I want to take wildlife/outdoor photos recreationally. I don’t want to get frustrated by photo quality, but I also don’t want to spend more than I need to. That being said I’m willing to consider expensive equipment, but only if it benefits my needs. Does anyone have some canned recommendations?
Canon EOS R50. It’s sold with various lenses but just get the body and pair it with a Canon RF‑s 18‑150mm IS STM.
This will do 90% of everything you will ever need. Anything beyond that will be very specific and by the time you’ve discovered what that may be, if at all, you’ll know exactly what’s needed for that purpose.
This is the best choice for you, nothing else is as suited for your needs. Get it and you won’t have to waste time reading reviews, listening to tons of different opinions, endless advice from people who want to sell you something else.
You won’t have to worry if you should have got something better or cheaper or with other options.
No, get this and forget about all that. Because the alternative will ultimately mean less photography. And what you want is to spend as much time as possible taking photographs and planning when and where to take more photographs.
Buy this camera and this lens. Read the manual, shoot, learn your camera inside out, shoot more.
Buy a SanDisk Extreme SD card, not the other ones, not other brands, that one.
Shoot JPEGs. Learn how to change your camera settings to get different colours. You don’t need RAW files, no matter what anyone tells you. Canon are the experts at the colour your camera makes, get the camera to do that for you.
It’s said that to become proficient at photography you have to take about a hundred thousand photos. Your camera can do twice that easily. A few weeks before the warranty expires, send it to Canon for a full service. They will often replace things that are worn even though it works.
Even if in ten years you end up in a specialist field, you’ll still have this combo in your bag. It will still be what you use for holidays, for family, for fun.
Enjoy!
You are definitely winning the confidence vote.
Regarding the lens, is there a reason to not do something like the below if it appears to be less expensive? At least ostensibly they cover a similar range of focal lengths, but using two lenses.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/canon-eos-r50-4k-video-mirrorless-camera-2-lens-kit-with-rf-s-18-45mm-and-rf-s-55-210mm-lenses-black/6535112.p?skuId=6535112
Yes, there is a very good reason. Having to change lenses means that at some point you won’t have the right lens on for the image you want and you’ll miss the shot.
The difference between the two lenses at the long end isn’t that great for your use and having one lens for everything is better. As I said, if you find in the future you want to specialise, you will have a very good idea of what you’ll need for that. Until then, this covers everything else.
Keep in mind that this lens is small and light and with that also small and light body it’s a winning combination.
You’ll notice that many of the other comments talk about their preferences and opinions. That’s not useful to you. Brands like Sony have terrible menu systems that will make you spend more time messing with them than taking photos. Nikon mirrorless have terrible auto focus. Fuji are for people photos and have terrible menus and can’t do things like track focus unless you use a special face detection mode that stops other things working, and all sorts of other weird stuff.
Nikon full frame bodies are only worth it if you have lots of old Nikon lenses. Sony bodies are horrible to hold and feel like a device, not a camera. Canon have the best ergonomics, menus, colours and customer service.
I could go on. Or you could just get the Canon and forget all this nonsense.
The only other advice I’ll give you is something I wish I had been given when I bought my first DSLR -
Do not use a zoom lens to get closer or further away.
It has focal length markings on the side, use them as if you are selecting a prime lens of that particular focal length for the shot you want to make.
Learn about field of view and how it affects perspective. By all means experiment, but do it with that purpose. Don’t become lazy, focal length is critical to the way a composition is presented. This is art, learn your tools so that you can create your vision.
Canon will give you the best tools to learn and improve.
Oh and PS, buy a Hoya UV filter. The best you can afford. If you have an accident and break some glass, it’s better that it’s not the glass of your lens. Now you don’t need a lens cap to muck about with and miss the shot. And don’t use a hood, you don’t need one.