In the '60's and '70's, they were a "badge of honor" especially if you used black electrician's tape to attach them to the neck strap. The pros did it, so all the amateurs imitated them.

I can second the recommendations for the Canon Pro 100. It does a great job on everything up through 13"x19". I've used about 30% of the free 50 sheers of13x19 paper that came with it from B&H. The price of the printer, less rebate, and free paper, netted my cost at under $130.

Compared to my earlier Canon printer, it uses less ink, especially since I don't print every day. The older printer had to be re-calibrated every time it sat idle for a couple of days.

RANT ON:

I really believe that there are too many folks out there who don't understand some of the real basics of photography. For instance, many couldn't tell you what the "normal" lens is for a given format. They're stuck on terms like "crop factor", and do no research as to what the genesis of the term really is.

In the film "era" most every "mini cam" (the original moniker for 35mm) was a 36mmx24mm format. There were exceptions to be sure (Olympus Pen half-frame, e.g.), but most folks used the full-on 35mm format. However, if you dug into the subject, you'd find that a 50mm "normal" lens was not "normal" at all. The circle of resolution had to be large enough to resolve a roughly 43mm circle, not a 50mm one. This doesn't begin to cover the scope of large and medium format photography.

Somehow, people have either forgotten, or never learned, that the lens resolves a circular image; and that lens formulation for telephoto and wide angle is a matter of optical physics. Getting a telephoto and wide angle lenses to cover the 43mm circle is a very complex process. The physical limitation on focal length, especially at wide angle coverage, involves complex calculations, including retro-focus lenses. (How many folks know what a retro-focus lens is?)

You don't have to be a optics engineer, but knowledge of a few basic facts and tenets goes a long way to grasp an understanding.

OK - RANT OFF

For a metropolitan area the size of Detroit, there are really only two "full service" local stores:

Woodward Camera has been around for years; has a staff that's knowledgeable, helpful, and still sells and processes film. They'll "meet" the mail order prices, and I've bought several Nikon digital cameras and lenses from them in the last year.

PROCAM is a locally staffed store, and is one of two locations (Chicago is the other). They're not a "full service" store, since their participation in film sales is practically nil. They offer a lot of classes, and their staff is completely professional, and extremely helpful. They also "meet" pricing of the mail order stores. This past week, I bought a Manfrotto MT055CXPRO3 (carbon fiber) for the same price as B&H sells it. I've also bought/traded a number of lenses from them.

For used, there are a couple of locals; Westborn Camera fuels my addiction to used equipment. They also have a presence on eBay, and they advertise through Craig's List. Another is The Camera Connection; he handles used equipment, also.

It's a bit of a trek from Detroit, but Norman Camera is a great place, as mentioned earlier.

I've bought memory cards from places like Best Buy, but only when they have a special deal.

Amen!

An anecdote: In 1965 one of the most prominent residents of Louisville, KY, was killed in similar circumstances. He was vacationing at Cape Cod, when a piece of lumber he was carrying in his car, became a lethal weapon when the lumber struck a car. It pivoted, breaking his neck and killing him instantly. He was Robert Worth Bingham, son to the Bingham publishing mogul, Barry.

I own both a D500 and a D750, and each are "horses for courses". I already owned a number of "FX" lenses, which worked with my D200, and now the D500. I bought the D750 last year to take more advantage of my "FX" lenses. I also own the F6, so the "FX" lenses get a lot of work.

Good luck with your selection.

This barn was built by my great-grandfather in the 1890's. It survived for a little over one hundred years right next to the Rolling Fork River in Larue County, Kentucky. I photographed it in 1994 using a Nikon F5 and on TMax 100. This was taken in early December on a very overcast, gray day. In January 1995, the barn was brought down by the floodwaters of the Rolling Fork. It had survived a similar flood in 1937, but the structure had deteriorated badly since then.

I've been to that beach a number of times when I lived in Rhode Island in 1970. You've captured the essence of the Rhode Island coast.

While there's no mistaking the New England coast, the photos have a touch of "Pacific-ness" to them.

Well done!

Airplanes aren't exactly a good comparison. Skies are fairly empty, even with more dense flight patterns around airports; distances are sometimes measure in miles, and not feet. Highways are very dense in population, comparable to ant farms; and while the speeds are far below those of airplanes, drivers have far more concerns with other drivers, and road and weather hazards that pilots never face on a continual basis.

The are a host of obstacles to overcome, not the least of which will be technological in nature. Insurance companies will have to redefine the term "driver", and that's not going to be a mere redefinition written in the policy. If the software fails, is it the automaker, the technology company, just whom or what? If a sensor or servo fails, where does the liability accrue? The legal process will be very complicated.

I don't doubt that transportation will eventually get there, but the transition is going to be a long and painful process. I once doubted the speed at which digital would displace film; no more.

I do have a personal anecdote on current features. Last year, I leased a new 2017 Ford Escape, with most of the bells and whistles. One of the included options is the "smart" cruise control. I was on I75 headed from Michigan to Kentucky. I was in a string of traffic in the left lane moving at 70MPH. The sensor insured my preferred spacing, and you could tell when the micro-adjustments took place. It also has the emergency breaking feature.

I always keep an eye on traffic in the adjoining lane, and I can usually tell if someone is going to pull over in front of me. However, the driver just ahead and to the right, gave no indication of his intent. He suddenly pulled out from behind a semi. He was no more than fifty feet in front of me. I instantly (reaction time .1 second?) reacted, but the sensors on the car were way ahead of me. My Escape braked immediately, probably measured in micro-seconds, saving me from an accident. I'm a believer.

If you don't mind "donuts" for out-of-focus light pinpoints, they're fun to experiment with. I owned a Nikkor 500 f8, and it's miles ahead in quality, but a fixed f8 was just too limiting for my tastes. Even the Nikkor was a bit soft, and I've tried the Tokina version. It was softer than the Nikkor.

I've used Bogen/Manfrotto pistol-grip heads similar to this one for years. They work; they're easy to use; and very flexible.

https://www.manfrotto.us/light-duty-grip-ball-head-compact-and-portable

My post was to note that high speed image catching doesn't insure a quality image.

No argument that the speed has increased the likelihood that a good image can be captured, and that the photographer has a better chance of grabbing "the image".

That stated, I've seen just as many crappy images at taken at high speed settings, as the one shot grab. The photographer still has to have his/her eyes open and be alert.

I learned to type in business college. Typing was a required course, and I learned to legitimately type about 45wpm on a Smith-Corona manual, one of the "standards" in manual typewriters. Later on, I got to switch over to an electric, and my WPM upped to around 65. I was a "Weak Willie" though, compared to the women, and a few men, who could get up to nearly 80WPM. They were all hired straight out of business school as secretaries. Learning typing also helped with my computer skills. I could keypunch my own program decks, not needing to wait on the keypunch operators.

When I got into the business world, I did a lot of my own typing. Secretaries and typists typically were assigned to execs or were overburdened with work, so I could get a lot of work done for myself. In the '70's, I went back to university, getting my bachelor's degree, and I didn't have to hire someone to type my own papers.

When we got our first computer terminals, it was easy to take care of my own data, and input my own programs.

Today, I don't have the speed, but I never regretted learning how to type.

Pre-35mm press photography was primarily a one-shot opportunity for the professional, yet many pros were able to get "the shot" with one exposure on 4x5. As the world changed, 35mm cameras finally came with motor drives, and it was thought that this was a panacea. Yet, shots were still missed. Now, with digital, its possible to shoot frame rates at nearly equal to film and video in digital format. But, it's still easy to miss the opportunity.

It comes down to the ability to anticipate the action of a moving target.

If someone "rapid fires" and gets the photo he/she wants, the only thing expended is a few megapixels of file.