Hello from a bird enthusiast

I picked up my new EOS R6II a couple of days ago. I did get to hold the R7 in my hands and it felt less comfortable because I have very large hands and long fingers. I used to be close to 6’ tall. I was seriously contemplating the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary but in the end bought the RF 100-400. It was a good price and would work for my backyard shots until my health allows me to get out and about more and I decided to get an RF lens to get maximum use of the autofocus. The 109-500 would be nice but a bit too big for my budget.
I would welcome suggestions as to what the next lens or combination would work well for birds out in the field. We have many bodies of water, lots of open Ponderosa pine forests, and cliffs where I live. California Bighorn Sheep, deer, bears, snakes and marmots are some other favourite subjects as well as insects and local vegetation.

I love how my camera feels with both the 24-105 kit lens and the 100-400 lens. The grip fits my hand very well in spite of my arthritis. I was so excited to try it out I forgot I needed to format my SD cards🥲 I took some pictures of birds at my feeder right at dusk and there is no doubt my settings were off because I only used the [A+] setting but I was amazed it focused on the eye of juncos even though I couldn’t see the eyes. I took some photos of deer in my driveway and neighbours yard and I’m excited to see my first attempts. My very black bouncy Standard Poodle is usually very difficult to get the black eyes in focus but they turned out great.

My biggest challenge now is seeing how to retrieve my photos and upload them to my iPad and to format my cards. The manual is a little overwhelming as there are definitely a lot to learn as I would expect with a camera like this. My last camera was a very good bridge camera which is super light and has a zoom of up to 400 and shoots raw so I will keep it for biking and dog walking as my dog is still young and bouncy! I’ve been trying to wade through the manual and have a lot to learn. I think I might look at some YouTube tutorials to take it easy on my eyes and brain lol.
I’m really glad I’ve found this group!
 
I haven’t quite figured out how to upload my photos properly and these are my very first ones using my brand new R6II and a 100-400 mm lens right before dusk and at dusk when I got home with it. I have no idea what I did yet other than turn it on and give it a try. I have a lot of practice and reading to do. I was really happy how much easier it was to get photos of my dog where you can clearly see his
1674896385137.jpeg
  • Canon EOS R6m2
  • RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM
  • 400.0 mm
  • ƒ/8
  • 1/250 sec
  • ISO 25600
57FBC51E-7B4C-4D0A-B356-2D2C293ED4F6.jpeg
  • Canon EOS R6m2
  • RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM
  • 281.0 mm
  • ƒ/8
  • 1/80 sec
  • ISO 25600
B29CBA19-0505-4DE9-88F1-5F1671D690BF.jpeg
  • Canon EOS R6m2
  • RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM
  • 97.0 mm
  • ƒ/7.1
  • 1/80 sec
  • ISO 800
D3C69B19-9F0E-4B4B-9CC6-31084EBC1D06.jpeg
  • Canon EOS R6m2
  • RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM
  • 97.0 mm
  • ƒ/7.1
  • 1/250 sec
  • ISO 2000
81ACCD01-7513-4EC4-A31D-2D5E454241A8.jpeg
  • Canon EOS R6m2
  • RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM
  • 105.0 mm
  • ƒ/7.1
  • 1/320 sec
  • ISO 1600
E22DA57C-88EC-46F3-9EA5-5DFA3AD8B5D1.jpeg
  • Canon EOS R6m2
  • RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM
  • 400.0 mm
  • ƒ/8
  • 1/200 sec
  • ISO 4000
02AD269A-9BC0-471A-8831-38F334937B38.jpeg
  • Canon EOS R6m2
  • RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM
  • 281.0 mm
  • ƒ/8
  • 1/80 sec
  • ISO 25600
2CF2B5F3-41C4-4E51-8F73-1508E813619D.jpeg
  • Canon EOS R6m2
  • RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM
  • 300.0 mm
  • ƒ/8
  • 1/160 sec
  • ISO 25600
0E51610D-EF9A-4D36-815A-D5306B2A24F0.jpeg
  • Canon EOS R6m2
  • RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM
  • 359.0 mm
  • ƒ/8
  • 1/200 sec
  • ISO 20000
354CA517-AA89-423B-879C-AC81E4CD7AC8.jpeg
  • Canon EOS R6m2
  • RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM
  • 400.0 mm
  • ƒ/8
  • 1/400 sec
  • ISO 12800
D2E6A79A-E861-4272-9BB2-D0720EEA5657.jpeg
  • Canon EOS R6m2
  • RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM
  • 400.0 mm
  • ƒ/8
  • 1/500 sec
  • ISO 8000
 
Barb,
Welcome from Ohio! I haven't used this forum much at all, but have to get back into it. Hubby and I are both 71, we shoot with R5/me and R6/him. I find the RF 100-500 incredible for birds and we use a 1.4 adapter and occasionally I bump it into the 1.6 crop (but am usually sorry afterwards). We shoot birds, any animals we come across, landscapes, anything we find interesting. We have spent way too much money, but are generally happy with our choices of lenses. I hope you enjoy your R6!!
 
Welcome aboard Barbara and thank you for joining up here. Well it sounds like you've already received a lot of great advice and are already shooting away with your new gear! :) I'd recommend this excellent setup video from Jason if you'd like to learn more about the R6 Mk II.

 
Welcome aboard Barbara and thank you for joining up here. Well it sounds like you've already received a lot of great advice and are already shooting away with your new gear! :) I'd recommend this excellent setup video from Jason if you'd like to learn more about the R6 Mk II.

Thank you! I am a little overwhelmed right now by all the videos available so it is great to have a good starting place. I need to figure out all my settings, autofocus for bouncing critters and a whole bunch more.
 
Barb,
Welcome from Ohio! I haven't used this forum much at all, but have to get back into it. Hubby and I are both 71, we shoot with R5/me and R6/him. I find the RF 100-500 incredible for birds and we use a 1.4 adapter and occasionally I bump it into the 1.6 crop (but am usually sorry afterwards). We shoot birds, any animals we come across, landscapes, anything we find interesting. We have spent way too much money, but are generally happy with our choices of lenses. I hope you enjoy your R6!!
Thank you so much for your info and input. I have purchased the 100-400 inexpensive lens but I suspect once I have more $ saved in the next year or two I will update to the 100-500 if I find I want a better lens. I had No previous equipment so I’ve been buying all sorts of accessories and so want to buy the 1.4 crop or whichever people suggest is more functional for me. I bought the RF 800 mm F/11 which I know isn’t a fast lens but for the price it is a good one to try I figure especially since it was a couple of hundred dollars CAD cheaper right now. 😎
 
Thank you so much for your info and input. I have purchased the 100-400 inexpensive lens but I suspect once I have more $ saved in the next year or two I will update to the 100-500 if I find I want a better lens. I had No previous equipment so I’ve been buying all sorts of accessories and so want to buy the 1.4 crop or whichever people suggest is more functional for me. I bought the RF 800 mm F/11 which I know isn’t a fast lens but for the price it is a good one to try I figure especially since it was a couple of hundred dollars CAD cheaper right now. 😎
We bought the 800 and is mainly used by hubby. It is a great lens when used in appropriate lighting situations. We also bought the 100-400 when we first got the R5 because we couldn't find a 100-500 anywhere and we couldn't wait! They are all very sharp! I am playing with my 15-35 RF and my 24-70 RF. It is amazing how it can take a while to learn the idiosyncrasies of each lens! We are not disappointed!
 

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