I have had Windows 10 on 2 PCs.....now on only 1 after I took it back to Windows 7 Pro. The problem is that every browser I've tried, including Edge (which is supposed to be THE Win 10 browser) is slow and regularly locks up with Windows 10....Firefox, Internet Explorer 11 and Chrome all can go from fast to dead stop on Windows 10....I would advise anyone to wait at least 6 months before trying to use any kind of new operating system. Since Win 10 was released on July 29, 2015 that would be waiting until at least the end of January, 2016. I am really considering a total switch over from PCs to Apple computers....to heck with Microsoft.

I see several nice D5100's on eBay for around $300. Consider that before you spend a lot of money on repairs. A lot of repair estimates cost $200 or more.

How long does it take to change out a battery? maybe 60 seconds, less with practice. The only advantage I see to a battery grip is giving you more to hold onto and it may give you an easier to use shutter release in the vertical position. Other than that, everything else is a disadvantage, IMHO. The factory ones for Canon are ridiculously overpriced, but some of the after-market ones are really cheaply built and probably won't hold up very long.

Be careful buying any Rollei TLR. I've had 4 of them over the years and all developed a problem with the film advance mechanism....it would lock up. Finding some today to competently fix a Rollei TLR will probably be more difficult than finding one to buy.

depends of what you want....if you take snapshots and just email pix to folks and never make a print larger than 8x10 almost any modern lens out there will meet your needs fine. If you are selling your pix or want big enlargements, or want to take sports pix under low light conditions, the more expensive glass can be indispensable.

what have you go to lose? Almost all my Canon gear is factory refurb...never had a problem with any of it....Canon USA website recently had refurb SX50s for $150....

look on eBay for a Domke F-2....one of the best bags out there....I've got about 15 different bags and this is the one I come back to all the time....

http://nypost.com/2015/10/02/secret-service-agents-hillary-is-a-nightmare-to-work-with/

several months back I signed up as a Windows Insider and got downloads of Windows 10 as it was being developed. My opinion? It looks as though it is set up as a vehicle to spy on your every move and of course, sell the information just like Facebook does. There are ways to set it up so the spying is minimized, but some of it is still going to be there. Supposedly anyone who has Windows 7 or 8 will be able to get a free download of Windows 10 thru July 28 of 2016. My advice: if you have Windows 7 or 8 hold off on getting Windows 10 for a couple months, at least thru their first Service Pack....let the bugs get worked out. I already took 1 of my computers with Windows 10 back to Windows 7 and am soon going to be reverting another back to Windows 8.1. One problem right now is that a lot of the programs and browsers you may wish to use are not yet compatible with Windows 10. Microsoft is pushing their new Edge browser to work with Windows 10. I've tried it and so far don't like it. The menu bar is history and I'm really trying to figure out why it's supposed to be better than Internet Explorer. Go slow with Windows 10...it'll be there later, if you want it at all.

what the best tabletop tripod for handling up to 6 pounds of camera/lens? Also, what kind of head do you use on it?

http://www.youtube.com/embed/4vGcH0Bk3hg?rel=0

Old Age Wisdom and Creativity........

Now that I'm retired and on a fixed income,

I have disconnected my home alarm system and
de-registered from the Neighborhood Watch Team.

I have got two Pakistani flags raised in the front yard, one at each corner, and the black flag of ISIS in the center.

The local Police, Sheriff, FBI, CIA, NSA,
Homeland Security, Secret Service and three other government agencies (that I have never heard of)are all watching my house 24/7, 365 days a year.

I don't even lock my doors any more and I have never felt safer, and now I am saving $49.50 a month!

Go Seniors!

in my experience, service after the sale is the last thing many manufacturers want to provide, with some exceptions of course such as Swarovski Optik which offers fabulous customer service. Reminds me of an expensive Sigma lens I bought years ago with (supposedly) a lifetime warranty. When it stopped working I sent it to them, then they sent it back to me with a note saying "sorry, no parts available." So much for customer service. If you are unfortunate enough to purchase a second-hand or new grey market Nikon product, Nikon USA will not fix it under warranty and won't even fix it if you are willing to pay for the repair. I think you did the right thing by taking it back to the store, you got a defective product, they should replace it and deal with Tamron, not you. Unfortunately many dealers have disclaimers in their stores which tell you that all warranties are by the manufacturer, not the store and don't bring back anything we sell you which does not work. I don't deal with stores like that, if they won't stand behind what they take your good money for, why should you buy there?

you might have seen this before, it is Marc Tobias of Forbes interviewing Henry Posner of B&H Photo about grey market vs USA officially imported camera gear.

One thing I noticed important from what Mr Posner says is that Nikon USA won't repair a non-officially imported camera even if you want to pay for the repair. So, if you buy a used Nikon product you may want to call Nikon USA with the serial number and find out if it's officially imported or not before buying it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVsEtTkTDlM

Leica gear is first rate, but the system is nowhere near as extensive as you will find for Canon/Nikon DSLRs. Personally, I doubt that many people will be able to look at any picture and tell you if it was taken with a Leica or a Canon or a Sony. Also, keep in mind that a digital image is going to be no better than its weakest link. Let's say your camera and lens are the best available. OK, what about your computer and image processing gear....is it equal to the camera's capabilities? If not your super duper camera and lens won't produce the best images possible. A lot of terrific pictures were taken by folks with less than top-shelf cameras, would the pictures have been better with top-of-the-line gear? Maybe, but nobody cares.