Your lenses may work with some of today's digital Sony cameras. Sony bought Minolta.

So what's your recommendation for the best way to scan negatives?

I often learn a new software package by fooling around with it, learning by trial and error. That doesn't work with Lightroom. For me, I find Lightroom to be the most unintuitive software on the face of the planet. Taking a course, whether live, on-line, or through a book, is absolutely essential to avoid total frustration. I tried to pick up Lightroom on my own several times and never made any progress. Take the time to take a course and you'll be thankful in the end. I'm convinced Lightroom is the way to go, just don't try to do it through guesswork.

I agree, depends on the venue. You see a preponderance of white lenses at sporting events, but not so many at other type events. At a press conference I saw the other day, there were at least thirty photographers and I only spotted two white zooms.

Actually,you'll get the best exchange rate by using your ATM card after you get there. Call your bank before you go to tell them you'll be traveling and to ask if they have agreements with any Canadian banks to waive the usage fee.

You don't use the internet to backup your files with this device.

If you're traveling without a laptop, I'd recommend a RAVPower FileHub Plus. You can use it to backup your SD cards onto a thumb drive or USB hard drive, without any need for a laptop or an internet connection. I copy everything each night onto two 256GB thumb drives so that I have a backup, then reuse the SD cards. (Make sure you store the thumb drives separately, to protect against loss or theft.) You can get it on Amazon for $40. It is small and light-weight, it has an SD card slot and a USB port, and it doubles as a wireless travel router and a 6000mAh external battery pack. You control the file transfer with an app on your cell phone, and you can view your pictures on your cellphone to verify a successful copy. It connects with your cellphone through Bluetooth – you don't need to have cellular reception for it to work. It appears durable. I've tested it several times and it works as advertised. I've purchased several other RAVPower electronic items in the past from Sunvalleytek via Amazon and have always been impressed with the quality of their products and their customer service.

I agree. Another to consider is "The Photographer's Guide to the Maine Coast -- Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them" by David Middleton and Bruce Morrison.

You'll be fine with what you've got. Those two lenses handle 95% of what I shoot. Would it be nice to have a single zoom lens that covers that range so I wouldn't have to change lenses? Sure, it would be convenient, but there are other things I'd rather get. The only lens I'd suggest you consider getting before your trip is something for low light conditions. I have and love my 35mm f/1.8G lens for shots inside a church or museum, and especially in an aquarium. I've also got a wide angle lens, but never use it anymore. I'm happy with the 18-55 for landscapes.

The products are identical except for color. The price difference is almost certainly due to the seller's inventory levels -- they reduce the price on the slower moving product to reduce their stock. I've found that when I shop for another USB hard drive and it's offered in multiple colors, there's usually one color that's a little cheaper, and it's usually a different color this time than the last time I looked.

I use two laptops: a 17" running Windows 7 is my main computer, and a smaller 13" running Windows 10 is my travel computer. I like Windows 10, but not enough to consider upgrading my Windows 7 where I do 90% or more of my computing.

I also have two printers for non-photographic work, an HP Officejet 6500A Plus, and a newer Epson WorkForce WF-3640 that I bought while the HP was inoperable and presumed dead, but subsequently repaired. Both work flawlessly with both the Windows 7 and Windows 10 computers. I couldn't be happier with the Epson and highly recommend it, for both its printing and its scanning capabilities. It's currently $141 at Amazon.

I'd recommend a RAVPower FileHub Plus. You can get it on Amazon for $40. It's a powerbank plus much more. You can use it when traveling to backup your SD cards onto a thumb drive or USB HD, without any need for a laptop or internet connection.

The powerbank/flashlight I use regularly is unfortunately no longer available. It was from RAV, and I've purchased several other RAVPower electronic items in the past from Sunvalleytek via Amazon and have always been impressed with the quality of their products and their customer service. I'd recommend checking out their current products.

Clearly not. An earlier poster noted the the warranty card states that it is only valid if the product is purchased from an authorized dealer.

And for the 5% rebate when you use your Amazon Store Credit account.

That's correct. You have to go up to the 7xxx series for an internal focusing motor. However, I do love my d5500.