thinking of upgrading need advice

[nan156]

I have a powershot sx530HS with a 50x optical zoom am thinking of upgrading to a Canon rebel t6 or 7 and a 70-300mm lens.

Here is my question and please excuse my photo ignorance. Will I get better telephoto photos with the 70 - 300mm than the 50x optical I have now? And will it focus well in auto mode?

[Waddizzle]

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@nan156 wrote:

I have a powershot sx530HS with a 50x optical zoom am thinking of upgrading to a Canon rebel t6 or 7 and a 70-300mm lens.

Here is my question and please excuse my photo ignorance. Will I get better telephoto photos with the 70 - 300mm than the 50x optical I have now? And will it focus well in auto mode?

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Just to be clear, the T6 and T7 Rebel cameras can come with a 75-300mm lens, not a 70-300mm.  The 70-300mm lenses are a much better lens that the 75-300mm lens sold in the Rebel camera kits.  

So, yes, you should be able to capture better telephoto images, and do so under a wider variety of shooting conditions.  How much of an improvement is up to the photographer just as much as the camera and the lens.

Your current camera falls into the category known as "super zooms."  It should be noted that you will not enjoy any optical zoom with a camera that uses interchangeable lenses. 

My advice is to upgrade to a camera kit that includes lenses with "STM" in their model numbers.  There are both M Series mirrorless cameras and more advanced Rebel bodies that have "STM" lenses in their camera kits.

[nan156]

you said.."  It should be noted that you will not enjoy any optical zoom with a camera that uses interchangeable lenses'.  Can you explain, is it just because you have to change the lens? 

[Waddizzle]

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@nan156 wrote:

you said.."  It should be noted that you will not enjoy any optical zoom with a camera that uses interchangeable lenses'.  Can you explain, is it just because you have to change the lens? 

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Yes, I misspoke.  You will not enjoy 50x of optical zoom.  It will be significantly less with a DSLR because of the much larger sensor and lenses.  How does 50x translate into mm?  For every 50mm of focal length, that is roughly 1x of optical zoom.  

This means that a 300mm lens is roughly 6x of optical zoom.  Your 50x of optical zoom is roughly equivalent to 2500mm of focal length, which is almost equivalent to many inexpensive telescopes.  

This is why your current camera is categorized as a "super zoom" compact camera.  Your camera makes a trade-off. What it gains in the ability to super zoom, it sacrifices in image quality across its' entire zoom lens range.

[nan156]

Sorry to be such a ditz but I am still confused. You sound extremely  knowledgable about all this. simple it down for me lol  will a 300mm get me clearer photos of wild life or am I good with what I have.

[Waddizzle]

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@nan156 wrote:

Sorry to be such a ditz but I am still confused. You sound extremely  knowledgable about all this. simple it down for me lol  will a 300mm get me clearer photos of wild life or am I good with what I have.

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Yes, you photos with the Rebel DSLR should have more contrast and brighter colors.  You will not be able to zoom in anywhere near as far as you can with your current camera.

BTW, the phrase "photos of wild life" is very broad.  It could mean anything from chipmunks to mountain lions.

[kvbarkley]

"BTW, the phrase "photos of wild life" is very broad. It could mean anything from chipmunks to mountain lions."

And a few feet away in the backyard to thousands of yards away.

[nan156]

When I say wildlife I mean birds. Chipmunk maybe deer. About 30 to 50 feet from animal.

[Waddizzle]

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@nan156 wrote:
When I say wildlife I mean birds. Chipmunk maybe deer. About 30 to 50 feet from animal.

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This little one popped up about 10 feet away, froze for a moment or two, found an off-ramp, and then suddenly vanished.

This was shot with a 7D Mark II, which has a similar size sensor.  The focal length is almost 300mm and is highly cropped.

[Waddizzle]

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@nan156 wrote:
When I say wildlife I mean birds. Chipmunk maybe deer. About 30 to 50 feet from animal.

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This was shot at 600mm at a distance of about 20 feet, tops.

This image has not been cropped.