Looking to update my camera

[katie96]

I am currently using a canon EOS Rebel XTi and I want to upddate to a newer camera. I have 2 EOS lenses. The standard kit lense and the canon 75 - 300mm. I also use the Tamron18 - 270mm F/3.5-6.3  I am an amatuer but ready to move up. Any suggestions on what canon eos to consider.

My main interests are portraits (people and animals, nature, and horses in motion. I take many action shots. I was considering the canon EOS 80D but read it was not a good choice for action shots.

Thanks to any who respond

katie96

[Wayne3]

Thanks Annie!  I'm happy with the contrasting red leaves and orange on the tree.  My camera did quite do what I thought it would LOL, Oh, the joy of learning something new. 

Wayne

[Tronhard]

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@Wayne3 wrote:

Thanks Waddizzle, 

Yes, I did dial in the ISO, although probably too high!

... I chose shutter priority because after reading Trevor's comments I realized of the exposure triangle I have a vague sense of aperture and ISO. I had no knowledge of shutter speed, so messing around was my very rudimentary beginning to learn. I appreciate you folks guiding me along!

Wayne

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I admire your intent, determination and effort to expand your skills and to control your photography.  Continuing to do so will give you much more technical and creative control over your images and the processes you go through to get them.  Like everything else, initially one has to intellectually labour over the principles, but eventually it becomes second nature and then you have your comfort zone back again, but now with a lot more skill.

Your comment about Shutter Speed is interesting!  I find that most people actually have the greatest challenge with Aperture. I have seen it taught from a rather mathematical perspective and students are often challenged by the mathematical relationship (since the number sequences are relating to the square root of 2), the fact that it is based on a ratio betweem the aperture size and the focal length, rather than a direct measurement, plus the fact that the aperture gets bigger but the f/number gets smaller. 

For me, one way of making that simpler is to cut out the middle-man, so to speak, and simply say that as the f/value gets smaller, so does what's in focus.

[Wayne3]

Thanks for the very detailed responses Trevor!

Yes, I will experiment.  With great naivity, I think what I was going for would have been better met with the f5.6, 1/640, 1600. I wanted to freeze the action.  I haven't looked closely at the original but I hadn't noticed a ton of noise despite an ISO of 3200, but I always think lower is better. (The only time I am totally on manual is the few starry night pictures I've done, and I used an ISO of 3200 for those. So like I said to Waddizzle and Annie, I probably over did the ISO). It was a good first experiment. 

Wayne

[amatula15]

"  I'm happy with the contrasting red leaves and orange on the tree. "

i hope you'll be happy with the image too!

This is a place where you may gain knowledge and images may be critiqued. But remember, one person's opinion is just that. Remember too folks here want to be helpful, with the goal of improving your photograhy, and avoiding the mistakes many of us have made (e.g. if our images are not good, we need new gear or our gear is broken) .

When I was out of college, I left my pursuit of professional photograhy because 2 professional photograhers in NYC seriously critiqued my work. Of course I should not have done that,but my perception of them was they should know what they are talking about.  I should have just used their critique as a foundation to build me as a photograher.

If you posted the image on social media, I am sure folks would like it: good composition, up-close image of bird, a joy to look at the image...

But you are here for learning and improvement (assuming!)

I might suggest a local photography club and maybe a local Audubon bird club (I am sure there are many photograhers in them!) -- then you connect and learn locally if that is a goal of yours.

And I hope you enjoy the art of creating images.  Sometimes I like photograhy not so much in the images I get, but in the fun of being creative in setting them up and the joy of finding/seeing with a photographer's eye.

All the best!

[Tronhard]

I totally agree with Annie.

It is good to seek constructive criticism - I do not support destructive comments that crush a person's inspiration or desire to create and share.  I think it is a tragedy that Annie's asperations were derailed by the crush of cruel critics.  I am just grateful that she is engaging in her own way...

"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing" Elbert Hubbard

"Any fool can criticize, complain and condemn and most fools do"  Dale Carnegie

There is one photographer I recommend who has a YouTube channel.  He is not only a great photographer IMHO, but actually a great philosopher and wise beyond his years.  His name is Sean Tucker and HERE is a link to his channel.  I recently had reason to enjoy a couple of those videos "Protect your highlights" and "Embrace your shadows", but they are all worthy of viewing.

Sean recently took part in challenge: It's worth watching...Pro Photographer, Cheap Camera

I have engaged very little in competitions, mostly because I think that, past a certain point of technical characteristics, there are no "rules", just conventions and guides.  I often prefer images judges have rejected over the ones they lauded - no matter what, human bias and emotion play a part in every decision we make...  For me, the biggest competition was the ability to earn money with my images - which is not all about high art, but is about providing a service and product that is relevant to the client.

"To be a photographer... what you need to do is simply to look" Elliott Erwitt.

"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera" Dorothea Lange.

One of the greatest gifts of photography is that is makes us actively observe.  In my childhood and my early military career I had drummed into me the mantra "Be aware of your surroundings"; and photography has built on that behaviour. When I am out and about I don't listen to music or stare at my phone, I am always scanning my souroundings and discussions reveal that I see far more than most of the people with whom I engage.

A US educational institute conducted an experiment to check how observant people are.  At the start and end several walks they engaged with people to find out what they had seen - there were a series of objects that had been placed along the tracks.   Photographers were, by far, the most observant, then came normal hikers.  Finally, some way behind, came the selfie-takers.

[amatula15]

Trevor, thank you for sharing the link, Pro Photographer, Cheap Camera. Loved it! And really loved Sean's comment "See as the camera sees."

[katie96]

thank you for input. I will check it out.

[Wayne3]

Hi Crew, 

I went out yesterday morning to experiment with aperture priority. I set my camera initially wide open (f4 at 100mm, to f5.6 at 400mm) for the lens I was using. I had good intentions, honest. And then this happened, and I just shot a hundred pictures on Sports preset while I held my breath.