I have amblyopia in my left eye and have had since birth. There is definitely a color shift between my right and left eyes. I've always wondered what life would look like with two perfectly functioning eyes. But my RAW files don't care what my eyes see so I can have as much fun as I want with the files in post-processing. :>)

I can highly recommend AP-T Camera Repair in Albuquerque. AP-T is located at 4503 Menaul Blvd NE, the phone is 505-881-6600. The owner has been in business for at least 30 years and I have used them many times for film to digital repairs. Here is what they do: "Repair and cleaning of film and digital photography equipment. Sensor cleanings. Sales of quality film and digital gear. Photography classes on how to use your camera. Studio rental space available." Give them a try.

When you go, keep in mind that the church itself is behind a wall and the area will be very crowded with pilgrims. Give yourself plenty of time to get there, find a place to park, and enjoy the spirituality of the Sanctuario which is amazing.

I've been using FastStone for several years and really like it for downloading files into my PC, basic organizing and retrieval of files and it can do quite a good job with basic post processing. When I have a batch of shots, such as items I want to put on ebay, I use FastStone because the workflow is easy and gets the job done. Highly recommended. BTW, I also use DxO and Photoshop but often FastStone is all I need. And it is free!

Your post was very interesting. It brought back fond memories of Fred Saberhagen. I knew him well and still see his wife occasionally. She has been working with a publisher to reissue his Berserker series. Thanks for the post and the thought you put into it.

I live in Albuquerque which was a perfect place to be for the annular eclipse in October of this year. I purchased a Rainbow Symphony Solar Filter from Amazon for $19.95 and it worked perfectly. I will add that using a gimbal head on a sturdy tripod made photographing the eclipse so much easier. My nephew is a professional astronomer and he said my photographs were as good as he'd seen. I used a 600mm lens and cropped some to get the final pictures.

Thanks to everyone who responded I did manage to free up the center column. I did use just a bit of lubricant spray then put it in our chest-type freezer overnight. It worked! I thought about using the propane torch but my wife always thinks I have too much fun with it when I fire it up so I saved that as a last resort. Yes, living in the great American SW brings living with dust always in the air, even on a calm day. I hadn't taken it apart in too long evidently so that is my Saturday fun job. The ever-present dust is why I always carry a small blower, a good soft brush and filters with me when I go out for a day of shooting. Again, thanks for all the suggestions and for pointing me to the Gitzo site. Happy springtime shooting everyone.

I have a Gitzo GT1542T Traveler tripod. While using it today I had the center column raised about halfway up. The twist lock had been working just fine but it seized up and now will not turn or release. I have tried using a large Vise-Grip to try and loosen it but it is completely unmovable. Any suggestions would be appreciated. The tripod column was clean with no dust or grime on it.

Thanks to everyone who has offered advice. I will pass it along to my nephew and wait for good news from him.

My nephew has an Epson 3800 printer and one of the nozzles for black ink is clogged. He has tried deep cleaning but that doesn't clear the nozzle. He is willing to remove the print head. What suggestions do group members have for a person wanting to clean the head themselves. If that doesn't work, where could he get it repaired/replaced? Thanks ahead of time for any timely advice.

I have had the Z50 since last fall. I purchased it as the two lens kit from the Nikon store. I have used virtually every Nikon body made since my first Nikkormat FT2, including most of the digital bodies including the D800. Plus I have an extensive Olympus EMD MIII kit that I bought for the lighter weight. The Z50 kit far exceeded my expectations and that is my go-to kit almost all the time now. The quality of the files both JPG and NEF are excellent and both lenses are much sharper than I expected. Having gone past the 75 mark in age I truly appreciate getting excellent quality of images from such a light kit. And the ergonomics of the camera body are very good. Hard to think of another kit that gives such quality for such little dollar investment.

I don't fit your request exactly, as I have the XE2s and the X-Pro 2 and not the XE3. Most of the time I prefer the XE2s over the X-Pro 2 for size considerations. When I bought the XE2s used, the XE3 was out and I did a lot of reading and research about both cameras. The XE2 and XE2s are a bit larger than the XE3 but not enough to make a difference. I chose the XE2s because of button placement and button options on the body and I'm very pleased with my choice. I don't think the difference in sensors is enough to keep you from considering the XE2 or XE2s.

I purchased this kit from Nikon last fall. I wasn't sure how much I would like the Z50 and two kit lenses but wanted a light kit for travel. I own and use a Nikon D750, D500 and Df plus top tier Nikon lenses. So I have good quality files to compare the Z50 files with. I am extremely pleased with the image quality I get from the Z50 and the kit lenses. In fact, the others have stayed in my closet since I got the Z50 kit. I take pictures mostly of landscapes, flowers and birds and publish a calendar every year for local sales. I can highly recommend this kit as it is lightweight and the quality of files is excellent. If you want more help with learning what this camera can do, I recommend the David Busch book about the Z50. If you get this kit you will really enjoy it.

I've been using Faststone for years and it is great for quickly importing your photo files for reviewing before editing. Simple to use, it is free and it works. It uses the folder and file structure you may already be using for storing your files so it is very intuitive.

I have purchased several lenses from mapcamera, a Japanese company that sells on ebay. Everything has arrived very quickly, well-packed and in the condition advertised. I'm not sure about other Japanese companies since I've had such good service from mapcamera I don't purchase from any others.