I bought a Canon EOS 7D at Best Buy years ago when living in Georgia. I haven't used it in about ten years or longer. I'm finally at a point in my life where I have some time to get back into using it and enjoying it again.
First Question: Is there anything I should do to clean it, update firmware, etc., to get it "back in business"? It's been sitting in a camera bag, so it hasn't been exposed to elements.
It only has the lens that it came with when I bought the camera kit. I know it's Ultrasonic, but I'd have to look up the official details on it. The rubber zoom ring feels a little sticky when touching it. When I polish it with a slightly-damp cloth, the cloth turns dark from the ring. Second Question: I wonder if everything is OK with the rubber on the ring, or if it's "aged" and if so, if there's anything I need to do to replace it.
I did buy a new second battery for it (although the original battery still seems to charge OK) and a second CF card for it (my first card was 16GB, also got a 32GB). I still have the USB cable, a UV filter, a polarizer filter, a tripod, and a solid camera case/bag for it.
I also have an XLR mic plugged into an adapter cable since I used to shoot video with it. The sound never was great though. I was told it was due to automatic gain and I needed some form of interface to plug into the camera, but I never did figure out what I needed to buy.
Recently I read a book on DSLR photography in general plus the Canon EOS 7D "For Dummies" book to refresh myself on the camera.
When I bought it, I never did get to go back and take classes on it. I pretty much shot in Auto mode, although I did shoot RAW.
I also recently bought a Canon Powershot Elph 360 HS to supplement the 7D as my "pocket camera". I have two batteires with it, the USB cable, and a 64GB SD card. I bought it to carry it around with me everywhere so I have something a little nicer than an iPhone for shooting videos (I have an iPhone 13 mini, plus I have the Halide app on it if I should ever invest the time to learn it, but I still want to wean off of shooting everything with a smartphone and get back into using a DSLR as my main camera and a point-and-shoot as a pocket camera that's always with me for quick shots). So far I've pretty much shot in auto mode with the 360, and these are the videos I've watched on it:
removed link
removed link
Before that I had a Sony Cybershot DSC P-41, but I pretty much just shot auto mode with it.
I took a camera class once from a church photographer, but he pretty much shot with Nikon point-and-shoots, so I didn't get any DSLR training. A nearby town offers a camera club I could join, and I've looked at moving there, but I may not be moving there, so not sure if I will join yet.
In terms of editing software, I generally edit on a Mac (I have an Intel iMac Pro and a M2 MacBook Air, been using the MacBook Air more since it's Apple Silicon). I also have an iPad mini if I need to quickly look at photos on the go, and USB and SD card adapters for all devices. I currently store all my photos in iCloud Photos (with backups of my critical stuff on Proton Drive and offsite in a bank box). For software, I currently own: Photomator (lifetime license), Photoshop Elements 2024, Affinite Photo 2 (got it on a good sale), and I have Pixelmator Pro. I dabbled in iPhoto and Aperture years ago. I also dabbled in Photoshop and Lightroom CC, but at the moment, I wouldn't use them regularly enough to justify a subscription.
I used to share photos on Flickr, but I let the membership lapse since I didn't use it enough to justify keeping it.
In terms of training, I'm reading through Photography Basics on here, plus Landscape Photography (since that interests me), and I've signed up for the newsletter. I've also watched Bryan Peterson's "You Keep Shooting" tips on YouTube about once a week, plus I read his "Field Guide to Photography" and "Learning to See Creatively". Third Question: If there's additional training that I could gradually look at in my spare time to help increase my photography knowledge and really learn how to use my DSLR, my point-and-shoot, and my photo editing software, I'm willing to look into it. I'm willing to look at articles on here, videos, books, magazines (my library or my Scribd subscription may offer them, or I could subscribe to one), etc. I'm still farily new to photography and have some great tools, but I need to invest some time to better learn them.
Thanks anyone for reading this and for any advice!
I'm a Nikon shooter and I don't know much about Cannon. Sounds like the rubber/plastic on the lens is starting to degrade. That happens with some materials cameras are made of.
I have one recommendation: grab something and start shooting. (Even a camera phone will do!) You pretty much suggest this in your post - just do it!
Once you have some photos, post them here. Or join one of the phtography groups (PSA is one). The main thing is interact with others to grow skills and sharpen ideas.
You might also consider getting back into Flikr - the free version is fine. I like to look at what others do - just for ideas to push what I'm working on. I don't expect to get a lot of favorites - but I do have a small group of people that seem to give good feedback.
But the main recommendation is to start shooting!
Good luck!
Thanks for chiming in!
I put the lens in a cooler environment for a bit, and it seems to be better. The heat might have been causing it. It gets hot and humid here in Arkansas.
I took both cameras on a trip recently, even shooting mostly in auto mode since I didn't get much of an opportunity to play with settings. It still got me "back in the game" a little bit. I'm also going to start carrying a pocket camera with me around town and looking for things to shoot just to keep up the practice.
Trying to see if there are some local camera groups where I could interact with people in person. I'm in Hot Springs, AR. I saw Hot Springs Village has one. Trying to see if that's my closest one or if there's one in town here. Will also check out PSA and other onine groups.
I may get back on Flickr, even in free mode. I had a lot of fun when I was on it and got a lot of inspiration. I only canceled it since I needed to scale backs services at the time. Free mode should be fine for me.
Great advice!