Disclaimer-I have no affiliation with "The Great Courses", but I have the DVD series by Joel Sartore (Christmas gift by my sister) FUNDAMENTALS of PHOTOGRAPHY. It has a lot of good information. They currently have big discounts until March 31, 2016.

When I was in the US Army, I was stationed in Nuremberg (1959-61). We were housed in the former German SS building and grounds which the US Army renamed Merrill Barracks. Location was on Frankenstrasse about 1/2 mile from Zepplin field. My unit was the 34 field artillery, 155 self propelled howitzer battalion. We also had a battalion of the 2nd Armored Cavalry (Tanks). On some Saturday and Sunday afternoons we would go play touch football on the grounds around Zeplin field. I returned to visit Nuremberg in 2010, visited Zeplin Field and was amazed at the deterioration that had taken place in 50 years. The large building where we were housed now has signs in front giving the history from 1935 until the present day.
However, the best visit in Nuremberg is "The Old Town"
and the Nuremberg Christmas Market". Go visit if you can.

You can go online and type in: Canon Extender EF 1.4x Compatibility Chart. B&H has a compatibility chart for the EF 1.4x which you can print out. Same procedure for the Extender 2x compatibility chart. However, the two charts give information only for compatibility with other Canon lenses. This may give you the info you need.

You will really have fun with that lens. I bought the same lens about two years ago and used it in Alaska (2014). It's a bit heavy but well worth the effort when looking at the results. I have used a Canon 2X III teleconverter with this lens and get very good pictures. Enjoy!

The last time I used film was when I flew to England and I was told to use a lead shield bag for film with ASA 800 or above Anything with lower ASA was not affected by xray. However, this was back in 2002 and today I don't know what they are using to scan at the airports and shipped packages may really get zapped with xrays.

Take time to get your hand healed and strong again. You don't want to reinjure the hand or drop the lens. I use my Canon 2X III with my Canon EF 70-200 L IS II USM with very good results. You will have fun using it.

Beautiful country and excellent pictures. As a teenager I worked in the area for three summer months of 1957. Every free moment from work I hiked into the back country by myself. I got lost twice but managed to find my way out both times. Never had a camera and carried only a canteen of water, some food and a hand ax. I guess all teenagers think they are invincible. I know I thought I was.
I have revisited only five times over the years and hope to go back at least one more time. I hope you post 10-15 more pictures.

I don't know the weight of the Sigma 150 - 500 lens. I sometimes use my Canon 2 X TC with my Canon EF 70-200
f 2.8 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom on my Canon 70 D and get fairly good results. However, this combination is not light weight so I am wondering what the actual weight difference might be. And with this particular comparison your Sigma has a +100 mm advantage.

f8,iso 160, 1/500, 200mm with 2X TC=400mm

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f8,iso 100, 1/500, 160 with 2X TC=320mm

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I used Elements 11 which has a wide choice.

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Looks like a Grumman TBF Avenger. The same plane George H.W. Bush flew during WW II. They were Aircraft Carrier Planes with folding wings with the long under carriage doors to hold the torpedo.

Seeing images in the cloud formations that are not really there is called Pareiodolia images, i.e. a face in the cloud.
I don't know who invented that word as it is not in my dictionary....but my copy of the Webster dictionary is 20 years old...definitely not up-to-date. I took a picture of a medieval church in Nuremberg, Germany in 2010 and later when I looked at my picture on the computer there was a cloud formation like a cross directly above the church.

I don't think there is one best lens. It depends on what scene you want to capture. Landscape and sunset, or just the wide part of the sunset, or inside the most dynamic part of the sunset. I will post a couple of pictures to try to illustrate what I mean. However the pictures are not over the Grand Canyon....just a lake in Kansas.

I have no advice on Windows 7 or 10, but ESET anti virus
is rated # 1 or very close to #1.

Good shot of the moon. I don't think you could have done any better using a tripod and a remote shutter release.

Wow! That is a strange looking creature. I have never seen anything like it. Maybe you have photographed a bug that has yet to be identified. Entomological science postulates that there are possibly several thousand (maybe millions) of species of insects that have as yet not been identified. With all the rain we have had in eastern Kansas this May, June and July I have flowers blooming in my yard
that I haven't seen in the 16 years I have lived here. Maybe we can attribute it to global warming and excessive rainfall. :roll:

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