Good to know on the adapater!
The potential lens for motorsport usage or telephoto lens is amazon.com/dp/B00004THD0
there are probably other that might provide better or different results.
Haha you're right, it can be overwhelming. You should be warned that photography equipment can get pretty damn expensive. This is the lens I have, it goes for $200 but like I said I got a deal on it. $200 may sound expensive for just a lens but it really is the low end of the spectrum.
You may also be interested in this link, which shows you what different focal lengths do to a shot.
Edit: It should also be noted that the T3i has a crop sensor, so focal length values are skewed slightly, but that's next-level shit and you can read up on that on your own if interested.
Amazon informed me that there was a newer model and it's only slightly more money (I'm going to be cheap and buy a used one). These are the telephoto lens that I found. Lens 1, Lens 2. Is the big one overkill? lol
I think I will build a motorized barn door mount as suggested, again, to save money. I didn't realize that a equatorial mount isn't exactly necessary.
So, to wrap things up, one of those cameras, one of those lens, and a mount is all I need to take the badass pictures on this sub? Obviously, it will take a bit to learn the techniques and everything, but this is a completely new thing to me (never had a camera besides the one on my phones), so I look forward to learning everything.
200mm isn't enough for bird photography imo. You'll want 300mm. Not a Canon user myself, but something like this is what you want. https://www.amazon.com/Canon-75-300mm-4-5-6-Telephoto-Cameras/dp/B00004THD0/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=canon+300mm&qid=1590349611&s=electronics&sr=1-3
With your help, along with /u/wattevah, I think I have everything I need to know:
Build my own motorized barn door mount
If I decide to upgrade, I upgrade to a better mount, a good telescope, and a better camera.
If I have it all correct at this point, I think I'm going to order the things tonight. Thank you guys so, so much :D