We've been there, and enjoyed it greatly. We will return. We took none of the excursions, but explored on foot, and distances generally less than a mile. Your wife should do okay.
Photography equipment? Wide angle, WIDE angle, WIDE ANGLE. Get the picture. If you do photofinishing when you return, the shoot everything with wide angle lens. You'll understand when you arrive there.
Oh, by the way, we went with Princess, and thoroughly enjoy their services. You will too.
I'm with you, the Photomatix is a very impressive HDR software piece.
I'm not a NIK user. Did you use tone mapping?
Assuming this might be the 'after', can we see the 'before'?
There is something that I really miss with the advent of the selfie. When traveling on vacation, when I'd see a couple with a camera, I'd offer to take the shot for them. And, on occasion, when someone offered to use my camera to photography me and my other half, I'd appreciate that.
And before you say it, it comes with a risk. But if I sense a risk, I won't ask some else to photograph us with my camera. But I have to tell you, when we traveled out of our country, it was a wonderful way to meet new fellow travelers.
I've always wondered, maybe one of you know. I wondered why, for example, the 24-105 L lens was black with the red stripe. Considering how many enjoy taking their camera in urban areas, perhaps capturing various street-scapes, the black colored lens might "low key" the type of lens, perhaps making it less of a theft target. Any ideas?
DocDay, That which will impact you, and all of us using these L-series lens, is the glass. The sharpness cannot be beat. I even did a side-by-side experiment, at our St. Louis Zoo. Identical 5DII, identical focal length zoom, only one was L-series, and the other was regular. Then when I had the same shot up on my screen (27"wide), vertical line to separate, I asked my best friend who is an art major/expert, but a camera novice. "Do you see any difference?" was the questions, and within a microsecond, "yes, the sharpness on the left side of the screen.", which was the L-series lens. Cost more? yes! And can last a life time!
d2b2, you said you've had 60" wide made. How was that shipped?
Okay, I'm going to "upset the apple cart" here. Old pun? I am not a major fan of Samsclub. But when I received a promo for 12x12 for very low price (sorry, I forgot it), I tried them and was amazed. I had to wait several weeks for another sale of 12x12, with 1inch frame. I had 20 images from our Missouri Botanical Garden, so I sent all of them for 12x12x1" frames. The results were ... amazing. They are now occupying a wall on the stair case. This was an unexpected great set of prints. Yes, Sams CLub.
For anyone who is reading these messages and if you have not tried wrapped canvas, give it a try. It is amazing how beautiful the wrapped effect is, with the image continuing on the sides. And for size? I'm fortunate to have a canvas printer close to me. So, when returning from Rome, and Florence, I've had a 6' by 4' wrapped canvas made of each city. They even delivered it, using their van. Even on a somewhat smaller scale, when we were fortunate to go to Egypt, I took an image of the major pyramid in the background, and the sphinx in the foreground. That one is a 3' by 2', and my first experience with wrapped canvas. It is the only way I now make "prints".
I'm surprised you have not received more posts here. I, too, have one of these lenses, and it is wonderful. In fact, I have it sitting, attacked to my second body of 5D-II, so that I can capture our pugs in unique positions. I think everyone would love it.
We, too, will head out to a wonderful brunch, then back to open presents, followed by relaxing.
Merry Christmas to all, from myself, Aaron, Fanny, and Sylvia.
Wow, she just gave you the green light to now purchase your heart's desire. You both will be in great condition, and perhaps the envy of every one here.
There are so many great suggestions. I'd like to add one more. Check out Affinity Photo. You buy, you don't rent. And I'm finding that it has nearly every function I'm used to from PS, and some additional ones too.