I use the same set of five 8GB 30MB/s CF cards that I used for years with my D700. I have no speed issues and I do (rarely) shoot an occasional video. I shoot Basic JPG + RAW and get about 130 images per card. That drops to about 100 images if I up the JPG quality to fine. I have had both CF and SD cards suddenly die on me in the past, so I am a firm believer in using smaller capacity cards to minimize the potential loss of work due to card failure. How would you guys feel about losing 64 GB of images in one fell swoop? OUCH! I am not a "Run and Gun" type shooter. I tend to use my camera as though it had film in it - slow and deliberate - and rarely use up more than two 8GB cards in a day of shooting. I also use 8GB SD cards in the second slot as backup.

Get a MFT Lumix or Olympus with the 100-300 lens - the whole kit weighs in a 2 lbs and the lens is only 4-7/8 -7-1/4" long depending on zoom setting. AND the latest gen of MFTs have GREAT image quality. My new GX7 is so good I rarely get out the D800 any more for anything other than critical work for a very demanding client. I couldn't quite say that for the GH2 due to objectionable noise from 800 ISO.

Check out this lady's bird photos with the Panny 100-300 - some interesting stuff in the comments too:
http://www.thewildbeat.com/2013/10/olympus-micro-four-thirds-wildlife-photography/

I thought some of the hoggers might appreciate the comparison photo - bear in mind that the Lumix lens extends another 2-1/4" at its 300mm (600e) setting.

D700/500mm V GH2/600

Your comment reminded me of a line I heard from a street performer (a comedian/social commentator) in SF. He was talking about people who go out of the way to use graduate degree abbreviations after their names. It went something like this: "Well, we all know what B.S. means, right? Then you have the M.S. (More of the Same) and after that the PHD (Piled Higher and Deeper)! It comes to mind every time someone throws their academic status into a discussion thinking (hoping?) that will somehow give them the edge they need to shut down people who don't agree with them.

What "poster size" do you have in mind?

Generally speaking, the prosumer and pro cameras share similar build quality (metal chassis, higher quality controls), weather sealing, high end focus systems (more points, faster), longer (shutter) life expectancy. Several things that make me actually prefer "prosumer" over "pro" models is that they are smaller and lighter (don't have built in vertical grips molded in at the bottom), have built in flash, which I find very useful in certain situations, and provide 90% of pro performance at about 1/2 the cost. The primary disadvantages are generally lower max frame rates (not so good for sports) and shutters that theoretically wear out more quickly.

As for the "beginner" and consumer models, they are mostly made of plastic, have no weather sealing, generally have lower performance (focus/metering/flash systems), and are burdened with amateur frills like a bunch of automatic "scene" modes that most serious photographers just consider a waste of resources.

Here's a picture - too much stuff to describe in words. Can you guess what it all means?

By the way, the GX7 is rapidly becoming my favorite camera ever, after owning roughly 18 digicams since about 1998. The EVF is one of its greatest features. It is the best I have seen to date, and besides the terrific color, contrast, and clarity, I really, really like the tilt feature. This is about the twelth digicam that I have owned with an electronic viewfinder, and now that they have become so good, I won't buy a camera without one ever again.

GX7 EVF Display in 16:9 Mode

I still have and regularly use a bunch of Nikkors from my film days - all at least 30 years old. I have never cleaned them with anything but my shirttails, and I have never used filters unless I needed one for a special photographic effect. The lense surfaces on all of them are still like new, except for a fish-eye that I bought used. It was really messed up by the original owner, and you would swear that it would be unuseable if you saw it. However, I have never taken a picture with it that was obviously suffering from the largely worn off coating and the many many scratches! I do keep a small bottle of lens cleaner in my bag to help with pesky fingerprint removal.

Amen to that! IMHOP, kicking Wabbit off is inexcusable, especially considering the churlishness of several other members that are still here even though they have gone way beyond anything Wabbit ever did.

I think that you meant to say that the Df sensor should have a HIGHER signal to noise ratio (more signal, less noise) due to the larger photosites.

According to Thom Hogan, the slight sharpness advantage of the "e" goes away after f8 due to refraction, and since my primary work is architecture and panoramic landscapes printed large, i want maximum DoF most of the time, which means I shoot a lot at f11 and f16. Therefore, I didn't see any point (for me) in spending the extra few hundred $$ for the 800e.

Plus, I doubt that anyone but a much younger and sharper-eyed person than I am could see the difference anyway. In fact, critical focus, shooting technique, and lens quality are likely to be much larger factors than the slight (potential) difference in IQ. The D800 images are unbelievably sharp OoC - I rarely need to do any sharpening in post. In comparison, ALL of my previous Digital Nikons required significant sharpening before printing.

Also, the JPGs are so good that I rarely work with RAW images anymore - this is also a first for me. And, if needed, you can do a ton of work on the JPGs in Camera Raw without the images falling apart. The D800 is so incredibly good that it is the last high-end camera I will ever buy, unless it has an irreparable breakdown - and if that happens, I will just get a low mileage replacement on eBay!

After close to 10 years, 4 Nikon DSLRs and many tens of thousands of images, I have rarely turned any of them off for lens, battery, or memory card changes during the heat of battle - ditto for switching to manual mode, which I do a lot. I do make sure to switch both the lens and the body to Manual when using manual focus. I have never had a single issue with ANY of my 4 Nikon DSLRs or lenses during that time.

Do you have an example of a "racist" BC comic that you could share with us?

[quote=Bamagal]Hey there,
I am looking at camera bags, and really like the look of the canvas, safari-type bag. I found a Koolertron in the style I like, but on Amazon in the reviews, it looks like some people have been shipped the Chinese knock-offs.
Does anyone have any experience with the Koolertron bags, and if so..... good or bad?

Check out the Domke bags - they have been around for a very long time, and for a good reason IMHOP. I have a small (F6) and a large one (F2) and trade off depending on how many lenses or whatever I am carrying. I use about half their capacity for non-photography related stuff. My micro-four thirds kit goes in there and I always have it with me, along with a bunch of other essentials. I especially love their 4 pocket padded "cube" inserts that are the most practical small bag divider system I have ever used.
http://www.domkebags.co.uk/en/5-domke-bags

Your viewfinder is matched to the sensor. You will only see what will be recorded by the sensor.

I almost never use anything other than spot focus mode. When you use the other focus options, the camera is deciding what to focus on, which will often be something other than what you had in mind. When you use spot focus, the focus area is very small so you can point the small red rectangle at precisely what you want to be in focus. I also normally position the focus spot in the center of the frame - that works best for moving subjects like kids, dogs, race cars, etc. If the camera is on a tripod or when shooting a stationary subject, you can conveniently move the focus point around in the frame with the 4-way controller.

Spot focus (single focus point) is selected by pressing the button in the middle of the Auto/Manual focus switch (at the lower left side of the lens mount) while turning the FRONT control wheel until you see an "S" at the lower right in the viewfinder.

You might also want to try AFC (Continuous Auto Focus) if you are tracking moving subjects. That is set by pressing the same button in the middle of the Auto/Manual focus switch while turning the REAR control wheel back and forth to toggle between AFC (Continuous) and AFS (Single) focus.

If you want to do a quick check of the left and right focus function (bottom and top too if you want), just take a series of shots with the spot focus point at the various outer locations at different distances. Remember to use a wide aperture to limit depth of field when testing autofocus.