one of many

I spent many years in a after market industry. You would be surprised how many OEMs bought our parts and passed them off as their own.

Thanks, I didn't know that. Haven't used it in awhile.

You might be able to save it with Portrait Professional 11.

I bought an adaptor to mount the Nikon 500 f4 (manual focus)on the Canon 5D II. Image quality was unacceptable to me.

Sandisk offers a recovery program with its Extreme Pro cards. It is free for the 1st year.

Assuming you have a flash, bounce it off a white surface (reflector or ceiling).

If you don't need raw conversion Picasa is simple, effective and free.

I don't find the rocket blower very affective. Compressed air works better but you need to hold the can at the proper distance and upright to avoid clouding from the propellant.
Sensor swabs are some what affective and outrageously expensive. I've made my own device using eclipse solutions and pec-pads.

I don't look for dust until it shows in my photos.

There are so many excellent cameras available today that the choice really depends on how complex you want to go and your budget. My suggestions are:

1. Don't be concerned with pixel count. Go for the largest sensor size (ex: 1:1.7) within your budget. 10 MP is more than adequate.
2. The lens is very important. Generally, the greater the zoom range the poorer the image quality. Definitely get a zoom.
3. Shutter lag is important. You'll miss a lot of shots otherwise.
4. Avoid interchangeable lens cameras. They are great for some people, but not for most.
5. Don't forget the flash. More power is better.
6. Don't buy the latest and greatest. The models that they replace can be just as good and are better values.

My preference is Canon or Nikon which seem to hold their value better than most. Nikons are usually more feature rich which can be a plus or a minus. I recommend the Canon G15 or the Nikon P7100.

Let your wife decide. If she doesn't like your choice you'll never hear the end of it.

Good Luck

Is or no IS does not make the lens. In my opinion the 70-200 is a much better lens, but 28-135 is better suited as a walk around lens. Its really apples to oranges.

Amateur photography is about the love for the craft. If you are please with the result then what others think is irrelevant.

Depending on their age they may fit but limit the functionality of the camera. Its hard to say without knowing the specifics.

There is no need to look for dust. It will find you.
Cleaning can be frustrating and most of the tools available are expensive and/or worthless.

Skip the primes and get a good normal zoom. It will improve your photography and save money in the long run.