I have always been interested in photography but time and cost of good equipment - not to mention the cost of having to learn via film, kept me from learning. Now with digital cameras I no longer have to worry about film and I am starting to have time to learn the post processing software (darktable). So starting to learn and I am taking pictures of a lot of things - animal, boat racing, eventually car racing, flowers, insects etc... I have the 50 MM prime and the 18-135 updated lens. Some of the photos can be seen here: https://www.dslreports.com/pics/dimaging/170109 including some bird/boat racing and as can be seen (newest pics at the top of the page) - I need more lens especially or wildlife and boat racing. Not really sure how much lens I need - 400 or 600 but I have a short list of the lenses I am looking at: Canon 100-400 mm f/3.6-6.3 Tamron EF 400 mm f/5.6L Prime Sigma 150-600 mm Contemporary I do plan on buying used unless the used price is close to new and then I would go with new. Are there any other lenses I need to potentially look at? Of these - does the Canon lens rule them all?
how about the sigma 100-400mm c, i have been using this with my canon M50 via an ef to efm adapter for the last 3 years, its been and still continues to be an great wildlife lens, i do have the 150-600mm sigma as well. the 150-600mm, its extra 200mm is most definatly worth it but for me (nearly 53 now) its really a tripod only lens which if you are going to a place to set up for a while is great, i use it with a benro GH5C gimbal head so its well balanced etc the sigma 100-400mm is the wildlife lens i got first as i wanted a walkabout hand held wildlife lens paired with your 18-35mm lens you'll have a nice set up.
I assume the 18-400 is the Tamron, I would think its an ok lens but has heavy overlap with your 18-135. Build and glass quality are similar to your 18-135 both are inexpensive consumer lenses. In theory the 400L (which is the Canon) would be the best optics being an L lens. You may need to pair with a tele-converter if the reach is not as much as you like in some situations. The sigma 150-600 pairs well with the length of zoom you have now, and is very popular, so if it may be the most natural option for you. You will need to balance weight and cost here as well. I also do not know if you have future lens or camera body plans either.
Grrr - the Canon should have said 100-400 and the Tamron is the 150-600 ( https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1277358-REG/tamron_sp_150_600mm_f_5_6_3_di.html/specs ) - sorry about that. I am older as well at 56 yo and with boat racing - setting up in one place is doable - car racing it will be more out and about (same with wildlife). I do know a 80D user that uses the Sigma and she loves it. She also said her friend uses the Canon and it is exceptional. The frugal part of me says not to get the Canon but get the Sigma or Tamron... No solid plan on future hardware changes - just starting to learn - not sure I will go to a more pro level anytime soon. Adding a telephoto would round out my lenses I think, outside of maybe a macro lens. I would have the 50 mm prime, 18-135mm kit lens, and the telephoto. I don't have a sturdy tripod yet (I have an older, lighter one), but I will likely upgrade at some point in time. I know for the boat races we have locally - 400mm is going to be minimum as 300 would still entail a ton of serious cropping. Not knowing the weight of the lenses also is a pain.
I have the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary lens & the Sports lens. The Contemporary lens is much lighter than the Sports lens. I use them both with & without a tripod. I'm 62 & will be using them for years to come.
It's an extension between the camera & the lens. There is a 1.4 & a 2.0 teleconverter. I use the 2.0 which gives me 1200 mm range.
My 2 cents worth. I would probably go for a zoom over a prime until you know that you want that focal length you want in a prime lens. A zoom just offers a little more flexibility. Something like the Canon 100-400 ii springs to mind. Canon EF 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM review - Introduction - LensTip.com One of the Sigma's that go to 600mm would be fine as well. I have a few Sigma lenses, and I am really happy with them. I am not sure if either of these lenses, and a teleconverter would work with camera, I am thinking of autofocusing. But that is something that would need a little more digging into. Gary
The auto focus works up to F13. It will not work with the teleconverter through the view finder. It will work is using the back screen live view...I know: It's odd.
Lens hoods.... What are they good for? Should I be using one on every lens I have? Does it cut down on the amount of light coming in? Does it replace a filter for lend protection?
Definitely is more for reducing some bad lens flares that cause glare and wash out the image. ( you can google for example images) I mean it does protect the lens a little so you don't nick the glass, but i would say a filter is better protection on scratches.
Lens hoods. I tend to use them more often than not. Definitely if I am shooting in a direction that includes a light source. I have never used a lens hood for protection, as I tend to leave the lens cap on until I start shooting. Buy a filter if you want a little more extra insurance. Gary
Suddenly lost my ability to change the Exposure Balance in Manual mode after hitting the Q button. I hit the Q button when the mode wheel is set to M Touch the Exposure section and get the "AEB automatically shoots with different exposures" and I can't find how to turn it off. I used to be able to use either wheel, to move the exposure 1/2 or 1/3 for each notch. It has been set to 1/3 and is still that way. When I go into Menu --> second section the Expo.comp/AEB is at the top and when clicked on, lower left AEB is active (lit up) but can't find any way to turn off AEB so I can take it back to the original setting..
I was trying to figure out what was different and I realized that at some time - the ISO was no longer on Auto. With it on non-auto, I could set the AEB to be bracketed (only way I can describe it) but when set to Auto I could change by the step.
only if you notice a lens is not able to get sharp focus. Sometimes on leaves the factory (within acceptable variation spec) that is just a hair soft. You can google how to test lens sharpness, it is basically shooting a ruler at an angle and seeing if lens is tack sharp of middle focus point. If it is not you can micro adjust to get it there.
