I have to say upfront that I only have 16MP camera so the file isn't too large. I use an old HP Z600 workstation with dual Xeon 5620, 12Gb of RAM. It has an old ATI Firepro V5700. I paid $400 for it 3 years ago used. I bought a couple of NEC LCD2190p monitors. They are only 1600x1200 monitor but support hardware calibration. I use NEC Spectraview II software with an old Spyder II. I use Photoshop CC and it works very well for me. The computer came with Windows 7 Pro and I took the free upgrade to Windows 10 Pro from Microsoft. I paid $60 for each of the monitor which are 3 years old. I am happy with the $520 system.

I don't know much about the scanner devices mentioned, but can speak to the rest of your post.

First, your gear is quite decent for working on upgrading your photography. None of the lenses have wide available apertures for low-light situations, but so often when using a lens that does, it is still stopped down! So it seems to me you can do very well with what you have. Just work on your technical skills to gain better understanding of what your camera can do, work on composition and such things as keeping the background and edges in mind as well as the primary subject matter, and remember that most images are greatly improved when you can capture the light!

Second, for editing photos, it is best to have a newer better computer with sufficient speed and large enough screen to see the images. I use a desktop with large 27" monitor because I get into small details in some editing projects. But there are good laptops as well. Dell is the one I choose.

Third, photo management and editing, LR is a very good program that does both. I found it fairly easy to learn, although there are certain concepts that have to be understood and some people do struggle with them. The main one is that LR manages your images through a Catalog system, but your actual images are NOT in LR - they are in a folder on your Hard Drive. But all management must be done from within LR so that LR always knows where to find your images when you are looking at them and editing. Any changes made directly in the folder on your HD will make LR lose track of them and then it will tell you those photos or files are missing! Get a free trial and try it out before purchasing. If you get the subscription, PS will be included which allows you to learn it later on when ready. And there are lots of places to find information/get answers to questions about LR.

Shooting in RAW is best for good image quality, but generally requires at least some basic editing. It contains a lot more information than a JPG image, and editing can be done in more depth.

Hope this helps.
Susan

Lots here for me to learn from when I get up to speed with my new Nikon.

But what I will add as a long-time Windows user is that a couple of years back I took a deep breath and decided to switch to Apple Mac. Purchased an Apple Mac mini - see https://www.apple.com/mac-mini/ and have never looked back. It was much easier to update the brain cells (what were left of them) from Windows to Mac and the money saved on the computer was put into a really nice screen for my desk. Best of luck and look forward to reading more.

You all looking for a good PC. Have one made just for you, it's much cheaper. I have a friend that has a computer repair shop. He started with a new case & every piece he put in it was new plus he put in what I wanted. I ask him what about that extended warranty the big stores want you to buy, his answer was why do you want that for ? He then said I warranty it for a year you don't need to worry & if your hard drive goes bad then the maker of the hard drive will warranty it for three years, there again everyone is still happy, & after four years & you still have it well Mc I work on PC's. My PC cost me $ 600.00 & if I had gotten it a Best-buy it would be at-least $ 1800.00

Hi Susan! Thank you for your helpful and supportive comments. I will look for a new computer (my wife just told me to go ahead and buy one - she's "tired of hearing me bitching" about my old one!). I will look at the Dells. I'll probably not go with the Adobe package since I have a very good digital data management program (IMatch), and Lightroom would give me unnecessary and costly duplication. Also, for editing, sounds like Affinity would be more than adequate for my needs. As you suggested, I will try RAW and will work on improving my skills and familiarity with the D5300!

Many years ago we spent a few days at a place called Top Acres Farm near South Woodstock VT. Beautiful area; had a great time!

I just retired from an IT job so while I'm ill-equipped to advise on photography post-processing, I can advise get a new laptop from HP, Dell or Lenovo with at least 8GB RAM,good video card, and solid state drive. If you're a member, Costco or Sams club has some decent selection and also have external back up drives at great prices. If your not a member, Best Buy has competitive pricing. The price of desktops and laptops have plummeted in recent years so you should be able to get something really nice for not too much money.

Best of luck!

I live in the southwest corner of Vermont, love to go different places in this general area of New England. Woodstock is in a beautiful area, have been there multiple times, but mostly stopping off when passing through. Did you see a lot of the area, such as the Billings Farm and Museum, and of course, the town of Woodstock? Quechee Gorge is just down the road, with a great view from the bridge. We walked down into the gorge, and I got some great photos.

When looking at computers, Dell's website gives the specifications and you can select what you want and "build" your own. If you are not sure just what you need for best photo developing, the customer service people can help with that. There also have been some excellent posts on just this subject on UHH. Unfortunately, I don't have a link for some of them, but you could do a search. One person who I recall had great recommendations was Gene51, as well as others. You want to have a computer that is fast, otherwise everything will be way too slow, and plenty of memory. If you are buying a desktop, it will be easier to find the right combinations; if buying a laptop, get the best you can, and add on at least two external Hard Drives for storing and backing up your photos, with lots of memory. Otherwise you are more likely to run out of storage space and have to move everything over to an xHD anyway.

Just found one notation I made about Dell laptops. Pretty sure there were a couple of others, but perhaps this will help:

Inspiron 15 5000
- dedicated video card
-15.6" FHD [1920x1080] - anti-glare LED backlit display

The dedicated video card speeds things up, and the anti-glare monitor is so much better for viewing. I have an IPS monitor 27" Ultrasharp for my desktop and love it.

There might be other choices that are better, just have to do the research. Of course you could have one custom built for a similar price, if there is a person in your area who does that and is well-recommended.

Susan