Costco has the Nikon D3400 on sale for $499.99 through Sunday. Comes with 2 kit lenses: 18-55 and 70-300, plus bag & card.

Yeah, but I read the review of the newer model and it sounded like there were a ton of problems and returns. There seemed to be a much higher level of satisfaction among the owners of the ZS100. I'm thinking of getting one for travel.

PANASONIC LUMIX ZS100 is on sale at Amazon, if anyone is interested. The price dropped today from $697.99 to $547.99. No idea how long this price will hold.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B010NU5AX8/ref=ox_sc_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I haven't had this problem with my camera, but have several times with laptops. I got in the habit years ago of always applying scotch tape over the label with the serial number on the bottom of any new laptop.

Will you be allowed to go anywhere in Russia without a group and guide? If not, then there will be no need/opportunity to use a tripod whatsoever.

I'd skip the tripod and take the zoom. I think you'll really regret it if you don't have more reach. I agree about the flash so take your 1.4 for dim interior shots.

A backpack is probably the best solution. Alternatives to consider: 1. Do you really need to have him carry that many lenses? 2. Get the OP/TECH USA 0911012 S.O.S. Strap for $24. Something about the width and elasticity makes the load seem lighter.

There's a distinction to be made between sources: a print and a slide or negative. If I'm scanning a print, my standard is to scan at 600dpi. I'll drop down to 300dpi if the print is soft or lacking a lot of detail, and I'll boost it to 1,000 or more if there's a lot of detail or it's one of my prized few.

If the source is a slide or negative, it requires a much higher setting, between 3,000 dpi – 4,000 dpi. I wouldn't go lower than 3,000 if you want a high quality scan.

My guiding principal is to do it right the first time. I don't intend to ever go back and re-do my whole scanning project again – life's too short.

No time or need for a tripod. Your group will want to keep moving, and you MUST stay with your guide. Remember you are on the equator and it's hot. Plan to carry fewer lenses and more water.

We were there last June and really enjoyed the swamp tour we took through Cajun Encounters. They picked us up at our hotel at 8am and had us back around 2pm. My only swamp tour, so I don't know how it compares, but I thought it was well worth the time and money. Another highlight was the "Double Plantation Tour Bus" to Whitney and Oak Alley Plantations. Whitney states that they are the only plantation that attempts to present plantation life through the eyes of the slaves, and was very educational. Oak Alley was the traditional tour through the eyes of the plantation owners, but the plantation itself was quite beautiful.

Our two favorite dinners were at Cochon Restaurant (930 Tchoupitoulas Street) and Galliano Restaurant (200 Julia Street). Our hotel was at the convention center and these were both within walking distance.

If you like aquariums, the Audubon aquarium was pretty good. We spent 3 hours there and I got some great pictures. We didn't do the World War II museum, but heard several people rave about it.

Have a great trip!

A few things to consider. In order to promote energy savings, our state (Delaware) offers rebates to homeowners who upgrade to more energy efficient appliances. Check and see if your state does. We just replaced our heat pump driven electric heating and air conditioning about a year ago at a total cost of $11,700, but after rebates from the manufacturer (Trane) and the State, the net cost was down to $5,400. In addition, our summer electric bills immediately dropped by over half. Winter bills dropped by about a third. That will be an enormous savings over the life of the new system.

If your primary concern is heating water, however, you could look at the new heat pump electric water heaters. I'm currently thinking about one myself. I've been quoted $3,000 for an 80-gallon Rheem, which would be $2,400 after rebates. Comparing the ratings to my current 14 year old water heater, my annual operating cost would be reduced from $643 to $161, giving me a payback of less than 5 years. While I would guess that the heating/cooling system would absolutely require professional installation, you may be able to legally install the water heater on your own.

Good luck!

I agree you should read the manual, but I've only read the one that came with my camera once. It's good for a reference, but nearly worthless as a teaching tool. It focuses solely on the how and never explains the why. I'd recommend getting a book written specifically for your camera. I've got a Nikon D5500 so I got the "Nikon D5500 For Dummies" book by Julie Adair King, which I thought was excellent. I've also recently purchased "David Busch’s Nikon D5500 Guide to Digital SLR Photography" which has also been highly recommended. These are far more helpful than the Nikon manual. From there, I'd recommend reading a few of the classic books on general photography, such as Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure." There are also excellent books from Tony Northrup and Scott Kelby. Then come back and re-read your camera specific book. It will make even more sense to you the second time.

Of course, I'd also recommend getting out to practice as often as possible and taking any classes you find available at the same time that you're reading these books!

Just ignore him. Better yet, put him on your ignore list so you won't see his replies to you in your future postings. I just checked my list and he was already on it.

Same here. The ships I've been on were impeccably clean. But anytime you get thousands of people in a confined space, all you need is one sick person for the illness to spread. Same as for flying. You can minimize your chances of catching it by frequently washing your hands, and the ships I've been on have had hundreds of complimentary hand sanitizer dispensers. I wouldn't hesitate to take a cruise unless I had a severely compromised immune system.

Try “Awesome Duplicate Photo Finder.” It’s free and you can get it at http://www.duplicate-finder.com/photo.html.
It doesn't automatically delete anything -- I would NEVER allow that. It shows both photos side by side with data regarding file size and resolution, so that you can make the decision. The settings allow you to search for 100% identical photos, or for similar photos, and it's analyzing the image itself, not just name or metadata. I’ve used this terrific piece of software for years and love it.