Thanks for the replies

Has anyone dealt with MPB.com?
The idea of sending my gear away without a receipt, kinda freaks me out

I shoot Canon, but, I way say this,
Buy the best lenses Nikon makes.
The new Tamron G2 lenses and the Sigma Art series are good also.
When I first started taking pictures, I didn't think pro lenses mattered.
They do.
After I bought my first pro L lens, that was it
I sold every lens that wasn't a L and replaced them with pro quality glass.
Do yourself a favor. Go pro.
If money is a issue [it was for me] look for them used. There are deals to be had, ebay has a retrurn policy. I have bought lenses from my local craigs list.
It will save you time.
It will save you money, when you decide to upgrade, it seems you never get back what you paid for the cheaper lens
And lastly it will save you major dissapointment. That old saying, You get what you pay for, is very revelant in the world of photography.

Rum.

T.O.D. I never said the 1DX II wasn't a better camera.
If I won the lottery. I would buy one in a heartbeat.
What I did say was, I will hold one to my older 1D bodies, until the used X's are around a 1,000 dollars.
I am 65, and I just hope that happens while I can still use the damn thing

rmorrison, I don't think I am ready to hang it up and start knitting.
Every shot included was taken with the Canon 1D mark III.
This camera may only have 10.4 mega pixels, but it does shoot 10 frames a second.
That's good enough for me, and all the "Pros'" who bought it at 6,000 new.
Mega, Mega pixels are overrated.
It sells more cameras, to the I gotta have it, it's the newest, it doesn't matter if it's really better crowd
Size does matter.
The more pixels that get crammed onto a senor, they get smaller.
The new 1Dx II is what around 24 mp's?
I will take the 1Dx II, over any camera from any manufactor anyday.

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I wouldn't worry about the bags.
BUT, take out the batteries.

Unless you drop a lens, or scratch the glass, there’s really not much that goes wrong.
I had a old Cannon 100-300 mm L, It’s around 20 years old.
I gave it to my daughter in law. It’s still working as good as new.
So yeah, I will always buy 2 for 1.
You can spend your money anyway you choose, I will do the same

I just checked out Canons refurbished site.
Wow, they think highly of their stuff.
I could find two L lenses elsewhere for the price of one there

Amazon and ebay are good places to find deals on camera gear.
You can return items if they are broken or not what you bought.
I bought a lens from ebay, it wasn't the one I had paid for. I got my money back without a problem.
I have bought a used Canon 300 mm L. A new Tamron G2 45 mm and used G2 90mm macro from ebay.
All of them were in perfectly good working order.
I bought my Bogen Monrotto 3046 tripod and a Monfrotto 393 gimbal, for $200.00 from ebay. The 393 head new, is around 200.
I found a Canon f/2.8 70-200 mm L, on amazon for 700.
I have bought and sold lenses on craigs list.
I have no problems buying used.

Don't you just love 16 frames a second.

I have a canon mount, Tamron G2 Tamron 90mm. It is a macro lens, I like it, and would buy it again. It works for portraits as well.

I bought a used, in prefect condition Bogen Monfrotto 3046 from ebay for a $100.
I am 6'1" and a lot of tripods only go up to 5'.
The 3046 is a beast, it's heavy, strudy and when extended it goes up to 8'.
I found a used Monfrotto 393 gimbal [it's u shaped] on ebay for another 100.
I am 65 retired and have been disabled [ back ] for awhile.
So even with a bad back I can still lug this combination around.
I don't backpack or hike anymore, So heavy doesn't matter to me.
Look around on craigs list, ebay, buy used, be smart, research, google the model you might want to buy.
A cheap tripod [ I know I bought one] will drive you crazy.
I want a tripod rated for the weight I have, I want a tripod the will not collapse or fall over in a breeze. I want to feel safe with the one I own.
I am literally hanging thousands of dollars worth of equipment from the plate attached to my tripod,
I like the manfrotto 393 head for that reason.

A tripod used in shooting moving objects is a pivot point.
Tripod stuff, 101.
I have monfrotto 393 gimbal head on a 3046 monfrotto tripod.
It's heavey as hell and sturdy as all get out.
It eliminates hand held shakes.
I can pan, or move up and down following any subject, I choose.
Before you bash a idea, try it first.

All of the above plus a tripod.