Hi everyone, I am about to retire (from my main job, anyway) and am looking to get back into photography after a long, long, absence (pre-digital!). I was browsing online and was close to purchasing a package deal: (Canon EOS Rebel T7 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm is II Lens Bundle + Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Lens and 500mm Preset Lens + 32GB Memory + Filters + Monopod + Professional Bundle) when I found this forum and from what I've read on the forum it sounds like a lot of the "package" accessories aren't really very high quality and what might be best is to focus my investment on a good quality camera and perhaps a lens or two. My shooting interests are: 1) Long range photography - I live in the Las Vegas area and would love to start by taking the strip at day and night, and the snowcapped mountains (yes, believe it or not there's snow-capped mountains west of the strip often in the winter) . At dusk would be my favorite time for the strip but really lots of different shots in the whole valley - morning and night as well. This would also apply to (mostly longer range) shots at nearby national parks. 2) Close-up shots of nature (flowers, insects, animals). This is of secondary importance, but still a pretty strong interest. My budget is around $1000 initially. Along with the camera and standard lens, I would love to get a sturdy-enough tripod with this and at least one longer-distance lens. Honestly, I don't have a clue what would be a solid purchase at this price point and would really appreciate your input. My main interest is to make a good investment for something I could keep for a good amount of time and add on other accessories and lenses as my interests evolve. But would love not to have to buy a new camera in a year or so if my interests really take off. Any suggestions you can provide would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance! Ron
You have a decent camera to use, the lenses are alright, the whole kit is aimed at consumer level. You have tha majority of teh focal range with between 18 and 300mm so your two zooms will do you well getting you zoomed to what you want to shoot. A more expensive camera will give you more manual control some more features, and better performance.... It will not help you with sharper images. You can upgrade when you know exactly what your camera body is lacking and how the new one is worth the upgrade, so my suggestion would be to jump to a advanced camera body when your are feeling your really held back by the consumer body. Your zooms may not do well for macro work, a dedicated macro will start at about $500 and go up. Lenses are the costly part, the one thing you should consider the investment really worth it by buy nicer gear. A more quality lens will have better sharper optics, a more robust build and last you a lifetime, you wont be replacing these regularly. It is a grind to build up a nice kit, it takes time. Read some reviews on tripods, a decent one and a decent ball head will cost you couple hundred each but you may be able to find some good recommendations and a decent deal used. You can maybe start cheap with a used pan tilt head on an old school manfroto. for like $100 all in, carbon fiber is ideal for carrying and shock absorbancy, but they start at $300 roughly. DSLRs will wind down the next decade as everything moves mirrorless, Im not saying dont buy more DSLR stuff, in fact the EF full frame lenses can be adapted to a mirrorless body, and you could also find some good deals on higher end DSLRs as those who work with them for a living upgrade their kits and start migrating and the market is full of 10 year old gear. On the flip side you could add a macro and a decent tripod and save up for two years and go completely mirrorless and switch before investing too far. Me have have 3 different 5d generations and a list of EF lenses, im not going anywhere for a while.
Welcome to the forum, Ron. All my gear is second hand except one lens. Most opions are based on their likes and dislikes. what suits them may or maynot suit you. I suggest you go to a good camera shop and see what they have in stock and it's cost. This way you will know if the camera you are interested in suits you for weight and function. When it comes to weight, the more gear you take with you, the heavier it gets. Now given what I have said about peoples opions, I do suggest you look at what Johnsey has said as he is very switched when it comes to photography matters.
