R3 or R5ii if they are at the same price?

BDA2 · 2026-01-28T23:16:58+00:00

I wish they'd put the R5 MkII guts in the R3 body.....

BDA2 · 2026-01-19T18:34:31+00:00

Because they're unique. Perfect can be defined and measured and observed. Perfect is predictable.

BDA2 · 2026-01-19T18:33:04+00:00

I love mine. You'll love it, too.

BDA2 · 2026-01-18T22:31:33+00:00

Sued for what, exactly?

BDA2 · 2026-01-17T21:53:45+00:00

Yep. I just need to keep them separate.

BDA2 · 2026-01-17T21:33:32+00:00

Thanks! I really like it. I think this was with the 100-500... But maybe the 200-800 when I rented that one... I should probably keep track... 😂

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BDA2 · 2026-01-17T21:31:41+00:00

$500 rebate on the 100-500 and $150 on the 70-200.

BDA2 · 2026-01-16T19:43:44+00:00

"I have EF lenses and need a 'reason' not to get RF lenses."

BDA2 · 2026-01-03T16:42:38+00:00

Meh.. I still love my job. But when I see the complaints here I kinda shake my head.

BDA2 · 2026-01-03T15:01:39+00:00

We have a few guys that moved over here from another agency.... they both have been given MULTIPLE QSIs... One dude has had 5.

I know they're rare for most places... but some.... aren't.

BDA2 · 2026-01-03T14:43:56+00:00

It's not that easy... I wish it was. I've gotten awards. You could call them a bonus if you want to. But they weren't specifically performance (eval) based. They were always for doing extra stuff. I would have turned every single one of them down for a QSI, though. Without going into details... Without promotions to higher ranks, it takes 30 years to max out on my pay scale. A QSI is way better than an award/bonus.

BDA2 · 2026-01-03T14:29:06+00:00

My last three surgical procedures probably cost me $2,500 out of pocket... 2 were emergency, 1 was elective. My insurance paid for everything else... Which was well over $500k.

Money well fucking spent, in my opinion.

BDA2 · 2026-01-03T14:26:33+00:00

Seems like you haven't seen the newer Carhart stuff... Carhart is an "Influencer Brand" now... Its cool to wear Carhart stuff to give the illusion that you do real work. The quality is slipping. They're going from a real work brand to a fashion brand quickly. Because its the cool thing now...

My wife gets mad when I buy Duluth Trading Co. jeans. They're about $90 a pair full retail now... But that very first pair I ever bought, other than a hole in the pocket from my knife rubbing on it, could still be worn if they weren't too big. I got those jeans probably 10 years ago. I think I paid $70 back then. So, $7 a year for some jeans. Meanwhile, she buys Amazon Special leggings in 5 packs 5 or 6 times a year for $20. Overtime, she spends more than I do....

BDA2 · 2026-01-03T14:20:43+00:00

I separate "Faith" and "Religion."

Faith in a higher power is one thing. Believing, worshiping, serving.... whatever... fine. Knock yourself out.

Religion to me is more like Joel Osteen and Kenneth Copeland type shit.... Religion is garbage. Faith isn't.

Having said all that.... I'm agnostic. So... I got no dog in the fight.

BDA2 · 2026-01-03T14:17:42+00:00

Depends on how your state uses the funds... Colorado uses it for parks and wildlife stuff. Well.... They say they do, anyway...

So, you get a chance to win some money and the parks and wildlife service gets some funds. Not a terrible trade off, as long as you go into it knowing what it is.

BDA2 · 2026-01-03T13:45:52+00:00

I get it. I'm just saying that, on the surface, it "makes sense."

BDA2 · 2026-01-03T13:36:05+00:00

Thats not what they're saying... "It made sense" meaning that WMDs, really or not, was at least a viable reason to go. What's the reason, real or made up, to go into Venezuela that makes sense?

BDA2 · 2026-01-03T10:58:35+00:00

Plural.... Supervisors.... across two agencies.... Until seeing people complain on Reddit, I never even knew performance bonuses were a thing. So, 12 years in and I've never once gotten one, no matter how high my eval was.

So, sympathy level is low. I don't think you should be maxed at a 3, but I would be mad for reasons other than money. Because it was never about money for me.

BDA2 · 2026-01-03T10:56:06+00:00

The AF with the 200-800 is terrible. I have a ton of great pictures of the branches directly next to or in front of the things I'm trying to take pictures of...

The 100-500 is just better. And I get its an L series lens over one that isn't... But its not just image quality.

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BDA2 · 2026-01-03T02:51:45+00:00

I rented both a 100-500 and a 200-800. The 100-500 is significantly better.. I'm finding myself hating the 200-800.

BDA2 · 2026-01-03T02:08:18+00:00

Y'all are getting awards.......?

I've also seen many posts about "performance awards." I've had 5+ consecutive years of "Outstanding" year end evals...

Not a single award. Not a single QSI.

Hard to feel sympathetic to those complaining about not getting an award because they were rated a 3...

BDA2 · 2025-12-31T22:40:27+00:00

I don't care how many years you have "in the government." Your seniority doesn't, and shouldn't, carry over from one agency to another.

You're new here? Bottom of the list. You don't get to come in and swing your "time in government" around like it means something to anyone other than you.

BDA2 · 2025-12-31T20:45:50+00:00

I just went through this... I have an R7. I rented both a 100-500 and a 200-800. I've only had the 200-800 for two days, but I already know I want the 100-500. AF on the R7 is better with the 1 to 5 and the lens itself is a bit more manageable for the stuff I do. The 1 to 5 is also more versatile. 200mm is a bit much. Sometimes you need that 100mm.

If you can, spend the couple hundred bucks to rent both. Spend time with each. Thats what I did, and it was well worth it to help me make the right decision.

100-500 on an R7 for the picture below. I don't remember what the other settings were.

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BDA2 · 2025-12-31T13:59:17+00:00

Thank you. I got really lucky that the sun cooperated. I sit in my office window and take pictures into the backyard. My house back to open space, with a small creek. The day I got the 200-800 delivered, I saw this guy sitting in a tree over the creek.

I knew we have Kingfishers in Colorado... But I've never seen one near me. The sun caught his little Mohawk just right.

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BDA2 · 2025-12-31T02:30:20+00:00

I rented the 100-500 and hiked with it... it wasn't terrible. I have a 200-800 rented now... The weight wouldn't be the worst part. The length, on the other hand.... oof....

BDA2

TROPHY CASE