Hi Wayne:
I have read both your thread on macro photography and contributions to this thread with interest.
In my previous post you may have read my link to the questions that underly a decision to purchase camera gear - as you say yourself, this can be a mind-bending challenge as one navigates the plethora of options while dealing with issues of one's own preferences and comfort zones and getting a wide range of advice from seasons users - each with their own preferences based on their personal experience.
An excellent point you raise is on your comfort with the SCN modes in the Rebel series. I think we all live our lives within what I call comfort zones: patterns of behaviour that require little effort or stress. When we are young and continually learning, our comfort zones are flexibile: just try and stop children from pushing their boundaries! We continue to expand them in a structured sense as we are formally educated. For most people, once they have stopped that, their exploration reduces dramatically. What happens then is that their comfort zone hardens and it become a trap, because without the continual stimulus of learning success exceeding that of the stress of the unfamiliar, it easily becomes traumatic and our comfort zone traps us in a shell that is stressful to break.
A significant percentage of my work has been with wildlife photography - originally in Australia, then through Asia and finally in North America. There my interest was mainly in macro mammals - such as bison, bears, moose and wolves - animals one must be wary of approaching too closely, yet could move very quickly. Now, in New Zealand, there are very few large mammals - introduced deer and tar that are very hard to find, but the country is rich in a wide diversity of unique birdlife. These produce their own challanges as, by and large, they inhabit the dim reaches of the dense NZ bush and flit about.
I started off in photography back in the film days of around 1980 when camera electronics were relatively primitive. The Nikon F3's I bought had just manual and aperture priority settings. I also used the Canon A-1's, a model which was ahead of its time by offering P, Av, Tv and M options, yet almost all of my photography has been done in Av mode: for me, isolating the subject from its surroundings or encompassing a panorama with the Depth of Field is the key to the statements I want my photographs to make - and that is my personal choice. These days, with digital technology I have the luxury of setting auto-ISO to offer me more flexibility to get the shot I want by dictating aperture, but not risking too slow a shutter speed.
It is automatic for me to check the shutter speed in the viewfinder as I change settings to know if I am going to suffer subject movement (if that is what I want to avoid) or camera shake. One of the best things you can do for your photography is to become comfortable with using Av, Tv and M modes, they appear on any DSLR or MILC and mastering them frees you to being able to become familiar with, and effectively use any camera from any manufacturer. I use Canon predominently, but also use Nikon, Olympus and Sony gear - at that level they all work on the same principles. Stepping up your game involves more than equipment upgrades, it means putting in the study and practice to make the most of whatever gear you use and once you have stepped out of that constrictive comfort zone you will rediscover that is a very empowering and liberating thing...
In your case you seem very comfortable with the Rebel series because of their SCN mode and they are capable of producing excellent images. The next step up in capability, the Canon 80D and 90D, or the older but more wildlife oriented 7DMkII have definite advantages in the frame rate, focusing, dynamic range and the fact that the 7DII offers a degree of weather resistance, and still probably has the best subject tracking of any Canon APS-C DSLR: something that can be very valuable when out on a wildlife shoot.
What will fall within your choices depends on the budget, something that only you know. I will say this: if you have limited funds (and most of us do), then consider that the investment in lenses is more significant. I say this for two reasons. Poor glass will degrade every photo and lenses represent a much longer-term investment than camera bodies, which change with frequency, especially at the lower end of the market. Rebels used to change almost annually, while the XXD bodies would last 3-4 years and the XD bodies perhaps 5 years. There are great lenses out there that are 20+ years old. When I chose a main supplier for my gear I did so on the basis of the glass even though other brands had bodies that offered better dynamic range and even focusing - I have not regretted that.
You indicate that you currently use the Canon EF 75-300 lens. This is arguably Canon's poorest performer. If you are shooting long telephoto then you really want image stabilization which this model does not have, and the optics of the 75-300 series have always been less than stellar (to put it mildly). So I would suggest considering investing in glass as a priority and again we come back to the budget. If you want really long telephoto work there are some good lenses from Tamron and Sigma in the 150-600mm focal length range but getting one of those will leave with a big hole in the lower end of the range.
What I would suggest is considering two lens ranges:
For general purpose photography: The Canon EF-S 18-135 IS USM or STM versions are excellent lenses and there are tons of them out there in the market from people who got one as part of a kit and want something else. An alternative is the EF-S 17-55 IS USM lens. A much older unit and heavier but offers a constant aperture of f/2.8 which is significantly better than pretty much any other lens from Canon in this range.
At the telephoto end: I would recommend considering the Canon EF 70-300 IS USM lenses. I have written a lengthy article exploring the performance of these units HERE. You can likely pick up a good one second hand or, better still, refurbished by Canon with a warranty for a reasonable price.
I've written a lot for you to digest, but for me it is important that people get the best value from their upgrades and when you are going to invest in new gear there is more to consider than may at first meet the eye. Absolutely, you must feel comfortable with the technology, but don't be afraid to embrace new techniques that will empower you and allow you much more choice that will, in the end, offer the best investments.
cheers, TREVOR
The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris
