Kind of n00b assistance (1 Viewer)

I have a Canon EOS630 that was given to me because the previous owner, my grandfather, went digital.

He lost the manual, and I'm not a pro photographer, but I'm working in manual mode, and I can change the exposure and shutter speed and what not myself. The auto focus is too loud for my taste (and the birds' tastes as well), which is why I am using manual focus mode. I currently have a skylight filter on the camera, and a 75-300 zoom.

The zoom isn't in that great coniditon, as it sat in a FL house for a while. It has a few mold spots, which can be "cured" by sitting in the sun, I have been told, but I am also interested in perhaps going for a larger zoom and maybe a tripod.

If anyone has any suggestions about what is more compatible with this camera, please let me know.

My grandfather's health is failing, and I want to get better as quickly as possible so that I may show him what I can do with the camera he gave me; he is excited that I like both birds (which my mom and I have always liked) and photography...so you know how it goes. I figure this is better than being depressed about his health.

Hi Erica, sorry to hear about your grandfather's health... I'm sure your photos will cheer him up.
I'm not familiar with your particular camera... canon often gives camera's different names for different markets.

Have a good read of the Canon forum on here and read about the various lenses favoured by bird photographers. I'm not sure what sort of budget you have available for a new lens but there is a very large market in secondhand camera lenses where you can save a good deal of money.

A tripod will be a very good purchase, especally if you decide to get a lens longer than 300mm.
Regards,
Andy

Andy Bright said:

Hi Erica, sorry to hear about your grandfather's health... I'm sure your photos will cheer him up.
I'm not familiar with your particular camera... canon often gives camera's different names for different markets.

Have a good read of the Canon forum on here and read about the various lenses favoured by bird photographers. I'm not sure what sort of budget you have available for a new lens but there is a very large market in secondhand camera lenses where you can save a good deal of money.

A tripod will be a very good purchase, especally if you decide to get a lens longer than 300mm.
Regards,
Andy

Click to expand...

The car manufacturers do this as well; I've never understood the reasoning behind it, other than to attempt to make more money somehow.

If anyone has any tips on how to avoid poor backlighting/backdrops, that would be great. Overcast skies are very troublesome for me, and I'm not sure if there is anything to be done except not to bother to take a photo when it is cloudy!

By the by, does anyone have a really good book recommendation on basic photography? I haven't been able to find one that does a very good job of recommending f/ss settings for various situations yet.

Thanks!