so i just got this canon r7 camera because my brother told me it was the best one for taking pictures of birds but honestly i feel like i have no idea what i am doing and i am super overwhelmed right now. it came with a small lens but when i went out to the park yesterday to try and get a picture of this hawk sitting on a branch it just looked like a little dot in the middle of the screen... i tried zooming in with my fingers on the screen like an iphone but that didnt do anything lol. i feel really dumb asking this but what do i actually need to buy so i can see the birds close up??
i been looking online and there are so many numbers like 100-400 or 100-500 and some say rf and some say ef and i dont even know what that means or if they even fit my camera. i dont want to spend a fortune because the camera already cost me a lot of money and my wife is already kinda annoyed at me for buying it. i think i can spend maybe 800 or 1000 dollars at most? maybe a tiny bit more if i eat ramen for a month and it really makes a huge difference but i really dont want to mess this up and buy something that doesnt work.
here is what i am looking for i guess:
- something that lets me see birds from far away
- i live in oregon so it gets cloudy a lot i dont know if that matters for lenses
- it needs to be not too heavy because i have bad wrists from typing all day at work
- something that is easy for a total beginner who doesnt know all the settings yet
is there like one lens that everyone uses? i saw one called a 600mm prime but it looks like a giant white bazooka and i dont think i can carry that around the woods. i just want to be able to see the feathers and the eyes without the bird being a tiny speck. sorry if these are really basic questions i just really want to take one good photo of a bird before i give up on this whole hobby...
I had that exact frustration starting out! Seriously, the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is a total game-changer. It's super light and makes birding feel like absolute magic! You'll love it!
Are you shooting in deep forest or open parks? Magnification requires focal length, while aperture affects low-light performance. I'm satisfied using the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM or Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM.