My Birding World

I’ve been wanting to upgrade my camera system. I have an old entry-level DSLR (Canon Rebel XS) and two telephoto lens (250mm and 300mm). My Canon body is well-worn and has served a long, good life. It also has lots of limitations and I now feel inhibited by its lack of features. I also want farther reach with a longer telephoto lens.

I talked to various photographers and did a lot of research. Camera equipment is expensive! I bought a lens first – the Tamron 100-400mm. It’s less than half the price of the Canon equivalent.

My first opportunity to test it was in a Home Depot parking lot, of all places. In the little leafy tree shading our car, I noticed two Western Kingbirds. Odd, I thought, as I normally don’t see them in parking lots. One kingbird flew away while the other stayed behind. I watched the stunning bird in the early morning light when I noticed a clump of sticks near it. A nest! With babies! Perfect opportunity to try out the new lens.

The angle was bad as I was lower than the adults, and the babies were well-hidden by leaves (which is a good thing to avoid predators). Still, I was impressed with the extended reach of the 400 lens.

Then the shutter stopped working. Error. Turned the camera off and on. Fixed. Hmmm…

We went to Mines Road and then Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore where I quickly shot over 100 pictures. I received the same error twice more and the pictures completely wigged out by the end, like a Photoshop filter was applied.

I’m not sure if I picked up a dud or if my camera body needs to be upgraded asap. I’ll likely return the lens for now, buy a new Canon body, and then figure out how to get that 400mm reach at a reasonable price. The adventure continues!