Adorama had the same set up for $399 at the holidays. This is a great first camera.

In the 1450s, French nobility passed laws to restrict the importation of BRITISH wines.

Haven't had any good BRITISH wine lately? Perhaps that is because Britain is 200 miles too far north to grow grapes in 2014.

This time was PRE Industrial Revolution so apparently HUMAN activity has very little to do with global temperature. "Climate Change" has become a scientific dogma, which when questioned, gets you cast out of the club. Just ask the climate specialist at Colorado State University who is an international authority on hurricane frequency who does not subscribe to current "Climate Change" theory. He no longer gets invited to the best parties.

Canon inks tend to be MUCH cheaper than Epson inks. Unless you are going to print onsite and regularly, I recommend letting Costco print them for you. Our local Costco does an excellent job. Just turn off their auto color correction and you are set!

D7100 is a very good camera. EVERYBODY chime in on this one:

Get a GOOD book on the D7100 and READ the entire book through at least ONCE. I buy and resell Nikon gear off of ebay. I make money off people to spend WAY to much on gear and the expect to be able to use high level gear to take high level pictures SIMPLY because they have mastered the ON/OFF switch and spent big bucks.

If you REALLY want to enjoy AND get your money's worth on you camera, spend several hours reading a book on it. You don't have REMEMBER all the details, just REMEMBER that that detail is IN the book. I keep my BOOK with me at EVERY shoot. It is WAY better to flip a couple of pages in a book, find what you need, set the camera, and get that perfect INSTEAD of flipping through menus, fiddling with settings, and having to take the same shot over and over again. Your subject will either have moved on or get very annoyed with you or both!

So any good titles for a new D7100 owner? I like Magic Lantern books but they don't yet have one on the D7100.

The 80-400 was not a lens I used. I use an 80-200 f2.8 for action.

I traded off the 18-105 because all the reviews say it is too soft at the short end. I also had already picked up a 55-200 VR. I recently sold off my 50 mm 1.8D lens and get the 35 mm 1.8 G for portrait work. Trade out the 18-105 for 18-55 VR and 55-200 VR and you will be in good shape. The 18-105 is a big, heavy lens besides. I was REAL happy to trade it for my 18-55 VR and $50. Don't be afraid to buy used lenses. Nikon glass is good for about a decade under heavy use.

Since you are looking at a D7100 (I shoot with a D90) you also have to consider the CROP factor. On all of your lenses, multiple the MM by 1.5. Your 35mm 1.8 G lens is actually going to be your 52.5 mm lens and so on. The 80-400 will actually be your 120-600 because of the crop factor. Just did not want you to be surprised!

Getting back on topic here.

I am a Videographer who has been teaching himself Photography. The BIG deal about Video on a DSLR is ALL about Depth of Field. Virtually ALL camcorders of any price are set up to have infinite depth of field. They GENERALLY do not have interchangeable lenses. When you start shooting video on a DSLR you get to use the variety of lenses and get the ability to do use Depth of Field in your production. This is why Videographers use DSLRs for video. I have only recently acquired my D90 have not incorporated DSLR video into any productions. The D90 is limited to 5 minutes of video and will not shoot at 1920 X 1080. I have to set up everything for 720P which my camcorders can't match. So for now, for me, DSLR video remains a specialty item.

I will add some detail to the above "Santa" photo.

There was a event with a LINE of people waiting to photographed and only about 30 seconds per person to shoot them. We had to get the party started after all.

I also shot it full length on purpose so that I could see how this lens performed shooting someone at full length. (I am a 10 year VIDEO guy with about 10 WEEKS experience as a photographer, so I am still learning!) After seeing the shots, I agree that the shots might have been better centered up on the waist instead of the chest. Hey, it is like I tell people, "PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE".

Personally for these, I am just really happy they were all in focus and the color is very good.

I shoot with a D90. I would take my 18-200 zoom and get the Nikon 35mm 1.8G for a prime for low light. Under $200, a must have lens, and quite good and quite small.

I am in the same boat as you are. I just sold off my two 50mm 1.8D lenses and bought the 35mm 1.8G lens to replace them. I also have the 18-55 VR and the 55-200 VR along with my 80-200 F2.8 for theater work. (I shoot dance.)

The 18-55 VR is a very good lens in close quarters. See attached. EVERYTHING you spend on gear has to be paid for by your customers. How much MORE will you make with a $650 Tokina over the $99 Nikon? As a professional you should always be thinking about it in these terms, ROI - return on investment.

The attached image was shot on a Nikon D90 with the Nikon 18-55 VR lens, hand held, standing back about 8 feet.

Santa visits Lafayette

NOOOOO! That is a particularly BAD lens.

If you need to stretch out to 300mm look at the 70-300 VR lens. If budget is a BIG issue there is a cheap Nikon 70-300 non VR lens that retails for less than $200.

I would consider the Nikon 35mm 1.8G prime to for low light portrait work. This lens is only $200 in the US.

I would go with a REFURBISHED D600. They are NEWER and run about the same as a D700.

D7100 refurbished are still VERY NEW. I would be FAR more likely to go with a D7000 refurbished for $699.

A refurbished 18-55 VR for $99 from a number of places is your best, cheapest bet.

I was recently shooting some head to toe shots with my Nikon D90. I post processed them to 4 X 6 easily. However, a few of the shots did not crop well to 8 X 10. Without permanently screwing up the camera, is there any EASY way to have the 4 X 5 show up in the view finder?

One suggestion that I have gotten is to get another focusing screen and mark it with a line or lines for a 4 X 5 crop. Well.... Maybe?...

Any other ideas?