Re photo editing of stills I have been using the free Google Picasso 3 for several years and it does a very nice job of enhancing my travel pics. For Video editing I have been using Pinnacle Studio 11 Ultimate with the V.14 upgrade. Its a very easy and intuitive program to use. I have recently purchased the Sony Movie Studio HD Platinum program and find it less intuitive with no significant improvement in performance over Pinnacle. I am still learning it's usage so I may change my mind in the future, but right now I find it less useful.
BTW I am using MS 7 64 bit as an operating system and have recently lost the ability to capture DV files from my Canon camera with either editor. The editing programs just do not see the camera even though it shows up in device manager fine. Any one have any experience in resolving the problem ?

I think the answer to this question depends alot on the camera being used. One of my cameras is a panasonic that shoots bith still and HD Video. Since we travel extensively I did not want to run out of space or have concerns about speed of transfer so I bought a class 10,. 64 Gb SD chip. I waited for a sale price and paid $72.00 for the chip and am completely satisfied. I also use a point and shoot "pocket" camera, which I usually shoot at a 5 megapixel setting using a Class 4, 1 Gb which is perfectly adequate for that use.
The important point I believe is to not buy any chip less then Class 4 for photos, and when using a high end fast camera spend the small amount extra and go for the faster class, 10 being the best available. I concur that buying from a known quality shop is very important. I favor Adorama.

About the only way I know how to get a smoggy white sky blue is in post processing. I use Picassa 3 "editing effects" to color the shot. It has a graduated color capability which can be feathered to make the shot look real. Try it....I think you will like the results.

You might want to check out the Panasonic FZ47 14 MP "Bridge Camera".
I had been looking to switch to a DSLR from a hi end point & shoot but when I came across the specs for this camera it was just about what I wanted and have absolutely loved it. I caught a great sale on Buy.com thru Adorama. $230.00 incl shipping. This camera has it all. Built in flash, full controls for full manual all the way thru fully auto, a great Leica f 2.8 lens that has 24X optical, and will shoot full HD Video @1080. A real important feature for me is the Electronic View Finder as well as a 3" LCD Viewer.
I can't put the camera in my pocket anymore but it is really light as a feather hanging from its strap. I may eventually move up to the new Sony NX7 but for now I'm having too much fun with this Panasonic, plus I saved a bundle

My solution to the problem of running out of card capacity was to take advantage of the low cost of SD cards and just picked up a couple extra large capacity SD cards. Cost has come down to about one dollar per Gig lately. I bought a 64Gb class 10 SD card from Newegg for $72.00 and have seen many ads for 32Gb cards priced at $32.00. For photo work do not buy anything that is less then Class 4, and faster (higher class) is really better.

I use a Epson Flat bed Photo scanner which scans 4 35mm slides at a time using a Epson supplied mask and Epson software. Excellent results with the software which is capable of restoring color balance on slides that have had a color shift due to age. It produces jpg files which are on average about 3MB in size. Each 4 slide scan takes about 30-40 seconds followed by about 1.5-2 minutes of editing. Slides that have deteriorated badly will of course take longer to get presentable. The mask that came with the scanner also accommodates strip negs,
FYI my son has purchased a dedicated slide digitizer for less then $100. at Costco and he reports excellent results and very quick operation.
Ciao

Thank you so much for your input. You mentioned that you are using a Leica screw mount. I have a Leica IIIf with a f2 Summacron collapsable lens, plus a 35mm and 135 mm lens and have wondered if I could use these lenses successfully with an adaptor on the NEX 5N. What are your thoughts on that ?
Rudy

Thanks a bunch for your insights ! You have me thinking about the NEX 7. I may just stay with my present equipment until the NEX 7 becomes readily available.
Rudy

Hi Robert
Thanks for your response. Do you have the N version or an earlier version ? If earlier Ver do you think the N ver has improved on any of the the Cons you mentioned ? With the ISO range that the N offers do you feel that a flash unit is a necessity ? I have several Konica auto lenses (from my 35mm equipment) and a Sumacron f2 collapsible Leica Lens (on a IIIf) as well as a 35mm and a 90mm Lieca lens. Do you feel an investment in adapters for a NEX 5N would be worthwhile ?
Thanks again......Rudy

I am considering buying a Sony NEX 5N (16.1 MP) and would appreciate any input pro or con from anyone that already has this system. I would also appreciate any suggestions re similar mirriorless DSLR systems. I do alot of traveling and really like the concept of a very compact still and video capability.