talk about heavy! That is heavy. Makes a monopod or tripod a necessary accessory.
I happen to have this photo handy as it was bought by a art school here. They use photos like this one to paint oil paints on top of it. I don't know how or even why but they do. I think they project it somehow.
If you're looking for opinions, here's mine.
I've had the T3i for just over 1 year, (26,000 shots) - and I've ordered a T6s. Two focus situations are the main reasons. One is the low-light AF speed/accuracy and AF-tracking, the second is the 19 AF points and the ability to use AF "groups".
My main lens is the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM. I love it. I was really ready to spend the $709 to purchase the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Lens so I did rent one from BorrowLenses and took over 200 shots at my grandson's outside, sunny-sky, football game, using both lenses. I wanted the "L" lens to be better.
In my opinion, it was NOT better, and noting that it lacked IS, was only 200mm max, and it was/is a lot HEAVIER - I took it back.
Here's a shot from about 150' with my 55-250.
AI Servo. Not the best - keeping that center AF point on the bird ain't easy - I'm expecting a "group" of AF points, plus the 760's inherited 70d focus system to be much better.
I think of it this way: If the lens will produce a tack-sharp image of a non-moving object:
... then it's the camera or the user that is failing. Don't get me wrong, the T3i is a great camera and I can't expect the sharpness/quality of a $3,000 body and $12,000 lens. I was saving my pennies to graduate to the 7d MKII. For about $1,000 less, I'm expecting the AF ability of the 760d to be almost as good.
PJ
Thanks for the kind words. 
For no particular reason other than I just love this shot, here's one of my grandson at a school gym in Maynard. This is also shot with the 55-250 and an EX-600 on-camera flash:
@PajamaGuy wrote:Thanks for the kind words.
For no particular reason other than I just love this shot, here's one of my grandson at a school gym in Maynard. This is also shot with the 55-250 and an EX-600 on-camera flash:
Very nice.
Maynard, eh? Are you a member of the MetroWest Photography Collaborative?
