Re: 7D AF getting frustrating
For me having the right lens and body is so important. It's not just because of IQ. It's the wee things you don't give a single thought for when you think you want to get into wildlife photography, and then the reality of it sets in.
Your kit needs to be able to withstand abuse. You're going to be lying down on the ground, standing in the rain, out in the cold and sometimes splashing into the river. Your kit needs to be able to last longer in the field than you can. The 7D has already proved it can do that, albeit a taster for what a real wildlife camera (1D series) can do. Lets face it, the 7D is the consumer version of a 1D without the price tag.
The lens also takes a battering. You're leaning it on trees, dirt mounds, fences and anything else that'll give you a sharper shot or you're poking it through tree branches to get closer. The body and lens needs to be able to wake up and AF as fast a possible. Lord knows how many times I've been standing with the camera to my eye in light rain waiting for the kingfisher to land. It pops up just right, you get the shot, then don't give it a thought that, if you were using lesser equipment, you might not have pulled it off.
I just think there's more to wildlife photography than a camera and lens. Even less emphasis to whether the lens has IS or not too. Most of the time longer zooms/primes are perched on a tripod anyway in hides.
For me having the right lens and body is so important. It's not just because of IQ. It's the wee things you don't give a single thought for when you think you want to get into wildlife photography, and then the reality of it sets in.
Your kit needs to be able to withstand abuse. You're going to be lying down on the ground, standing in the rain, out in the cold and sometimes splashing into the river. Your kit needs to be able to last longer in the field than you can. The 7D has already proved it can do that, albeit a taster for what a real wildlife camera (1D series) can do. Lets face it, the 7D is the consumer version of a 1D without the price tag.
The lens also takes a battering. You're leaning it on trees, dirt mounds, fences and anything else that'll give you a sharper shot or you're poking it through tree branches to get closer. The body and lens needs to be able to wake up and AF as fast a possible. Lord knows how many times I've been standing with the camera to my eye in light rain waiting for the kingfisher to land. It pops up just right, you get the shot, then don't give it a thought that, if you were using lesser equipment, you might not have pulled it off.
I just think there's more to wildlife photography than a camera and lens. Even less emphasis to whether the lens has IS or not too. Most of the time longer zooms/primes are perched on a tripod anyway in hides.
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