I'm looking for a drive to use with a recent purchase (a refurb march 2015 macbook pro). I'm looking at the WD My Passport (4tb) drive. It says reformatting is required to use with Mac. Should I move on and look at something else? I have never used an external drive, but it seems to me that if you have to reformat something to use it, it might not really be the best choice? Thoughts? Confirmations and/or other recommendations great appreciated. Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge and experience!

And get a full year warranty (from Cameta at no extra charge) as opposed to Nikon's 90 day warranty on refurb. 👍

All,
I thought I would give you an update on my bag search, for anyone who is interested. Several of you commented that you had several bags for different needs. I decided I was probably asking too much of one bag and to be a good travel bag and also serve as an everyday bag. I had seriously outgrown the little Nikon bag that came with my camera. I have no doubt it will come in handy, but really needed something that could hold more gear. I chose to purchase an everyday bag and put the search for the travel bag on hold. I don't really need it until this spring, and who knows what new products might come out in the meantime. For my everyday bag I chose the Ape Case ACPRO 1900. I love it. It seems incredibly well made. It easily holds all my gear (including my laptop) and even leaves a bit of room to grow. Perhaps best of all, it's quite reasonably priced for a bag of that quality. I will resume the search for the travel bag at the start of the new year. I appreciate everyone's thoughts, opinions and advice. UHH is a great resource for a new photographer like me. Thanks, everyone!

I looked at them, and they look like very nice bags. Unfortunately, the backpack does not ship until March and I need a bag before then.

Good to know! Thanks!

I know . . . I'm better off looking for a unicorn than the "perfect" bag. Don't tell me it depends on what gear I want to carry, where I'm going to carry it and all the parameters that go into making the decision. I need a bag to hold my camera (Nikon D5500), 2 or 3 lenses (18-300 zoom and a prime or two), a shotgun mic, a flash, a 13" laptop, a compartment for some personal needs (a jacket/sweater, snacks, a toothbrush), it needs to work as a carry-on and be TSA-friendly. I have narrowed to 3 bags, and I'm wondering if any of you own any of the three, and might give me your pros and cons and tell me whether or not you would buy the bag again.

Pelican S130--I like the hard shells on the camera and laptop compartments--seems very protective. It would appear the bag meets all my other criteria. It's not cheap, but I'm not opposed to an investment if it's worth it.

Lowepro Fastpack BP 250 AW II--Again, seems to meet the criteria and I like that you can access the camera without taking the pack off completely.

Manfrotto Advanced Travel Backpack--I saw this at a local camera shop. While it seems like it would do the job, I wasn't overly impressed. Of course, that might have had more to do with the fact that they seemed completely uninterested in assisting me at the store. Not the best shopping experience.

thanks in advance for your thoughts
james

Greetings:

I have narrowed my tripod search to two choices (I think). I have combed the archives here, and don't see much about these two specific models, so I thought I would ask if any of you use either of these, and if you do, how you might feel about them. I want the tripod for both indoor and outdoor use, though its primary use will be indoors with some macro and product-style shooting, and maybe a portrait from time to time. Here are the two models I'm considering:
Vanguard Alta Pro 264AB
Manfrotto MK290XTA3-BHUS 290 Xtra Ball Head Kit

I am attracted to the flexibility of the Vanguard, but I don't really know the quality of their products. I am well-familiar with the Manfrotto name, and have thought they produced high-quality equipment, though I have read some reviews that lead me to believe their most recent products might not have the same quality they used to have?

Needless to say, if you think I'm way off on both of these choices and have a better idea, I'm all ears. I'd prefer not to go over $200, but I'm flexible with that, if it's really worth it.

Thanks for your help!

You all are cracking me up with your suggestions of body bags, valium, and thoughts on pick-pockets!
I appreciate all of your suggestions. As to 18 to 140, 200, or 300, I was told that those would be more zoom than I would need, and the quality would not be as sharp as the 17-70mm. Obviously, you do not agree. Good to know! I can get a used or certified refurbished Nikon 18-140 or 200 for less than that sigma lens. As for the idea of using it for the knitting photos, too--I was looking at the 50mm or 35mm because with them I would have the option of opening up the aperture more. I don't have a lot of natural light to work with and I want to be able to play with depth of field. The difference between 1.8 and 3.5 seems pretty dramatic to my eye. Now . . . to clarify about those kids . . . no valium necessary. They're awesome! I've been doing concert tours with teenagers for 20 years now. I always have a blast with them! I'm not nearly as worried about the 60 teenagers as I am about the 30 parents that are going along. The kids are great at following directions--the parents . . . not so much. :-) Many, many thanks again for all of your ideas. I'm learning a lot from this discussion!

Greetings:

I am a total noob. Just thought I would share that up-front, though I am sure the lack of knowledge I show in this post will render that statement unnecessary. I recently purchased a Nikon D5500. After some research, I have decided (I think) that I need two lenses. I wanted to share my thinking in hopes of getting feedback.

Lens 1
I am a knitter. One of the reasons I wanted to get into photography was to be able to document my knitting with beautiful, artistic photographs. I need to be able to get close, have really sharp clarity, and most of these photos will be taken inside, where light can be an issue. I am thinking either a 50mm, or a 35mm would be a good basic lens for this? Nikon makes rather inexpensive 35mm and 50mm that seem to get good reviews and fill the needs I've mentioned. I don't think, at this point, I have enough understanding to know which would be better (35mm or 50mm). If you have an opinion (and from what I've read, you guys have a lot of opinions! :-) as to which might be better, or if there's something that would be better than either of those, please share.

Lens 2
I am going to Italy in the spring (and taking 60 teenagers with me!) and want a good, all-purpose lens that will allow me to take photos inside dark churches, outside, near and far. I realize the more you ask of a lens, the more compromises you're likely to have to make, but I don't want to drag around a bunch of lenses with me. I am thinking the Sigma 17-70mm. It too seems to get fairly good reviews.

Is money an issue? Well, I don't want to buy a lot more lens that my camera or I need, but I'm not opposed to investing in something that will grow with me. If you don't agree with where I'm going with these choices, I would really appreciate you sharing the reason why, so I can learn more.

Thanks for your help!
James

the brown truck is supposed to bring me my first camera (well, my first dslr) tomorrow afternoon. wouldn't you know, tomorrow afternoon is the one afternoon this week that i can't be home to wait. :-( signature is required, so hopefully he will try my next door neighbors. i've had the same brown truck driver for about 20 years. i feel like we have a relationship. lol