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dead canon 7dm2 and dead sigma 100-400...what next? (1 Viewer)

HouseCrow

Well-known member
Dear all
this summer I lost both camera and lens
Canon 7d mark ii (2019)
Sigma 100-400 (2020)

by slipping and rolling in a wet ditch during a hike along an overgrown path in search of dragonflies and damselflies... . My gear has been declared total loss by the vendor, last week.
Now I am looking for a replacement and a bit of a step up (as that would make the loss a bit less unfortunate)
The Canon 7d was my first DSLR after using up 3 superzooms in the decade before 2019 (I still use the Sony hx400v for the occasional video)

I shoot mostly birds, the activity usually picks up when the sun allows insects to roam, dragonflies and butterflies are my main summer season targets.

Now I have a smallish budget of 2000 euros for the package. I have already adopted the idea that good second hand items are just as good. That opens a lot of options.
I am interested in
-GPS linkage possible
-weather sealed
-reasonably fit for seabirds on a blustery ferry trip to Tokyo islands
-Good to very good for near macro dragonflies and butterflies
-videoing through eyepiece (excludes dslr)

Canon r7 nice camera it seems
lens
Canon EF 100-400: Nice good weather sealed lens but slow (see John Pink Knowles video about it)
Sigma 100-400 good lens, not sure if it can actually capture dragonflies in flight as easily as it should
Canon EF 100-400 mark 2: pretty gorgeous lens but out of budget with the R7

Canon rf 100-400: most people are positive but for the lack of light it allows (An Alaskan youtuber disagrees (and appears to have proof) but otherwise everyone seems to agree.
The lack of weather sealing would be an item for constant concern.

I thought of returning to SUperzoom with SOny RX10 iv but it seems that these cameras don't do what DSLRs do... or do they

I will use the set every week for a couple of hours, mainly on hikes. Next spring I hope to return to Japan for some bird and insect hunting..and a family holiday.

All in all good reason for a thorough search...but sofar I am undecided
Is Canon r7 with a Sigma 100-400 and adapter (Canon 2nd hand for 69 euros) a good fun option in lower light, with video, tracking both birds and dragonflies and delivering sharp photos at reasonable and reasonably close distances (Sigma 100-400 had a 63cm minimal focus distance)?

I am veering towards the combo (all 2nd hand): Canon r7 + EF to RF converter (Canon) + Sigma 100-400
Would you say that would work for what I would like to do?
The combination pops up only a few times here and there, so if you have a link to a gallery of this combo...please let me know

Hope to hear from you

cheers
Gerben
 
R7 it is. But the lens...our dutch weather would give me the shivers using an unprotected lens...
and would not sigma 100-400 be a more versatile lens? (apart from being weather sealed)
 
Last edited:
aargh... I was about to finish the deal with an online store for approx 2100 euros, when I re-viewed this Los Angeles based bird and dragonfly shooter
's comments that his old EF 100-400 I made cleaner shots and did better at shooting dragonflies in flight than the restless rf 100-400 (using the R7)
To buy a 2nd hand R7 and an old EF 100-400 I is a bit weird I reckon, the combination is weather sealed...which saves some sleepless minutes...and costs about the same at M P B.

I don't know how it really works, I kinda understand his explanation but I have no way of knowing his comment is making sense.
his video here:

help me out please dearest peoples of BF, I usually only hang around in the ID section forum...but now...

PS. To be clear: the EF 100-400 mark ii and the RF 100-500 are well out of budget

cheers,
Gerben
 

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