The advantage of APS-C is that when you shoot at 150mms (cropped), you get the DOF of a 100mms lens. I am open to a different point of view.

That is my exact opinion. DOF is an optical function wether it's mounted on a full frame, APS-C or a cardboard box. I can't understand how one could believe the DOF would change just by the camera you put the lens on.

I have been using a Sigma 18-250. I love it. It a about all you need when traveling. I also have a Sigma 18-300, just never needed it.

We spent September and the first part of October all over New England then came home through Buffalo, NY. Bad year for fall color, no rain and warm nights. Oh well maybe next time. Came home to find the color her was spectacular. The trip was fun anyway. 'Too bad, we didn't cross paths sooner, we could have had dinner. Let me know if you come to California.

Chris,
You are right about no money working in a camera store. I retired from an aerospace company as a Senior Engineer. The camera store was better than unemployment, the store kept me busy. The pay was a shocker, a week there was less than one day as an engineer. The perks were good. I have a lot of lenses and everything was wholesale.
I noticed that you have a Pentax 6X7. I carried two of them around for a year until my neck said no more. They were a lot handier than the Mamiya 6X7. I sold both of them, five lenses, a Minolta Flash/ light meter, and the Pentax case to Adorama in New York for a whopping $500. I still have 4 Minolta XE7's, recently sold my Minolta KN Motor to a guy in Vietnam.
Chris, whee are you lining now??

I have a bunch of digital and film cameras and around 44 lenses. (I'm old and never get rid of that stuff) But I must admit I love both my Sony A55 & A77. I like being able to change the exposure and see the change real time without having to actually take a shot. Plus I can buy great Minolta AF lenses without breaking the bank. When we travel, Europe etc. I take one camera, two lens (Sigma 18-250mm & Sigma 10-20mm). It makes getting on and off planes, trains, buses, and taxis a whole lot simpler. Did you know about the built-in teleconverters in the A77 (digital of course)?

It is truly amazing what events that you can get into by making advance contact with the event management. I have shot Speedway motorcycle races and several other events. simply by asking and promising to not compete with their own photographer, they either sent me tickets or who to contact at the gate. Press Pass was waiting. I have found it is very easy to contact event management, days or weeks in advance. You can get more yes answers than no's if you offer them some PR pictures (software of course). The worst thing that can happen is they say no.

Although I was responding to your "overriding the cruise control" comment. You are right that a tap of a button will do the trick. I can drive north or south for about 250 miles with no stop signs, cruise control is a blessing. I also agree that you and not the camera are creating the picture. But I really was trying to point out, that no matter how many buttons and wheels they put on a camera, they are there for your ease and convenience, no matter how you wish to use them. After I retired I worked for a while for a very busy camera store. I was not a very good salesman, as I would direct customers to a photography school rather than sell them a more expensive camera if their desire was to "take better pictures". I remember seeing Ansel Adams with his big 8X10 View camera, taking great shots, without A,S,M, or P, although I guess that actually it was manufactured to be permanently in M.
By the way, I have been to your country many times and love it.

First of all, it really doesn't matter what mode you shot in. The final picture tells the tale. In what car do you drive that you have to override the cruise control. You tweak the speed up or down to the prevailing conditions. Just as in the "P" mode you can tweak, not override, to gain more or less depth of field, add or subtract shutter speed, etc. The difference in "A" mode is when you only can change aperture, the camera changes the shutter speed for you. :"P" mode just doesn't limit you to "only" having that one option. I am not overriding anything. I turn one wheel and the Aperture changes, another wheel changes Shutter speed without taking my eye off of the viewfinder, that simple. Perhaps I am assuming most cameras have that option, I bought my first 35mm camera in 1955. It was "manual everything" except ISO (ASA) which you were stuck with the speed of the film that you had loaded. I can tell you that Manual mode would never be as fast as A, S or P. It does, however, make you feel that you are "creating" something", Just as a stick shift in a car makes you feel that you are more in control than driving a car with an automatic trans. I have no quarrel with how anyone wants to shoot a picture.. Show me the finished picture, then we can talk.

I use the program mode 98% of the time. I can adjust ISO, aperture, shutter, exposure at any time. I can't be any near as fast in the manual mode. This applies to autofocus also. If you have the time and are a traditionalist have fun with manual.