I have only used the nikon 10-24. I travel with two lenses, the 18-300 and the 10-24. I use the 10-24 for building interiors and outside shots of buildings. I used the 10-24 in Venice on the waterways, church interiors and building exteriors, the 18-300 was used for everything else. You will not be disappointed with this lens, sharp edge to edge on 4X6 through 8X12, do not go bigger.

What I have found now is that most companies will take Pay Pal in addition to other cards like VISA and MASTER CHARGE. My Pay Pal account is linked to one of my bank accounts and I have used Pay Pal since its inception and have never experienced a bad transaction. I sell a lot of things on E-Bay and use Pay Pal as my only payment option because it works so well. They deposit E-Bay receipts into my Pay Pal account, I can bank that money or leave it in my Pay Pal account to use on a later purchase. I noticed that B&H offers Pay Pal as an option now, I am sure if Pay Pal were not honest a company like B&H would not use them.

The Nikon SS-29 is still available on many sites including E-Bay. Your cost can be anywhere between $50-$150 depending on condition and whats included. Yes, it is iTTL, I own one and it works with all of my Nikon gear. If the flash is too bright sometimes, I drop the EV on the camera or flash.

It should be obvious to everyone, the tripod was stolen.

I also believe it is too much lens for soccer. I would think a 70-200 mm on an APS camera which would give you a 105-300 mm range would be fine. But if you need the eye sockets of the players or the small print on the soccer ball that tells you the amount of air to put in the ball then by all means the 150-600 is the lens for you.
Also you would have a lot more freedom using a smaller lens, less strain on your shoulders and arms, and you could move much more quickly as those little rug rats can move quickly and unpredictably.
Plus, if you are photographing family events a 70-200 would also be fast enough for those basketball, football, baseball, and beach activities. Plus a good vacation lens matched with a 10-20 mm zoom and you would be ready for the world.

I have owned Nikon since my first F in 1969. Nikon has never said they would replace the D300 with a D400. I should know, a good friend of mine has been a Nikon Rep. for 30 years. Nikon has never promised a new camera. They simply announce the next camera sometimes a month ahead of distribution to get the GAS going among photographers.
Nikon, Canon, Sony and the rest are companies, they are in existence to make money.
I remember when I used to shoot for UPI Nikon actually asked us what improvements we would like in a new camera. Can you imagine any camera line doing this today. Remember above all else, all companies, whether they produce bolts or cameras, produce a product that consumers will want to buy and to make money, not satisfy the whims of the consumer.

The A77 uses a different flash shoe than the A77II. You can use the old Minolta flashes on the A77 without an adapter but you would need an adapter to put older Minolta and Sony flash units on the A77II.

I don't know if it is in your budget buy B&H is running a special, a Mark 5D Mark III down to 2200. with all of the following thrown in, looks like a good deal
OVERVIEW
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EOS 5D Mark III DSLR Camera (Body Only)
LP-E6 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery Pack (7.2V, 1800mAh)
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Back when I did professional photography, I took the focus screens out of my Nikon F's and put a thin black tape vertically down both sides. In side these lines was safe for 8X10 shooting, anything outside this line was not going to be included. It has to the with the ratio thing of 35 mm. When digital came out they could have made a correction but many people including my self like to shoot FULL OUT which of course means if you want everything in the shot you print 4X6 or 8X12 or 12X18 or better yet 16X24. On some pocket cameras you can select what ratio you want to shoot in and of course when you pick a certain ratio the camera changes what you see in the view finder.

Look at it this way. The extra $350.00 gets you a 840 mm lens on a full sensor and a 1260 mm lens on a cropped sensor. Not a bad deal for the money.
I have always never assumed when I buy a new lens, I call Nikon and check ahead of time to see what will work and what won't. I am sure if you did your homework ahead of time you would have found that out.
Let the buyer be ware. Or, as Ronald would say, Trust But Verify.

Have been to Ireland, Italy, and Peru, never filled out anything, but took my camera's as a carry on. Was passed through x ray. As a precaution, I keep the cards in a case that protected them from x ray. Don't like the cameras out of my view. When I shot for UPI years ago we did the same thing when we traveled. It seemed easier then, used film and no e ray's to worry about. Now I just make sure my home owners insurance covers loss oversees, mine does.
I would also suggest you check with the local cultures, some frown on pictures of the natives. I am sure though in Japan, home of the camera nuts, you will be welcomed with open arms.

My Sony A99 came with a sony flash adapter for the older sony flashes. I do not remember what the product number was, but it worked perfectly with no problems. I am sure the sony adapter will work fine. Maybe Friedman got a bad one or just had a headache the day he tested it.

Wow, do I feel better, with answers like this it's a wonder our country is in so much debt. If you guys ran things, it would be different because you guys can answer the really tough questions.

Just got mine in from B&H. Man, is it ever sharp. Will pair this lens with my Nikon 28 1.8 ( which, contrary to ratings, is also razor sharp and N coated) with my D 800 for my travel light, travel right, grandpa taking pictures of only grand daughter lenses.

As of two days ago, the official Nikon site did not have the manual for the d 7200 available. Thanks for the shout out. I will look it up. It is too bad about the group AF. In that case for me there is not sufficient upgrade to focusing system on d 7200 to justify switch. Because I could simply take more out of focus birds with the increased buffer of the d 7200 than my current d 7100.